OSR: Moth-Eaten and Old Bloody Bones

 

artist unknown

He resembles a skeleton, or an extremely old man.  His skin is paper-thin, stretched tight over bones far too large for a normal man.  He stands incredibly tall as well, always a head taller than you, no matter how tall you are.  He has no eyes, just empty sockets.  When he stands in the light, you can see through the skin, to reveal the lack of flesh and muscle, the shadow of the bones visible through the thin membrane.

He dresses in the shredded, decayed remnant of imperial finery, furs and other pieces heavy with gold and silver embroidery.  The tattered remains of lace and silks drape his emaciated, skeletal form, holes and tears worked in them by age, time and the omnipresent moths. 

The moths are everywhere, on trees, rocks, leaves, him.  They follow him and attend him, sitting on his pale fingers like rings.  They swarm into and out of his mouth and empty sockets, swirling around him when he is enraged or agitated.       

His clothes are constantly tearing, due to their age.  He is constantly looking for new fabrics, taking them from the dead or dying and shredding them into strips, then stitching them together into his existing rags.  The only thing that never changes is how worn the garments is, or the hat he keeps at a jaunty angle.   

His skin is the same way.  He is always looking for more to patch the holes in his "second garment". 

Finally, he loves bones.  Those are more for his partner, however.

by jameson9101322

What does he want?

Moth-Eaten strides through the wilderness, lurks at the edges of towns, hides in plain sight in the cities.  He loves children, to watch and play with them.  They rarely seem as as scared of him as they should be.  He gives them presents, ancient candies, small trinkets and other wonders he withdraws from his bag of leather.  Sometimes, in a voice that is not a voice, he invites them to come with him, to the twilight garden.  Those who come with him disappear, never to be seen again.  The only thing that remains is their clothes, laying in a shredded pile, moth-eaten and damaged, as if they've been lying there for years.

He also appears to the dying.  He will offer to save them, or kill them, as they choose or he feels they wish.  He will ask for something in return.  Whatever he asks for his precious only to him.  It is never something someone else might find valuable.  At least, not until it is too late.  To those who wish to die, he asks for their skin, as they will not need it where they go.    

Mothers fear and loathe him, for he takes their children.  Fathers tell spooky stories about him to convince children to stay out of the woods and fields at night, but it only sometimes works.  He never speaks to adults except on the verge of death, so they know nothing of him.  It is a mystery to them, revealed only to children.  They come to him, letting him play their games and letting him teach them a few. 

Sometimes, he is accompanied by other whisper-voiced companions, half his height in soft, gossamer robes with holes in them and the clinging smell of decay.  Despite their ragged robes, no one but those who have been honored with the secret have every seen what lurks underneath those hoods.  Those who have seen pretend not to, or keep their mouths shut.

Stories of him leading parades of these silent, robed figures through the woods as they caper and dance to the music of his flute are unsubstantiated at best.

Powers:

Moth-Eaten can grow to titanic heights, as tall as the highest tree in the area. 

His bones are hard as iron, and his fingers sharp enough to pierce through unarmored flesh like it is made of paper. 

He can peel skin off you peel an orange, without damaging it if he chooses. 

He can also remove bones by touching the skin or flesh around them.  He might return them if you are good.

He will not fight you, however.  If he is not wanted, he will simply fade back into the shadows and disappear.  He never comes out during the day.  He only fights to protect his partner and one of his friends. 

Sunlight and the dawn banish him.  Additionally, some nursery rhymes and songs popular among children are said to have the ability to drive him away as well, such as the "The Skeleton Dance" and "The Butterfly Queen".

by Stefano Mendoza

His Partner:

Resembles a monkey, four limbed and quadrupedal most of the time.  Slightly larger than one, about the size of a large housecat, able to climb like a squirrel.  Lantern-eyed and red-furred, with an oversized jaw, protruding fangs and a long, twitching tail.  Wears nothing but a little necktie, matted with mud and dried, black blood.

