Dogs in Dungeons and Dragons

BUSHDOG

COYOTE

DHOLE

DINGO

FREQUENCY:
NO. APPEARING:
ARMOR CLASS:
MOVE:
HIT DICE:
% IN LAIR:
TREASURE TYPE:
NO. OF ATTACKS:
DAMAGE/ATTACK:
SPECIAL ATTACKS:
SPECIAL DEFENSES:
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
INTELLIGENCE:
ALIGNMENT:
SIZE:
PSIONIC ABILITY:
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:

Common
2-12
7
12î
1/4
5%
Nil
1
1/1-2
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (15 lbs.)
Nil
I/5 + 1/hp

Common
1-2/2-8
7
18î
1-1
5%
Nil
1
1-3
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (30 lbs.)
Nil
I/10 + 1/hp

Common
4-16
7
15î
1 + 1
5%
Nil
1
1-4
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (40 lbs.)
Nil
I / 2 0 + 2 / h p

Common
1-2/2-8
7
15î
1-1
5%
Nil
1
1-3
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (35 lbs.)
Nil
I / 1 0 + 1 / h p

FREQUENCY:
NO. APPEARING:
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MAGIC RESISTANCE:
INTELLIGENCE:
ALIGNMENT:
SIZE:
PSIONIC ABILITY:
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:

DOG, FERAL
Common
1
7
18î
1
5%
Nil
1
1-4
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (45 lbs.)
Nil
I / 1 0 + 1 / h p

FOX
Common
7
18î
1/4
5%
Nil
1-2/1
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (10 lbs.)
Nil
I/5+1/hp

HUNTING DOG
Common
4-24
7
21î
2
5%
Nil
1
2-5
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (60 lbs.)
Nil
I/20+2/hp

JACKAL
Common
1-2/2-8
7
18î
1/2
5%
Nil
1
1-2
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
S (20 lbs.)
Nil
I/5 + 1/hp

FREQUENCY:
NO. APPEARING:
ARMOR CLASS:
MOVE:
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WOLF
Common
1-2/2-20
7
18î
2 + 2
5%
Nil
1
2-5
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
M (90 lbs.)
Nil
II / 35 + 3/hp

WOLF, DIRE
Common
3-12
7
15î
3 + 3
5%
Nil
1
2-8
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
Neutral
M (150 lbs.)
Nil
III / 60 + 4/hp

CAVE HYENA
Common
2-12
7
15î
4
5%
Nil
1
2-8
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
M (200 lbs.)
Nil
III / 60 + 4/hp

SPOTTED HYENA
Common
2-12
7
15î
3
5%
Nil
1
2-7
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
M (140 lbs.)
Nil
II / 35 + 3/hp

SHORT-FACED HYENA

STRIPED HYENA

FREQUENCY:
NO. APPEARING:
ARMOR CLASS:
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Common
1
7
15î
5
5%
Nil
1
2-12
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
N
L (300 lbs.)
Nil
III / 90 + 5/hp

Common
1
7
15î
2
5%
Nil
1
2-5
Nil
Nil
Standard
Semi-
N
M (90 lbs.)
Nil
I/20+2/hp

Dog

Medium beast, unaligned

Armor Class 11
Hit Points 6 (1d8 + 2)
Speed 50 ft.

Skills Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages --
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Pack Tactics. The dog has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the hyena's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. This animal is readily domesticated, but is often found in a wild or feral state.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage.

Domesticated Dog

Medium / Small, unaligned

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 12 (1d8+4) / 4 (1d6+1)
Speed 40 ft.

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +1
Senses passive Perception 15
Languages None
Challenge 1/4 (10 XP)

Keen Hearing and Smell. The dog has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

The dog has been domesticated and mans companion for thousands of years.

Wild Dogs

Combat: Wild dogs fight as an organized pack. They favor small game, and attack men and human habitations only in times of great hunger. The bite of a wild dog inflicts 1-4 points of damage.

Habitat/Society: Wild dogs are found almost anywhere. They run in packs, and are led by the dominant male. The pack usually hunts a variety of game, even attacking deer or antelope. Pups are born in the spring. Wild dogs can be tamed if separated from their pack.

Ecology: Wild dogs are omnivores which usually thrive on a combination of hunting and foraging.

War Dogs

Generally large mastiffs or wolfhounds, they have keen senses of smell and hearing, making them adept at detecting intruders. Most war dogs are not usually vicious, and will rarely attack without cause. The status of war dogs varies greatly; some are loyal and beloved pets, some are watch dogs, others are hunting dogs, and some are trained for battle.

Blink Dogs

Blink dogs are yellowish brown canines which are stockier and more muscular than other wild dogs. They are intelligent and employ a limited form of teleportation when they hunt.

A blink dog attack is well organized. They will blink to and fro without any obvious pattern, using their powers to position themselves for an attack. Fully 75% of the time they are able to attack their targets from the rear. A dog will teleport on a roll of 7 or better on a 12-sided die. To determine where the dog appears, roll a 12-sided die: 1 = in front of opponent, 2 = shielded (or left) front flank, 3 = unshielded (or right) front flank, 4-12 = behind. When blinking, the dog will appear from 1 to 3 feet from its opponent and will immediately be able to attack.

Blinking is an innate power and the animal will never appear inside a space occupied by a solid object. If seriously threatened, the entire pack will blink out and not return.

Blink dogs are intelligent, and communicate in a complex language of barks, yaps, whines, and growls. They inhabit open plains and avoid human haunts. A lair will contain 3-12 (3d4) pups 50% of the time (1-2 hit dice, 1-2/1-3 hit points damage/attack). These puppies can be trained and are worth between 1,000 to 2,000 gold pieces.

Death dog

Death dogs are large two-headed hounds which are distinguished by their penetrating double bark. Death dogs hunt in large packs.

Each head is independent, and a bite does 1-10 points of damage. Victims must save vs. poison or contract a rotting disease which will kill them in 4-24 (4d6) days. Only a cure disease spell can save them. A natural roll of 19 or 20 on their attack die means that a man-sized opponent is knocked prone and attacks at a -4 until able to rise to its feet again. There is an 85% chance that death dogs will attack humans on sight.

