Dire badger

Dire badgers, also known as giant badgers, were bigger, tougher, smarter cousins of regular badgers. There were known to be animal companions of rangers, druids, and gnome cavaliers. "Training a dire badger requires patience, endurance, and a good supply of berries."

- Excerpt from Races of Stone

Description
These short and tough creatures had thick brown fur, short legs, and dangerously sharp claws. Their pointed faces had a mouth of sharp teeth.

Behavior
Dire badgers tended to live in solitude or cetes of up to five animals. They were fiercely territorial in the wild. They laired underground in the tunnels they burrowed. Their tough claws could dig through most things but rocks and the tunnels' diameter was around.

Combat
In combat, dire badgers became a fierce ball of claws and teeth, attacking their opponents relentlessly. Being hurt in battle sent them into a berserk rage and they fought even more ferociously. The rage only ended when the danger had passed or either the opponent or the dire badger was dead. They were territorial and fiercely defended their territory.

Ecology
Dire badgers were known to be tamed and trained to serve as mounts. Gnomes used trained dire badgers for their elite cavalry, aided by the riders having the ability to speak with animals once a day. A dire badger youth could cost around 100 gp with additional 15 gp to pay for their training. Upkeep of a domesticated or trained badger could come to up to 8 gp per month.

Wild dire badgers could be found in the Forest of Amtar of Dambrath, as well as in the lands of Unther.

Dire badgers were one of the animals that could be summoned via the summon creature I spell.

Uses
Gnomes occasionally used dire badgers as guard animals.

History
In 1374 DR, the Cult of Tiamat in Unther fed dire badgers and other dangerous creatures to Grelixtralithimon, a redspawn birther.

Notable Dire Badgers

 * Zulkir was the awakened dire badger companion of Ryngoth, a member of the Cult of the Dragon in the ruins of Myth Drannor circa 1369 DR.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor &bull; Tyranny of the Dragon Queen
 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights &bull; Neverwinter Nights 2