Studded Collar?

Not at all. You may read in the description that it charms beasts. If you check the the information on any mobs/units, you will find their race (e.g. dragon, twisted, elemental, beast etc.) at the top, just below the unit name.

Hint: my advice is to try a great wolf... they are awesome at all stages of the game... a corpse spider is okay too. Umberdroths are quite resistant... but there are plenty other nice beasts around:).

Yes, it says beasts, but how do I know what is and isn't a beast? The Hiergamenon doesn't tell me.

Doubble click on the unit during a tactical battle and get it's unit card up. There it says what race it is. If the race is beast you can give it a try.

You can also get those unit cards up before battles on every unit you like, by choosing the unit in question, then press the unit portrait that comes up on the left side of the screen.

Click on the units portrait (bottom left corner if selected), and you go to the unit detail page. Look for the Beast race:).

Huh, never realized I could do that. Thanks for the help guys!

Lucky me, I just found a Great Wolf den. Here's hoping to capture it!

Good luck there:)!

Welp, I capture the Great Wolf, and then found another studded collar. Intentional? Or just damn good luck?

I also found an Umberdroth Lair, too.

Umberdroth is nastier mate... I would try to go in alone with the sovereign. If you stay alive after its first attack, you can try to charm the beast... but the darling is quite resitant. If you fail, no problem, only 5 rounds lost (okay, and the collar), and you reduce the unrest in your capital:)! Otherwise your whole army might be dead... and it's no good...

..aye, I would call damn good luck:D!

I found the same item 3 times in a row (twice), but never a Studded Collar, noo:)!

I got the Umberdroth. Lady Luck is smiling upon me tonight! =D

I had a similar experience the first time I found a studded collar.  I was asking myself what's a beast? and not knowing where to look.  So I looked around the map and found the nastiest monster nearby, an escaped Juggernaut.  Yeah, like the dude on the loading screen, I tells myself, got to be something in that.  Um, maybe not.  (Though it was fun to watch Princes Porky fly through the air backwards, hee, hee.)
I got a pair of studded collars in my most recent game.  (And then a corpse spider and a great wolf... .) I'm pretty sure that the game will often award you an item that you already have.  Happens too frequently to be otherwise explainable.  So don't feel that you have to use that collar immediately...

I'm pretty sure the Collar is unresistible. I've never had it fail and I don't recall it ever showing any percentages like the 'Tame' spell does. This isn't surprising, since the Collar is a moderately rare piece of treasure, not a spell you can use every single battle.

I always get an Umberdroth or a Hoarder Spider with it. I find Great Wolves are far, far, far too distressingly squishy, and their late game use is fairly pointless; you'll be hitting everything like a damned freight train regardless.

Nope, I had some first class flying, just like Princess Porky... they do resist:)!

The collar is one of my favorite items to get early on.  I usually try and get a bear or a great wolf or a warg.  All of them make wonderful companions in the early stages, especially when you start with no companions close by.

I've been running up to countless Umberdroths and Hoarder spiders, with low level Sovereigns backed up by Jack and Shit, with a collar that might not ****ing work?

No, you've been doing that with a collar that probably wont work!  Ignorance is bliss!

Awesome, eh:D?

I AM THE SPIDER GOD. THEY EAGERLY AWAIT THE SWEET EMBRACE OF MY COLLAR. ALL HAIL MY EIGHT FLAILING LIMBS.

No seriously, dozens of the damn things. Never failed. My Umberdroths and Hoarder Spiders all seem to be submissives waiting for the domme touch of my collar.

.....ew! My wildlife is perverted!

HEED MY WORDS OF WISDOM, OH MIGHTY GOD OF SPIDERS! SHADOWS MIGHT ENGULF YOU WHEN YOUR COLLAR FAILS FOR THE FIRST TIME! THE MANY NUMBER OF YOUR LIMBS WILL NOT SAVE YOU FROM THE WRATH OF THE ANGRY UMBERDROTH! SO SAYETH THE WISE ALAUND... OHH...

Seriously, you are a very lucky person too ! Say hello to Jack and other guy !

Guys, the collar can be resisted, but it's like other spells - it's a spell mastery vs spell resistance check.

If your sovereign is brilliant, wears some mage gear, and has a few levels under his belt, the chance of resisting is not that great.  If you are like me, and hoard the collar until you have a worthy target, you probably reach spell master 100, and have a only 3% chance of failure against most beasts.

That said, the most worthy beast of them all is the great wolf.  That howl is a game breaker, once you level the wolf.

I agree the Great Wolf is awesome, howl is a useful ability through the game.  The Umberdroth is also a great target.  If you need help early in the game and don't want to or can't wait, the cave bear is also a solid choice.  The Cave Bear with several levels can be awesome.

The Beast Lord ability Tame is the same thing as a collar except you always have it  40 mana is cheap for what you can get.  I had an army of three umberdroths led by a great wolf.  They were just awesome.  I do think you need to pay a point of mana for each critter you have tamed.

Some of the super big spiders are also good.

IT can be resisted.  Spellcaster sovereigns have it much easier, which is kinda silly.