Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 9399229" data-attributes="member: 6915329">This is another article that will have a single statblock and a bunch of variants to it, since the creatures really vary only by a small number of—albeit quite interesting—differences. There’s another one like this next issue, and a few issues after that. 3e really liked these sort of creatures. Hey, I ain’t complaining; it makes for an easier conversion.So today’s entry is six very bad doggos called wrath wolves. The article doesn’t actual call them wrath wolves or give them any sort of collective name at all—a slight annoyance, as two of the wolves use the same name as established D&D monsters (mist wolves and sea wolves—those sea lion/werewolf things). Instead, the article is entitled “The Bestiary: Howls of Nature’s Wrath,” so I took the name from that.The article opens with a bit of fiction. A skald is leading a prayer of thanks to the elk that her people are cooking for dinner—specifically, thanking it for feeding them and not The Wolf Lord. She tells the children of the tribe a story, how the Horned Lord, the father of elk and deer, and the Wolf Lord lived in balance (wolves ate the deer so that the deer wouldn’t eat all the plants), until a time when the Wolf Lord’s hunger was so insatiable that he risked upsetting the balance of nature with all of the hunting he had his wolves do—see, when a living wolf killed a living deer, the Wolf Lord got to eat as well. Fearing for his life, the Horned Lord begged the spirits for help, and the spirits listened, destroying most of the wolves with storms, tidal waves, and lava flows or gobbling them up in clouds and mist. The rest were transformed into horrible monsters that would also hunt without end, and what they killed would feed the spirits instead of the Wolf Lord. And their diets were changed to include sentient beings. The skald’s tale ends, of course, with her tribe being surrounded by these monster-wolves, about to be eaten.So, you know, thanks, Horned Lord. You certainly made everything so much better.I like wolves and I have to say that it does bother me a bit that they are so often written as vicious, evil-minded beasts. Not that their “noble savage” depictions are much better. They’re just animals, neither monsters nor beings of pure wild goodness.Wrath WolfThe Bestiary, Dragon Magazine #293Creature by Eric Cagle; art by Derek TompsonCreated from moments of natural disasters, wrath wolves are beasts made of elemental fury. They have the shape and size of dire wolves or worgs, but even a cursory glance will reveal their elemental origins. Whether it’s eyes that crackle with lightning, a body that trails off into mist and vapor, or skin made of plates of stone, it’s clear that these creatures are unnatural beings.Born In Disaster. It often surprises those who study the elemental planes to learn that wrath wolves are actually native to the Material Plane. They are literally created during the worst type of weather—great storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the like—and they exist only for the duration of those storms. When the weather calms, the aftershocks settle, or the lava cools, the wolf fades away. Then, they only exist in potential, the essence of that wolf hibernating until the next terrible disaster that allows them to come out to hunt and kill again.Some genies have learned how to create wrath wolves, which they keep as particularly vicious hunting beasts.Hateful Beasts. Wrath wolves don’t need to eat, but that doesn’t stop them from killing. These creatures hunt and slay with gleeful impunity and leave the mauled carcasses behind for the scavengers. They go after anything, no matter what; they don’t seek glory in the kill, nor do they view it as a sport. Instead, it’s simply in the wolves’ nature to kill. They will hunt anything they see, although they are easily distracted: they will leave off their current prey if another creature threatens or challenges them or if they see an elemental of an opposing element—as much as they hate living creatures, they hate different elementals even more. Fortunately, their short lifespans keep them in check.Legends and LoreWith an Arcana or Nature check, the characters can learn the following:DC 10. Wrath wolves are elemental, not natural, creatures.DC 15. These creatures were created by vengeful nature spirits. They hunt and kill relentlessly, even though they don’t actually need to eat.DC 20. Wrath wolves are short-lived. They appear during terrible weather, volcanic eruptions, or during earthquakes, then fade away again when things calm down.Wrath Wolf EncountersChallenge Rating 5-10 1-2 wrath wolvesChallenge Rating 11-16 3 wrath wolves, 2 wrath wolves and 2d4 mephitsChallenge Rating 17-22 3 wrath wolves and air, earth, fire, or water elementalChallenge Rating 23-30 3 wrath wolves and div, djinn, efreet, or maridTreasure: Noble clothes brocaded with mithral threads (2,500 gp), three potions of greater healing, ioun stone of intellect, composite longbow +3 that creates its own magic arrows that inflict force damageSigns1-2. An encroaching storm, pre-quake tremors, or a rumbling mountain3. Terrible howls in the distance4. Regular animals acting strangely, heralding a natural disasterBehavior1-2. Attacks on sight3. Attacking a dragon or giant; will ignore the party unless approached.4. Racing ahead of the disaster that spawned themWrath Wolf Large elemental; Challenge 5 (1,100 XP)AC 16 (natural armor)HP 85 (9d10+36; bloodied 42)Speed 60 ft.STR 16 (+3) DEX 16 (+3) CON 18 (+4)INT 8 (-1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2)Proficiency +3; Maneuver DC 15Saving Throws Dexterity +6Skills Perception +5, Nature +2, Stealth +6, Survival +5Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15Languages PrimordialElemental Nature. The wrath wolf doesn’t need to breathe, eat, or sleep. When a wrath wolf dies, it dissolves into primordial matter after 1 minute.Evil. The wrath wolf radiates an aura of evil.Keen Hearing and Smell. The wrath wolf has advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing and smell.Pack Tactics. The wrath wolf has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the wolf’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and is not incapacitatedActionsBite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8+3) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw, falling prone on a failure.CombatWrath wolves start combat with their howl or breath weapon, then fight relentlessly.