While his partner rarely speaks, the monkey-creature talks constantly.  His name is Bloody Bones, and he loves to eat them.  With blood, without, fresh or dry, he cares not.  He prefers them fresh, but he's not picky.  He will ramble for hours about all sorts of things.

What is Bloody Bones rambling about?

1d4
1- How a creature's blood type affects the taste of a bone.
2- How short and miserable your lives must be.
3- How his partner is a dapper dresser.
4- How people resist eating each other, as they're full of delicious bones (he's speculating, he doesn't know the answer).

Bloody Bones and his partner are usually nearby, but they don't work together.  Bloody Bones usually ruins the dance, so he stays away.  Instead, he'll crawl out from under someone's bed and talk to them through the night while squatting on their chest, leaving bloody foot and handprints on everything.  He might eat them after.  He eats rude people, or cruel people, or miserable people, or deceitful people, or people who don't appreciate their lives enough, or because he's hungry.

If you talk to him and entertain him, he won't eat you.  He might even leave you a present.  Almost all of these presents are worthless pieces of blood-stained scrap metal crudely smashed into some crude caricature of a flower or animal.  Some are well-chewed bones, a sure sign he likes you, while others are blood-stained jewelry.  If he leaves you jewelry, it's a threat and possibly, a promise.

by Francis M. Zerrudo

Powers:

Bloody Bones has razor sharp teeth that can cut through anything, except wood and stone, like he's biting empty air. 

He can teleport when no one's looking at him.

He can squeeze through tiny spaces, under doors, through vents, etc. 

Eating bones or meat heals him. 

He's also very fast and agile, able to move and climb quickly.  He's difficult to hit, especially if he's close to you. 

He only fights those who are vulnerable and those he thinks he can harm without suffering any serious repercussion.  The old, the sick, the isolated.  Children too.  He will flee from the strong.

He is burned by salt. 

If a doorway or window has a line of salt or brick dust laid down behind it, he cannot cross it.

by R. Brandon Voeller

OSR: The Children of Old Leech

This post is inspired by and contains spoilers from The Croning by Laird Barron.  I highly recommend it.  I also recommend his other novel, The Light is the Darkness.

by Greg Scott, cover of Extraterrestrial Live

"He's a junior member of a peer group, the elite of the elite...The Order of Imago.  You've probably heard of it during your investigations.  It's one of those loudly whispered secrets- like the Masons and the Satanists, only more so.  Powerful, powerful men.  Tycoons, industrialists, Old World nobility.  A wicked old-boys secret handshake society.  We know it exists.  We've met a member or two, heard some stories.  They've established a few communes in remote areas.  There's one in Arizona and another in Southern California."  

- Agent Singh, The Light is the Darkness

Their beginnings are shrouded in mystery, but they are older than the civilization that birthed you.  Their religion is an ancient faith of bones and blood, of sacrifice to the horrible gods of the Great Dark.  They come, first as subverters and puppet-masters, but then as conquerers.  They spin webs that entangle the lives of important people and lead entire civilizations to destruction.  They plan on the time scale of immortals, for that is what they are, what they and their father promises. 

The Family:

The rites, practices and membership of the cult is shrouded in mystery.  Little is known about them, some do not even know there is a cult, only that they are being attacked by incomprehensible horrors.  But there is a cult, a secret society from which the Children draw their resources, targets and new recruits. 

The Federal Government is vaguely aware of this cult and tolerate it, albeit reluctantly.  This is because the majority of the cult is composed of those from the upper levels of society: CEOS, politicians, professors, generals and journalists.  The Cult's members command huge amounts of financial, social and political capital and use it to protect their brethren.  Through these bonds of mutual cooperation and shared blame should they be exposed, the Cult's lay-members are controlled and kept orderly.

The Cult, at it's lower levels, instructs its members to prepare for a coming catastrophe.  Members are encouraged to use their power to sculpt society into a more beneficial shape and to make the necessary preparations.  When the others are consumed by the rising flood waters or starve in the coming famines, they and their families will be safe: or so they are told.  Whether or not it is true is anyone's guess.

