Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales

Cleon

Legend

• Jan 29, 2011

• #101

Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Hugag

Hugag
Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 10d10+60 (105 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares, cannot run)
Armor Class: 15 (-2 size, +7 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+30
Attack: Kick* +15 melee (1d10+6) or lip-slap* +15 melee (1d6+6 plus improved grab)
Full Attack: 2 kicks* +15 melee (1d10+6) or lip-slap* +15 melee (1d6+6 plus improved grab)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d6+12, enveloping lip, improved grab, trample 1d12+12, woodwarp
Special Qualities: Jointless legs, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 11, Con 22, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +15, Climb +0, Jump +4, Spot +7, Survival +2* [+6 track by scent], Swim +0
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Track
Environment: Temperate or cold forests
Organization: Solitary or family (1 female plus 1-3 young)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 11-15 HD (Huge); 16-30 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —

This beast is BIG, at least twice as tall as a man, with a broad upper lip like a leather blanket as big as a tent. Its body resembles a moose, except it has the humped back and stubby horns of a buffalo. The creature has rigid legs without any knee or ankle joints, giving it a queer, stiff-legged gait.

A hugag is an enormous herbivore that roams deep woodlands. It has an vast upper lip averaging 6 to 8 feet long, which it uses to feed like an elephant uses its trunk. A hugag's lip is so broad – when uncurled it is as wide as it is long – it can strip a swathe of pasture bare in one pass, or simultaneously pluck all the twigs off a half-dozen branches. The upper lip is also so powerful a hungry hugag can use it to strip all the bark from around a tree, thereby killing the tree. This habit does not make hugags popular amongst lumberfolk.

A hugag can only bend its legs at the hip, so is unable to kneel or lie down. If it falls the beast is as helpless as an inverted tortoise, since its rigid legs make it nigh-impossible for the hugag to right itself again.

Hugags are wandering beasts. They must move constantly to find enough vegetation to fuel their huge bodies, and rarely sleep in the same spot once. Speaking of sleeping, they must perforce sleep upright due to their rigid legs. To avert the risk of falling over while they sleep, hugags lean against a support while resting – they prefer a sturdy tree, although a cliff or house will do in a pinch. Hugag bend the trunks of trees they sleep on (and will bend in the wall of a log cabin they treat as a support). Lumberfolk may claim this is due to the hugag's immense weight, but in truth it's down to an uncanny power to warp wood, which these creatures use to mould trees into comfortable supports and bend tree-limbs down for convenient grazing.

A typical hugag is about 13 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs 10 tons or more.

Combat
Hugags are not aggressive creatures and prefer to flee if threatened. They may occasionally trample opponents who block their escape, but their rigid legs make this attack relatively easy to avoid. If cornered, hugags fight with clumsy but powerful blows from their forelegs and immensely muscular upper lip. A fighting hugag will wrap smaller opponents in its upper lip and constrict them, its lip is so broad it can envelop multiple enemies simultaneously.

Constrict (Ex): On a successful grapple check, a hugag deals 1d6+12 points of damage to opponents it holds in its lip.

Enveloping Lip (Ex): A hugag can use its enormous upper lip to envelop one or more opponents creatures as a standard action. It cannot make a kick or lip-slap attack during a round in which it envelops. The enveloping lip attack targets all Medium or smaller creatures within a 10 ft. square (15 ft. for a Gargantuan hugag). Opponents can make opportunity attacks against the hugag, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a DC 15 Reflex save or be enveloped; on a success, they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the lip descends. Enveloped creatures are considered to be Entangled and the hugag can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict. The save DC is Dexterity-based.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a hugag must hit with its lip-slap attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Jointless Legs: A Hugag that has fallen prone must succeed at a DC 20 Dexterity check to regain its feet. A Hugag with ranks in the Tumbling skill can substitute a Tumble check for this Dexterity check.

Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC 19. The save DC is Strength-based and includes a -10 racial penalty.

Woodwarp (Su): A hugag can warp a wooden object up to its own size by touch. This supernatural ability has the same affects as the spell warp wood (caster level equals hugag's hit dice) except it has a range of touch, only affects a single target, and the hugag can warp living wood such as trees as well as objects (it can not affect Plant monsters like treants no matter how "wooden" they may be). A hugag can combine multiple consecutive uses of Woodwarp to warp (or unwarp) an object that is too big for it to warp with a single application.

Skills
Hugags have keen senses of hearing and smell, giving them a +4 racial bonus to Listen checks and on Survival checks to track by scent. Hugags have a -12 racial penalty on Climb, Jump and Swim checks. Hugags move very clumsily due to their jointless legs, so use their Dexterity modifier instead of the Strength modifier for Climb and Swim checks (provided their Dexterity is lower than their Strength).

