Prometheus
2008-04-03, 09:51 PM
Yeth Hound is here. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/yethHound.htm) I break from the pattern a little bit, mostly because I couldn't figure out where to put what.
Bad street Rep: Hell hounds, howlers, krenshar, worgs, winter wolfs, dire wolfs, werewolves, barghest, blink dog, and displacer beast! How many weird and evil dogs does the Monster Manual need? The Yeth Hound just seems odd, with arbitrary abilities. No modules have any place for it, and at the end of the alphabet, DMs just forget about it.
i care for it because: First of all, Yeth Hounds are legit. They are some accident generated by a wizard (of the coast), they are a Scottish legend. They are creatures with a fear ability, but they are also descriptively and pictorially scary. An emaciated dark dog, with a humanoid head, erie yellow eyes, terrifying screams, and INEXPLICABLY FLYS! It's certainly creepier than any of another variety of monsters.
- perception: They are seen as just another hack and slash monster, or exactly like the krenshar. Either that, or they are relegated to evil planes and never seen ever. More importantly, it isn't used how it can be.
- concept: Yeth Hounds seem to have a culture of fear, they actually enjoy it and their existence seems to be driven by it. I prefer the Yethi version of "creature of fear" than some cliche amorphous spirit of darkness. To many tales about the Yeth Hounds have been spun to justify the irrational fear of their barks, therefore their is a certain degree of paranoia about them.
-Fear's Purpose: Some isolationist towns like to cultivate or introduce a band of Yeth Hounds into the surrounding wilderness. Most of the time, they don't harm people, they just give them a good chase. As a result, the village tends to be bypassed by most outside events and can keep to itself. Perhaps more nefariously, a few in control of the city use it to make sure that no one else attempts to leave (like M.Night Shamalan's The Village).
-mechanics: Each time a creature fails a Will Save to the Yeth Hounds Bay special attack, it receives a cumulative -2 penalty to it, to a maximum of -6, each penalty lasting for a month.
Rather than make multiple bay attacks, a herd of Yeth Hounds can make a single Bay attack that receives a +2 bonus to the DC for each beyond the first up to a maximum of four with a +6 bonus.
-Yeth Hound Den: While yeth hounds are frequently encountered on the prowl, they gather in their own cavernous den where they hide in the day, and the only way to root them out of an area is to destroy it. Yeth hounds permit other creatures to inhabit the outskirts of their den - so long as they don't hunt the yeth hounds, they can feed off of those driven from the den by fear. In addition to the hazards posed by the cohabitants, the complex is usually very uneven, slippery, jagged and unstable - most of this is natural, but occasionally intelligent yeth hounds put work into digging up and trapping their surroundings. The yeth hounds are easily able to fly through the caves, and the more the fleeing humanoids trip and harm themselves, the better. Also, it provides many perches for them to hide on in the dark. The cavern usually has an erratic and maze-like quality to it with many deadends and more than one exit/entrance.
From a distance, Yeth hounds can cause their cries to echo so that the creature is confused about which way to run or harms himself or herself trying to escape. When they come closer, they can choose to herd their subject in circles, out of the cavern, or into a deadend -whichever they prefer.
Exceptionally large and well-made Yeth Hound dens will usually include a band of enslaved humanoids or monstrous humanoids (Grimlocks, Mongrelfolk, Goblins, Gnomes) which they chase around their for their daytime amusement. After a hunt, they'll bring back some scraps for their prisoners to subsist on, which is usually the best indication of where a Yethi hound den is, and whether or not they have captives.
-mechanics: A Yeth Hound's Bay ability echoes two times the ordinary range in a Yeth Hound's Den. In a Yeth Hound's Den, a Yeth Hound may make a DC 15 Dex Check to direct its Bay ability so it appears to come from a different direction so long as it has the ability to find an appropriate path within range.
-Yethi Mounts & Companions:
Sinister witches and staunch warlords alike can use a beast which drives their enemies mad with fear. They can serve as scouts, guard dogs, and as part of a strategic attack. They are the traditional mount of Wisplings, and their flying trickery is quite something to mettle with.
-mechanics: A Yeth Hound may serve as a Blackguard's fiendish servant as though the Blackguard had a character level of three less. A Yeth Hound may serve as an improved familiar (CWar) at an Arcane Caster and BAB level of 7. Obviously, a Yeth Hound is still able to function as a cohort with an LA +3.
-Wereyeths: That is, the Were-Yeth Hound. When Yeth Hounds are struck by a Werewolf, they must make a Fortitude save to avoid contracting the curse of lycanthropy as if they were humanoid, but rather than becoming a werewolf yeth hound, or a werefolf humanoid, they become a wereyeth humanoid (of the same species of that the werewolf was). Although this seems like an unlikely event, the results are quite enduring. Even in human form, its irrational form of flight is completely active and it makes for a formidable opponent.
mechanics-the lycanthrope template remains mostly the same, with a few modifications. It has outsider HD rather than animal HD. DR/silver is increased by 5 in every form. It's ability modifiers are Str +6, Dex+4, Con+4. Alignment Neutral Evil.
Bring it all Together: Mayor trains Yeth Hounds to isolate town. Yeth hounds keep traveling-mechants prisoners in their den. The mayor periodically comes by and collects the merchant's wealth (he's yething all the way to the bank). When players destroy the den, the Mayor introduces more. They must be coming from somewhere and the experts agrees destroying the den usually does it. When the players confront the Mayor, oh snap, he's a Wereyeth! Apparently this little project had that nasty side effect - a nasty side effect he defends to his death (But if he inflicts one of them, he gets his last yeth). If only he would have let his daughter go out at night a flirt with the city merchants we wouldn't have this problem, would we.
in conclusion: Yeth hounds, are awesome I hope I gave the thread format justice.