Bloodhounds

When the gods sacrificed themselves at Mount Deismaar, their essences rained upon all who stood on the battlefield – including animals involved in the conflict. Like their masters, some war dogs present inherited divine bloodlines. Most have been diluted to nothing over the centuries, but some purebreds still exist. These animals, known as blood hounds, are prized not only for their ability to track blooded individuals, but for their exceptional hardiness and loyalty. Though faithful to any fair master, blood hounds exhibit selfless devotion to a master who shares the same bloodline derivation.

Blood hounds are generally large wolfhounds or mastiffs. They look much like ordinary war dogs, with one notable exception: a bloodmark. This sign of their blooded status usually takes the form of a patch of red fur somewhere on the dog’s body.

According to popular belief, one can determine a hound’s bloodline derivation by the shape of the red fur patch. (Some believe it resembles the totem animal of the god whose bloodline the animal carries.) Allegedly, the location, shade, size, or texture of the red fur is also revelatory and can be read like tea leaves by a skilled breeder or one trained in the arts of divination. Most breeders, however, assert that these latter signs are far less reliable.

Legends speak of some exceptional blood hounds that possess an additional ability from the gods. A 5% chance exists that a blood hound has inherited an unusually strong bloodline and with it, one additional minor blood ability. If so, Dungeon Masters may choose the ability from the following list (keeping in mind the animal’s bloodline derivation): Courage, Detect Illusion, Detect Life, Direction Sense, Iron Will, Long Life, Poison Sense, Resistance.

Combat: Though blood hounds are trained for battle, most encounters involve their tracking ability.

A blood hound will generally try to pin down its quarry, attacking only if attacked first, if commanded by its master, or if it perceives a threat to its master. Note that in some situations, this semi-intelligent animal could perceivea threat where none actually exists. If provoked, the hound attacks with its bite for 2d4+1 points of damage.

If a blood hound shares its master’s bloodline derivation, it is fearless (morale of 20) in combat and will fight to the death if it believes its master is in danger. Only a command from its master can call off such an attack.

Blood hounds have a gift for sniffing out blooded characters. At their master’s command, they can locate the nearest blooded individual or pursue a specific scion.

A blood hound can automatically catch the scent of any blooded individual within a one-mile radius or who has passed through the area within the past five days (provided it has not rained).

The animal has a 50% chance of locating the trail of a scion within a five-mile radius or who has passed within five miles in the past two days. This chance increases by 15% if the scion has the same bloodline derivation as the hound, and/or by 15% if the hound is pursuing a specific scion and has been given an item of clothing or other personal effect to catch the scent. The hound gains an additional 10% bonus if the hunted scion has a great bloodline.

If commanded to find simply any scion in the area, a blood hound will lead its master to the nearest scion not in the hunting party. However, if the nearest individual does not share the hound’s bloodline derivation and another scion in the area does, the hound will lead the party to the scion who shares its bloodline.

Because blood hounds are specifically trained to track scions, they suffer a penalty when commanded to hunt unblooded individuals. They have a only a 50% chance of finding a specific commoner within a one-mile radius.

The blood hound’s hunting instinct enables it to perceive that something is not quite right about a creature cloaked in the Seeming. It cannot, however, determine more than that. (Bloodline: Varies, tainted, 1d3; Blood Abilities: Bloodmark; Perception/Seeming: Slight/None

Habitat/Society: Blood hounds are never found in the wild. They are raised by skilled animal handlers who specialize in breeding these dogs. Only three such kennels exists in all Cerilia, though wealthy regents might support their own.

In the kennels, puppies are kept with older hounds, who actually assist in the younger dogs’ training. Most blood hounds require four to five years of training before they are ready to be sold.

Although blood hounds are generally amiable toward dogs of different breeds, other dogs regard them warily. Many trainers believe this unease comes from the dogs’ ability to sense the blood hounds’ divine essence. Though the bloodline itself doesn’t pose a threat, dogs who don’t carry one perceive it as unnatural.

Ecology: Bloodhounds typically live 16 to 18 years. Some dogs, however, inherit long life in addition to their bloodmark as a gift from the gods.

Blood hounds usually arrive as single births, not as part of litters, which adds to their rarity.

People typically encounter blood hounds in two ways. First, a scion might know someone who owns a blood hound, or seek to purchase one himself. Only blooded individuals can become masters of blood hounds; the animals cannot form a bond of loyalty with a commoner and thus will not serve one.

The bond of loyalty between a blood hound and its master transcends that of most pets or hunting dogs. When a scion purchases a blood hound, the breeder conducts a special imprinting ritual. As long as the master takes good care of the animal, the blood hound will consider him or her its master for life, even if kidnapped or purchased by another would-be owner. Only mistreatment of the animal, the master’s death, or an imprinting transfer ritual between an old and new master can undo this bond once formed.

Blood hounds are rare and expensive – typically costing 2 Gold Bars or more – so people generally don’t own more than one. Still, a few very wealthy regents keep small kennels of the animals. Because the hounds are so pricey, some scions own blood hounds as status symbols regardless of whether they ever have need of the animal’s unique tracking abilities.

The second manner in which a scion might encounter a blood hound is to be hunted by one. An owner’s intent in pursuing a scion can range from noble (finding a lost child) to devious (finding victims for bloodtheft). Blood hounds typically are used to track blooded persons, not to attack them once found. The animals are, however, worthy opponents in combat.

Individuals might wish to own a blood hound as a watch dog, to find unknown scions in their realms who might make a play for the throne, or to bring along on dangerous journeys. Don’t forget that awnsheghlien are scions, too, and that blood hounds are just as good at locating them as they are at finding humans and demihumans. A blood hound can bring its master into contact with all sorts of interesting personages.

Vos Hound

Adventurers speak of a wild variation of the blood hound, which they call “Vos hounds”. These sharp-fanged carnivorous animals call no mortal master and roam in packs, hunting the blooded for late-night feasting. Some believe them capable of bloodtheft.

Silver Dog

The few travelers who have glimpsed these beautiful canines say that silver dogs seem more creatures of dream than truth. They appear to be large dogs with long, flowing hair the color of mercury or molten silver. Witnesses describe them as having a thin and elegant frame, manelike mantle, regal face, and piercing eyes.

Silver dogs have only appeared at night, when they shimmer darkly like the finest steel in starlight. Demihuman observers have said that silver dogs radiate no heat, and thus can only be seen with normal vision.