Lore Checks
DC 16 - A hugag’s a forest-dwelling critter built something like a moose. They’s got a huge great lip as big as a blanket, a humped back like a buffalo and stubby horns. Their legs got no joints, so they walk all stiff-legged like they’re on crutches. Hugags spend their time wandering about looking for fodder. They use that big upper lip of theirs to feed off trees, eating leaves, pine-needles, twigs or bark.
DC 21 - Damn those hugags! I had a fine stand of timber, but it was ruined by hugags. Those elk-sized ones you see hereabouts are just babies, full-grown hugags are big as elephants – or bigger! – with stomachs to match. One of them got into my timber and ruined the whole lot ‘fore they were ready to fell. That hugag stripped my trees down to the bare wood as high as it could reach, ate the leaves, twigs, bark and everything. Killed those trees dead that did. The few living trees it left, it bent so much the wood was hopeless for any use better than toothpicks. Hugags need to sleep standing up, see, ‘cause of their jointless legs, so lean against trees at night. They’re so heavy they can bend a tree backwards by leaning on it.
DC 26 - Trouble with a hugag? Here’s a stratagem we used up North. Find the site the hugag likes to spend it nights and cut most of the way through the trees. Then, when the hugag leans on a tree to sleep, that tree breaks and the animal goes down. Fallen hugag are helpless, so its easy to dispatch them. It’s almost impossible for them to regain their feet by themselves, because of their jointless legs.

Different Sizes of Hugag
Here are various sizes of Hugag, from the nigh-legendary “Old Blanket Face”, who makes mammoths look small, to Large juveniles (the size were hugags leave their parents and wander far afield in search of new feeding grounds, making them a commonly encountered size of hugag).

Juvenile Hugag (Large Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 4d10+12 (34 hp); Init: +0; Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares, cannot run); AC: 14 (-1 size, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14; Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+14; Attack: Kick* +4 melee (1d6+3) or lip-slap* +4 melee (1d4+3 plus improved grab); Full Attack: 2 kicks* +4 melee (1d6+3) or lip-slap* +4 melee (1d4+3 plus improved grab); Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.; Special Attacks: Constrict 1d4+6, enveloping lip, improved grab, trample 1d8+6 [Reflex half DC 8], woodwarp; Special Qualities: Jointless legs, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +2; Abilities: Str 22, Dex 11, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4; Skills: Listen +12, Climb +0, Jump -2, Spot +5, Survival +1* [+5 track by scent], Swim +0; Feats: Endurance, Track; CR: 3)

Sub-Adult Hugag (Huge Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 8d10+40 (84 hp); Init: +0; Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares, cannot run); AC: 15 (-2 size, +7 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 15; Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+26; Attack: Kick* +11 melee (1d8+5) or lip-slap* +11 melee (1d6+5 plus improved grab); Full Attack: 2 kicks* +11 melee (1d8+5) or lip-slap* +11 melee (1d6+5 plus improved grab); Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.; Special Attacks: Constrict 1d6+10, enveloping lip, improved grab, trample 1d10+10 [Reflex half DC 14], woodwarp; Special Qualities: Jointless legs, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +5; Abilities: Str 30, Dex 11, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4; Skills: Listen +13, Climb +0, Jump +2, Spot +7, Survival +2* [+6 track by scent], Swim +0; Feats: Endurance, Iron Will, Track; CR: 5)

Adult Hugag (Huge Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 10d10+60 (105 hp); Init: +0; Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares, cannot run); AC: 15 (-2 size, +7 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 15; Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+30; Attack: Kick* +15 melee (1d10+6) or lip-slap* +15 melee (1d6+6 plus improved grab); Full Attack: 2 kicks* +15 melee (1d10+6) or lip-slap* +15 melee (1d6+6 plus improved grab); Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.; Special Attacks: Constrict 1d6+12, enveloping lip, improved grab, trample 1d12+12 [Reflex half DC 19], woodwarp; Special Qualities: Jointless legs, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +6; Abilities: Str 34, Dex 11, Con 22, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4; Skills: Listen +15, Climb +0, Jump +4, Spot +7, Survival +2* [+6 track by scent], Swim +0; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Track; CR: 6)

Gargantuan Hugag (Gargantuan Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 16d10+144 (232 hp); Init: +0; Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares, cannot run); AC: 17 (-4 size, +11 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 17; Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+44; Attack: Kick* +29 melee (2d8+8) or lip-slap* +28 melee (1d8+8 plus improved grab); Full Attack: 2 kicks* +29 melee (2d8+8) or lip-slap* +28 melee (1d8+8 plus improved grab); Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.; Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+16, enveloping lip, improved grab, trample 3d6+16 [Reflex half DC 24], woodwarp; Special Qualities: Jointless legs, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +19, Ref +10, Will +6; Abilities: Str 42, Dex 11, Con 28, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4; Skills: Listen +15, Climb +0, Jump +8, Spot +7, Survival +2* [+6 track by scent], Swim +0; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Power Attack, Track, Weapon Focus (kick); CR: 9)

Both 12HD and 16HD ability advances in Constitution.

Old Blanket Face (Maximized Hugag) (Gargantuan Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 30d10+270 (435 hp); Init: +1; Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares, cannot run); AC: 18 (-4 size, +1 Dex, +11 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 17; Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+59; Attack: Kick* +39 melee (3d8+8) or lip-slap* +38 melee (2d6+8 plus improved grab); Full Attack: 2 kicks* +39 melee (3d8+8) or lip-slap* +38 melee (2d6+8 plus improved grab); Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.; Special Attacks: Constrict 2d6+17, enveloping lip, improved grab, trample 3d6+17 [Reflex half DC 32], woodwarp; Special Qualities: Jointless legs, low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +26, Ref +18, Will +17; Abilities: Str 44, Dex 12, Con 28, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4; Skills: Listen +16, Climb +1, Jump +9, Spot +10, Survival +4* [+8 track by scent], Swim +1, Tumble +5; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Improved Natural Weapon (kick), Improved Natural Weapon (lip-slap), Iron Will, Power Attack, Track, Weapon Focus (kick); Epic Feats: Dire Charge, Epic Reflexes, Epic Will; CR: 13)

20HD advance in Dexterity, 24HD and 28HD ability advances in Strength.

