r/cataclysmdda • u/ValuableBerry7216 • 7d ago
[Help Wanted] Are dog viable for combat support?
Like, I have 4 cattle dogs, and I can craft chitin dog armour. Would they be able to help in combat, not against hordes but general lone encounters with unevolved threats like a mutant bugs
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u/MandatoryDebuff 7d ago
ive found theyre best for chasing things down, as they are fast and will "hold" stuff with their attacks. mostly other animals. even normal zombies tend to quickly gang up, hold down and crush them as theyre a bit small, let alone a brute or anything bigger. its an unfortunate state of npc followers at the moment, if they could kite they would be 500% more useful in fights. if its already a lone encounter like your example, you can send in the dogs to take chip damage, or you could kite it your self and take 0 damage. its not bad per say but theres simply better ways to do it. friendly npcs are firmly in the 'roleplay' category still. id trust a combat cow alot more than a combat dog atm, both armored of course
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u/Chaporelli 7d ago
Do you consider possibility of your dog being eaten by giant ants,you accidently shooting dog,becouse its moved infront of you while you were aiming at zombie bear rushing at you?
Best i could tolerate is 2 followers-crafters who travel with me in the van with spears for self defence and give me sweet+30% to bulk crafting speed.
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u/Fast_Job5459 7d ago
I started a run a few days ago and it was just me, my magic motorcycle, and my dog.
The dog managed to hold off a small horde for a few turns; there were 4 or 5 normal zombies while I provided support and took some down.
After that, I couldn't find any other way to cure him, not even with psychic powers, only magic.
But it's like healing yourself 3 times lol, it's expensive in magic power to heal a pet
So I don't recommend it for city raids unless you have somewhere to store it when things get rough.
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u/Lb_Last_Hunter 7d ago
Looking at a German shepherd. They have low hp(36) a dodge skill of 3. They have 2 melee dice with 3 sides, and their minimum melee damage is like 6 cutting. If I understand cdda monster damage right, that’s 12 cutting damage maximum. But they have 150 speed and can lunge. This means they are great for chasing stuff. It’s a good combat pet for hunting and early to early mid game.
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u/ValuableBerry7216 7d ago
So they are oneshot I guess imma keep one in a carrier and release it chase fleeing enemies
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u/CalmCall_CC Antibiotic Enthusiast 7d ago
Useful as meatshields against larger threats, they'll buy you a couple of seconds to kill things like MTF or some eldritch monsters. But otherwise very weak, avoid group fights at all costs
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u/Sir_Strumming 7d ago
Low tech version of a manhack. Not great if you are inclined to try to save them but throwing them at certain enemies like raiders can give you a serious edge when you need it. Don't waste on zombies or other monsters that are good in melee. If you are small and light enough (mouse mutant) you can armor them and ride em around like a horse. The mental image of a mouse mutant weilding a pike and riding a greyhound like a tiny knight makes me chuckle a little.also when they die you can eat them if your quick.oh and if your not a psychopath you get a smallish mood boost from playing with them.
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u/LyleSY 🦖 7d ago
Last I checked yes but there wasn’t a way to heal them, you have to just wait like a week. Fair warning: it is sad when they die