Combat: Silver dogs never attack; they always flee from combat. They are shy and elusive creatures who avoid any creatures they smell, see, or hear. Sadly for these retiring beasts, though, intelligent creatures who glimpse them often pursue them.

Because of the shadowy, metallic bodies of silver dogs, characters must make a Wisdom check to even glimpse a silver dog in the night-time forest. Those unlucky enough to see the creature, though, are overcome by the grace and beauty of the creature unless they make a successful save vs. spells. If the save fails, the character is so struck by the creature.s elegance that he feels he must capture it. The character must pursue the silver dog for 1d10+4 rounds, seeking not to injure it, but to catch it alive and unharmed. All the while, the dog flees at its full rate, heading ever deeper into the forest. At the end of the character’s monomaniacal desire to capture the dog, he may or may not continue the pursuit. Unfortunately, many such chases end with the character separated from his party and lost in deep woodlands.

In addition to silver dogs’ 90% magic resistance, only certain enchantment and charm spells can affect them. The priest spells command, remove fear, charm person or mammal, hold person, quest, and confusion affect a silver dog normally. The wizard spells friends, hypnotism, sleep, suggestion, charm monster, confusion, emotion, domination, hold monster, binding, and demand also affect a silver dog normally. Other spells have no effect upon this odd beast.

If a silver dog is ever captured, whether by nets or spells, one of two things occurs. If the capturing character is any alignment but pure neutral, or if the character is of neutral alignment and means to harm the silver dog, the dog disintegrates, as per the wizard spell, and the character suffers a 1,000 XP loss. If the silver dog is captured by a character of neutral alignment who means the dog no harm, the character receives a wish and 1,000 XP. As soon as the wish is fulfilled, the silver dog disappears as per teleport without error. If ever a silver dog is cornered and slain, the slaying character suffers a loss of 1,000 XP.

Habitat/Society: According to some sources, silver dogs dwell in dens located in deepest woodlands. No silver dog pups have ever been discovered, nor any bones or droppings found about these dens. As far as is known, silver dogs are utterly solitary.

Ecology: Unlike other canines, silver dogs have only been witnessed drinking water and “consuming” moonlight. The beasts perform the latter process by standing upon lonely cliffs with head raised as if to howl at the moon. No sound is ever produced, however. Some speculate that the diet of the silver dog consists entirely of water and moonlight. Though this theory seems quite unlikely, it does explain why silver dogs emerge from their deep woodland homes and sometimes encounter adventurers.

Though unbiased observers hesitate to ascribe to silver dogs any contribution to forest ecology, druids consider silver dogs to be guardian spirits of the forest. According to druid lore, silver dogs are key to the balance of predator and prey in the woodlands. When silver dogs are plentiful, meaning one spotted by a druid every year, the forest thrives. When silver dogs are few, meaning one spotted by a druid every decade, the forest is threatened and begins to dwindle. Druids thus often pursue the dogs, wanting to be granted a wish. Typically, successful druids wish that a silver dog be sighted by a druid of this forest in every season of this decade.

Domestic Dogs

The many different breeds of domestic dogs can be divided into twelve different categories for AD&D game purposes: three classes according to shape or build (fighter, normal, and runner) and four according to size (very small, small, medium, and large). For the purpose of this article, these size categories supersede the normal statistical designations of S, M, and L; however, note that a ìlargeî dog, in this classification system, is still size M (in AD&D game terms) for considerations such as the amount of damage it suffers from an attack. Movement rates, hit points, attack damage, and sizes for the dogs in these categories are given below.

The size classes are broad, to keep down the number of different classifications. Similarly, the build classes cover broad ranges.

Fighter dogs are those with massive bodies and outsize jaws and heads, enhanced resistance to pain, and relatively short legs.
Runner dogs are long-legged and long-bodied, with narrow deep chests, large eyes, and long muzzles.
Normal dogs are the majority, those of wolflike or houndlike build.

Not all the different breeds can be placed in this system, although the majority fit in one category or another. The few exceptions can be easily handled by the DM. A breed like the basset hound is a medium normal dog, for instance, but is 3î slower because of its short legs.
Toy or lap dogs are not accounted for at all in the above system. These move at 9î, have one hit point each, have no effective attack against creatures weighing more than 30 pounds (against smaller creatures they can bite for 0-l points of damage), and weigh 10 pounds or less.

Like toy dogs, very small dogs are given two damage ranges. The larger figure is for damage against creatures weighing less than three times the weight of the dog (60 pounds or less), and the smaller one is for creatures larger than that. This reflects the fact that while these dogs can kill rats or weasels, or each other, they canít do much damage against larger creatures.

The different categories of dogs are further explained below.

Very small fighter: Dogs of this type are bred to attack vermin such as rats, or to drive weasels, foxes, or even badgers from their burrows. Some of the terrier breeds fit this category.

Small fighter: Dogs of this type are much like their smaller brethren.

They may also be used in dog fights where there are weight categories.

Medium fighter: Dogs of this type may serve as guards, or fight other animals in such ìsportsî as dog fights, bull baiting, badger baiting, or bear baiting. Examples would be the boxer, the bull terrier, or the Staffordshire terrier.

Large fighter: These are generally huge beasts of the mastiff type, bred to guard and attack, or for use in hunting large and dangerous animals such as boars or lions. Rottweilers and bull mastiffs are typical examples.

Very small normal: These may serve in any number of ways.

Some, like Shetland sheepdogs, may be drovers or herdsmens dogs, while others may be employed as burglar alarms, or are kept simply as pets. Still others are used to harass and delay large game for hunters, or are raised for the cooking pot, or to attack small animals.

Small normal: Dogs in this category are as various as their smaller cousins. They include the smaller hounds, herding dogs such as the border collie, the small spaniels, and some of the larger terriers.

Typical village scavengers are of this size.

Medium normal: This is by far the largest category, including dogs that serve almost every conceivable purpose. Among them are droversí and herdsmenís dogs such as collies, old English sheepdogs, and German shepherds; most of the hounds, including foxhounds and coonhounds; sled dogs of various types; fast, light guard dogs such as Doberman pinschers; and most of the pointers, setters, retrievers, and spaniels, as well as many others.

Large normal: Dogs in this category are heavily built, but less so than the fighting breeds. They include the biggest hounds, such as the bloodhound, droversí and herding dogs that also serve to protect the herd or flock, draft dogs, and rescue dogs such as the St.