 

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Cleon

Legend

• Jan 29, 2011

• #102

Thought it was about time to add another Wondrous Critter.

I still have a few more of the beasties on the stove, but I'm in no hurry to finish them.

Hope you enjoy the Hugag, it ended up better than I thought it would.

Originally I fount the idea of a "stiff-legged moose" rather uninspiring, but with the addition of an enveloping lip a trample and woodwarping, they ended up more interesting than I initially thought they would.

 

freyar

Extradimensional Explorer

• Jan 29, 2011

• #103

I really like the jointless legs for some reason, actually.

 

Cleon

Legend

• Feb 7, 2011

• #104

freyar said:

I really like the jointless legs for some reason, actually.

Click to expand...

Jointless legs certainly gives Hugags a certain je ne sais quoi, but I don't know what it is.

I liked the Critters with telescoping legs quite a bit, too.

Anyhow, there are still some more fearsome beasties to come, once I can stir myself into activity!

 

Cleon

Legend

• Feb 16, 2012

• #105

Cleon said:

Anyhow, there are still some more fearsome beasties to come, once I can stir myself into activity!

Click to expand...

The sleeping Cleon stirs! Releasing another Lumbercritter from the woodpile, followed by another Lumbercritter!

 

Cleon

Legend

• Feb 16, 2012

• #106

Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Black Hodag

Hodag, Black
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 8d10+32 (76 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+20
Attack: Gore +15 melee (2d6+12) or tail-spear +15 melee (1d8+8/×3)
Full Attack: Gore +15 melee (2d6+12) and tail-spear +10 melee (1d8+4/×3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./ 5 ft. (10 ft. with tail-spear)
Special Attacks: Excavate, stink, stunning charge, swallow whole, tail-spear, trample 1d12+12
Special Qualities: Blindspot, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +3* [+11 in variegated terrain], Listen +10, Spot +4, Swim +16
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Track (B)
Environment: Temperate forests and swamps
Organization: Solitary, pair or family (1-2 plus 3-13 hatchlings or pups)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9-11 HD (Large); 12-24 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

Its difficult to tell exactly what it looks like, for the creature's hairless hide is covered with mottles, stripes and checks that break up its outline, but its body is roughly the size and shape of a rhinoceros. A row of sharp spikes runs down its spine from the spear-tip of its long tail to a pair of bull-like horns atop its head. Another horn sprouts from its nose, this third horn is shaped like a spade and shields much of its face, but does not hide a wide mouth full of protruding tusks. When the beast turns or lowers its head to see out of its beady eyes it reveals that the face behind its spade-horn is disturbingly human in its features. The beast's short, thick legs end in wide, somewhat flipper-like, paws set with huge blunt claws.

The hodag described above is the larger and more dangerous species, often called the Black Hodag after its dark markings. There is also a smaller and more innocuous species the size of a large dog, this Lesser Hodag is described below.

Hodags are omnivores, mainly eating roots and slow-moving animals such as snakes, turtles and muskrats – they are too slow to catch swift prey. A black hodag's favourite food is porcupine. When the hodag comes across a porcupine sleeping in a tree, it uses its spade-horn to dig out the tree's roots until the tree falls down, porcupine and all, whereupon the hodag tramples the porcupine and swallows it head first.

A black hodag's tusks and horns are excellent tools for killing and digging, but are poorly suited for slicing or grinding their food; they "chew" their meals in a gizzard rather than their jaws. Therefore, black hodags prefer prey small enough to be swallowed whole. A hodag's stomach acids are powerful enough to completely dissolve bones, turtle shells and porcupine quills.

Hodags sleep in dens, either natural caves or burrows they dug out with their spade-horns. These dens are only used for resting and breeding. A hodag may be away from its den pursuing other activities at any time of day or night, but is most active during the hours of darkness; they do most of their hunting in the twilight of dusk and dawn. Very rarely, the den contains incidental treasure – usually the indigestible possessions of a hodag's victims.

Despite being large and powerful beasts, black hodags are rarely dangerous to mankind. If a hodag smells or hears a humanoid it typically tries to avoid them. They occasionally kill and eat humanoids, but these rare events usually only occur when the black hodag was starving hungry; the humanoid seemed weak, injured, or particularly small and juicy looking (halflings beware!); and/or the humanoid came threateningly close to the hodag's eggs or young. That said, there are terrifying legends of "Giant Man-Eating Hodag" lurking in the depths of certain great swamp-forests.

Hodags lay eggs and are dedicated parents. They breed in early spring, forming mated pairs which set up a breeding den which contains a pile of sand mixed with decomposing compost. The female lays her clutch of eggs in this compost pile, and then lies alongside this nest-mound until they hatch. A female black hodag lays from 5 to 15 eggs the size and shape of ostrich eggs, with leathery green-black shells in colour. The male guards the female and fetches food for her. Hodags do not produce milk, they feed their young on regurgitated pap or whole items of food small enough for the infants to swallow. The males usually stay with the females until their pups have become semi-independent, but some leave as soon as the eggs are laid or hatched.

