Now they buy pigs

[ARandomGod]

Ok, city kids. Let me tell ya something. I grew up on a farm, and pigs, while they actually are very intelligent, make a HELLUVALOT of noise if they're unhappy about something. Piglets, especially. I promise you. Dangle one from a rope and every creature within earshot will know it. An adult pig, if things aren't going the way it wants, will turn on the person doing the pushing. And it will make noise doing it.

They're hellasmart, hellanoisy... they WILL know that something's wrong and will refuse to go first. They're also very hard to 'catch' if they escape the leash or the pen. A full grown pig is heavy, solid, and STRONG.

I've used dogs before. They're awesome for the first two levels, pretty good for three to five, and something to be sentimental about after level five. Keep a small pack of 'em. They'll guard your camp at night, they fight better than (very) low level humans, they can scent out invisible creatures. That trick alone is often worth keeping one or two with the party until mid levels. Plus there are already rules out there for using them in this way.

Reason #4: the smell (them and their rejections) would attract all wandering monsters in two miles, perhaps more. Impossible to sleep with these pigs around.

The smell is actually the humans fault. Just because pigs CAN wallow in their own filth and survive when penned/trapped there doesn't mean that they will do that of their own accord. They don't really like it.

That may be a reason and the most germane here but it's not the primary reason. The tapeworm that affects pigs affects humans too but the ones that cows, sheep and goats get are not normally dangerous to people.

Scientifically speaking pigs are relatively similiar to people on a DNA level (compared to cows, sheep and goats, that is). Many diseases and parasites that affect pigs also affect people. IMO this is the main reason they're considered 'unclean'. You can and probably will get sick if you eat an afflicted pig, and you might not know it's afflicted. FYI, humans are more 'unclean' in this way. Everything that afflicts humans can afflict humans. Very unsafe to eat people.

 

[Desdichado]

FYI, humans are more 'unclean' in this way. Everything that afflicts humans can afflict humans. Very unsafe to eat people.

Y NO WON TELL ME TIHS BEF4!!!!!!!111

 

[Remathilis]

I remember a Knights of the Dinner Table strip about this...

My PC necromancer, upon reaching 9th level (2e), began the same technique with zombies of fallen foes. Much more willing to work, able to listen to simple commands, and very unsettling. Can't do that in 3e (M component) though I think the Warlock can animate for hours at a time for free...

 

[Starglim]

That sounds extremely noisy, slow, distracting and tasty-smelling. I think you are not using enough wandering monsters.

 

[Presto2112]

Yea, i wouldnt use a pig. Id use some other animal....preferably something not too dangerous.

Like.... Miniature Giant Space Hamsters.

 

[fafhrd]

Are there stats for a dire pig anywhere?

I think one of the DM's Pipelines from Ronin Arts had a boar statted up for 3 levels of viciousness, one of them being a dire version. I've since lost my archive, but I think it came out right around the time Hogzilla started making the rounds on the boards.

 

[Zappo]

Wait, I've got it. You've got to use kender. Think about it. It's a win-win situation!

 

[Savage Wombat]

Are pigs small enough to comprise a Swarm?

Or should we dig out the Mob rules?

 

[StupidSmurf]

What about incurring the wrath of the Gods of Pigs? I mean, cats have Bast to champion them, so why can't pigs have Arnold Ziffel and his consort MissPiggy?? The possibilities are endless!

 

[IcyCool]

An old group I was in used to use a halfling tied to a rope. It was in actuality our party rogue (halfling), who couldn't seem to disarm a trap if his life depended on it. We convinced him that the rope was for his protection, and gave the other end to the party barbarian.

He went down four hallways like that before he finally realized we were using him to "fish for traps".