Those who have been conducted higher into the cult are invited to hidden, discreet locations on the grounds of manors or private islands where they gather with other members to perform wild, profane rituals.  For the lower members, these rituals mostly entail sexual depravity, or acts that embarrass or humiliate.  This builds camaraderie among members through shared suffering, while also providing the leaders with convenient black-mail material, should it become necessary. 

For the still higher members, darker things await.

by DarkMechanic

The Power of the Great Dark:

"You see, the alchemical formula comes from Drake and Souza, which is akin to Satan handing the Apple to Eve or Prometheus teaching some Greek how to make fire.  For them, the inkblot cards and the serum are trappings of science design to enthrall and enslave modern minds.  A charade of rationality.  Drake could simply breathe on you and transform you at the cellular level.  He could snatch your brain and show you cosmic horror that would turn your soul black.  The Drake Technique is a joke, the mechanical rabbit greyhounds chase.  And when Dad glimpsed the true nature of Drake and Souza, when he realized he'd made a deal not with the high priests of a demon cult, but the fucking demons themselves, he opted out."  

- Imogene Navarro, The Light is the Darkness

Few are ever chosen, but some lower members are selected, groomed for the higher mysteries.  They are taken to the inner sanctums and shown the truth, terrible and bleak.  The Children here shed their false faces and show the members what they actually are- inhuman monsters.  Those who endure these revelations without succumbing to madness, their minds folding under the strain of the Children's unnatural powers are transformed, given the power of their Father, Old Leech.

After this adoption, the new Child is educated on the secret history of the cult and instructed of their purpose.  They are to feast on this world, wringing every bit of fear and pain they can from it.  They will destroy the world, first by subtly removing all institutions and groups that could oppose them, then once that is done, destroying those who cannot be removed through more elegant means.  Then they will transform this world into their personal playground.  They will rule for a million years or until the Worm turns.  Then their Father will come and the remains of the world's population, degenerated and deformed, will be fed, screaming, into his gaping maw.  Their rage and sorrow, their fear and tears will nourish him for another cycle, until it begins all over again. 

Then the Children will blacken the skies of that world, or yank it from it's comfortable orbit.  Once it cools, they will dig massive caverns beneath the crust and fill them with blood and screams, the ideal nursery to raise the next generation of Children.  While some will stay to rule over these kingdoms of endless night, the rest will scatter across the galaxy, spreading like a contagion, seeking new worlds to conquer. 

How goes the War?          

If you don't know how long the Children have been on a particular planet, roll on the table below:

1d6

1- The Children have been on this planet for less than 10,000 years.  They are served by small cults and scattered individuals, but they have little power to affect the government or culture of any of the world's nations.  They prey upon the vulnerable and inspire stories of monsters, cannibals and secret cults.  Some of them are even true.  The Children could be removed from the planet, but likely they will leave on their own once they are summoned to another land.  In the meantime, hunting down the few of them scattered across the world will be a difficult and dangerous ordeal.

2- The Children have managed to corrupt a small nation or a small minority of the ruling class of one of the Great Powers.  They work in secret, peddling information and influence, seeking whatever scraps of political power they can find.  They are playing the long game, but this is when they are most vulnerable.  Should their work be discovered, their supporters could easily be exposed and arrested, their allies scattered and the Children themselves confronted by angry mobs and champions of law and righteousness. 

3- The Children have managed to corrupt a large minority of the ruling class of a Great Power or a coterie of small nations.  They have built a power base that will make them hard to dislodge, should they be discovered.  But through networks of agents and overlapping interests, they can protect themselves from casual discovery.  This world is likely to be chosen for further exploitation and more Children will soon be arriving via the Worm-Ways to further the contamination. 

4- The Children have managed to corrupt the majority of the ruling class of the Great Power, or control the vast majority of the world's lesser leaders.  They are the power-brokers and string-pullers, the masters of the universe.  Very little of note that occurs is without their blessing.  Those who refuse their gifts find themselves against well funded opponents in the next election or facing "grass-roots" rebellions, with suspiciously well-supplied rebel armies.  Despite changes in governors and politicians, nothing ever really changes.  Things are also slowly getting worse for the common people, who have come to resent their rulers.  All goes according to plan, soon will come the death-blow.   

