Boar (wild)

Boar (wild common)

A native of the old world, ranging from tropical rainforests to the edges of arctic climates, preferring regions of thick undergrowth and soft earth. As the beast is able to leap upwards a distance of four to five feet, it is commonly found along rocky hillsides, such as those found in hilly and mountainous environments.

Areas well known for the presence of wild boars include the Mediterranean basin, the Sunda Islands (including New Guinea) and Africa's rift valley. For many parts of the civilized world, wild boars are a dangerous predator of livestock and are known to cause the deaths of many people every year. Wild boars are found throughout Europe, even within the British Isles.

The boar is the ancestor of most pig breeds, being domesticated in China about 8,000 years ago, then spread throughout Eurasia in the millennia thereafter. The boar is more heavily built than the pig, with a muscular neck, well-developed canine teeth and an unusual aggression. This aggression gives the boar a +1 attack when in combat, increasing their natural THAC0 to 17.

Though found scattered through their environment, boars communicate through grunts and move along known areas in a familiar pattern, enabling boars to remain in contact as the group, or "sounder," moves through an environment. Sounders are female-dominated, made up mostly of female boars and their mothers. New territories are usually established by young females. Males tend to be solitary through the year, except during the breeding season, from November to January.

Hylochloerus

Boar (wild common)

Also called the giant boar, a terrifying beast that is unlikely to be found near inhabited areas. It is more aggressive than its smaller cousin, receiving a +2 to its attack, giving it a natural THAC0 of 13. When attacking, it will bite with its powerful jaws and long lower teeth (9 to 11 in. in length), while hooking with one horn or the other (either, but not both). It may focus both attacks against a single defender or attack two defenders in a given round.

Boars of this size have been known to be caught and caged, then released upon battlefields in order to break the will of the enemy. Despite its aggression, the giant boar (and the common boar) are highly intelligent for animals, and have long been enticed to be watch-animals for druids and mages, and even clerics on occasion.

See Bestiary.