Magebred Animal

Magebred animals are near-perfect examples of their kind that have been carefully selected, bred and augmented through magic to enhance the abilities that make them useful to intelligent races. Chief among their traits is their universal aptitude for being trained without attaining a true sense of self-awareness, making them highly valued pets, guard animals or beasts of burden. Examples of magebred animals include:

Creating a Magebred Animal

"Magebred" is an inherited template that can be applied to any animal (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A magebread animal uses all of the base creature's statistics and abilities except as noted here.

A magebred animal cannot have the Horrid Animal template, nor can a horrid animal have the Magebred Animal template.

CR: Same as the base creature +1.

Size and Type: Same as the base creature.

AC: The magebred animal has a perfectly form pelt, hide, shell or any other epidermis, improving any existing natural armor bonus by +2 or providing a natural armor bonus of +2 if the base creature does not have it.

Hit Dice: Same as the base creature.

Defensive Abilities: Same as the base creature.

Speed: Same as the base creature.

Attacks: Same as the base creature.

Damage: Same as the base creature.

Space / Reach: Same as base creature.

Special Attacks: Same as base creature.

Abilities: As the base creature's, except that one physical attribute (Strength, Dexterity or Constitution) has a +4 bonus and the other two physical attributes have a +2 bonus. Once determined, these bonuses do not change for that specific magebred animal. A magebred animal's Intelligence is always 2.

Feats: A magebred animal gains one of the following feats as a bonus feat: Alertness, Athletic, Endurance, Improved Natural Attack, Multiattack or Run. Once determined, this bonus feat does not change for that specific magebred animal.

Skills: Same as a base creature.

Special Qualities: A magebred animal gets all of the base creature's special qualities as well as the following.

Excellent Learner (Ex): Magebred animals have all Handle Animal DCs reduced by 2 and can learn a maximum of eight tricks. Training a magebred animal for a purpose takes one week less than normal, to a minimum of one week.

Likewise, a magebred animal also gains one of the following qualities. Once determined, this special quality does not change for that specific magebred animal.

Swift Breed (Ex): One of the magebred animal's movement rates increases by +10'.

Thick Skinned (Ex): The natural armor bonus for the magebred animal improved by an additional +2.

Tracking Expert (Ex): The magebred creature gains a +4 racial bonus to Survival checks to follow tracks.

Environment: Same as base creature.

Organization: Same as base creature.

Treasure: Same as base creature.

Source: ECB, pg. 295