Mabari

Dogs are an essential part of Fereldan culture, and no dog is more prized than the mabari. The breed is as old as myth, said to have been bred from the wolves who served Dane. Prized for their intelligence and loyalty, these dogs are more than mere weapons or status symbols: The hounds choose their masters, and pair with them for life. To be the master of a mabari anywhere in Ferelden is to be recognized instantly as a person of worth.

The mabari are an essential part of Fereldan military strategy. Trained hounds can easily pull knights from horseback or break lines of pikemen, and the sight and sound of a wave of war dogs, howling and snarling, has been known to cause panic among even the most hardened infantry soldiers.

—From Ferelden: Folklore and History by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar

Researched: Damage Against Beasts Increased

—From Codex entry: Mabari War Hound

Mabari war hounds are a breed of dogs magically bred by the Formari. Each mabari chooses their master for life in a process called imprinting. Although fierce combatants, a mabari companion is shown to be a highly sociable animal, and though not capable of speech, they can clearly respond to speech with growls, whines, barks and several other actions that demonstrate intelligent comprehension.

Usually, Mabari war hound are used either in war or to defend noblemen's property. To help differentiate their dogs when in battle, kaddis is used by mabari handlers.

Involvement

In Dragon Age: Origins, the Warden may be fortunate enough to have a mabari dog join their party, either by virtue of being high-born, or by helping to care for a sick dog at Ostagar. After the battle, the dog will find the party on the road, slightly ahead of a horde of pursuing darkspawn.

Even if the dog is not accepted after Ostagar, the Return to Ostagar DLC affords the Warden another opportunity; the mabari will be revealed to have survived the darkspawn infestation and will be alive and willing to accompany the party.

Players who have The Black Emporium in Dragon Age II will obtain a mabari war hound also named Dog (Dragon Age II)Dog like the previous of Dragon Age: Origins. This mabari can be summoned as a small fifth party member akin to a Ranger summoning animals.

Mabari Skills

Charge (Monster)

Howl (Monster)

For the dog talent, see Overwhelm.

For the Spider/Bear Shape talent, see Overwhelm (ability).

For the bear (monster) ability, see Overwhelm (bear).

For the deepstalker ability, see Overwhelm (deepstalker).

For the dragon ability, see Overwhelm (dragon).

For the shriek ability, see Overwhelm (shriek).

For the spider (monster) ability, see Overwhelm (spider).

Information

Overwhelm (werewolf) — A werewolf leader using Overwhelm

This talent generates an auto-hit.
The target is incapacitated and hit several times, each for normal attack damage from the attacker.
It is generally activated by the AI when the target dips to 50% or less health, as this is the default tactic for creatures with Overwhelm of any type. In Awakening, enemies would use this ability even when the target is at full health.
Can be interrupted by effects that have higher animation priority, including knockdown, paralyze, root (Pinning Shot), draining (Crushing Prison), "heavy impact" (Mighty Blow), and fear.

Used by

Bears: Great Bear and Bereskarn
Deepstalkers: Deepstalker leader and Deepstalker matriarch
Children: All variations
Dragons: Dragons and Drakes
Dogs: Dogs and Alpha Dogs
Sand stalkers: Sand stalker leader
Spiders: All variations, except Spiderlings and Giant spiderlings
Werewolves: All variations, including Swiftrunner and Gatekeeper
Wolves: All variations, including Witherfang
Shrieks: All variations, including Shriek (thrall)

Notes

Overwhelm (deepstalker) — A deepstalker leader using Overwhelm

This ability can fail to execute properly in some cases due to obstructed line of sight.
Overwhelm only affects humans, elves, dwarves, Qunari, hurlocks, and genlocks. All classes with Overwhelm are immune to its effect. A shapeshifted mage, Shale, and Dog are immune to Overwhelm.
Several enemies in a group can easily chain-Overwhelm against a solo character, which may be lethal for units with little armor, and very annoying and time consuming for highly armored characters, as openings to counterattack are few, short-lived, and far between. This threat is greatest when facing a large group of Shadow werewolves, as they can Overwhelm a defenseless party member from Stealth, evading countermeasures.
This attack cannot be countered or mitigated by Misdirection Hex, as it does not need to confirm attack result.
Some abilities grant a target the "damage ward" effect which makes the target immune to damage. This effect completely negates Overwhelm. These abilities include Force Field, Strength of Stone, and Carapace after being upgraded by Bulwark of the Ages.
Some modal abilities apply on the character a special effect which has higher animation priority than Overwhelm. This means the character cannot be interrupted by Overwhelm when any of these abilities is active. These abilities include Captivating Song, Unending Flurry, and Reaving Storm.

Trivia

If you run around as your mabari in the human noble origin, the guards will call you "my lord" when you talk to them.