Dire Hyena (Hyaenodon)

The hyenaedon or dire hyena is one of the monsters that I wanted to do for Critter Cache II: Prehistoric Beasts…after I had already published the product. Anyway, here it is in all its bone-crunching glory.

For those of you who are into paleontology like myself, you can use the hyaenodon here as a template for a lot of interesting prehistoric mammals. For example, you could pull off the mighty mesonychid andrewsarchus by simply making the dire hyena a level 9 elite and scaling up the damage for the bite and crushing jaws attacks.

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Dire Hyena (Hyaenodon)

Dire hyenas are a primordial species of hyena that are both larger and stronger than their more common kin. They are infamous for their incredibly powerful jaws, which are said to be strong enough to crack stone, as well as rend flesh and bone.

Dire Hyena Lore

A character can learn the following with a successful Nature check.

DC 15: Dire hyenas are found in the same terrain and climate as common hyenas, but tend to occupy wilder, more remote areas. Dire hyenas are solitary, ambush predators that hunt at night. They are also accomplished scavengers, as their mighty jaws and powerful stomach acid allow them to consume the parts of carcasses that other predators leave behind, such as bones, hair, and teeth.

DC 20: Certain tribes of gnolls train dire hyenas as mounts and war beasts, admiring their strength, ferocity and obvious resemblance to gnolls in general.

Dire Hyena (Hyaenodon gigas), Level 6 Brute
Large natural beast (mount), XP 250
Initiative +5 Senses Perception +10; low-light vision
HP 89; Bloodied 44
AC 18; Fortitude 19, Reflex 16, Will 16
Speed 8
Bite (standard; at-will)
+9 vs. AC; 1d10+5 damage, and the target is grabbed (until escape).
Crushing Jaws (standard; at-will)
If a dire hyena begins its turn with a target grabbed in its jaws, it makes an attack against the grabbed creature: +7 vs. Fortitude; 2d10+5 damage.
Jaws of Opportunity (while mounted by a friendly rider of 6th level or higher; at-will) * Mount
A dire hyena’s rider gains combat advantage and deals an additional 1d6 damage with melee attacks against a target grabbed by the dire hyena.
Alignment Unaligned Languages –
Skills Endurance +12, Stealth +10
Str 21 (+8), Dex 14 (+5), Wis 14 (+5)
Con 19 (+7), Int 2 (-1), Cha 8 (+2)
Description This impressive predator resembles a hyena scaled up in both size and strength. Its jaws are massive and filled with yellow, bone-cracking teeth.

Dire Hyena Tactics

A dire hyena attempts to sneak as close as possible to its prey, and then attacks from ambush. Once combat begins, it attacks with its bite, grabs hold, and then uses its powerful jaws to crush its prey to death.

Encounter Groups

Dire hyenas are often found with gnolls, serving their humanoid masters as mounts and battle companions.

Level 7 Encounter (XP 1,400)

• 2 gnoll marauders (level 6 brute)
• 2 dire hyenas (level 6 brute)
• 2 gnoll huntmasters (level 5 artillery)