5- The Children have revealed themselves and unleashed armies of their monstrous servitors on their enemies.  Those who could not be subverted or co-opted are to be removed via violence.  Civil war, political purges and other atrocities spread throughout lands the Children control as their enemies fight for their lives.  Besides the monsters, their enemies will also have to contend with the armies of the nations that the Children have conquered, who will dismiss stories of monsters as enemy propaganda or wild rumor. 

6- The Children rule this world with an iron fist.  They dwell among smoke-stained palaces while the population starves in squalor, oppressed by monsters both horrible and horribly familiar alike.  Blood runs in the gutters and smoke from sacrificial pyres and pointless industry floods the air with toxins, even as it poisons earth and water as well.  All resistance to the rule of the Children is ruthlessly and immediately crushed, those who still resist do so from the most desolate corners of the world, where armies cannot reach them, or hide in the darkest places, where even the Children's many spies do not think to look.  The Children will squabble and fight amongst each other, dividing up the planet amongst themselves, but their is no threat on this planet that stands any change of reclaiming this world from them, not without decades of build-up at minimum, or a significant amount of outside help.

artist unknown

Hierarchy of Horrors:

"A kaledeiodscope of images fractured in his mind's eye: Frick and rack hunting him in the Wolverton mansion; naked men dressed as horrors from Aztec mythology menacing him with axes and knives; a ruddy young man in a ridiculously tight sweater stepping into a dolmen; Kurt, bronzed and middle-aged running through the woods, screaming, screaming; Bronson Ford, bloated to gigantic dimensions plucking Don from floor of a museum gallery with one huge paw-"

- Laird Barron, The Croning

Child of Old Leech-

Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Any Evil
Languages: The Lingua Franca plus 1d6 (exploding) local languages.  Also speaks a language called Worm-Speech, a tongue used only by acolytes of Old Leech.
Treasure: Children dwell in sumptuous splendor most of the time, living in places of great beauty, overflowing with gold, jewels and other trinkets, which are primarily used to bribe mortals or to show status.  The Children are contemptuous of beauty and the supposed security of wealth, and will quickly part with it in exchange for something they actually want.  Should you steal from one, however, they will hunt you down to make you suffer.

SHP X
AR none
Atk Varies, see below
Mor (5+SHP)
Saves (7+SHP) or less
Magic Resistance Z or below

Damage Threshold: X.  Ignore all attacks that do less than X damage as if they did none.

Shapeshifter: The Children of Old Leech are shapeshifters.  They can alter their physical forms at will, as long as they stay within one size category of their base form.  They can also disguise themselves as normal humans or other humanoids. 

Magic Resistance: Mana-based attacks and abilities are hard to use against the Children.  When someone uses one of these against them, there is a Y/100% chance (Z or less on a d20) that the mana-based ability (magic, psychic powers, bio-energy blasts) or attack does not affect them.  This causes the attack or ability to slip around them and strike the nearest target.  If there is no obvious choice, roll randomly.

Innate Spellcasting: Children have A Mana Dice (MD).  They can cast the following spells as an action.  They does not trigger Chaos, but their MD do burn out on a 5 or 6. 

Tactics:
- Determine who is the strongest
- Weaken with magic
- Fight smart, never fairly

To customize one of the Children of Old Leech, roll on the tables below:

What rank is the Child?