[ATTACH=full]371645[/ATTACH]Variant: Cloud WolfFew creatures looking at a cloud wolf can easily realize how diabolical they are. Their fur is pure white and impossibly fluffy and their eyes are a beautiful sapphire blue. With an innate ability to run in the sky, cloud wolves rarely travel to earth; when they do, they do so purely to create devasting whirlwinds. They are quite belligerent, deliberately picking fights with dragons, giant eagles and other intelligent, aerial prey. They also strongly dislike thunder wolves. Both cloud and thunder wolves appear during storms, so their battles are common, loud, destructive, and fortunately mostly short-lived.Preferring to stay in the air, cloud wolves attack primarily with their breath weapon; they only bite downed and helpless foes.Cloud wolves have speed 30 ft., fly 70 ft. and have the following new trait:Mist Mastery. The wolf's movement and vision is not hindered by cold, snow, wind, or storms or by obscurement caused by fog or clouds.They also have the following new actions:Ice Cloud Breath (Recharge 5-6). The wolf exhales freezing clouds in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area takes 17 (5d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success.Whirlwind Howl (1/day). The wolf howls, causing a whirlwind to form 15 feet in front of the wolf. On each of its turns for 1 minute, the wolf can use a bonus action to move the whirlwind up to 30 feet in a straight line. A Large or smaller creature that comes into contact with the whirlwind must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage, or half as much on a successful save, and a Medium or smaller creature that fails its save is also picked up and suspended in mid-air by it. While held by the whirlwind, the creature is restrained (escape DC 15) and takes 4 (1d8) ongoing bludgeoning damage until it escapes or the wolf directs the whirlwind to release the target (no action required by it).*[ATTACH=full]371644[/ATTACH]Variant: Magma WolfWhen volcanoes erupt, magma wolves often swim out of the lava. These wrath wolves look as though they’ve suffered terrible burns; their blackened, furless hide is cracked with glowing lines, and they constantly drool glowing lava. They enjoy the pain their fiery breath causes, and they burn their prey to charcoal before consuming them. Even more than most fire-based elementals, magma wolves hate creatures of coldness—ice-based elementals and arctic-dwellers alike.Magma wolves are immune to fire damage, a burrow Speed of 20 ft. and swim Speed of 30 ft., its Bite attack inflicts an additional 4 (1d8) fire damage, and it has the following new trait:Fiery Aura. A creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of the wolf takes 5 (1d10) fire damage. A creature that touches the wolf or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 5 (1d10) fire damage. The wolf sheds dim light in a 30-foot radius.Magma Trail. Other creatures have advantage on checks made to track the magma wolf.Water Weakness. The wolf takes 6 (1d12) cold damage if it enters a body of water or starts its turn in a body of water, or is splashed with at least 5 gallons of water.It also has the following new action:Fire Breath (Recharge 5-6). The wolf exhales flames in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.*[ATTACH=full]371640[/ATTACH]Variant: Mist WolfAs insubstantial as the pea-soup fogs from which they emerge, mist wolves are sadistic beasts that enjoy terrorizing their prey. Their fur is gray-white but blends so well with the fog that it’s all but impossible to see where the wolf ends and the fog begins. Their howls are strangely muted and always seem to come from far away, even when the wolf is close by.Mist wolves love inflicting panic and horror on their enemies first, thus nearly always attack at night and under the cover of thick fog, making hit-and-run attacks from many sides to confuse its prey as to the wolf’s location.A mist wolf has resistance to damage from nonmagical weapons and is immune to the grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, or restrained conditions. It has the following new traits:Flow Like Fog. The wolf can walk on water and other non-solid terrain as if it were difficult terrain. It takes no damage from falling.Foggy Acclimation. The wolf has advantage on Stealth checks made in areas that are obscured by heavy rain, falling snow, or mist. Its vision is not impaired by any of these forms of obscurement.Incorporeal Movement. The wolf can move through creatures and objects. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.Mist Mastery. The wolf's movement and vision is not hindered by cold, snow, wind, or storms or by obscurement caused by fog or clouds.It also has the following new action:Fog Breath. The wolf exhales fog that fills a 20-foot-diameter sphere. The area is heavily obscured, spreads around corners, and lasts for 1 hour or until it is dispersed by a strong wind.