Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hungry_Backpack 07-13-06, 07:42 AM	One of my players wants a dire wolf, but I don't know what it would cost. They (the PC's) are currently in the Eldeen Reaches, so what would it cost. And while I have you attention, what would a regular wolf cost, and what would additional HD's cost. Thanks in advance.
Kinger 07-15-06, 08:37 PM	When you say "Wants a dire wolf," what do you mean? Is it in the same vein as "I would like a horse so I can travel faster" or is it more "I would like a Dire Wolf as an Animal Companion?" The latter is easy. Animal Companions generally don't cost anything but time for the Druid/Ranger/Whatever in question. You'd just have to go out and find one, really, which could be anything from adventure to a 1-minute explanation of downtime usage. "For the month we take off I go out and befriend a Dire Wolf." The former? That's a bit more difficult. I'd be very surprised if Vadalis keeps Dire Wolves in stock. I mean, why? They're not work animals like horses, mules, or oxen, nor are they livestock like cows or pigs. I suppose you could use them as guard animals, rather like a giant rotweiler, but that's getting pretty excessive (you'd have to feed it, and while an ordinairy guard dog probably doesn't pose much threat to whatever its guarding, a dire wolf probably would simply by its sheer size and strength). If you were to go that route, then I honestly have no idea about cost. Probably not cheap (it's like buying a trained elephant or a killer whale in reality, which I'm sure aren't easy to procure). Here's what I'd do, if you were to go this route: - Determine the necessary Handle Animal DC to train the Dire Wolf (probably in the PH or DMG) - Determine the cost of hiring somebody of sufficient level to make that check (probably also in the PH or DMG) for however long it takes to train a Dire Wolf (again, probably in the PH or DMG) - Tack on an extra 50% to account for the actual Dire Wolf, and the difficulty of training a large (and uncommon) predator The ones most likely to have access to and the ability to train Dire Wolves would be the druids and rangers of the Eldeen Reaches (which is conveniently where your PCs happen to be). However, I don't see them as being particularly willing to take something as fundamentally useless to them as money as payment. I'd recommend the PC in question perform some sort of service (rid a wood of a Grick infestation, hunt down a cult of the Dragon Below, etc) in payment instead. If he or she is not willing to do that (or you'd rather not spend game time on it), then I can't see it actually happening without the PC going out, finding a Dire Wolf via Survival, and befriending it themselves with plenty of Animal Empathy and Handle Animal checks. That, itself, wouldn't cost a thing, but it requires all of the above: Survival, Animal Empathy, and Handle Animal. To me, something like a Dire Wolf is the equivalent of a holy relic of the Silver Flame. If you want one, you're going to have to find it yourself, because whoever's got some probably won't willingly give them up, and you probably can't just find them in a catalogue. "Yes, I'd like to order three locks of hair from Saint Bermede the Wolfsbane wrapped in silver wire. Thank you." Just my thoughts.