1d3
1- Offspring.  The Child has a Damage Threshold of 1d4+2 and a Magic Resistance of 30% (6-in-20).  It can make 1 melee attack that does 2d6 damage.  It knows 1d4+1 spells.  This Child is a newborn by the standards of it's kind, someone prone to rash action and most in need of help.
2- Mandible.  The Child has a Damage Threshold of 1d6+2 and a Magic Resistance of 40% (8-in-20).  It can make 2 melee attacks that do 1d10+1 damage.  It knows 1d4 spells.  The Mandibles are the military class of Children, used by the Scions to crush any objection to their rule, from within or without.  They are terrifying to face in battle, horrors that make mincemeat of armies and meals of kingdoms. 
3- Scion.  The Child has a Damage Threshold of 1d8+2 and a Magic Resistance of 50% (10-in-20).  It can make 2 melee attacks that do 1d12+1 damage.  It knows 1d6+2 spells.  The Scions are the eldest of the Children, the nominal rulers of their race; consummate in cruelty and powerful beyond imagination.  They will devour your world, just like they have fed on countless others. 

What resources can the Child call upon?

1d4
1- Money.  This Child has deep coffers, or more likely, allies with the same.  If money is the solution, money can be found.
2- Political Power.  This Child has connections to one or more politicians who can intervene on the Child's behalf.  Depending on the political system and situation, this could mean anything from back-up from the security forces to harassment by regulatory agencies, or anything in between.
3- Propagandists.  The Child can count on favorable media coverage and regardless of what happens, it's allies will spin the events of today in the favor of the Children, while it's enemies will be branded as villains and instigators.  If there is violence or death, it will be blamed on them, even if the evidence seems to point the other way.
4- Favors.  Someone who could help the Child owes them a favor.  They dare not fail to repay it.  The person who owes the Child a favor is 1d6 [1= A constable or police officer; 2= A military officer; 3= A politician; 4= A wealthy businessman; 5= A crime boss or gang leader; 6= Another Child of Old Leech.]  

To determine what spells a Child of Old Leech has, select from one of these, or consult your favorite tome of black magic.

by Anatolii Leoshko

The Limbless-

Number Appearing: 1d4
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Languages: Worm-Speech
Treasure: The Limbless do not collect or care for treasure, so places that they inhabit tend to be carpeted with the possessions of those who died there, valuables scattered carelessly on the ground.

HD 3
AR 3 [Natural Armor]
Atk Bite (1d8+1) + Pharyngeal Jaw (1d6+1 + grapple)
Mor 15
Saves 10 or less
Magic Resistance 5 or below

Sunlight Vulnerability: The Limbless are sensitive to sunlight.  When in sunlight they make all Attack rolls and saving throws with disadvantage, with the exception of Magic Resistance Saving Throws.  

Magic Resistance: Mana-based attacks and abilities are hard to use against the Limbless.  When someone uses one of these against them, there is a 25% chance (5 or less on a d20) that the mana-based ability (magic, psychic powers, bio-energy blasts) or attack does not affect them.  This causes the attack or ability to slip around them and strike the nearest target.  If there is no obvious choice, roll randomly.

Worm's Eye: The Limbless have no eyes, but their sense of smell and hearing is almost good enough to compensate.  Quiet foes can sometimes sneak by them, but the Limbless are perceptive enough that they can hear your heartbeat and breathing if you get too close.  They get +2 to detect things with their other senses and cannot be blinded.  

Tactics:
- Isolate target from pack, grapple and drag away
- Charge and retreat
- When target is grappled, descend on them in a feeding frenzy

The Limbless are the horrible servitors of the Children, created through horrible sorceries enacted in caverns of bone and basalt, full of the blood of billions of murdered souls.  There hunger and searing aggression are given form, melded into flesh that may have once been something much more benign.  The Limbless are squat and low, pathetic in appearance until they move, oilly smooth and fast than you can blink.  Their razor teeth resemble a rodent's or a primate's, with long fangs and huge incisors that smash armor and cut through bone, even as they shred flesh and leave nothing behind but scarlet-stained ribbons.

They fear sunlight and do not come out when it shines.  Their hunting ground is beneath the cloudless sky or in the bowels of the earth, where no light penetrates.  There they slither through the dark, feasting on the unwary.  As Limbless are blind, they do not need light to hunt, and are able to find prey through vibrations, scent and the sounds they make.  It is said that if you can hear your heartbeat around one, it is already too late, as they've heard it too. 