Bad street Rep: Hell hounds, howlers, krenshar, worgs, winter wolfs, dire wolfs, werewolves, barghest, blink dog, and displacer beast! How many weird and evil dogs does the Monster Manual need? The Yeth Hound just seems odd, with arbitrary abilities. No modules have any place for it, and at the end of the alphabet, DMs just forget about it.
i care for it because: First of all, Yeth Hounds are legit. They are some accident generated by a wizard (of the coast), they are a Scottish legend. They are creatures with a fear ability, but they are also descriptively and pictorially scary. An emaciated dark dog, with a humanoid head, erie yellow eyes, terrifying screams, and INEXPLICABLY FLYS! It's certainly creepier than any of another variety of monsters.
- perception: They are seen as just another hack and slash monster, or exactly like the krenshar. Either that, or they are relegated to evil planes and never seen ever. More importantly, it isn't used how it can be.
- concept: Yeth Hounds seem to have a culture of fear, they actually enjoy it and their existence seems to be driven by it. I prefer the Yethi version of "creature of fear" than some cliche amorphous spirit of darkness. To many tales about the Yeth Hounds have been spun to justify the irrational fear of their barks, therefore their is a certain degree of paranoia about them.
-Fear's Purpose: Some isolationist towns like to cultivate or introduce a band of Yeth Hounds into the surrounding wilderness. Most of the time, they don't harm people, they just give them a good chase. As a result, the village tends to be bypassed by most outside events and can keep to itself. Perhaps more nefariously, a few in control of the city use it to make sure that no one else attempts to leave (like M.Night Shamalan's The Village).
-mechanics: Each time a creature fails a Will Save to the Yeth Hounds Bay special attack, it receives a cumulative -2 penalty to it, to a maximum of -6, each penalty lasting for a month.
Rather than make multiple bay attacks, a herd of Yeth Hounds can make a single Bay attack that receives a +2 bonus to the DC for each beyond the first up to a maximum of four with a +6 bonus.
-Yeth Hound Den: While yeth hounds are frequently encountered on the prowl, they gather in their own cavernous den where they hide in the day, and the only way to root them out of an area is to destroy it. Yeth hounds permit other creatures to inhabit the outskirts of their den - so long as they don't hunt the yeth hounds, they can feed off of those driven from the den by fear. In addition to the hazards posed by the cohabitants, the complex is usually very uneven, slippery, jagged and unstable - most of this is natural, but occasionally intelligent yeth hounds put work into digging up and trapping their surroundings. The yeth hounds are easily able to fly through the caves, and the more the fleeing humanoids trip and harm themselves, the better. Also, it provides many perches for them to hide on in the dark. The cavern usually has an erratic and maze-like quality to it with many deadends and more than one exit/entrance.
From a distance, Yeth hounds can cause their cries to echo so that the creature is confused about which way to run or harms himself or herself trying to escape. When they come closer, they can choose to herd their subject in circles, out of the cavern, or into a deadend -whichever they prefer.
Exceptionally large and well-made Yeth Hound dens will usually include a band of enslaved humanoids or monstrous humanoids (Grimlocks, Mongrelfolk, Goblins, Gnomes) which they chase around their for their daytime amusement. After a hunt, they'll bring back some scraps for their prisoners to subsist on, which is usually the best indication of where a Yethi hound den is, and whether or not they have captives.
-mechanics: A Yeth Hound's Bay ability echoes two times the ordinary range in a Yeth Hound's Den. In a Yeth Hound's Den, a Yeth Hound may make a DC 15 Dex Check to direct its Bay ability so it appears to come from a different direction so long as it has the ability to find an appropriate path within range.
-Yethi Mounts & Companions:
Sinister witches and staunch warlords alike can use a beast which drives their enemies mad with fear. They can serve as scouts, guard dogs, and as part of a strategic attack. They are the traditional mount of Wisplings, and their flying trickery is quite something to mettle with.
-mechanics: A Yeth Hound may serve as a Blackguard's fiendish servant as though the Blackguard had a character level of three less. A Yeth Hound may serve as an improved familiar (CWar) at an Arcane Caster and BAB level of 7. Obviously, a Yeth Hound is still able to function as a cohort with an LA +3.
-Wereyeths: That is, the Were-Yeth Hound. When Yeth Hounds are struck by a Werewolf, they must make a Fortitude save to avoid contracting the curse of lycanthropy as if they were humanoid, but rather than becoming a werewolf yeth hound, or a werefolf humanoid, they become a wereyeth humanoid (of the same species of that the werewolf was). Although this seems like an unlikely event, the results are quite enduring. Even in human form, its irrational form of flight is completely active and it makes for a formidable opponent.
mechanics-the lycanthrope template remains mostly the same, with a few modifications. It has outsider HD rather than animal HD. DR/silver is increased by 5 in every form. It's ability modifiers are Str +6, Dex+4, Con+4. Alignment Neutral Evil.
Bring it all Together: Mayor trains Yeth Hounds to isolate town. Yeth hounds keep traveling-mechants prisoners in their den. The mayor periodically comes by and collects the merchant's wealth (he's yething all the way to the bank). When players destroy the den, the Mayor introduces more. They must be coming from somewhere and the experts agrees destroying the den usually does it. When the players confront the Mayor, oh snap, he's a Wereyeth! Apparently this little project had that nasty side effect - a nasty side effect he defends to his death (But if he inflicts one of them, he gets his last yeth). If only he would have let his daughter go out at night a flirt with the city merchants we wouldn't have this problem, would we.
in conclusion: Yeth hounds, are awesome I hope I gave the thread format justice.