Mabari are huge mastiffs with a touch of wolf blood that stand as tall as a dwarf and just as wide. Their masters (or “partners” as many of those paired with Mabari prefer) will often choose a distinct style of war paint to mark them with so that they can better pick them out from other Mabari at a distance in the midst of combat. Correspondingly, many Fereldans that frequently fight alongside Mabari will scent themselves with distinctively pungent body paint called “kaddis” which allows the dogs to easily mark them as allies.

The Mabari are an essential part of Ferelden military strategy. Trained hounds can easily pull knights from horseback or break lines of pike men, and the sight and sound of a wave of war dogs, howling and snarling, has been known to cause panic among even the most hardened infantry soldiers.

Of all the dog breeds that the Fereldans have produced, none are so highly regarded or so widely famed as the Mabari. Justly renowned, the Mabari are intelligent war hounds fully capable of understanding speech, perform complex commands, as deadly in a fight as any armed warrior, and loyal to one master until death do them part.

War Dog

You make use of your pedigree in order to turn the tides of combat. Mabari war dogs may choose the novice level of this talent at 1st level in place of one of the normal talents from which starting warriors typically get to choose.

Novice: For 3 SP, you can make an immediate additional claws attack against any target in melee range. This attack cannot generate stunt points. However, if the Pierce Armor or Mighty Blow stunts were used on the original attack, this attack also benefits from those stunts.

Journeyman: As a major action, you can let out a terrifying howl and bark. All creatures within 30 yards must make an opposed test of their Willpower (Courage) vs. your Strength (Intimidation). Those that fail suffer a –2 penalty to Defense, Speed, and attack rolls until the end of the encounter. Characters may attempt to shake off this effect with a TN 15 Willpower (Courage) test as a minor action.

Master: Upon a successful attack, you can spend 3 SP to knock your opponent prone and pin them, giving you a +2 bonus to further attacks as long as the target remains pinned (this includes the usual +1 for attacking a prone target). The victim must make an opposed Strength (Might) test against you to escape, which requires a minor action and leaves the character prone. The victim’s allies can also attempt this test, but they must spend a major action to do so.