"Dire" is an inherited template that can be added to any animal that is not already dire (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A dire creature retains all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Dire creatures are large, feral-looking animals. They are not just bigger versions of normal animals, however. On the whole, dire creatures are bigger, stronger, faster, and more aggressive than their normal counterparts.
No one is certain what causes a dire creature to be born. Some druids maintain that Nature creates dire creatures as a direct response to some environmental threat, or as an adaptation to the magic and monsters that share the world with her creations. Others insist that, rather than an evolutionary step forward, dire creatures are a regression to more savage and prehistoric days. The majority of druids are not in the habit of questioning or explaining Nature’s motives, however, and simply state that dire creatures exist and that is all that need be known.
Racial Traits
Standard Traits
- CR: +2 (40 CP total)
- Hit Dice: The dire animal adds 2 Hit Dice (d8) to the base creature's total Hit Dice. These are the base creature's dire HD. These HD stack with the base creature's HD to determine the number of ability score increases, feats, racial feats, skill ranks and proficiency increases, and any abilities or traits that scale off of the creature's total HD except for its base attack bonus and base saving throw bonuses (see traits below). (0 CP)
- Size: The dire animal increases by 1 size from the base creature's original size, gaining +2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, -1 size penalty to attack rolls, +1 size bonus to CMB and CMD, -1 size penalty to DV, -2 size penalty to Fly, -2^(number of sizes larger than Medium) size penalty to Stealth, creature's space and reach increases by 5 ft., and speed by 10 ft, height is doubled, weight is multiplied by 8. (2 CP)
- Speed: Due to its size increase, the dire animal's base speed is increased by 10 feet. Other movement speeds that scale off of the creature's base speed increase accordingly.
- Ability Score Adjustment: +3 to all ability scores except Intelligence. (30 CP)
Defense Racial Traits
- Ferocity: If the hit points of the dire animal fall below to its negative Constitution score or lower, but it is not yet dead, it can continue to fight. If it does, it is disabled. It still dies when its hit points reach a negative amount equal to twice its Constitution score. (1 CP)
- Natural Armor: The dire animal gains a natural armor bonus equal to its total Hit Dice. If the base creature already has a natural armor bonus, it includes its dire HD as part of its total HD to determine its natural armor bonus, and gains Improved Natural Armor as a bonus feat. (2 CP)
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
- Toughness: The giant creature gains Toughness as a bonus feat. (2 CP)
Offense Racial Traits
- Natural Attacks: Due to its size increase, the damage of all of the dire animal's natural attacks increase by 1 size.
- Powerful Build: The dire animal is considered to be one size larger than it is if doing so is advantageous to it, including the damage of its natural attacks (this stacks with the damage increase from its size increase). However, its space and reach remain those of a creature of its actual size. The benefts of this trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category. (3 CP)