Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

I guess so!

Actually, a question about the bracketed text. Can you train animals to attack with armor spikes? I didn't notice anything relevant in Handle Animal.
 

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Lookin' good. I suppose we just need a general description and another line or two of flavor/tactics, and it should be good to go.

Hmm...

A powerfully built dog with a massive head and heavy jaws. It is dressed in armor of cured leather.

A war dog is a canine specially bred for strength and aggression, then trained for warfare or guard duty.

War dogs are proficient in light armor and are normally dressed in leather barding by their owners. A few war dogs wear spiked armor, they are not proficient in weapons so have a -4 penalty to attack with armor spikes.

A typical war dog is 2½ to 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs from 150 to 180 pounds.

Combat
A war dog will attack on command or when threatened by a stranger. Normally, the dog grabs its opponent and tears into them with its jaws. War dogs with special training (see Training a War Dog, below) can be taught to pin or disarm an opponent on command, instead of fighting to kill or injure. A few war dogs can make trip attacks just as wolves do (see the Wolf entry).
 


I combined it with your working draft and added to Homebrews.

Finished?

Since I mentioned a "Training a War Dog entry", shouldn't we give it one?

Training A War Dog
War dogs can be trained for a general purpose and taught tricks following the rules for the Handle Animal skill. A trained war dog gains the attack trick as a bonus trick, in addition to the maximum of 6 tricks it can learn with its Intelligence of 2. Some war dogs are taught tricks that are not in the standard selection described in the Handle Animal skill. Most such tricks teach the dog to use a particular special attack against an opponent on command. Examples of these "combat tricks" (and their associated Handle Animal DCs) include Disarm (DC 25), Pin (DC 20) or Trip (DC 25).

War dog pups are worth X gp apiece on the open market, while young are worth Y gp each. Professional trainers charge Z gp to rear or train a war dog.
 

Do we need the prices? The riding dog doesn't have them? But comparing to similar hounds in the CC, we should probably put training at 500 gp or so and pups at something also like 500 gp. Young aren't listed separately (isn't a "young dog" really a pup anyway?).
 

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