Random Pet Challenge [v4.0]

[Varethyn]

It's been a long time since I was here. Reading all the new stories has tempted me to try this again Also so glad to see people enjoying my emotes and how they've affected their stories

I vaguely remember getting rolled the aqua riding saber before I gave up and wonder if I should go back and do that. Otherwise roll details are as follows:

Name: Varethyn
Level: 100
Exotics: Yes
Restrictions: No monkeys, gorillas or mechanicals (since belves can't tame them til Legion!)

[TygerDarkstorm]

Varethyn:
Red Demon Dog

I feel as if I already know how this roll is going to go; poor Vare.

[Varethyn]

Oooh I have a good idea on what I can do for this! But it'll have to wait until tomorrow cos I already cleared Karazhan BAH!
Poor, poor Vare indeed

[Nefretiti]

I've never been able to click with gorillas in the past, perhaps this will help me find one I like.

I'll get to the gorilla later today maybe with abit of luck I'll be able to make it an rp post .. of sorts for this one.

[TygerDarkstorm]

I'm sure people are testing out demon hunters, but friendly reminder that there are rolls out there.

[Nefretiti]

I will get to mine today hopefully I hadn't forgotten, just been abit preoccupied with my stories.

[Rhyela]

Don't worry Tyger, I haven't forgotten! Past couple weeks have been crazy: last week I worked mad OT, plus had class, and finals. This week I got sick so I've been a zombie for the past few days. But I'm starting to feel better now! I tamed my little ghost dog and named him Scamp; I just haven't had a chance to properly take him out and try him.

[Nefretiti]

Bixy got the red gorilla.

Initially I looked for Kumokk in stranglethorn but could not find him so I ventured over to Feralas to get a groddoc ape.




Meet Tuff


Right of the bat I'm reminded of why I have not been able to click with them in the past even though I wanted to.
The model is somewhat clunky and kind of blocky in places, and on the hands the textures stretch in a way that annoy me to no end.

Determined to give Tuff a fair chance I took her questing in the Burning Steppes and through Scholo from which I completely forgot to take screenshots of.





In short : I don't think Tuff is here to stay sadly, the model is nice enough for the most part but to me personally the slightly blocky model and stretching textures is not something I can see past no matter how much I would like to since I adore both the white and red model gorillas.




Despite what it sounds like I do enjoy these challenges and will happily do another at some point but right now my heart isn't quite in it so I'll hold off on another for now.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to rush anyone, especially not the more recent rolls. ^_^

[Nefretiti]

it's not you Tyger just that the broken shore scenario? raid? left me in a weird mood and untill that passes I don't really have enough enthusiasm to really make an effort for stuff like this.

when it comes down to it I may actually keep Tuff since I'm alittle tempted to get the mechanical ape.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Gorillas are tough to bond with for a lot of people, for a lot of the reasons you pointed out in your report. They're big, clunky, awkward looking, and kind of ugly.

[Nefretiti]

Exactly .. I do like them, especially the white one.
Part of me does like Tuff and perhaps if I try to come up with why she's with Bixy I can keep her.

Tonks the turtle was released back into the wild though as Bixy already have http://www.wow-petopia.com/look.php?id= ... urtleblack

[TygerDarkstorm]

Oh, her current turtle is gorgeous.

[Nefretiti]

Gamon-Ra .. I like it because it's a unique skin, I especially like the red eyes.

[Rhyela]

Here's my report (finally) for Scamp, the ghostly white demon dog!

I headed to Kharazan to nab him, as I'm pretty sure that's the only place to get one. Being level 100, the tame was pretty simple. Soon enough, I had my new pet. I named him Scamp, since he's pretty small, even when tamed.



We went swimming in Stormwind, and I'd say that the swimming animation is pretty typical. Nothing grotesque, but nothing amusing either. It's a sort of demon doggy paddle.



I took him to a Legion invasion, where his small size and transparent appearance meant he got lost easily among the chaos. (Picture is just before we dove into battle.)



We went to Tanaan afterwards to do some quests, where he performed admirably but nothing too exceptional (thanks to the removal of buffs ).



All in all, I feel like this particular pet is just...okay. I'm not a big fan of ghostly pets anyways, but someone who does like that type of pet might enjoy him since I'm pretty sure his appearance is unique to Kharazan. The models are pretty outdated; however, I think he'd make a wonderful pet for an undead character looking for something a little different! Ultimately, he was a fine pet, but not for Rhyela, so I let him go.



P.S. I'm hell-bent on getting the last piece of invasion armor for Rhyela (darn chest won't drop for nuthin'!), so I'm going to be busy doing that for the forseeable future. Once I get it, I'll probably be back for another roll.

