Converting monsters from Second Edition Monstrous Compendiums

[Shade]

Bog Hound
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Swamp
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Carnivorous
INTELLIGENCE: Semi- (3)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 2-20
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 2+2
THAC0: 19
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d4/1d4/1d4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (6’ long)
MORALE: Champion (15)
XP VALUE: 65 each

Moor Hound
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Swamp
FREQUENCY: One per pack
ORGANIZATION: Pack leader
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night
DIET: Carnivorous
INTELLIGENCE: Very (12)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVEMENT: 18
HIT DICE: 8
THAC0: 13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d6/1d6/1d8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%
SIZE: L (7’ long)
MORALE: Fearless (20)
XP VALUE: 3,000

Bog hounds are large dogs, about the size of war dogs, created from a cursed bog. Sculpted of straw and mud, the hounds are given life by wicked magic or a curse. They are sometimes created by the exceptionally strong will of a creature that can shape life.

Their color is a muddy brown with splotches of yellow, and their most frightening feature is their lack of eyes; they have only empty black sockets.

Each pack of bog hounds is led by a moor hound, an individual creature of exceptional strength and power. As long this creature exists, the pack cannot be permanently destroyed.

Combat: When hunting, bog hounds set up an unearthly howling that only subsides when they close in. They attack by flanking their victims and closing from all sides at once. In combat, they act as ordinary hounds, unless their pack leader (the moor hound) or their master instructs them to perform another task. When slain, they return to their original materials, dissolving into scattered straw and mud as a gasp of vapor escapes from the bodies. (In some cases the power of the animating curse may form additional bog hound bodies over time, in other cases the master might construct more.)

The bog hounds are vulnerable to natural sunlight. If they are exposed to the sun, their supernatural essence evaporates like fog, and they become inanimate statues of straw and mud, trapped in the pose in which the light first caught them These can be destroyed by the slightest touch; unless extreme care is taken they cannot be moved.

Habitat/Society: Once the bog hounds are created, the moor hound leads them in whatever tasks their creator desires. The pack is under the control of the being who brought them to life. The pack has no other soda1 order except that they follow the moor hound.

Ecology: The bog hound pack is created by a powerful curse or possibly by malevolent necromantic magic. While their diet is listed as carnivorous, in truth they need to eat nothing. When they attack, they savage and devour any living creature of flesh and bone that they hunt. They gain no sustenance from eating; they are simply supernaturally vicious.

The Moor Hound: Unlike the bog hounds, the moor hound is formed wholly of the vapors of the bog. It is a coal-black creature with flaming red eyes. Its jaws can easily fit around a full grown mans head, and are powerful enough to snap bone.

The moor hound can be hit only by magical weapons of at least +1 enchantment; however, it only seems to suffer real damage from them. It can be destroyed only after it has been exposed to sunlight; otherwise, once it has been reduced to 0 hit points or below the moor hound bounds off to regenerate. It always leaves a trail of blood that leads directly to a bog or pool of quicksand, but no further trace of the moor hound can be found until the next night, when it comes back fully regenerated.

If not exposed to sunlight, the moor hound cannot die. It can, however, be captured. If even the slightest beam of sunlight directly hits the moor hound, any apparent damage it took before exposure suddenly becomes real, perhaps slaying it outright. Further, the moor hound can then be hit by ordinary weapons and permanently killed, breaking the curse that gave it life. When the moor hound dies, a ghostly howling marks its passage into nothingness. All bog hounds of its pack immediately crumble into mud and straw as their howls answer and follow those of the pack leader.

Originally appeared in Howls in the Night (1994).

 

[demiurge1138]

Constructs or magical beasts? I could see an argument for both.

 

[freyar]

I lean toward constructs, though probably with unusual creation prereqs.

 

[Shade]

I was thinking undead, but I could see constructs, or even evil fey.

 

[demiurge1138]

Definately gunning for construct here. If we want to make them more undead-feeling, we could make them tomb-tainted. Not vulnerable to turning, I don't think, but healed by negative energy and harmed by positive.

 

[freyar]

Tomb-tainted constructs is nice, and it fits with the idea that they're created through necromancy.

 

[Shade]

Tomb-tainted constructs works for me.

Let's try to figure out abilty scores...

Riding Dog (M): Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Blink Dog (M): Str 10, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 11
Shadow Mastiff (M): Str 17, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 13

Int is given as 3. As constructs, no Con score.

 

[freyar]

Since these have 2 HD, same as the riding dog, let's just modify those slightly. AC is one less than the riding dog. I'm going to say natural armor of mud and peat is similar to that of fur, so I'll take it out of Dex. I'll also bump Cha to go with Int.

Bog hound: Str 16, Dex 13, Con -, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 8?

The moor hound should probably be beefed up compared to the shadow mastiff, since it has 4 more HD.

Moor hound: Str 22, Dex 13, Con -, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 13?

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

Combat: When hunting, bog hounds set up an unearthly howling that only subsides when they close in.

Flavor only?

They attack by flanking their victims and closing from all sides at once.

Increased flanking bonus?

Each pack of bog hounds is led by a moor hound, an individual creature of exceptional strength and power. As long this creature exists, the pack cannot be permanently destroyed.

When slain, they return to their original materials, dissolving into scattered straw and mud as a gasp of vapor escapes from the bodies. (In some cases the power of the animating curse may form additional bog hound bodies over time, in other cases the master might construct more.)

Something like ghost's rejuvenation?

The bog hounds are vulnerable to natural sunlight. If they are exposed to the sun, their supernatural essence evaporates like fog, and they become inanimate statues of straw and mud, trapped in the pose in which the light first caught them These can be destroyed by the slightest touch; unless extreme care is taken they cannot be moved.

Essentially petrified in sunlight, but with much less hardness/hps?

When the moor hound dies, a ghostly howling marks its passage into nothingness. All bog hounds of its pack immediately crumble into mud and straw as their howls answer and follow those of the pack leader.

We should probably note this ability in both bog hound and moor hound
entries.

 

[demiurge1138]

Bonus from flanking increased to +4, does +2 damage when flanking as well?

Agree to the petrifaction in sunlight and rejuvenation.