Karplusan Hound
Once marking the border between the ancient nations of Kjeldor and Belduvia, the Karplusan Mountains are marked by high-altitude peaks frosted year-round with ice, deep valleys of frigid lakes, and evergreen pines, and deeper caverns filled with hot springs and volcanic lakes of magma.
Prior to the Ice Age, these mountains were the home of several roving packs of hell hounds, which interbred during the time of ice with escaped Balduvin hunting dogs. Today, the descendants of these packs still roam the mountains, a mix of stocky hunting dog bodies and the smoking jaws of a hell hound.
Long-Term Survival During the Ice Age, the frigid peaks of the Karplusan Mountains quickly grew to unbearable levels of cold, and the glaciers at the edges of the valley expanded with each passing day. The hell hounds native to the mountain range were equipped to survive the long, cold nights, but struggled to adapt to new methods of hunting different prey. Meanwhile, escaped hunting dogs from Malpiri had no issues in working together to flush out and trap smaller prey but risked death from the encroaching cold.
As each group was pushed deeper and deeper into the mountain range's central valleys, their territories began to cross, resulting in conflict for resources and slowly interbreeding. by the time the Ice Age finished, and the glaciers began to once again retreat, both the hell hounds and the hunting dogs had been eliminated, in favor of a breed that mixed both.
Aggressive Expansion When the ice melted, the newly-bred Karplusan hounds found themselves with an overabundance of territory, and growing populations of larger prey. They began to expand down from the mountains, moving first into the foothills on either side, then into the lower plains and steppes of the newly-created nation of New Argive. There they clashed against the borders of civilization, eventually being pushed back up into the mountains.
In the centuries since the end of the Ice Age, the Karplusan hounds have reached a level of stability, spreading across the territories once occupied by both their hell hound and hunting dog ancestors, and further. Some Argivians have attempted to tame the hounds, attempting to capitalize on any remnant instincts of domestication, to some amount of success. It's been found that pyromancers work as the best trainers, as the Karplusan hounds show some level of innate respect for their control of fire magic.
Karplusan Hound
Once marking the border between the ancient nations of Kjeldor and Belduvia, the Karplusan Mountains are marked by high-altitude peaks frosted year-round with ice, deep valleys of frigid lakes, and evergreen pines, and deeper caverns filled with hot springs and volcanic lakes of magma.
Prior to the Ice Age, these mountains were the home of several roving packs of hell hounds, which interbred during the time of ice with escaped Balduvin hunting dogs. Today, the descendants of these packs still roam the mountains, a mix of stocky hunting dog bodies and the smoking jaws of a hell hound.
| Armor Class | 14 (natural armor) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit Points | 10d8+30 | ||
| Speed | 45 ft. | ||
| Strength | 16 (+3) | ||
| Dexterity | 15 (+2) | ||
| Constitution | 16 (+3) | ||
| Intelligence | 4 (-3) | ||
| Wisdom | 15 (+2) | ||
| Charisma | 8 (-1) | ||
| Skills | Perception +5 | ||
| Damage Resistances | Fire | ||
| Senses | Darkvision 60 ft. | Passive Perception 15 | |
| Languages | --- | ||
| Challenge | 6 (2,300 XP) | ||
| Special 1 | Fire Absorption | Whenever the hound takes fire damage, | its fire breath automatically recharges |
| Special 2 | Keen Hearing and Smell | The hound has an advantage on Wisdom (Perception) | checks that rely on hearing or smell |
| Action 1 | Bite | Melee Weapon Attack | d20+6 to hit |
| Reach 5 ft., one target | Hit 2d6+3 piercing damage. | If the target is a creature, it must succeed on | a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. |
| If the target is prone, the hound can use a bonus action | to make an additional bite attack against it | ||
| Action 2 | Fire Breath (Recharge 5- 6) | The hound exhales fire in a 15-foot cone. | Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, |
| taking 4d6 fire damage on a failed save, | or half as much damage on a successful one |
Comments