[Varethyn]

So so sorry for the delay in getting this out. Truuueee I have been playing around with my shiny new demon hunter and joining in some invasions, but also guild and irl stuff got in the way. Not to mention getting writer's block part way through, ugh. Anyway here we go, along with a couple of in-jokes for those people I used to RP with

Dear diary
It's been a long time since I last wrote here. Everything's been so hectic and strange the last while, between Garrosh's escape from Pandaria, following him -back in time to Draenor's past- and otherwise setting up in and exploring the new world. It was fascinating seeing how it looked before it became the Outlands we know. That said I didn't get as much free time as I'd have liked, which is why I haven't been writing. I actually meant to write something a few days ago but I'll get into that later. I will never understand how a friend of mine managed to become commander of his own garrison on Draenor, much less how I got roped into being his tactician. All I did was correct a few orders he put out and suddenly our followers started listening to me more than him.

Not the best when you have difficulties dealing with other people.

But I digress. The reason I'm writing now is because the Legion is invading Azeroth! Even though a group of heroes* managed to bring down Archimonde in Hellfire Citadel before he could get out into Draenor, Gul'dan managed to escape and is using his power to summon the demons to our world. That's what I heard anyway. Dreanor is mostly safe now and the orcs and draenei can handle what's left so the rest of us came home.
*Vare may or may not have been one of those heroes.

It was pretty obvious what had happened in the time it took to get back. Swirling green fissures in the sky. Giant fel-green structures with demons pouring out of them. It was because of these invasions that I hadn't written when I wanted to, as I was forced onto a Horde ship to assist in assaulting the supposed source of the invasion on what are known as the Broken Isles. I'd have been excited to explore this new land if it hadn't been for the demons. What happened on the shore there... well. It was stressful. I'm lucky to be alive - I received a nasty gash on my right arm during the fight but it's healing nicely thanks to the priest I'd been with on the ship. The things I saw happen on the isle shook me hard. I hadn't the emotional strength to even take out my pen let alone write anything. And what happened after... It's a dire situation for all of us.

I left Orgrimmar as soon as I was able. I since travelled to Dalaran which is now above Deadwind Pass in the Eastern Kingdoms. It's probably the only safe place left. Apparently it's here because of Karazhan, a tower once owned by a powerful mage. People have been asked to go down and check for Legion presence before the magi do anything with the tower though, as a powerful eredar had been summoned there years ago. I was one of those people. Problem is, Karazhan is haunted with the ghosts of its previous inhabitants. You know how I feel about the undead. I told them about my fears but they wouldn't listen so I guess I'm going down soon.

[The writing here is scrawled and messy, probably written in haste. Or fear.]

I do not want to be here
I do not want to be here
I DO NOT WANT TO BE HERE

[The ink here seems to be fresher than the previous. It must have been written quite some time later.]

I did it. By the Light I managed to make myself go inside the abandoned tower. It wasn't easy. I had to imagine Sylvanas Windrunner standing nearby like she had on that accursed boat. [The next line had been crossed out and rewritten. Apparently the author had shuddered when adding it.] I swear she had looked right at me at one point. Anyway I can safely confirm that there is no demon activity in Karazhan right now. Whatever happened here before is long gone. What had been presumed to be Legion was, in fact, a pack of demon hounds. Some of which suffered the same ghostly curse as the humans.



Much to my discomfort I'd been approached by a ghost. A human who used to be a servant within the tower, now cursed. He didn't seem to really know I was there yet asked me to help clear out some animals that had made their home in the Servant's Quarters. Now that I could handle. I'll take bats and spiders and hounds over ghosts and actual demons any day. "Demon" hounds after all are only called that by the way they look. That said they are still highly dangerous creatures. Surprisingly, after I finished herding out the pests, a large, red hound appeared as if from nowhere at the back of the room. He'd looked at me not with hostility but curiosity.



Oddly I found him sniffing at me. I'd thought he was going to attack when approached so I'd defended myself. Instead he licked my hands. Why would a demon hound be so interested in me? He didn't seem to be a threat and there's little a lone hound could do so I tried to leave him. Except he kept following me, even outside the tower. Seems I've made an unexpected friend.



End RP.
I really was surprised by the screenshots I managed to get of Rokar. Demon dogs aren't exactly the prettiest of pets after all. But this little guy showed his personality even before I started working with him. I named him Khalil, meaning "friend" in Arabic which I thought was fitting. Overall the demon dog model is fairly well done for the time it was made. The animations are fluid and suffer little to no clipping, except a bit while running. The standing animation is standard for a dog, stood straight and alert and alternating between standing still and panting. And then we have the famous doggy bounce where they jump back and bow down a little. Cute and playful! If you get past the fangs and horns.



