Noble Canine

Canine is a grouping of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and many other lesser known extant and extinct dog-like mammals. Wild canines are found virtually everywhere, and inhabit a wide range of different habitats, including deserts, mountains, forests, and grassland. They vary in size from the fennec fox at 9.4 in. long, to the gray wolf, which may be up to 6.6 ft. long, and can weigh up to 180 lbs.

With the exceptions of the bush dog, raccoon dog and some domestic breeds, canines have relatively long legs and lithe bodies, adapted for chasing prey. All canines are digitigrade, meaning that they walk on their toes. They possess bushy tails, non-retractile claws, and, with a few exceptions, a dewclaw on the front feet. They possess a baculum that, together with a cavernous body, helps to create a copulatory tie during mating, locking the animals together for up to an hour. Young canines are born blind, with their eyes opening a few weeks after birth.

Species Descriptions

The first species to commit entirely to Serve was dog. Alongside their beloved humans, dogs have helped to shape civilization since its very beginning. Other species may have followed suit, but dogs are humanity’s most trusted — even beloved — partners.

Wolves were a different story. While some packs chose to serve the elves, others chose to side with goblins.

And still others chose to challenge all that was good in every race, making dark deals and dabbling in forbidden magics, eventually changing their very nature.

Thus, the Worgs were born, to the everlasting shame of non-evil noble wolves the world over. Other wolves choose to serve dryads and other fey. Most wolves, however; good, evil, or neutral; choose to challenge the humanoid races.

Foxes and coyotes, of course, chose to challenge humanoids as well — albeit in a particularly puckish fashion. They delight in sneaking through fences and making off with a hen or two (or perhaps a whole sheep). Foxes in particular relish their ability to obtain entry to a farm, rob the henhouse, and leave no trace of how they got in.

Noble coyotes on the other hand, while they do consider livestock to be fair game, tend to look fondly on humanoids; particularly humans, halflings, and gnomes.

They like to teach “lessons” to the two-legged folk in the form of complicated pranks. In the case of gnomes, this can sometimes become a good-natured war of practical jokes, sometimes lasting for generations.

These rules can also represent noble dingoes, noble jackals, or any other canine species.

Noble Canine Species Traits

• Ability Score Modifiers: -2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.
• Size: Tiny.
• Size Threshold: Noble Dogs gain a size category for each level of the Noble Canine class that they take, but are not considered to have a size threshold otherwise (some noble dogs are simply of smaller breeds). They also do not gain negative levels when they grow. If a noble dog advances to 2nd level in the Noble Canine class, and therefore grows to size Medium, it does not gain the changes to its statistics normally gained for this size increase. Instead, he simply gains +2 to Strength and +2 to Dexterity.
• Base Speed: 30 ft.
• Natural Weapon: Bite (1d3).
• Natural Armor: +1.
• Senses: Low-light vision (Ex), scent (Ex).
• Bonus Feat: Skill Focus (Perception).
• Skills: +4 racial bonus to Survival checks when tracking by scent.
• Family: Mammal.
• Noble Animal Type: Noble canines have the noble animal type except where superseded by other species traits and features.
• Social Group: Varies.
• Automatic Languages: Canine and High Fauna.
• Bonus Languages: Bat, Camel, Common, Crocodilian, Elephant, Equine, Feline, Herdspeak, Hyena, Lizard, Monitor, Raptor, Rodent, Serpent, Simian, Songbird, Ursine, and Woodland.

Noble coyotes, dogs, foxes, and wolves all use the noble canine character class if they wish to advance in their natural abilities, although noble coyotes and noble foxes can only ever take the 1st level.