Collar of the Wolf

Aura Moderate transmutation; CL 9th
Slot Neck (animal only); Price See Table; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

The Collar of the Wolf is a series of enchanted leather collars designed to enhance the natural bite of canines and other creatures that rely upon their jaws in battle. Each collar is fashioned from thick, supple leather fitted with a polished silver clasp depicting the head of a snarling wolf. Delicate runes are etched into the clasp and continue around the collar's inner band. More powerful collars bear increasingly intricate engravings, though all share the unmistakable craftsmanship of the same ancient tradition.

When worn by a creature possessing a natural bite attack, the collar causes that attack to be treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. In addition, the bite attack's damage increases by the number of steps indicated on the table below, following the standard D&D 3.5 weapon damage progression used for increasing weapon size. Only the creature's natural bite attack is affected; the collar grants no benefit to claws, gore attacks, slams, manufactured weapons, or any other form of attack.

Only one Collar of the Wolf functions on a creature at any given time. Wearing multiple collars provides no additional benefit.

Collar	Damage Increase	Typical 1d4 Bite	Market Price
Collar of the Wolf	+1 step	1d6	2,000 gp
Collar of the Dire Wolf	+2 steps	1d8	8,000 gp
Collar of the Winter Wolf	+3 steps	1d10	18,000 gp
Collar of the Worg	+4 steps	2d6	32,000 gp
Collar of the First Wolf	+5 steps	2d8	50,000 gp

A creature whose bite attack normally deals damage other than 1d4 increases its damage by the same number of steps using the standard weapon damage progression.

LORE

Although many assume these collars were created by druids, the oldest surviving examples display enchanting techniques more commonly associated with master artificers than guardians of the wild. Their makers evidently believed that a faithful animal companion deserved enchantments every bit as potent as those bestowed upon a knight's sword or a wizard's staff. Rather than altering the nature of the beast, the collars simply awaken the full potential already present within tooth, muscle, and instinct.

The collars are traditionally named after increasingly formidable canines known throughout legend and folklore. Beginning with the common wolf, each successive enchantment honors a creature of greater strength and renown until the series culminates in the Collar of the First Wolf. Whether this mysterious progenitor truly existed or merely symbolizes the untamed spirit from which all wolves descend remains a matter of spirited debate among sages, druids, and storytellers alike.

These collars have found homes around the necks of humble sheepdogs, disciplined war hounds, steadfast animal companions, and even the occasional wolf willing to trust a mortal. Veterans often remark that the collars possess a curious quality beyond their enchantment. Animals wearing them seem no more aggressive than before, yet they display an unmistakable confidence in battle, as though the magic reassures them that their courage will never be wasted when defending those they have chosen to protect.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, greater magic fang; Cost See Table

Collar	Cost to Create
Collar of the Wolf	1,000 gp + 80 XP
Collar of the Dire Wolf	4,000 gp + 320 XP
Collar of the Winter Wolf	9,000 gp + 720 XP
Collar of the Worg	16,000 gp + 1,280 XP
Collar of the First Wolf	25,000 gp + 2,000 XP

KELWYN'S NOTES

One of the more curious habits of adventurers is their willingness to invest princely sums enchanting the weapons they carry while expecting the faithful creatures that accompany them to rely upon little more than breeding and bravery. It is a peculiar inconsistency. A seasoned hound may guard a sleeping camp for years without complaint, follow a trail invisible to every member of the party, and interpose itself between its master and mortal danger without hesitation. Yet when the time comes to divide the treasure, the poor beast is often rewarded with a strip of dried meat while everyone else debates the relative merits of enchanted steel.

The Collar of the Wolf has always struck me as an enchantment born not of vanity, but of gratitude. Its magic does not compel greater ferocity, nor does it awaken bloodlust within a gentle companion. Rather, it grants every bite the certainty one imagines nature herself intended before compromise and survival tempered her designs. The wearer does not become a monster. It simply becomes a finer example of the loyal guardian it has always chosen to be.

I have observed several examples over the centuries, and each has shared a curious characteristic. The animals themselves seem blissfully unaware that anything extraordinary has occurred. They neither posture nor seek unnecessary conflict. A dog wearing such a collar still greets familiar faces with an enthusiastic wag of the tail, still chases thrown sticks with embarrassing determination, and still regards a kind word from its master as reward enough. The magic strengthens the jaws, but it leaves the heart delightfully untouched. I consider that a far greater accomplishment than any increase in damage could ever represent.

The Collar of the Worg and the exceedingly rare Collar of the First Wolf are another matter entirely. Their workmanship surpasses mere craftsmanship and approaches artistry of the highest order. I have examined only one example of the latter, and I departed with more questions than answers. The runes appeared subtly different each time I studied them, as though they reflected not the light about them, but the memories of every faithful beast that had ever worn the collar. Such observations are, admittedly, difficult to verify, though I confess I have long since ceased dismissing impossible things merely because they decline to behave sensibly.

If fortune ever places one of these collars in your possession, remember that it is not the leather, nor the silver, nor even the enchantment that gives the relic its greatest worth. Those are merely tools. The true magic lies in the quiet bond between a person and the creature that chooses to walk beside them without expectation of glory, wealth, or recognition. Any fool may purchase a stronger bite. Loyalty, however, remains among the rarest treasures ever granted to this world, and no wizard - however accomplished - has yet devised a spell capable of creating it.