Bernard or Newfoundland breed.

Very small runner: These are miniature versions of the other running dogs, and are kept as pets. The Italian greyhound is typical.

Small runner: Small running dogs are usually set on rabbits and hares. An example is the whippet.

Medium runner: Most dogs built for speed are of this type, the optimum size for running; greyhounds, salukis, and Afghan hounds are examples. Over long distances other canids might be superior, but nothing canine can beat one of these in a sprint. These dogs usually pursue jackals, coyotes, gazelles, hares, and other speedy animals.

Large runner: These dogs are somewhat slower than their smaller cousins, but their greater size and strength allows them to attack larger game. Borzois, Irish wolfhounds, and Scottish deerhounds are examples of the type.

Special characteristics Many of the qualities that dogs may be bred for, such as distrust of or acceptance of strangers, cold or heat tolerance, sociability, ability to live on vegetable food, presence or absence of a loud bark, and so on cannot be rendered into AD&D game statistics. Some of the breed differences that can be expressed in game terms are included in the discussion below.

In combat, some dogs grab and hold on. The hold is inflicted if the dog scores a hit with a roll of 16 or better, and it may then do damage equal to half the normal bite damage each round thereafter with no roll ìto hit.î Opponents so held are considered to be held by one leg, with appropriate combat penalties (DMG, page 67). Fighting breeds do this naturally, and others may be taught the move. A determined dog cannot be removed unless it is stunned or killed.

Dogs are generally slower swimmers than humans are. Small or very small breeds swim at 6î, and medium or large dogs swim at 9î regardless of body form. Water dogs are 3î faster, but the major difference between them and other dogs is their inclination to enter water and their more water-repellent fur. Water dogs will last longer in cold water ó four times as long as humans, and twice as long as ordinary dogs.

Dogs bred for digging ability (some of the small or very small breeds) can burrow as rapidly as badgers (3ì). Other dogs of small or very small size dig at 1î) and larger dogs can excavate burrows but have no burrowing movement per se.

Dogs have keen hearing, and any breed gains a 20% bonus to its chance of detecting hidden or invisible creatures by sound, as applicable.

This bonus may be halved or doubled according to the conditions.

Most dogs are allowed a similar bonus of 20% because they can detect otherwise hidden objects or creatures by scent. Most dogs can detect and identify people for a considerable distance downwind.

The scenting bonus is increased to a basic 30% for tracking and pointing breeds and is reduced to 10% for running breeds (the latter hunt primarily by sight). An ordinary dog can track as an onyx dog can (DMG, page 144), while tracking breeds are allowed an additional 20% chance and running breeds track at a 10% penalty.

In strong light, dogs do not see as clearly as humans do (the running breeds are exceptions to this rule), and no dog perceives colors.

However, a dogís night vision is superior to that of a human ó about as good by moonlight as it is by daylight, and as good on a moonless night as a humanís would be under a full moon.

The morale of an unaccompanied dog is as described for monsters on page 67 of the DMG, but all dogs are of the largest size for purposes of this calculation. Dogs with their handlers are treated as henchmen when morale is determined. In its lair a dog gains a 20% bonus to morale (ìevery dog is a lion in his own back yardî), and morale may be affected by training, as shown below. Fighting breeds gain a 10% bonus under all conditions.

Training Dogs can be trained to attack on command, and ones so trained gain 10% to morale. Dogs may also be taught the hold described above.

Dogs that have not been trained to track do so at a penalty of - 20%) even if they are instructed via speak with animals, and they may forget the object of the search and track something that smells more interesting.

Dogs can be trained to point out hidden creatures, just as pointing breeds spot tures is not game for increased hunters. A dogís by training.

ability to detect hidden crea- Equipment Dogs may be outfitted with armor, with specifications similar to those for horse armor (barding) as decribed by Gary Gygax in DRAGONÆ Magazine #74 and in Unearthed Arcana.

Maximum Armor type speed Leather or padded armor 15î Studded leather, ring or scale mail 12î Chain mail, banded mail 12î Plate mail 9î AC bonus 1 2 3 4 Only large dogs can carry plate mail, and only medium or large dogs can carry metal or partly metal armor at all. Small dogs are restricted to leather or padded armor, and very small dogs cannot carry armor. A spiked collar provides AC 6 versus bites from other animals (which instinctively are aimed for the throat).

The prices for dogs given here are for those that have already received any necessary training. The cost of dog armor is one-fifth that of equivalent human armor. Rations for dogs cost the full human amount for large dogs, half of that for medium dogs, onequarter for small dogs, and one-eighth for very small dogs.

Travel The following daily movement rates, in miles, are typical of dogs and dog-drawn conveyances. These figures are to be compared to those on page 58 of the DMG.

Dogs carrying packs move at half the daily rate shown above. Skijoring is riding on skis that are pulled by relays of dogs. A dogís movement rate is little affected by forests, marsh, or snow; all of these conditions are interpreted as one terrain class better in assessing the difficulty of the terrain for dogs. Sleds can only travel where there is good, firm snow, which counts as normal terrain.

Dog breeds Like those of medieval times, the breeds of dogs in an AD&D game world are likely to be less distinct from one another and less uniform within themselves than breeds of the real and modern world, since they are likely to be defined more by their functions than by their ancestry. Planned, long-term breeding programs will be relatively rare. Nevertheless, it is likely that each country-sized area will have its own set of dog breeds, adapted to local conditions, and that in less civilized areas each tribe will have one or more distinct breeds of dog. Spaniels, setters, and pointers will be relatively rare, since there is less of a demand for these in a world without guns. Nevertheless, they will find some employment with those who go hawking or (more commonly) with those who hunt birds using nets. Similarly, the retrievers will be fetching nets and fishing gear (and the occasional fisherman) rather than downed waterfowl.

Demi-human and humanoid species may also have suitable breeds of dogs if they havenít other animals on hand. Dwarves, for instance, are likely to have heavily built and loud-voiced fighting dogs to guard their mine sites and treasure troves. Elves, if they havenít got the cooshee dogs described in Monster Manual II, will probably have swift running breeds of medium size, silent and canny scouts and hunters. Orcs might keep vicious fighting dogs of the largest size ó animals as ugly and bad-tempered as the orcs themselves. Only the humanoids of chaotic alignment and low intelligence are unlikely to have dogs; an ogre might well forget a dogís usefulness on a hungry day and eat it.