At the end of autumn, a hodag covers itself all over with pitch and mud and rolls in dead leaves until it is completely encased in a thick, warm mantle of leaves, in which condition it hibernates through winter.

Black hodags are very intelligent animals, and could be useful assistants in any task that requires excavation or great strength, but black hodag are too wild and wilful to be tamed by non-magical means. Lesser hodags are about as smart as dogs and can be tamed and taught tricks.

A typical black hodag has a body between 8 and 10 feet long, with a tail of similar length, and weighs about 3000 pounds.

Combat
A black hodag looks fearsome but is not a vicious creature. They generally flee from threats, only attacking when cornered or sorely angered. A riled hodag will charge, gore or trample opponents; if the hodag incapacitates a small creature it may pause to swallow them. Badly injured or desperate hodags will use their stink attack – hodags mostly save their stink for emergencies, since their stink-glands takes a week to replenish.

A hodag can not make a gore and a tail-spear attack against the same opponent when it makes a full attack, it must direct these attacks against separate foes.

Being far more cunning than ordinary animals, some black hodags develop stratagems for catching prey or dealing with opponents. Examples include digging pitfalls (usually covered by swamp water), toppling trees or setting off mudslides to crush or bury enemies, releasing their stink at the beginning of a fight, and camouflage themselves in a mantle of leaves to assist an ambush (+5 circumstance bonus on Hide checks). Black hodags have been known to teach these stratagems to their offspring.

Blindspot (Ex): A hodag's spade-horn means it cannot see anything in front of itself. Any creature being observed by a hodag can make Hide checks against the hodag by simply using the creature's own horn as cover, provided the hodag is within 40 ft.

Excavate (Su): A hodag can use its spade-shaped horn to excavate dirt (clay, loam, sand) or material of similar consistency with supernatural speed. A Large hodag can dig out two 5-ft. cubes of dirt for each full round of excavation, a Huge hodag can excavate four 5-ft cubes in a round. Any object in the excavated volume (e.g. tree-roots) that has less than hardness 10 will take twice the hodag’s bite damage (4d6+24 damage), with a Strength-based DC 22 Fortitude save for half damage; harder objects are unharmed.

Stink (Ex): Once a week, a hodag can produce a 100 ft. diameter cloud of vapour with an incredibly rank odour (150 ft. for a Huge hodag). Every creature within the cloud (except for hodags, troglodytes and dire skunks) must succeed at a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1d6 rounds and then sickened for 2d6 minutes, those that succeed are still sickened for 2d6 rounds. The stink has a +4 circumstance bonus against creatures with the scent special quality, resulting in a DC 22 Fortitude save. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell counteracts the stink's effect on a nauseated or sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. The save DC is Constitution-based.

This stink is incredibly persistent; any object within the area of effect will smell foul for a period of 3d4 months unless they're cleaned at least three times using suitable agents (e.g. tomato juice, soup and vinegar). This lingering stench imposes no combat penalties but makes creatures easier to track by scent (usually a +2 circumstance bonus, but ranges from +1 to +4 depending on how "fresh" and strong the stench). However, if the stinking creature passes through an area previously sprayed by hodag stink the scent-trail becomes almost impossible to follow (–20 circumstance penalty), as the stink is indistinguishable from everything else in the area. Lingering stink may also impose a–1 to –4 circumstance penalty to social skill checks.

Note that hodags are normally contaminated by their own lingering stench, so may be easy to track by scent. Also, a hodag can track creatures through areas of hodag stink without penalty, due to its immunity to the stink.

Stunning Charge (Ex): When a hodag charges, its gore attack deals 3d6+16 points of damage. If it hits the opponent must succeed at a DC 22 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. The save DC is Strength-based.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A hodag can try to swallow an opponent up to 2 sizes smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check. The opponent is entitled to an attack of opportunity. Hodags can swallow opponents with spiny defences (such as porcupines or foes wearing spiked armour) without injuring themselves – although if the opponent can attack with its spines or thorns they can still use them to make its attack of opportunity.

Once inside, the opponent takes 1d8+8 points of crushing damage plus 8 points of acid damage per round from the hodag's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 20 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 17). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Large hodag's gizzard can hold 2 Small, 8 Medium, 32 Tiny, or 128 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

A hodag's gizzard is armoured to resist spiny foods, so has the hodag's full natural armour bonus, not half the bonus like most creatures with Swallow Whole.

Tail-Spear (Ex): A hodag's tail-spear does piercing damage and has the Reach of a tall creature, it does triple damage if it confirms a critical hit.

Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC 22. The save DC is Strength-based.

Skills
Hodags have a +4 racial bonus to Listen checks and on Survival checks to track by scent. A hodag has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

*A hodag's patchwork colouration gives it a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks in swamp thickets, forests, and any other terrain with similar broken shadows and/or variegated colours.