Sometimes the Limbless hunt with the Children, leading the way like hounds, while other times they hunt alone or in packs, merely for the thrill of the chase and the spectacle of the kill.  Not all Children have the privilege of being able to summon the Limbless, but to those who do, they treasure it almost beyond words.  It is a sign of one's superiority, but also a statement that should the Child grow displeased with someone, they should not have to stoop to dirty their hands, unless they should wish too.  

The Limbless might look like animals, but despite their hideous appearance, they actually possess an intelligence equivalent to the low end of the scale for humans.  They aren't super intelligent, but they speak, make art and have elaborate social structures.  They ask the questions of "Who am I?" and "Why do I exist?"  They know the answers, of course, but the question is still raised.  The Limbless believe they were created by the Children, and they're right, and revere them as living avatars of Old Leech.  The Children hold the Limbless in affection as well, though they treat them more like animals than others would find appropriate.  Yet this treatment is not considered demeaning by the Limbless, who regard it as a high honor to be acknowledged by the Children. 

And to those who feel that beings as vile as the Children cannot feel anything close to affection or even love, then you should reconsider what it actually being said here.  For the Children do not hate you, even though they plan to despoil your world and feed upon it's corpse, they do not hate you.  In fact, they love you and have some many beautiful things to show you.

artist unknown

OSR: The Wolf King, the Canine Kingdom and his Disobedient Children

The Wolf King Canis is one of the Animal Kings, a great and terrible spirit.  But despite his lofty status, he rules over a small and fractious kingdom.  Many of his children are disobedient and one has even raised the banner of rebellion against him.  His fate is to struggle in near-futility against the rebels, and to carefully manage the rest of his disobedient children, in an attempt to corral their mischief and prevent any further defections. 

source unknown

Wolf:

Number Appearing: 2d6+2
Alignment: True Neutral
Languages: None
Treasure: None, but many cities, principalities and kingdoms offer bounties for slain wolves and getting rid of ghost wolves. 

This creature needs no introduction.  Prime among Canis' children, Wolves are vicious and dangerous predators with the power to bring down even large game.  They live in large social groups with complex internal hieararchies and rituals of submission and obedience. 

Another fact that is commonly known, at least to adventurers and those who travel wolf-haunted wilderness regularly, is that wolves venerate their ancestors like more intelligent creatures. Every wolf pack that is more than a couple of breeding pairs will have a boneyard, where they will store the bones of valiant and loyal wolves.  The Wolves will go there regularly to howl and mourn their dead.  But there is another wrinkle to the keeping of this boneyard.  Sometimes their ancestors respond.

They return as Wolf-Ghosts or Ghost Wolves, and join the living members of the pack in the hunt.  Ghost Wolves are highly skilled hunters, with all the strength they had in life, plus the abilities of a ghost.  They do not eat as well, and are sustained by the reverence of the pack and the sanctity of the boneyard.  Ghost Wolves can be destroyed, but not for long, and will return under the next full moon.  This is why Wolves howl at the moon, to call their dead back.  The only permanent way to be rid of a Ghost Wolf is to destroy the Pack's boneyard.  Should it be destroyed, the Ghost Wolves will not be able to return.

Statblock(s):

Wolf
HD 1   
AR 1
Atk Bite (1d6 + grapple)
Mor 12   
Saves 7 or less

Tracker: Wolves get +4 to track creatures by scent.

Tactics:
- Attack the weakest, slowest or most wounded creature, drag it away
- Gang up on that creature
- Protect your brethren who are doing step 1

by Marion Bouzir

Ghost Wolf:

Number Appearing: 1d4 per 4 living Wolves
Alignment: True Neutral
Languages: None
Treasure: None, but many cities, principalities and kingdoms offer bounties for slain wolves and getting rid of ghost wolves.

Ghost Wolf
HD 1   
AR none
Atk Bite (1d6 + grapple)
Mor 12   
Saves 7 or less 

Immaterial Nature: Ghost Wolves are Ghosts, so they are Undead.  They can fly and are intangible, so non-spiritual objects pass through them.  They are immune to damage from non-magical weapons, as well as from sources that do cold, poison and necrotic damage.