Wild Dogs

Although some of the wild canids (wolves, foxes, and their kin) have been described briefly in the Monster Manual, others which might be of interest to AD&DÆ game adventurers are not mentioned. As for the three that have already been covered, the entries on them might be fleshed out to the benefit of a campaign. The same might be said of canid-like carnivores such as hyenas, which are covered in the latter portion of this text. Player characters will frequently encounter these animals, if only through the agency of conjuring and summoning spells, and some characters (particularly druids and magic-users) will take the forms of these animals.

Described below are several canids and canid-like carnivores, including those already detailed in the Monster Manual. In the latter cases, new material has been added, and a few changes are suggested.

These changes are based on available information about these animals, with the assumption that those found in the AD&D game world are much like their equivalents in the real world. Reasons for some specific alterations are given at the end of the descriptions.

Canids, wild Canids are very successful predators and are common in their native haunts. The number encountered can be highly variable, except in the case of solitary species such as the fox. In some cases two ranges are shown for number appearing, one for times and places in which prey is small or scarce (the lower number) and one for those in which prey is large and abundant (the larger number).

Wolves, for instance, are found in greater numbers during the winter, when they hunt deer and moose, than in the summer, when they hunt mice and rabbits.

As indicated in the Monster Manual, these ranges are to be used as guidelines, not rules. For instance, several otherwise separate groups of canids might gather and mingle where food is superabundant: wolves scavenging at the site of a battle, hunting dogs where large herds of animals are on the move, or foxes in a mouse-rich meadow. It is suggested that 5% of encounters with canids should be in the vicinity of a large carcass. In such a case, there is a 25% chance that 1-2 other groups of canids (chosen at random from the appropriate types) will also be present, and a 25% chance (checked separately) that another carnivore or group of carnivores is in attendance. The largest, most numerous, and hungriest animals will have taken possession of the kill, and the others will dispute this or wait for an opportunity to steal or scavenge.

Canids are all at least as speedy as humans, though none of them are quite so fast as a horse or deer. It is noteworthy that canids are not slowed as much by undergrowth or rough ground as humans are, so that even the stubby-legged bushdog can be a good deal faster than a man under certain conditions. The smaller canids (those weighing less than 40 pounds) swim at 6î, while the larger ones swim at 9î. Most are handicapped by the fact that they must keep their heads above water, since unlike humans they cannot submerge themselves without getting water in their nostrils. An exception to this is the bushdog, which can immerse itself without difficulty and can swim at 9î) despite its small size. Only dholes and bushdogs will willingly enter the water. With the exception of foxes, no canids can climb.

The smallest canids are given two damage ranges for the bite, the larger amount being applicable to creatures less than three times their weight and the larger amount being applicable to creatures of more than three times their weight. This reflects the fact that these animals are deadly to their usual prey, but less so when larger animals are concerned. Note that some canids of approximately the same size are given different amounts of bite damage. This is a reflection of differences in anatomy and behavior.

The sizes given for the various canids are approximate averages to the nearest 5 pounds. Exceptional individuals may weigh as little as half or as much as twice the amount given. Males are typically larger than females.

Canids encountered in the lair during the season of greatest abundance (spring, or the beginning of the rains) will always include one male and one female, even in solitary species, and 2-8 pups. All of the adults help care for and guard these pups, which are usually kept in a cave or burrow. Among social canids, the pups will typically be the offspring of the dominant female (the one with the largest hit-point total) and her chosen mate (usually the dominant male).

Pups have no effective attack. There is a 30% chance that they will be young enough to be tameable.

Though canids of a suitable age can be

Coyotes, dingoes, wolves, and jackals are all fertile with domestic or feral dogs and with each other, though they do not normally interbreed. The offspring, themselves fertile, are intermediate in most characteristics, though from a human point of view crosses of domestic with wild canids look adults they may wander away from their handlers, just as in the wild they eventually leave their parents. The social canids (bushdogs, dholes, feral dogs, hunting dogs, wolves, and dire wolves) can be trained as well as tamed. With the exception of feral dogs, though, they will seem aloof and indifferent by comparison with domestic dogs, and since they are less dependent on ings may have tragic results.

Some of the abovementioned difficulties can be mitigated if a spell such as animal friendship is used, or if the handler makes frequent use of speak with animals, but charm spells will be ineffective since the problem lies not with how well the animal loves its handler but how well it expresses that emotion. Feral dogs do not present the and act ìwildî and present the training problems described above, being difficult to train and seemingly unpredictable. A dogwolf cross, for instance, inherits the wolfs aloofness and hostility toward strangers, and this, along with its large size and powerful jaws, might suggest that it would be a good guard dog. However, it shows a wolfs reluctance to bark, and it may show wolflike caution and simply avoid an intruder rather than risk an attack.

Canids of all sorts have keen senses of smell and hearing. In good light, a canidís sense of sight is less exceptional, since canids do not perceive colors and havenít the sharpness of vision that humans have.

However, a canid can see about as well by moonlight as by daylight, and can see as well on a moonless night as a human would under a full bright moon. A canidís hearing allows it a 20% bonus to its chances of detecting hidden or invisible creatures, where applicable. This bonus may be halved or doubled according to circumstances.

A similar 20% bonus is granted because of the canidís keen sense of smell, as appropriate. This bonus too may be halved or doubled as circumstances warrant.

An alert wolf, for instance, can detect a human for quite some distance downwind, and canids can even distinguish different individuals of the same species. A canidís nose also allows it to track as an onyx dog (DMG, page 144).

Canids are opportunists, and will eat practically anything: fresh meat, carrion, fruit, insects, and even some roots and grasses, including what humans would regard as garbage. Dholes, hunting dogs, and bushdogs are more exclusively predacious than the others, while foxes are best described as omnivores with a preference for meat. The others fall somewhere in between, with the larger and more social sorts showing a greater preference for hunting.

Even the largest canid is cautious, and will seldom attack an animal of its own size or larger that fights back. A wound can be fatal, even for an individual that is supported by the rest of the pack; the animal may well starve before it recovers, even living on ìcharity.î This doesnít mean that hunting canids will leave humans and their domestic animals in peace, however. They may test them to see if they are able to run away or defend themselves, and if they uncover weakness they will exploit it. However, humans (and, in an AD&D game world, human-like creatures) are not on any canidís ìpreferredî list. They are too likely to have nasty surprises on hand, such as swords and spears, and after centuries of association canids know this instinctively.

