Dire Wolf Cubs and Animal Companions... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dire Wolf Cubs and Animal Companions... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Darth Sephiroth
01-29-06, 04:01 AM One of my players asked if it would be possible for him to start the game with a Dire Wolf cub as his animal companion (Applying the same penalties a human child would have to the Dire Wolf and reducing its size to Medium) and have it become an adult later on, or would this unbalance things in a way I haven't thought of. Personally I liked the idea but I was hoping nothing really slipped by me.
BW0222
01-29-06, 12:21 PM First, it isn't reasonable that a 1st-level druid is going to go out into the woods, find a pack of dire wolves, and get a dire-wolf cub from them. That is something you'd need to roleplay because it is so insanely dangerous.

Second, wolves grow to full-size within six or eight months. In the time necessary to train it, it would be a big puppy to start with.

Third, it is still a 6hd animal. It just have smaller size, ability scores, etc. A 1st-level druid's bond is not strong enough to have a companion with that number of hit points.

If he wants a dire wolf cub, roleplaying him getting through a pack of 15 dire wolves, to a cave, sneaking in unnoticed, grabbing one, and getting away. At 7th-level this isn't unreasonable, since the druid has the spells and abilities to do so ... wildshape, speak with animals, charm or dominate animal, etc. However, if he wants to risk becoming breakfast, he can try it at first level. He can then roleplay rearing it and training it (as any other wild animals), and if he is successful, he'll have a non-animal-companion dire wolf and then at 7th, he can take it as his companion.
robertliguori
01-29-06, 08:32 PM Why not just stat a dire wolf cub as a standard wolf, and have it advance and grow via the standard druid animal companion progression until he can have a standard dire wolf companion?
Darth Sephiroth
01-29-06, 08:47 PM That would work, his reasoning for the cub is that I'm starting this around the time another campaign is going in the same city and I mentioned in that one that there was a Ranger/Druid and a Druid who were in charge of a large park in the center of a town and they both had Dire Wolf companions that I mentioned were having cubs, he wanted to have been trained by the two NPC's and thought it would be an interesting way to tie it into the world and the backstory for everything else.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Darth Sephiroth 01-29-06, 04:01 AM	One of my players asked if it would be possible for him to start the game with a Dire Wolf cub as his animal companion (Applying the same penalties a human child would have to the Dire Wolf and reducing its size to Medium) and have it become an adult later on, or would this unbalance things in a way I haven't thought of. Personally I liked the idea but I was hoping nothing really slipped by me.
BW0222 01-29-06, 12:21 PM	First, it isn't reasonable that a 1st-level druid is going to go out into the woods, find a pack of dire wolves, and get a dire-wolf cub from them. That is something you'd need to roleplay because it is so insanely dangerous. Second, wolves grow to full-size within six or eight months. In the time necessary to train it, it would be a big puppy to start with. Third, it is still a 6hd animal. It just have smaller size, ability scores, etc. A 1st-level druid's bond is not strong enough to have a companion with that number of hit points. If he wants a dire wolf cub, roleplaying him getting through a pack of 15 dire wolves, to a cave, sneaking in unnoticed, grabbing one, and getting away. At 7th-level this isn't unreasonable, since the druid has the spells and abilities to do so ... wildshape, speak with animals, charm or dominate animal, etc. However, if he wants to risk becoming breakfast, he can try it at first level. He can then roleplay rearing it and training it (as any other wild animals), and if he is successful, he'll have a non-animal-companion dire wolf and then at 7th, he can take it as his companion.
robertliguori 01-29-06, 08:32 PM	Why not just stat a dire wolf cub as a standard wolf, and have it advance and grow via the standard druid animal companion progression until he can have a standard dire wolf companion?
Darth Sephiroth 01-29-06, 08:47 PM	That would work, his reasoning for the cub is that I'm starting this around the time another campaign is going in the same city and I mentioned in that one that there was a Ranger/Druid and a Druid who were in charge of a large park in the center of a town and they both had Dire Wolf companions that I mentioned were having cubs, he wanted to have been trained by the two NPC's and thought it would be an interesting way to tie it into the world and the backstory for everything else.