Dire - what does it mean?

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Fifty
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Dire - what does it mean?

Post by Fifty » Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:06 pm

Is a dire wolf just a wolf that got really tough, or got affected by magic or something? or is it some kind of subspecies? or something else?
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Post by Sathsarrion » Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:16 pm

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Post by TripleAught » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:11 pm

It means that you can kill them without feeling guilty
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Post by Buddha » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:17 pm

I thought this sounded familiar.

http://www.avlis.org/viewtopic.php?t=67119
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Post by Fifty » Sat Feb 25, 2006 6:40 pm

whoops.
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Post by p0m » Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:10 pm

TripleAught wrote:It means that you can kill them without feeling guilty
Not feeling guilty doesn't exclude you from a stabbing. :P
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Post by DanishPastry » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:51 pm

You should ask Moredo... Samwir is a Dire Gnome.
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Post by Czarcasm » Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:51 am

3.5E Monster Manual wrote:Dire animals are larger, tougher, meaner versions of ordinary animals. Each kind tends to have a feral, prehistoric, or even demonic appearance.
Note that all dire animals in the MM are always neutral, so dire does not make them evil.
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Post by Kharkiv » Sun Feb 26, 2006 4:07 am

Buddha wrote:I thought this sounded familiar.

http://www.avlis.org/viewtopic.php?t=67119
heh. this is the first thing I thought of as well
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Post by Pessoa » Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:37 am

TripleAught wrote:It means that you can kill them without feeling guilty
Tell that to a druid. :P
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wow

Post by Squid » Sun Feb 26, 2006 2:38 pm

This brings up an excellent point. I was travelling to Mikona via the forest and I literally got Jumped by 5 Dire bears, I was getting a beat down and started to buff up and run around till I could get some spells up. I did so, THen started to kill them when all of a Sudden some druid or ranger comes up and tells me not to do that. I understand the concept of Druids and rangers loving trees and animals ok fine with that but I always thought that DIRE means they were created with some sort of Magic. Dire XXXX does not normally come out in the forest. IT is not the result of a natural process which is why they are hostile. WHy protect these? Does that make good IC sense? I didnt think so but I am open to learn, someone want to explain this please?
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Re: wow

Post by Selbhe » Sun Feb 26, 2006 2:54 pm

Squid wrote:I always thought that DIRE means they were created with some sort of Magic. Dire XXXX does not normally come out in the forest. IT is not the result of a natural process which is why they are hostile. WHy protect these? Does that make good IC sense? I didnt think so but I am open to learn, someone want to explain this please?
I recall nothing that states that Avlisian Dire animals are created by magic. They are just larger, more primordial and beastial kin to the rest of their stock.

The fact that you can take Dire Wolves as an Animal Companion (either Ranger or Druid) attests to the fact that they are perfectly natural and well inside their sphere of influence. Wild Shape also allows druids to turn into a Dire Bear, for much the same reason.

Sorry friend, but they're animals. Maybe a little more primative and agressive, but still animals.
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Post by horatio » Sun Feb 26, 2006 2:57 pm

Of course it makes sense to protect them. They're a part of the forest, mages are not. Also, bear in mind that dire animals do not attack druids and rangers, so to a druid or ranger, they are simply another of many forest species that are being disturbed and often hunted for their blood.
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Post by Froggy » Sun Feb 26, 2006 3:02 pm

Well, I found this information when I searched on the net. Granted it is 3.5, and I believe Avlis runs on 3.0 rules.

From WotC d20 rule source material
DIRE ANIMAL
Dire animals are larger, tougher, meaner versions of ordinary animals. Each kind tends to have a feral, prehistoric, or even demonic appearance.
Now, I have druid character. I did RP shaking heads and what not when others killed animals in his presence. However after reading through following link I think I will play him bit differently.
http://www.avlis.org/viewtopic.php?t=15626

Hope this helps.

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Post by Slane Swift » Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:41 pm

yes, they are bigger, i think they should at least have a way to distinguish them from regular ones ingame
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Post by Highwayman » Mon Feb 27, 2006 1:53 pm

though I'm not going to say what a dire wolf is the word "dire" itself means terrible. or something like that.
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Post by KaiRal Windspar » Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:45 pm

horatio wrote:Also, bear in mind that dire animals do not attack druids and rangers, so to a druid or ranger
Oh, hell yes they do...

There is a small half-elf shaped smear on a tree that used to be my Druid/Cleric Selbhe when she accidentally walked in on someone elses Dire Tiger spawn. Kai'Ral gets attacked by Dire Bears all the time.

Where is it printed that Dire Animals do not attack Druids/Rangers? X:|
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Post by Fire Monkey » Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:54 pm

KaiRal Windspar wrote:
horatio wrote:Also, bear in mind that dire animals do not attack druids and rangers, so to a druid or ranger
Oh, hell yes they do...

There is a small half-elf shaped smear on a tree that used to be my Druid/Cleric Selbhe when she accidentally walked in on someone elses Dire Tiger spawn. Kai'Ral gets attacked by Dire Bears all the time.

Where is it printed that Dire Animals do not attack Druids/Rangers? X:|
I am at work at present so dont have time to go searching for where it says it but they are definitely not supposed to and most don't. They used to always attack (leading to all sorts of annoying situations for rangers/druids) but the team implemented a change to stop it happening, perhaps it is buggy?
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Post by KaiRal Windspar » Mon Feb 27, 2006 4:00 pm

Fire Monkey wrote:I am at work at present so dont have time to go searching for where it says it but they are definitely not supposed to and most don't. They used to always attack (leading to all sorts of annoying situations for rangers/druids) but the team implemented a change to stop it happening, perhaps it is buggy?
Hmmm... First I have heard about it. I will query on it, though...
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Post by Heronimous Fox » Mon Feb 27, 2006 4:08 pm

Funny coincidence

...dire meaning ancient and prehistoric...

...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4748058.stm :)
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Post by diddeecoy » Mon Feb 27, 2006 5:15 pm

Fire Monkey wrote:
KaiRal Windspar wrote:
horatio wrote:Also, bear in mind that dire animals do not attack druids and rangers, so to a druid or ranger
Oh, hell yes they do...

There is a small half-elf shaped smear on a tree that used to be my Druid/Cleric Selbhe when she accidentally walked in on someone elses Dire Tiger spawn. Kai'Ral gets attacked by Dire Bears all the time.

Where is it printed that Dire Animals do not attack Druids/Rangers? X:|
I am at work at present so dont have time to go searching for where it says it but they are definitely not supposed to and most don't. They used to always attack (leading to all sorts of annoying situations for rangers/druids) but the team implemented a change to stop it happening, perhaps it is buggy?
As far as I know, when the change went in, most, but not quite all, of the animal spawns stopped attacking druids and rangers. Since you can't always remember which, this introduced a random element to it, which has always seemed alright to me. I can normally, as a druid, walk past 'most' animals without them being bothered. Occasionally, I meet some particularly hungry ones is how I play it.
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Post by Fire Monkey » Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:25 pm

I did a search but couldn't find a post for it. It was a long time ago however I am sure of that much.
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