Unless they are starving and desperate, they will avoid humans entirely.

Each canid has a distinct odor, which may be detectable to the human nose (foxes can be quite rank). Whether or not humans detect and approve of these odors, other canids can detect them, and they almost universally disapprove. Treat this as ìhateî on any interspecies reaction roll. Domestic and feral dogs and dingoes are mutally acceptable, however, as any canid which has been raised with the smell in question wonít be bothered by it.

The characteristics of the different kinds of canids are as follows: Bushdog: A bushdog is a small brownish canid of robust build, covered with coarse, sparse hair. It has a short, broad skull, powerful jaws, short legs, small ears, and a short tail, and looks somewhat like a heavily built dachshund, or a cross between an otter and a small dog. With their low-slung bodies and webbed feet, bushdogs are well suited to the heavy undergrowth and abundant water of their native haunts. They live in small packs and communicate using various whistles, clicks, chirps, and squeals.

When excited, they give voice to highpitched, metallic barks. Bushdogs regard nearly anything of suitable size as prey, and will pursue large water rodents, small deer, and birds up to the size of a rhea as well as lesser game. Young bushdogs are not difficult to tame and train. Their expressive faces make their moods as easy to read as those of dogs and wolves, making the task an easy one. Tame bushdogs are affectionate and gentle as they are homely. Bushdogs are tropical, living in the forest or near water and away from settled areas.

Coyote

This is a versatile, mid-sized predator, able to take prey as large as sheep or goats, although coyotes generally restrict themselves to less difficult foods, such as mice and berries. The typical coyote is greyish, with long fur and long legs. Coyotes are wary and difficult to catch; they are less odorous than foxes and therefore more difficult to track, and over long distances they can outpace the fastest coursing hounds. Semi-social, coyotes can be tamed but not trained. They may be found in any climate from subarctic to subtropical and in any sort of terrain, even invading the mountainous parts of the tropics. They thrive in both settled and domestic areas.

Dhole

The dhole, or red dog, resembles a domestic mongrel at first glance, but it carries its bushy tail low and has reddish fur, short legs, and a short muzzle that has a unique profile: the line from skulltop to nosetip is convex rather than concave.

Dholes hunt in large, highly cooperative packs, and they chatter when they are excited (they seldom bark). Aggressive and bold, they will attack even the largest herbivores, though they prefer deer-sized game. They have been known to drive away or kill competing predators, including tigers.

Dholes trot tirelessly after their chosen prey, following it until it weakens and is suddenly vulnerable to a sudden coordinated rush. What they lack in sprinting speed, dholes make up for in endurance.

Unlike other canids they are fond of water; it is difficult to escape them. Dholes hunt by day, or on moonlit nights. Dholes show little fear of humans, but are not known to attack them either. They can be tamed if captured when young, but are perhaps more difficult to handle than some other social canids might be because of their relatively inexpressive faces. Dholes live in both the forest and the steppe in temperate to subarctic climes. They survive in both settled and wilderness areas.

Dingo

Though they are like coyotes in size, build, and habits, dingoes are descended from or closely related to domestic dogs. Evidence of domestic ancestry is to be found in dingo coat colors and patterns, which (in addition to the nondescript tawny color typical of wild dogs) range through black, red, white, yellow, brown, and piebald, though none of these is as common as the ìwildî type. Like coyotes, dingoes may be found in any sort of terrain, but they range from tropical to temperate climes rather than from subtropical to subarctic.

They will not occur together with coyotes.

Dingoes are semi-social. They can be tamed but not trained.

Feral Dog

This type is not truly a wild canid. Feral dogs are domestic dogs that have spent a generation or more away from human interference. Natural selection tends to produce an animal midway in size between coyote and wolf, and features such as droopy ears, odd coloration, gigantism, dwarfism, and so on become less common with each generation. Feral dogs do not occur together with truly wild canids of the same size, since they canít compete, especially where seasons are marked. Like domestic dogs, feral dogs may bear young at any time of the year, including such inappropriate times as the middle of the winter or the height of the flood season. Feral dogs will be found in most climes and sorts of terrain, but only within 50 miles of human settlements. They can be tamed if captured young, and are in effect domestic dogs.

Fox

Foxes and foxlike canids of various sorts are found everywhere, from the high arctic, to the deep tropical rain forest. Except when rearing their pups, they are solitary, and they are generally nocturnal.

They catch game of pheasant size or less, and feed on whatever else is available. Most kinds are unobtrusive and wily enough to survive in settled areas despite organized persecution. Being asocial creatures, foxes can be tamed but not trained.

Hunting Dog

Also called the African hunting dog or Cape hunting dog, this canid is not closely related to the others. It resembles a big domestic dog with long legs, an outsize head, powerful jaws, and large, rounded ears. The short fur is sparse, and the black skin beneath it can be seen in places. Hunting dogs sport a peculiar harlequin pattern: asymmetrical white blotches, rimmed with black, on a yellowish background.

The tip of the tail is always white, and the face and muzzle black. Hunting dogs have a strong, musky odor. They are efficient hunters, and can bring down anything smaller than an elephant or a hippopotamus, hunting in coordinated groups near sunrise or sunset. They chatter when excited, and make a strange, bell-like sound in the chase. Members of the pack are very close, and it is surprising that these canids are not more often tamed. Their inexpressive faces and strong odor may have something to do with this. They can be tamed and trained for use as coursing hounds, though. Hunting dogs seldom attack humans, but will take domestic animals. They are native to open tropical country.

Jackal

Jackals (there are several species) are like coyotes in appearance and behavior, though they are smaller. They catch game up to the size of a gazelle or lamb but generally eat smaller animals or scavenge, hunting cooperatively only on occasion.

They are semi-social, like coyotes. Jackals are found in warm temperate or tropical climates in any sort of terrain except heavy forest.

Wolf

Wolves are the largest modern canids. They vary in appearance from place to place, both in size and in color. Wolves vary from white through greys, browns, and red-browns to black. The larger races tend to specialize in larger prey, but any sort will take prey of mouse-size to moose-size. As with other canids, wolves (with the exception of rabid individuals) usually leave humans alone, though they are less circumspect when it comes to domestic animals.

