I hope you enjoy the ineluctable quarryhound. See you tomorrow with this anniversary edition's first ooze!
This odd creature has
a fox’s head, a coyote’s body, a wolf’s hindquarters, and the forelimbs of a
raptor. Despite its bestial nature, its eyes gleam with cunning and
intelligence.
Ineluctable
Quarryhound CR 16
XP 76,800
CN Medium fey
Init +11; Senses low-light vision, scent;
Perception +30
DEFENSE
AC 30, touch 18,
flat-footed 22 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural)
hp 237 (25d6+150)
Fort +14, Ref +21, Will +16
Defensive Abilities
sanctioned target; DR 20/cold iron; SR 27
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.,
burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (good), swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +19
(1d6+3 plus trip), 2 claws +19 (1d4+3 plus grab)
Special Attacks
deceptive charge, quarry, shunt, sneak attack +10d6
Spell-Like Abilities
(CL 25th; concentration +29)
Constant—greater invisibility (applies only to
non-quarry creatures)
At will—discern location
3/day—greater teleport, mass hold monster (DC 23)
1/day—mirage arcana (DC 19), polymorph any object (DC 22), veil (DC 20)
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 25, Con 22, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 19
Base Atk +12; CMB +19 (+21 trip, +23 disarm or
grapple); CMD 33 (35 vs. disarm, 39 vs. trip)
Feats Agile
Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Deceitful, Dodge, Greater Disarm, Improved Disarm,
Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Mobility, Skill Focus
(Survival), Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics
+35 (+39 to jump), Bluff +36, Climb +11, Craft (traps) +31, Diplomacy +32,
Disable Device +32, Disguise +36, Fly +11, Perception +30, Stealth +35, Survival
+33, Swim +11
Languages Elven,
Gnome, Sylvan
SQ change shape,
trapfinding
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization
solitary
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Deceptive Charge (Ex)
An ineluctable quarryhound can make a feint attempt while charging, with a +2
bonus.
Quarry (Su) An
ineluctable quarryhound designates a single creature as its quarry. With
respect to the hound’s quarry, it receives a +6 insight bonus on attack rolls,
deals an additional 4d6 points of damage with its melee attacks, and can deal
nonlethal damage without taking a penalty on its attacks. The hound cannot
change the target of this ability for 24 hours, and only if its quarry has been
captured, killed, or left the plane.
Sanctioned Target
(Su) An ineluctable quarryhound benefits from constant greater invisibility against all creatures but its quarry. The
hound cannot be sensed in any other way (hearing, scent, tremorsense, or even
more exotic senses) by non-quarry creatures.. In addition, a non-quarry
creature attempting to target the hound with an attack, spell, or effect, or
include the hound in an area of effect, must succeed at a DC 26 Will save to do
so. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Shunt (Su) If an
ineluctable quarryhound maintains its grapple on its quarry, it can expend one
use of its greater teleport ability
to teleport its quarry with it. The quarry negates the greater teleport with a successful DC 26 Will save. The save DC is
Charisma-based.
Trapfinding (Ex)
An ineluctable quarryhound can use Disarm Device on magic traps as per the
rogue's trapfinding class feature.
Fey nobles devised ineluctable quarryhounds, combining
features from various canids and hunting birds. A collectively bizarre sense of
humor decided to make the fox—a typical quarry animal for many mundane
hunters—the face of the hounds. Imbued with powerful arcane abilities, the
hounds almost never fail to capture or kill the targets given to them by fey
nobility. Quarryhounds which fail their assignments (typically because their
prey escapes to another plane) become despondent and usually fade from
existence after a day, unless they are able to once again relocate their
quarry. If the hounds do not have a time limit for capturing or killing their
targets, they like to play with their prey. The hounds follow their targets in
various guises and leave cryptic indicators that they are hunting their
targets. The hounds use their selective invisibility to taunt their targets in
plain view, driving the targets to madness as the targets’ companions cannot
see or hear the hounds. Once ineluctable quarryhounds have worn down their
prey, they use their shunt ability to whisk their targets away, typically
leaving an illusory scene behind to throw off pursuit.
Ineluctable quarryhounds usually operate alone, but rarely a
pack of the creatures receive a task to capture a group of targets, such as an
entire adventuring party. The hounds work together remarkably well in spite of
their solitary natures. It is during or after these mutual hunts where
ineluctable quarryhounds mate, producing a single offspring which both parents
raise. The hounds have 500-year lifespans, so they don’t often reproduce.
Most ineluctable quarryhounds are sized like hounds from
which they derive.
