Grave Hound
Halloween is tomorrow! Naturally that got me thinking about what kind of terror to bring out in this week’s new Exotic Encounters. While there are countless stories of scary things on Halloween, from real ghosts and spirits hiding amongst us, to razorblades concealed in candy bars, the most dangerous thing people are likely to actually encounter on Halloween is a stray dog. So I used that as inspiration for the grave hound: a big black dog with a desire to hunt and kill. Enjoy.
Grave Hound
There is something indescribably eerie about this great black hound. No breath stirs in its huge chest, and its eyes flicker with a pale light from another world.
GRAVE HOUND CR 7
XP 3,200
LE Medium undead
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft. scent; Perception +15
Aura ill omen (10-ft. radius)
DEFENSE
AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +7 natural)
hp 85 (10d8+40)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +9
Immune undead traits; DR 5/good; SR 18
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +12 (1d8+7 plus grab)
Special Attack dread howl, rip spirit, servant in death
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 17, Con —, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 18
Base Atk +7; CMB +12 (+16 grapple); CMD 25
Feats Combat Reflexes, Cleave, Improved Initiative, Improved Overrun, Power Attack
Skills Perception +15, Stealth +16, Survival +12
Languages Common
ECOLOGY
Terrain any
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3-5)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Dread Howl (Su): As a standard action, a grave hound can howl to instill fear in its enemies. All living creatures within 60 feet of the grave hound must succeed on a Will save (DC 19) or be shaken for 1 minute. Creatures who fail this save by 5 or more are instead frightened for the first 1d4 rounds, then shaken for the remainder of the 1 minute. This is a sonic mind-affecting fear effect.
Grab (Ex): A grave hound can use its grab attack against creatures of up to Large size.
Ill Omen (Su): A grave hound emits an aura of ill omens, causing all creatures within 10 feet to lose any luck bonus they possess and to suffer a –2 penalty against fear and death effects. When a creature first enters this aura, he may attempt a DC 19 Will save to negate its effects for so long as he remains within the aura, and for 1 hour thereafter. Overlapping auras from multiple grave hounds do not stack, but require separate Will saves.
Rip Spirit (Su): A grave hound rips into the spirits of creatures it holds. When it first establishes a grapple with a creature, the creature must succeed on a DC 19 Fortitude save or gain 1 negative level. Additionally, whenever the grave hound begins its turn in control of a grapple, the grappled creature gains 1d4 negative levels unless it succeeds on a DC 19 Fortitude save. Whenever a grave hound causes a creature to gain a negative level, the grave hound gains an enhancement bonus to its natural armor equal to 2 + the number of negative levels inflicted. This bonus lasts until the beginning of its next turn. Negative levels gained in this way are automatically removed after receiving 8 hours’ rest.
Servant in Death (Su): Whenever a grave hound kills a creature who had 1 or more negative levels, that creature rises as an undead servant of the grave hound. The creature rises as zombie if it had 3 or fewer Hit Dice, as a ghoul if it had between 4 and 7 Hit Dice, and as a wight if it had 8 or more Hit Dice. The animated creature is under the control of the grave hound and is instantly slain 1d6 rounds after the grave hound dies.
Ecology
Grave hounds are frightening undead monsters which were never truly alive to begin with. Animated from the dead flesh of hunting animals and formed into the shape of a large dog, these creatures hunt for certain individuals, seeking to slay them and force them to serve in death’s kingdom. Grave hound attacks are never random, and they only ever attack individuals who are not their chosen targets when they get in the way of their work. How the grave hounds’ prey is chosen remains something of a mystery, with some believing the grave hounds simply have an instinct which leads them to particular enemies, while some believe the hounds take vengeance on those that others most strongly wish would die, and others believe that some terrible master commands the hounds to carry off its enemies, whoever they might be.
Grave hounds are intelligent, even cultured, and capable of human speech. While these hounds usually use this speech in communion with evil humanoids to aid them in their dread hunts, stories persist of grave hounds making and even honoring bargains with those they would hunt down.