They may pick up scraps or stray animals.

During time of war, wolf populations tend to grow, for wolves will not pass up carrion.

Since they are closely akin to domestic dogs and they are social carnivores, wolves are perhaps the easiest to tame and train of the wild canids. However, they need to be kept under strict supervision, especially when they reach maturity at two years of age. At that time they may try to take over leadership in their adoptive ìpack.î Wolves are found in arctic to subtropical climates, in carrion. The dire wolf looks much like an any sort of climate but the driest desert. In ordinary wolf, but is more heavily built, has settled areas, wolves will be rare or nonex- proportionately shorter legs, and has larger istent. In arctic and subarctic climates, teeth and more powerful jaws. A dire wolf is wolves may grow quite large: every fifth less intelligent than an ordinary wolf, individual will have 3 + 3 hit dice and bite though still within the semi-intelligent for 2-7 points of damage. range. Dire wolves can be tamed and Wolf, dire: Dire wolves are wolflike trained, but the handler is in grave danger canids from the Pleistocene epoch, and in should he make a miscalculation. Dire such settings they are quite common. They wolves are found in the same sorts of enviresemble wolves in most aspects, but prey ronments that wolves are, wherever large on larger animals and are more partial to prey species are available.

Prehistoric Canids

Canids of the Pleistocene epoch will be of modern type, even to the particular species, with the addition of the dire wolf. Similar types will be present in Pliocene and Miocene settings, but they will include hyenalike forms (use the figures for hyenas given below). Canids and canidlike predators from earlier in the Age of Mammals will be 3î slower, and of animal intelligence rather than semi-intelligent. The canids have no close analogues from earlier eras.

Cave Hyena

Hyenas Although hyenas are more closely related to cats than they are to canids, they parallel the canids in a number of ways. With the few exceptions mentioned here, the earlier general remarks concerning canids apply to hyenas as well.

Like canids, hyenas are runners and attack their prey by biting; this is related to their somewhat similar appearance. However, hyenas have relatively large forequarters and small hindquarters, so that the back slopes downward from shoulders to hips. Hyenas typically have less elegant pelts than canids do; their fur is coarse and unkempt, though hyenas keep themselves as well groomed as any canids. Hyenas also differ from canids in that they are better adapted to scavenging the remains of large animals, though they are by no means poor hunters. Hyenas have powerful jaws, and teeth specially adapted to crushing bones, not to mention a robust digestive system.

They can finish off not just the meat and internal organs of a kill, but the hide and bones as well. Even the most predatory hyenas seldom pass up a free (effortless) meal, and some villages depend on hyenas to clean up refuse. Male hyenas are no larger than females, contrary to the situation among canids. In fact, female spotted or cave hyenas are larger than the males.

Unlike canids, hyenas do not cooperate in caring for their young. Raising the pups is the sole responsibility of the female that gave birth to them, and other hyenas may eat these pups if they are undefended. As with canids, the lair is typically a cave or burrow, but the further reaches of the lair are extended by the pups themselves among the hyenas, and adult hyenas cannot reach them. Among social hyenas, several females may keep their pups in the same den. Each female typically has 1-2 pups, and as with canids there is a 30% chance that the pups in any single litter encountered will be young enough to be tameable.

Cave Hyena

The cave hyena is a large variety of spotted hyena from the temperate plains and the steppes of the Pleistocene. It is of the same species as the spotted hyena, and is like it in all but size.

Short-faced Hyena

The short-faced hyena is a lion-sized relative of the striped hyena from the Pleistocene. Its habits are those of its smaller cousin, though it can tackle larger game. It lives in temperate climates.

Spotted Hyena

Spotted hyenas are dirty orange in color, with small black spots. The spotted hyena has a large repertoire of calls, including the famous ìlaugh,î which really does sound like it ought to be coming out of a lunatic asylum in a third-rate movie. This laugh brings other scavengers and predators on the run, for it means the hyenas have made a kill. Swift runners, spotted hyenas hunt cooperatively, and will attack anything that doesnít put up too much of a light.

Where they depend on refuse, spotted hyenas may start in on the human population if the supply of garbage falls off. These hyenas can be tamed and used as hunting beasts if they are caught when young. They inhabit open country in tropical climates, in settled and wilderness areas.

Striped Hyena

This hyena (and its relative the brown hyena, which is essentially the same in size and habits) conforms best to the hyena stereotype. It seldom attacks something larger than itself (goats and small humanoids are near the upper limit), and shows little or no social behavior.

Striped hyenas eat human refuse, and will also raid crops of melons, dates, grapes, or other sweet fruits. A striped hyena is greyish, with vertical stripes on its sides and a crest of longer hair running down the back.

Its ears are larger and more pointed than those of the spotted hyena. Brown hyenas are essentially the same, except that they are (as the name bears out) brown. Striped hyenas can be tamed if they are captured as juveniles, though they may be rather shy.

Striped hyenas live in open country in tropical and subtropical regions.

Prehistoric hyenas In Pleistocene settings the modern varieties of hyenas will be present, along with the larger sorts mentioned above. Also present will be slender hyenas of cheetahlike build and habits (as the cheetah, but 3î slower). Hyenas date back to the Miocene epoch. Similar creatures of earlier times will be 3î slower and of animal intelligence rather than semi-intelligent.

Hyaenodons

are prehistoric carnivorous animals that were common predators during the Oligocene, before the rise of dogs, cats, hyenas, weasels, and their relatives.

They had relatively short legs, long jaws full of large teeth, and small brains. They resembled hyenas, if at all, in the shapes of some of their teeth (Hyaenodon = ìhyena toothî). These animals ranged from kittensized to lion-sized, and the figures given under ìHyaenodonî in the Monster Manual describe one of the larger varieties quite well, even to the relatively slow movement rate and low intelligence, though there is some tenuous evidence that these animals were solitary.

Summary of changes Jackals are given a figure for number appearing that reflects the typical jackal group size. They are also made a good deal faster, since no jackal is as slow as a human unless it is missing a leg. Jackals are speedy enough to steal meat from hyenas and hunting dogs or from lions, and to catch gazelles. Since jackals have no lairs, a chance is given that they will be encountered in or near them; a small chance, since the lair is often concealed and the animals are often out hunting. This reasoning applies to all the canids and canidlike animals, and indeed to all of the carnivores.

