Hellhound

Hellhound

Species	beast
No. Appearing	1
Behaviour	servant
Range	Hell, ruin, woodland
Size	5 ft. 6 in. at the shoulder
Weight	720 lbs.
Intelligence	5
Armour Class	4
Hit Dice	7
Action Points	5
Max. Stride	{{{stride}}}
THAC0	15
Hp/Die	d10
Attack Forms	bite
Damage	2–20
Special Attacks	breath weapon, gaseous form, jaws, surprise on 1–4, surprised only on 1

Hellhounds are unearthly beasts whose origin is the Lower Planes of Existence. As they are often guardians of the gates, or entrances to the "worlds of the dead," they often released into places where the dead lay, such as graveyards and burial grounds, or to violently portend the coming of war. As the recent poet Shakespeare wrote 51 years ago,

Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war, that this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men, groaning for burial.

As well, hellhounds will break their chains and intrude upon the natural world, where they may remain for years until killed or reclaimed by their masters. This has given rise to many stories in many cultures, of hellbeast dogs that prey upon lone travellers, who when hunted down disappear like a fog in the night.

Hellhounds come in many forms, but consistent features seem to be mangled black fur, glowing red eyes, a ghostly appearance — often complimented by an intense red or green glow — and unusually large teeth and claws. They have sometimes been described as having three toes, and rarely possessing two heads. It is certain that the three-headed beast Cerberus, that guards the Gates of Hell, is a hellhound of singular existence.

Behaviour

Once free upon the world, a hellhound will settle in a region about twenty or thirty miles across, commonly around a settlement or rural habitat numbering less than a thousand people. It will begin to prey upon the residents, rarely confronting more than one or two travellers along a roadway, or who have gone off on their own. However, the hound wants more than to feed on the flesh of the living, which it relishes; it also wants to feed upon the fear of the community. If this fear is not sufficient, the hound will confront a large party, taking them by surprise, seeking to attack for two or three rounds before taking flight. The presence of so many witnesses ensures that the hound's presence is no longer in doubt, whereupon the hound's appetite for fear will be more assuredly sated.

When the hellhound is not under direct observation — and only at this time, as it cannot make the transformation otherwise — a hellhound's corporeal form will become vaporous, manifesting as a low-lying fog a few feet deep, covering an area a mile or more across. The hound can remain in this form for several days, slowly drifting at a speed of one mile per hour. It will coalesce only in a place where, again, it cannot be seen; but during this time, the hound will "feed" off the landscape, and particularly those moving through the fog, hunting the beast. This ability to assume gaseous form, and be mistaken for a natural phenomena, will thwart many would-be parties who are committed to ridding the land of this deadly scourge.

Hellhounds will appear in numbers only when under the control of some master, with sufficient power to manage them.

Advantages

WORKING...

In addition to a normal attack (simply biting with their great black teeth), hell hounds breathe out a scorching fire an an opponent up to a 1" distance, causing 1 hit point of damage for each hit die they possess, unless the opponent is able to save versus dragon breath, in which case only one-half damage is inflicted, i.e. a 7 hit dice hell hound breathes for 7 or 4 hit points of damage/attack. Hell hounds move with great stealth, so they surprise opponents on a die roll of 1-4 (out of 6). They have keen hearing, and they are surprised on a die roll of 1 only (out of 6). Their exceptional sight allows them to locate hidden or invisible creatures 50% of the time. For these reasons they are favored as watchdogs by monsters and fire giants. Description:

See Bestiary