Ruff: Difference between revisions

|Name=Ruff

|Game=''[[Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past]]''

|Sprite=[[Image:Dq7 gabo-sprite.gif]][[File:Ruff copy sprite.png]]

|Japanese name=ガボ

|Roumaji=Gabo

|Title= Wolf Boy

|Class= Adjustable

'''Ruff''' is a playable character in ''[[Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past]]''. He is a [[White Wolves|White Wolf]] that was turned into a human.

Ruff is a small, young boy with long unkempt black hair. He appears to be missing one of his front teeth. He is bare-chested, but wears a blue cloth that is fixed like a cape, sackcloth shorts held together by a rope, and a sackcloth bandana on top of his shaggy mane. In the 3DS remake, Ruff is accompanied by his adoptive wolf mother, whom he rides on the back of. Her appearance sometimes changes along with Ruff's when his [[vocation]] changes.

When the player gains Ruff as a party member in the beginning, he is unable to communicate because he was originally a white wolf. However, due to a spell by [[Hackrobat]], he is able to speak. [[Maribel]] says that he is "quite the talker".

In the 3DS remake, if the player decides to look in a mirror while Ruff is the first character in the party line-up, he will admire his nose, state that he licks his face clean every morning, find some leftover breakfast around the corner of his mouth, express confusion at seeing his own reflection, have fun watching his movements in the mirror, comment on how short his tongue is as a human compared to when he was a wolf, and say that mirrors don't taste nice to lick.

Ruff is a [[White Wolves|white wolf]], a race of wolves that have long protected the town of [[L'Arca]]. His mother was the sole survivor of a battle with [[Hackrobat]], but she died shortly after giving birth to him, leaving Ruff as the last of his kind. Ruff was adopted and raised by a common grey wolf.

Shortly before the events of the game, a farmer from L'Arca found Ruff injured outside of town, and brought Ruff to his barn to rest and recover; there, Ruff was chained to a wall for both the farmer's protection and the safety of Ruff. It was then that Hackrobat returned. To spite the village, he cast a spell that turned all of the residents of L'Arca into animals and vice versa, transforming Ruff into a human. In his new form, the collar and chain were too tight and started choking him.

As the party begin to fight Hackrobat, Ruff arrives and bites the monster. The party, along with the woodcutter, engage the monster in combat. The party defeats Hackrobat and Ruff bites him again. With this bite, Hackrobat is paralyzed. He realizes that Ruff is actually a white wolf who was caught in the spell that he cast in L'Arca. As a parting gift, Hackrobat casts his final spell on him. This spell curses him to remain in human form forever. The party reseals Hackrobat in the coffin again, undoing the spell in L'Arca.

The party goes to the Grotta del Sigilo in the present and returns to the place where the monster was previously sealed. They hear a voice telling them to "run away or face the consequences". Instead, they opened up the coffin once more. Hackrobat is revealed to be in a human form now. He figures that it is punishment for what he did before. He recognizes the party and wants to make up what he did to Ruff in the past. He tries using magic to return Ruff to his wolf form, but he fails. Instead, he makes him more human and gives Ruff the power to speak the human language. Ruff is ecstatic that he is finally able to communicate with the party. Hackrobat also gives the party a [[Blue Fragment]] to the party. The party leaves the [[Grotta del Sigillo]] to continue on their adventure.

Ruff learns the following abilities naturally.

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When the player obtains Ruff after L'Arca, he starts at level 1. Therefore, it is advisable to keep him in the back until he gains levels. After level 2, he gains Bark which will allow him to participate in battle. As he gains levels, he can move to third position until he is on the same levels as the rest of the party.

As Ruff is the only party member besides the Hero to stay in the party throughout the duration of the game, he is best made to learn classes that increase his strength, like Warrior and Martial Artist. It would also be a good idea for him to become a [[Priest]], as both the Hero and Maribel learn healing magic naturally. If the player wishes to learn advance classes, Ruff and the Hero are the best bet.

*In the 3DS version, when Ruff is learning the way of the [[Shepherd]], his mount will also dress up and appear as a [[wikipedia:wolf in sheep's clothing|wolf in sheep's clothing]].

{{DQVII}}

{{DQHII}}

[[Category:Dragon Quest VII characters]]

[[Category:Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twin Kings and the Prophecy's End characters]]