Wolves sometimes occur singly or in pairs according to local conditons, thus the addition to the figure for number appearing.

They are seldom encountered in the lair, for the reasons discussed above, and so the chance has been reduced from 1 in 10 to 1 in 20. Since most wolves are the size of a small person, the size rating has been increased to M. To reflect the great variation in size between wolves of the south and northern wolves, the northern wolves are given more hit dice and a greater bite damage, as noted.

Indications are that dire wolves were rather common in their chosen habitats, and the frequency classification has been changed accordingly. The armor class has been changed to 7 to bring it in line with the other canine armor class ratings. If the change to armor class 7 needs justification, it might be pointed out that while large animals are more robust, smaller ones are more maneuverable, and the two factors might cancel out. The dire wolfs movement rate has been reduced because of the length and proportions of its legs: evidence indicates that it was almost certainly slower than the ordinary wolf.

The hyena is given a movement rate of 15î because it is certainly faster than a human. An argument might in fact be made for 18ì, except that wolves already occupy that slot and are probably faster than hyenas. Hyenas are given a chance to be encountered in the lair because they have lairs, just as canids do. The amount of damage from a hyenaís bite is reduced because while hyenas do have great crushing power they are accustomed to bringing it to bear against immobile things such as bones from a carcass. Hyenas are therefore judged to do no more damage per bite than do large wolves. Hyenas are given an intelligence rating of semi- to bring them into line with the other carnivores; there is no evidence that they are more stupid.

The hyaenodon has been released from the hyena group, since it is not a relation and doesnít look particularly hyenalike. It is recommended that gnoll tribes should have short-faced hyenas in place of hyaenodons, since the latter are more gnoll-like.

Many of the descriptions of natural animals in the Monster Manual make them more likely to attack people than animals in the real world are. This is probably not a lapse in accuracy, or ìrealismî; it is more interesting from a story-telling point of view if adventurers come into direct conflict with these beasties, and the entries in the Monster Manual may well have been composed with this in mind. A different tack is taken in the preceding descriptions, however. The animals are described in naturalistic terms, and it is up to the DM to devise situations in which the animals might come into conflict with adventurers.

Blink Dog

Medium fey, lawful good

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4)
Speed 40 ft.

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Blink Dog, understands Sylvan but can't speak it
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Keen Hearing and Smell. The dog has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.
Teleport (Recharge 4–6). The dog magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 40 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Before or after teleporting, the dog can make one bite attack.

A blink dog takes its name from its ability to blink in and out of existence, a talent it uses to aid its attacks and to avoid harm.

Weisshund

These rare creatures are encountered only in temples and shrines of St. Cuthbert. They are the result of centuries of breeding and training by specialized clerics of St. Cuthbert.

Weisshund appear as beautiful dogs with thick white fur. They have heavy, loose skin which provides protection and agility. Even when grappled by an opponent or by another animal’s jaws, their loose skin allows them to twist and turn toward an opponent in order to continue the attack. Their thick fur makes it difficult for other animals to hold them with their jaws.

Weisshund stand approximately 2’ high at the shoulder. They are agile, lean, and strong, although their appearance belies this. Their thick skin and fur makes them appear chubby and harmless. They sleep most of the time, enhancing their facade of harmlessness. Weisshund appear to be completely docile lapdogs until they are provoked into a fight.

Combat: Weisshund have a limited empathic sense that allows them to recognize evil and hostility. They can sense these elements at a range of 60’. A sleeping weisshund will awaken if an evil or hostile creature comes within 60’ of it. When a weisshund senses evil or hostility, it becomes extremely agitated, growls at its suspect, and will attempt to alert one of its masters. It will not allow the suspect out of its sight. If a master is not within range (if the weisshund would be forced to leave its suspect in order to locate a master) it will always opt to guard its prey rather than find a master. It will bark until a master arrives or will attack if necessary.

A weisshund is always cautious about whom it attacks. It will not attack merely because it senses evil or hostility, but will guard such persons, maintaining a distance of roughly 20’, while growling at its captive. As long as its captive does not threaten or attack the weisshund, its masters, or persons whom it has been trained to protect, the weisshund will not attack. As soon as the suspect makes an agressive move, however, the weisshund will begin its transformation into temple guardian.

Upon viewing an act of agression by a suspect or upon command by a recognized master, a weisshund will grow in size until it is approximately 4’ high at the shoulder and 6’ long. Its skin and fur maintain their thickness and protective qualities, and an enlarged weisshund looks exactly the same as it did in its smaller form.

This transformation requires five segments, after which the weisshund may attack with full force. The weisshund may not attack during the transformation, and those attacking it must roll a 7 or greater on Idlo to avoid being surprised by the transformation. Those who are surprised may not attack during that round. The weisshund is not any easier or more difficult to hit during its transformation.

A weisshund attacks with its front paws and its bite. Its paws have dull claws, but damage from the paws is due to the size and force that the paws exert. This damage compares to a victim being struck by a 10-pound rock: the sheer force and impact cause the injury.

A weisshunds bite is similar to that of any other large dog, but it will attempt to knock its opponent to the ground and hold the victim’s neck in its jaws, pinning him to the ground. It may also sit on its victim in order to subdue him. If the victim ceases its struggle, it will simply hold him, but if the victim attempts to continue his attack, the weisshund will attack in whatever manner is necessary to hold or subdue him. The weisshund is so finely trained that if a pinned victim offers no struggle, it can hold the victim without so much as a toothmark.

If more than one target is encountered, a weisshund will alternate between victims in an attempt to scare them into submission. The weisshund will not attempt to pin a victim if more than one attacker is present. Weisshund work well in teams and understand their own fighting techniques so well that even two unfamiliar weisshund can work together as a well-orchestrated team.

Habitat/Society: Weisshund are found only in temples of St. Cuthbert. They are bred by the clerics in a secret location. Most weisshund that are encounterd in temples are males, although females are encountered 5% of the time. Females are generally kept for breeding purposes, and pregnant females are especially protected. Females that become pregnant outside the sanctuary are immediately sent to the sanctuary for their protection and care.

Females are able to become pregnant only twice per year, and litters are never larger than two puppies.

Ecology: Weisshund live as any normal house dog. When a puppy becomes six months old, it enters training for its future as a temple guardian.