Lore Checks
DC 16 - A hodag's huge as a mammoth… No!, they're big as a big dog. … it's a vicious maneater, with savage tusks. Bunkum!, they's as scared of people as a kicked cat. It's got horns like a bull… Pshaw!, the horn's like a spade on its nose. There's spike like a spear-blade on the end of its tail. Bullhooey!, the spikes run down its back! Hodags hatch from eggs and stink like a polecat's wedding. Even fools know that, just like they know hodag sleep in caves they burrow out with their noses! You interrupt me one more time and I'll smash yer… Now now lads, can't we agree that hodag's are so sneaky no-one in these parts has got a good enough look at one to say for sure what they look like?

DC 21 - There be two breed of hodag. The Black Hodag is big as a rhino, and has roughly the same outline. The reg'lar, or lesser hodag, looks the same is much smaller, 'bout the size of a fat rotweiler. Both kinds of hodag are shy creatures who prefer to hide from men. They have smooth, naked skin covered in random blotches and stripes that make excellent camouflage in forest, badlands and other rough terrain. Those marks are dark as pitch on the largest breed of hodag, which is why it's called The Black Hodag.

Hodag walk on four legs, their bodies is thick and barrel-shaped, and they has thick tails with a sharp, spear tip on the end. A row of spikes runs all the ways down their backs. A hodag's head is mighty large, with horns like a bull and another huge, spade-shaped horn on the nose. That nose-horn is used for digging, which all hodag are surpassing good at.

If you frighten a hodag, it can produce a stink compared to which a skunk is like a bunch of posies. The hodag will have skedaddled and be miles away by the time you've finished retching. A cornered hodag fights more viciously than a wild pig, goring terrible wounds with their horns and tail-spear.

DC 26 - Hodags eat both plants and animals, but mostly live off roots they dig up. Hodag don't usually eat animals too large for them to swallow. Unfortunately, the largest Black Hodags are big enough to swallow folk whole, and there's talk some of them become maneaters. A Black Hodag's favourite food is porcupine, and they'll dig a tree up by its roots to get to a porcupine in its branches. So if you want to trap a hodag, use a porcupine for bait.

One curious trait of a hodag is their nose-horns are so big they block off part their vision, so if you stand right in front of a hodag it can't see you

Different Sizes of Black Hodag
Infant hodags are more precocious than newly born mammals; they are able to walk and swallow whole food as soon as they are born, although without their parents' protection few infant hodags would survive to adulthood. Hodag hatchlings have short, sharp nose-horns (an adaptation for breaking out of their eggs), which gradually become spade shaped as the hodag grows, becoming fully functional spades when the hodag is as big as a human. A hatchling's tail is flattened for swimming and hasn't got a spear-tip, thought the infant quickly develops a spear to help defend itself.

Hodags hatch with functional (and fully-charged!) stink-glands, and instinctively release their stink when frightened or startled. It may take some time for an infant hodag to learn to save its stink for when it's really endangered. A hodag's stink-cloud grows increasingly potent and tenacious as the beast develops, according to the following table:

Hodag Stink Table
Age ' ' ' ' ' Fortitude ' Cloud '' Nausea ' '' Sickness
' ' ' '' ' ' ' Save DC ' Diameter (rounds) (rounds/minutes)
Hatchling ' '' 10 [14] ' ' 10 ft. '' 1 ' ' '' ' ' 1d2
Pup ' ' '' ' ' 11 [14] ' ' 20 ft. '' 1 ' ' '' ' ' 1d3
Juvenile ' ' ' 13 [17] ' ' 30 ft. ' 1d2 ' ' ' ' ' 1d4
Big Juvenile ' 14 [18] ' ' 40 ft. ' 1d3 ' ' ' ' ' 1d6
Adolescent ' ' 16 [20] ' ' 60 ft. ' 1d4 ' ' ' ' ' 1d8
Adult ' '' ' ' 18 [22] '' 100 ft. ' 1d6 ' ' ' ' ' 2d6
Huge ' ' ' ' ' 21 [25] '' 150 ft. ' 1d8 ' ' ' ' ' 2d8
Maximized '' ' 29 [33] '' 150 ft. ' 1d8 ' ' ' ' ' 2d8

Hodag Hatchling (Tiny Magical Beast, Hit Dice: ½d10 (2 hp); Initiative: +1; Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +1 Dex, +1 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13; Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–9; Attack: Gore +1 melee (1d3–2); Full Attack: Gore +1 melee (1d3–2); Space/Reach: 2½ ft./ 0 ft.; Special Attacks: Stink [10 ft. diameter, DC10 (DC14 if scent) or 1 round nausea plus 1d2 minutes sickness, 1d2 rds sickness on save], swallow whole [up to Diminutive, 1d4–2 crushing plus 1 acid, gizzard AC11, 2 hp]; Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +0; Abilities: Str 6, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 5, Wis 11, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +10* [+18 in variegated terrain], Listen +5, Spot +1, Swim +9; Feats: ; CR: 1/6)

Hatchling hodags have sharply pointed nose-horns and flattened, spear-less tails. Hatchling hodags do not have a racial bonus to Listen checks, but can use their Dexterity modifier on Swim checks.

A typical hodag hatchling is roughly a foot long and weighs a pound or so.