*[ATTACH=full]371641[/ATTACH]Variant: Sea WolfAlways dripping with brine, always smelling like wet dog and dead fish, and always wreathed in rotting seaweed, sea wolves are vindictive creatures. They lurk on craggy shorelines where the water is always agitated, hunting both aquatic and land people who dare to cross over to the other side—particularly fishermen and sailors, but also land-dwellers who want to spend a day swimming in the ocean, and folk such as sea elves who wish to explore the land. They also have a particular hatred towards bronze dragons. Their howls sound like the roar of the ocean.Sea wolves typically attack while in the water, as they move faster when swimming. They only travel onto solid ground when their prey has all been knocked prone by their waves.Sea wolves have a speed of 30 ft., swim 60 ft., are resistant to cold damage and have the following new traits:Dripping Wet. Other creatures have advantage on checks made to track the sea wolf.Watery Camouflage. The sea wolf gains a d4 expertise die on Stealth checks made while underwater.They also have the following new action:Rip Tide (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales a powerful wave of seawater in a 15-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed either 15 feet away or towards the wolf (wolf’s choice, but all creatures in the line are pushed or pulled).*[ATTACH=full]371642[/ATTACH]Variant: Shard WolfShard wolves barely look like regular wolves—they are made of angular planes of basalt, with viciously sharp teeth and glittering eyes made of obsidian. Their howls sound like the crashing of boulders. When earthquakes open up fissures in the earth, shard wolves crawl out, ready to hunt and kill; some casters use earthquake and similar magics to deliberately summon these monsters. They move with slowly, but inexorable, unstoppable until the magma that bubbled up with them has finally cooled—a process that can take months to complete.Shard wolves stalk their prey for miles before attacking. After using their Quaking Howl, they charge in to trample opponents; their thickly armored hides makes them careless about attacking dangerous foes. Shard wolves and magma wolves often hunt together, as they are born out of the same disasters, although they are weak allies at best.Shard wolves have AC 18, a speed of 30 ft., burrow 30 ft., tremorsense to 60 ft, and have resistance to nonmagical weapon damage. Their bite inflicts 16 (3d8+3) piercing damage, and they have the following new trait:Steady Movement. The wolf's speed isn't reduced by difficult natural terrain made out of earth, stone, or sand.They also have the following new actions:Quaking Howl (1/day). The wolf howls and causes an earthquake in a 15-foot-radius circle centered on it. The ground in the area becomes difficult terrain and each creature in contact with the ground must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone, and any of these creatures that are concentrating on a spell must make a Constitution saving throw or lose concentration.Additionally, objects and structures in or partially in the area take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage. If this causes the object or structure to collapse, any creature on or within the structure must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone and take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage.On the start of the wolf’s next turn, a fissure will open up in the earthquake’s area, extending 1d10 × 10 feet deep, 10 feet wide, and 15 feet long. A creature standing where the fissure opens up must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall in. Objects and structures in the area automatically fall in. The wolf is unaffected and leaps to the nearest solid ground without having to make a check.Trample. The shard wolf can move up to its speed in a straight line. It can move through the spaces of Medium and smaller creatures. Each of these creatures must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage and falling prone on a failure.*[ATTACH=full]371643[/ATTACH]Variant: Thunder WolfThunder wolves appear only during violent storms; when the storm subsides, they fade away into the clouds. They have dark gray pelts and flashing blue-white eyes, and jagged lines of electricity coruscate over their bodies as they move. They are erratic creatures, moving on in zig-zags and relishing the panic these storms cause; they hunt frightened animals and start forest fires with their blasts of lightning. Perhaps strangely, they are sometimes seen as a good omen, as they hunt behirs, blue dragons, and other monsters of the storm. Their howls sound like crashing thunder.Thunder wolves try to fly out of reach of their foes for as long as possible before diving into melee.A thunder wolf has immunity to lighting and thunder damage, has a fly Speed of 30 ft., its Bite attack inflicts an additional 4 (1d8) lightning damage, and it has the following new trait:Lightning Aura. A creature that touches the wolf or hits it with a melee attack made with a metal weapon or while wearing metal armor while within 5 feet of it takes 5 (1d10) lightning damage. The wolf sheds dim light in a 30-foot radius.Storm Mastery. The wolf's movement and vision is not hindered by cold, snow, wind, or storms or by obscurement caused by fog or clouds.It also has the following new actions:Lightning Breath (Recharge 5-6). The wolf exhales a 30-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line of lightning. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) lightning damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a success.Thunderous Howl (1/day). The wolf howls. Each creature within 120 feet of the wolf that can hear it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is stunned for 1 minute and deafened for 1d4 hours. On a success, the creature is stunned until the end of its next turn and is not deafened. A stunned creature may make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.</blockquote>

Verification