Just... don't look at them from the front. At first it's unassuming and flat. Then they bounce and holy crap that mouth what the heck is that



When walking they put their heads down and seem to stalk about. Running shows a typical canine lope.




Fighting-wise they have three different attacks, two bites with one where they swing their heads to snap at the target and the other being a lunge. The last is a paw-swipe clawing move - this one's probably the worst to look at as all you see is the leg waving stiffly in front of it, unlike cats, for instance, where you can see the wrist bend.



Demon dogs are small and unobtrusive pets even at full size. Easy to lose in a raid situation but not an issue during solo or party content. For those of us who play with sounds on they're also very quiet, only going so far as to make a small growl when told to attack and are otherwise silent. Overall looks-wise as Rhyela mentioned with hers demon dogs are okay-looking pets (from the side *shiver*) but could benefit from an update - the textures for the most part work in showing off the musculature but it fails in the mane which is obviously pasted onto the skin save for the central, paper-thin "mohawk". That said it certainly isn't in as dire need of updating as other pet models.

As for colour the red skin is my favourite of the available looks with its complimentary yellow mane and black leg fur. I also have a red/orange/brown colour theme for Vare so this little guy fits in perfectly. This skin is exclusive both to Blackrock Depths as a common mob around the prison area or as one of three bosses from Karazhan's Servant Quarters. I can't tell exactly what causes each one to spawn but I think a timer is involved somewhere as I had the bat and spider spawn on separate previous attempts while taking shots of the other hounds. Thankfully you can reset the instance to try again if he doesn't show up.

All in all I might hang onto Khalil. Vare still feels a bit odd having a pet that could be considered demon or even undead to some especially considering where he found Khal. Demon dogs are so full of personality and make fun companions. Just... that face.


Sweet dreams

[Karathyriel]

Okay then, let me join in for a while...

Name: Bhando, Troll
Level: 100
Exotics: No
Restrictions: None

[TygerDarkstorm]

I couldn't resist the temptation of demon hunters and downloaded the game to my crappy laptop. What tiny bit I've managed to play, I really enjoy them. However, I'd rather wait to explore more until I can get my desktop to my new living place.

I was pleasantly surprised with Vare's results! The red demon dog looks really good with him and your screenshots gave me a whole new appreciation for that skin. It still kind of surprises me how messed up some aspects of their skeleton/textures are, but Rose wouldn't trade Runt for the world. They're oddly adorable pets that tend to just ooze personality when you find one to connect with. The screenshots of him walking with Vare are my favorite, I feel like they just give this really great impression of the demon dog musculature and attitude when they're serious.

Karathyriel, welcome!

Karathyriel(Bhando):
Saddled Brown Draenor Wolf

[cerpin]

I haven't forgotten about my roll, I've just been...well, yeah, playing with my DH quite a bit, hahah. I'll try and post my results tomorrow!

[Karathyriel]

Saddled Brown Draenor Wolf

First of all, way back in time, Karathyriel used to have a saddled wolf too, for a rather short period of time.
It was the Saddled Black Worg way back in TBC times.
Why did I tame one although everyone knows that Kara always went his yellow lynx?
Because I had a mount that looked exactly like the worg! And back then, hunter pets despawned as soon as you mounted up and reappeared when you got off your mount.
So I had a macro that I used for mounting and demounting, saying that "Karatyriel jumps on the back of his worg" or "Karathyriel jumps off the back of his worg."
I thought it funny to actually have the same companion for riding and fighting.
But I did dismiss the worg pretty soon when I got tired of all the whispers like "How do you ride your pet?" or "How did you tame your mount?"
Seeing the model just gave me a big grin and a huge flashback of funny memories...

Anyway...
So Bhando went and tamed himself a mount!



Immediately after taming I already knew, these two won't get BFFs!
The Wolf just looks way to 'orcy', if you know what I mean. It just doesn't fit to a Troll in general or Bhando in paticular.
The wolf, I named him Maiyun for no special reason, is a solid pet.
I didn't experience any problems while hunting the beasts of Nagrand.
Unfortunately, I almost only play solo and absolutely despise PvP, so I ran no dungeons or no battleground with him.

Then, all of a sudden, Maiyun developed a strange behavior:



He walked on the right side of Bhando instead of the left!
Whatever I did, this behavior did stick with Maiyun for about 10 minutes, then he switched sides again as if nothing ever happened.
In all those ~10 years of playing WoW and Hunters, no pet ever did that! EVER!
That is why I decided to keep him in my stables instead of releasing him again. Maybe he does it again?

So, for all of those who like the idea of a saddled pet and do like the draenor wolves, this sure is one good alternative to the usual pets tamed by hunters.

But I have to admit, I was very, very glad, almost a relief, when I saw Rapashi back at Bhandos side. They just belong together.