Hodag Pup (Small Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 1d10+1 (6 hp); Initiative: +1; Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14; Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–2; Attack: Gore +3 melee (1d4+1) or tail-spear +3 melee (1d3+1/×3); Full Attack: Gore +3 melee (1d4+1) and tail-spear –2 melee (1d3/×3); Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.; Special Attacks: Stink [20 ft. diameter, DC11 (DC15 if scent) or 1 round nausea plus 1d3 minutes sickness, 1d3 rds sickness on save], swallow whole [up to Diminutive, 1d4+1 crushing plus 2 acid, gizzard AC13, 5 hp], tail-spear; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 10 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1; Abilities: Str 12, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +6* [+14 in variegated terrain], Listen +6, Spot +2, Swim +9; Feats: Endurance, Track (B); CR: 1/2)

Hodag pups are large and active infants, fond of swimming in brooks and swamp pools near their parent's den. Their nose-horns are large enough to give them a small blindspot and their tails have a spear large enough to fight with. Hodag pups have learned enough to control their involuntarily stink reflex, but may still accidentally release their stink when excited.

A typical hodag pup is 18 inches to 2 feet long and weighs around 15 to 20 pounds.

Juvenile Black Hodag (Medium Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 3d10+6 (22 hp); Initiative: +1; Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15; Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6; Attack: Gore +6 melee (1d6+4) or tail-spear +6 melee (1d4+3/×3); Full Attack: Gore +6 melee (1d6+4) and tail-spear +1 melee (1d4+1/×3); Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.; Special Attacks: Excavate [2d6+8 if hardness < 10, Fort DC14 for half], stink [30 ft. diameter, DC13 (DC17 if scent) or 1d2 rounds nausea plus 1d4 minutes sickness, 1d4 rds sickness on save], swallow whole [up to Tiny, 1d6+3 crushing plus 3 acid, gizzard AC15, 10 hp], tail-spear; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 20 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2; Abilities:Str 16, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +4* [+12 in variegated terrain], Listen +8, Spot +4, Swim +11; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Track (B); CR: 2)

A black hodag this size is old enough to leave its parents or has already done so. They have complete control of their stink attack and can excavate soil with their spade-horn (one 5 ft. cube per round). Apart from their higher Intelligence and Charisma, juvenile black hodags have the same statistics as adult lesser hodags (see below).

A typical juvenile is 3 feet long and weighs about 150 pounds.

Big Juvenile Black Hodag (Medium Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 4d10+8 (30 hp); Initiative: +1; Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15; Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+8; Attack: Gore +8 melee (1d8+6) or tail-spear +8 melee (1d6+4/×3); Full Attack: Gore +8 melee (1d8+6) and tail-spear +3 melee (1d6+2/×3); Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.; Special Attacks: Excavate [2d8+12 if hardness < 10, Fort DC16 for half], stink [40 ft. diameter, DC14 (DC18 if scent) or 1d3 rounds nausea plus 1d6 minutes sickness, 1d6 rds sickness on save], swallow whole [up to Tiny, 1d6+4 crushing plus 4 acid, gizzard AC15, 10 hp], tail-spear; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 30 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2; Abilities: Str 18, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +4* [+12 in variegated terrain], Listen +9, Spot +4, Swim +12; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Track (B); CR: 3)

This is just a juvenile that's half-grown or unusually large, few young hodag this size are still staying with their parents.

A big juvenile hodag is typically 4 or 5 feet long and weighs about 450 pounds.

Adolescent Black Hodag (Large Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 6d10+18 (51 hp); Initiative: +0; Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16; Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+16; Attack: Gore +11 melee (1d10+9) or tail-spear +11 melee (1d6+6/×3); Full Attack: Gore +11 melee (1d10+9) and tail-spear +6 melee (1d6+3/×3); Space/Reach: 10 ft./ 5 ft.; Special Attacks: Excavate [2d10+18 if hardness < 10, Fort DC19 for half], stink [60 ft. diameter, DC16 (DC20 if scent) or 1d4 rounds nausea plus 1d8 minutes sickness, 1d8 rds sickness on save], stunning charge [2d8+12 plus Fort DC19 or stun 1 round], swallow whole [up to Small, 1d8+6 crushing plus 6 acid, gizzard AC17, 15 hp], tail-spear, trample [1d12+9, Ref DC19 for half]; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 40 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +5; Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +2* [+10 in variegated terrain], Listen +9, Spot +4, Swim +14; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Track (B); CR: 5)

Adolescent black hodags have much shorter tails than mature adults, but can be just as big. They are big and powerful enough to make stunning charges and trample their enemies. An adolescent hodag is independent of its parents, and is generally wandering about seeking to establish a territory for itself.

A typical adolescent is 7 or 8 feet long and weighs about 2000 pounds.

Adult Black Hodag (Large Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 8d10+32 (76 hp); Initiative: +0; Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16; Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+20; Attack: Gore +15 melee (2d6+12) or tail-spear +15 melee (1d8+8/×3); Full Attack: Gore +15 melee (2d6+12) and tail-spear +10 melee (1d8+4/×3); Space/Reach: 10 ft./ 5 ft. (10 ft. with tail-spear); Special Attacks: Excavate [4d6+24 if hardness < 10, Fort DC22 for half], stink [100 ft. diameter, DC18 (DC22 if scent) or 1d6 rounds nausea plus 2d6 minutes sickness, 2d6 rds sickness on save], stunning charge [3d6+16 plus Fort DC22 or stun 1 round], swallow whole [up to Small, 1d8+8 crushing plus 8 acid, gizzard AC17, 20 hp], tail-spear, trample [1d12+12, Ref DC22 for half]; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 40 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +5; Abilities: Str 26, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +3* [+11 in variegated terrain], Listen +10, Spot +4, Swim +16; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Track (B); CR: 6)

An adult black hodag has a body between 8 and 10 feet long, with a tail of similar length, and weighs about 3000 pounds.

