So I was reading Master Wolf and there's only passing reference to the Tiger Nomads, but the reference seems to indicate that the Tiger Nomads keep tigers as hunting companions much as the Wolf Nomads keep wolves. Is this supported anywhere in the sourcebooks? Do any of the sourcebooks treat with the Tiger Nomads at any length?
I was wanting to make a Tiger Nomad as a barbarian for a home game, and wondered if I needed to explain why he didn't have a tiger.
I have not come across any canon sources that answer your question difinitively, mindseye, but here is how I run them in my Greyhawk campaign.
Some Wolf Nomads do train wolves as hunting/battle companions, but it takes quite a bit of effort and skill. Most Wolf Nomads train war dogs that are interbred with wolves - the Wegwuir Wolfhound (based on the Irish Wolfhound).
Powerful Wolf Nomads track down, capture, and train a Dire Wolf or even a Winter Wolf on rare occasions. Wegwuir chieftains are expected to have a Dire Wolf companion, at least.
Tiger Nomads are a little different. They disdain the idea of a warrior having a battle companion that was raised in captivity. They refuse to use war dogs of any sort because that would be weak, like their pansy cousins, the Wegwuir. Because wild cats are rare, most Chakyik warriors show their status by displaying the tails of the war dogs/wolves they have slain by attaching them to their lances, saddles, etc. They are trophies of war.
Fortunate Tiger Nomad warriors manage to track, capture, and train a mountain lion from the northwestern Yatils, but the truly impressive warrior is the one who tracks down a white tiger from the Burneal Forest and forces it to submit to companion status. All of these cats must be male for none may be born in captivity. Each Autumn, the trained cat must be allowed to roam its original habitat for one month in order to mate with wild females. This does two things important to the Chakyik. First, it ensures a continuation of the cat population. Second, it serves as a test of the mettle of the warrior that acquired the cat as a companion. If the cat does not return to its master, it proves that warrior unworthy and causes a serious loss of status.
Cool! Thank you for your insight! The not bred in captivity thing is a very interesting wrinkle.
I am glad you like it.
From a DMing standpoint, though it is perfectly reasonable for nomadic warriors like the Wegwuir, to have war dogs as companions, it seemed over-the-top to allow every Chakyik warrior to have a tiger companion. So, I came up with a more realistic alternative. In my campaign, the Chakyik are the more aggressive, tending toward evil, civilization while the Wegwuir are more neutral and reasonable neighbors. The Wegwuir have plenty of opportunity to hone their fighting skills against their cousins to the west and Iuz in the east, so they don't bother their northern and southern neighbors all that much.
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So while he might have, and he probably knows someone who does, him not having one wouldn't be strange at all in your version of Greyhawk. :D
Absolutely not. Of course, he would target every enemy war dog he comes across to gain trophies to display to improve his status, even going so far as to be angry at any fellow party member who struck the killing blow against a canine he was engaged against himself (as that would deny him the trophy). It would be very reasonable for him to have a hatred for, or feel disgust toward, any and all canines he encounters. They would remind him of his weaker cousins, the Wegwuir. He would be sure to inform anyone owning a dog that such creatures are a sign of weakness since they were bred and trained in captivity. He would also dream of a day when he could capture and train his own wild cat.
By the way, I have not introduced the Spotted (white) Lion as a companion for any of the Chakyik because I was saving it for a truly epic BBEG. That would be a fun surprise to spring after the party has become familiar with the norms of the Chakyik culture.
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