Huge Black Hodag (Huge Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 12d10+60 (126 hp); Initiative: –1; Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 17 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +10 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 17; Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+30; Attack: Gore +20 melee (4d6+15) or tail-spear +20 melee (2d6+10/19-20×3); Full Attack: Gore +20 melee (4d6+15) and tail-spear +15 melee (2d6+5/19-20×3); Space/Reach: 15 ft./ 10 ft. (15 ft. with tail-spear); Special Attacks: Excavate [8d6+30 if hardness < 10, Fort DC26 for half], stink [150 ft. diameter, DC21 (DC25 if scent) or 1d8 rounds nausea plus 2d8 minutes sickness, 2d8 rds sickness on save], stunning charge [6d6+20 plus Fort DC26 or stun 1 round], swallow whole [up to Medium, 2d6+10 crushing plus 8 acid, gizzard AC20, 25 hp], tail-spear, trample [3d6+15, Ref DC26 for half]; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 40 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +7; Abilities: Str 30, Dex 9, Con 21, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +2* [+10 in variegated terrain], Listen +10, Spot +4, Swim +18; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Improved Critical (tail), Improved Natural Attack (gore), Iron Will, Track (B); CR: 8)

A Huge black hodag has a body roughly 12 feet long, with a tail of similar length, and weighs 4000 pounds or more.

Maximized Black Hodag ("Giant Man-Eating Hodag")(Huge Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 24d10+168 (300 hp); Initiative: +0; Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 18 (-2 size, +10 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 18; Base Attack/Grapple: +24/+44; Attack: Gore +34 melee (4d6+18) or tail-spear +34 melee (3d6+12/19-20×3); Full Attack: Gore +34 melee (2d6+18) and tail-spear +29 melee (3d6+6/19-20×3); Space/Reach: 15 ft./ 10 ft. (15 ft. with tail-spear); Special Attacks: Excavate [8d6+30 if hardness < 10, Fort DC34 for half], stink [150 ft. diameter, DC29 (DC33 if scent) or 1d8 rounds nausea plus 2d8 minutes sickness, 2d8 rds sickness on save], stunning charge [6d6+24 plus Fort DC29 or stun 1 round], swallow whole [up to Medium, 2d6+12 crushing plus 8 acid, gizzard AC20, 25 hp], tail-spear, trample [3d6+18, Ref DC29 for half]; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 40 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +21, Ref +16, Will +16; Abilities: Str 34, Dex 10, Con 24, Int 5, Wis 14, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +7* [+15 in variegated terrain], Listen +14, Spot +8, Swim +20; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Improved Critical (tail), Improved Natural Attack (gore), Improved Natural Attack (tail), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Track (B); Epic Feats: Dire Charge, Epic Will; CR: 12)

This great beast is mighty enough to view humans as prey to gulp down.

The giant man-eating hodag's body and tail are each about 15 feet long, it weighs some 8000 pounds.

 

Cleon

Legend

• Feb 16, 2012

• #107

Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Lesser Hodag

Lesser Hodag
Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 3d10+6 (22 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dexterity, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
Attack: Gore +6 melee (1d6+4) or tail-spear +6 melee (1d4+3/×3)
Full Attack: Gore +6 melee (1d6+4) and tail-spear +1 melee (1d4+1/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Excavate, stink, swallow whole, tail-spear
Special Qualities: Blindspot, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 3
Skills: Hide +4* [+12 in variegated terrain], Listen +8, Spot +4, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Track (B)
Environment: Temperate forests and swamps
Organization: Solitary, pair or family (1-2 plus 3-13 hatchlings or pups)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-5 HD (Medium); 6-9 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —

Lesser hodag are similar in appearance to black hodags except they are much smaller in size, slightly leaner in build, and have bullish faces instead of the oddly human features of the black hodag. The habits of the lesser hodag are much the same as the black hodag, the main differences are as follows:

Firstly, lesser hodags are far less intelligent than the black variety, being roughly as smart as a dog. They are also more tractable, and can be trained to perform tasks.

Secondly, lesser hodags have teeth better suited for biting off food, so don't limit themselves to prey they can swallow to the degree their larger cousins do. Thus, when a lesser hodag kills its favourite prey of porcupine it tears its meal apart with its tusks and eats it piecemeal.

Thirdly, lesser hodag lay only a few eggs (rarely more than 4) resembling over-large green-black crocodile eggs in their shape and leathery shells. The eggs are unusually big for a creature of a lesser hodag's size and are laid one at a time, a day or two apart. They tend to hatch in the order they were laid, and the oldest pups get first pick of the food and attention. The youngest pup is often a runt who only survives if the year is particular abundant.

A lesser hodag's body is typically around 3 feet long, with a tail of similar length; they weigh about 150 pounds.

Combat
Lesser hodag are even less aggressive than black hodags, but are more likely to use their stink attack when threatened. They only fight to defend themselves, goring with their sharp tusks and horns or stabbing with their tail-spear.

A hodag can not make a gore and a tail-spear attack against the same opponent when it makes a full attack, it must direct these attacks against separate foes.

Blindspot (Ex): A hodag's spade-horn means it cannot see anything in front of itself. Any creature being observed by a hodag can make Hide checks against the hodag by simply using the creature's own horn as cover, provided the hodag is within 20 ft.

Excavate (Su): A hodag can use its spade-shaped horn to excavate dirt (clay, loam, sand) or material of similar consistency with supernatural speed. A Medium sized lesser hodag can dig out a 5-ft. cube of dirt for each full round of excavation, a Large hodag can excavate two 5-ft cubes in a round. Any object in the excavated volume (e.g. tree-roots) that has less than hardness 10 will take twice the hodag’s bite damage (2d6+8 damage), with a Strength-based DC 14 Fortitude save for half damage; harder objects are unharmed.

Stink (Ex): Once a week, a lesser hodag can produce a 30 ft. diameter cloud of vapour with an incredibly rank odour (60 ft. for a Large hodag). Every creature within the cloud (except for hodags, troglodytes and dire skunks) must succeed at a DC 13 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1d2 rounds and then sickened for 1d4 minutes, those that succeed are still sickened for 1d4 rounds. The stink has a +4 circumstance bonus against creatures with the scent special quality, resulting in a DC 17 Fortitude save. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell counteracts the stink's effect on a nauseated or sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. The save DC is Constitution-based.

This stink is incredibly persistent; any object within the area of effect will smell foul for a period of 3d4 months unless they're cleaned at least three times using suitable agents (e.g. tomato juice, soup and vinegar). This lingering stench imposes no combat penalties but makes creatures easier to track by scent (usually a +2 circumstance bonus, but ranges from +1 to +4 depending on how "fresh" and strong the stench). However, if the stinking creature passes through an area previously sprayed by hodag stink the scent-trail becomes almost impossible to follow (–20 circumstance penalty), as the stink is indistinguishable from everything else in the area. Lingering stink may also impose a–1 to –4 circumstance penalty to social skill checks.

Note that hodags are normally contaminated by their own lingering stench, so may be easy to track by scent. Also, a hodag can track creatures through areas of hodag stink without penalty, due to its immunity to the stink.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A lesser hodag can try to swallow an opponent up to 2 sizes smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check. The opponent is entitled to an attack of opportunity. Hodags can swallow opponents with spiny defences (such as porcupines or foes wearing spiked armour) without injuring themselves – although if the opponent can attack with its spines or thorns they can still use them to make its attack of opportunity.

Once inside, the opponent takes 1d6+3 points of crushing damage plus 3 points of acid damage per round from the hodag's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 15). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Large hodag's gizzard can hold 2 Small, 8 Medium, 32 Tiny, or 128 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

A hodag's gizzard is armoured to resist spiny foods, so has the hodag's full natural armour bonus, not half the bonus like most creatures with Swallow Whole.

Tail-Spear (Ex): A hodag's tail-spear does piercing damage and has the Reach of a tall creature, it does triple damage if it confirms a critical hit.

Skills
Hodags have a +4 racial bonus to Listen checks and on Survival checks to track by scent. A hodag has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

*A hodag's patchwork colouration gives it a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks in swamp thickets, forests, and any other terrain with similar broken shadows and/or variegated colours.

Different Sizes of Lesser Hodag
Use the Different Sizes of Black Hodag, except for the following changes:

● Lesser hodag have Intelligence 2 and Charisma 3.
● Lesser hodag do not gain a stunning charge or trample attack like a black hodag.
● Having fewer special attacks than a black hodag lowers their Challenge Rating: CR 4 for 6 HD, CR 5 for 8 HD.
● The maximum size a lesser hodag reaches is 9 Hit Dice, as follows:

Maximized Lesser Hodag (Large Magical Beast, Hit Dice: 9d10+36 (85 hp); Initiative: +0; Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 20 ft.; Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16; Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+21; Attack: Gore +16 melee (3d6+12) or tail-spear +16 melee (1d8+8/×3); Full Attack: Gore +16 melee (3d6+12) and tail-spear +11 melee (1d8+4/×3); Space/Reach: 10 ft./ 5 ft. (10 ft. with tail-spear); Special Attacks: Excavate [6d6+24 if hardness < 10, Fort DC22 for half], stink [100 ft. diameter, DC18 (DC22 if scent) or 1d6 rounds nausea plus 2d6 minutes sickness, 2d6 rds sickness on save], stunning charge [4d6+16 plus Fort DC22 or stun 1 round], swallow whole [up to Small, 1d8+8 crushing plus 8 acid, gizzard AC17, 20 hp], tail-spear, trample [1d12+12, Ref DC22 for half]; Special Qualities: Blindspot [opponents within 40 ft. can Hide from hodag], low-light vision, scent; Saves: Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +6; Abilities: Str 26, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 6; Skills: Hide +4* [+12 in variegated terrain], Listen +10, Spot +4, Swim +16; Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Improved Natural Attack (gore), Iron Will, Track (B); CR: 6)