Sunlight Damage: Ghosts takes 6 damage a round if they are exposed to sunlight.

Conditional Immortality: Unless the boneyard that holds the bones of the Ghost Wolf is destroyed, the Ghost Wolf will return under the next full moon.

Tactics:
- As Wolves, but they always target the strongest creature

by thedjib

Worg:

Number Appearing: 1d4
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Languages: The Lingua Franca plus 1d4 local tongues
Treasure: Barrels and casks of wine, jars of jam, wheels of cheese and the meat of exotic local animals, possibly cooked or preserved.  Other Worgs keep living larders of things they intend to eat later, including mortals captured in raids and rare beasts. 

All animal and mortal spirits exist in a great web of alliances, allegiances, duties and rights.  This vast hierarchy contains all living things and determines the rights of predation and obsieance.  For example, the Wolf King reigns over not only Wolves, Coyotes, Jackals and Dogs, but also all the things that those creatures would prey upon, such as rodents, squirrels, mice, some cats and anything else they have permission to eat.  As long as a creature respects the hierarchy, no harm can come to them. 

It is only when creatures defy those natural limits and go beyond what is acceptable that problems arise.  Creatures that attempt to usurp the natural hierarchy of nature usually gain much more power than they would ordinarily have, but become corrupt and blight the land, destroying the delicate balance of the world and causing misery and suffering all around them.  These beasts are commonly referred to by mortals as "Monsters". 

Wolves who step outside of their proscribed limits grow huge and powerful, twisting and warping with the unnatural meals they eat.  They grow larger and taller, to the size of ponies with paws big as dinner plates.  Some develop hands, while others keep their paws.  All develop sharp claws that shred flesh and leave jagged scars.  They also develop the ability to rear up onto two legs and walk clumsily.  Finally, they all develop the ability to speak.  Worgs learn the languages of those they devour, and use them to taunt their prey, speaking to them with garbled voices thick with scorn. 

Worgs are selfish.  They do not care about anyone besides themselves, even their offspring are not as important.  Unlike Wolves who will sacrifice for their kin and honor their ancestors, Worgs scoff at both notions.  They do not participate in either.  Worgs only join packs that will accept them as leader, otherwise they will wander by themselves or with other Worgs.  Worgs are also quite gregarious, and will join up with any creature who seems to share their ideas or will allow them to indulge their darker appetites.  But though Worgs will help their new allies, ultimately the Worg fights only for itself.  Should it's new allies prove weak, demand too much of it or simply become inconvenient, the Worg will abandon it's erstwhile allies to their fate.

Besides survival, Worgs are much pickier eaters than wolves.  They love meat from rare or exotic animals, or from tender lambs and young children, which are said to be the tastiest.  Some also have weaknesses for other mortal foods, such as honey, wine or jam.  They are easy to bribe and tend to be quite careless.  That being said, if you intend to betray a Worg or try to trick it, make sure you kill it, as the trick will never work again.  And should the Worg survive, it will hunt you to the ends of the Earth. 

Statblock:  

Worg
HD 3
AR 1 [Natural Armor] or 3 [Barding] if being ridden
Atk Bite (1d8/1d8 + grapple)
Mor 10
Saves 10 or less

Tracker: Worgs can track a mote of dust across a continent.  They can detect mana as well as scent.  Worgs have advantage on all checks made to track creatures and 1/Day can automatically find the trail that a creature left, unless that creature was using magic to prevent it from leaving any trace. 

Grappler: When a Worg bites a creature, it can force that creature to make a STR check.  If the creature cannot beat the Worg in a STR contest, that creature is grappled.  The Worg can do 1d6 damage to that creature as a free action on it's turn as long as that creature is grappled, but can only make 1 attack while doing so.     

Cruel Voices: Few who are not allied with them hear Worgs speak, so not all know that they can.  When a creature hears a Worg speak for the first time, it must save.  On a failed save, the creature is frightened and will not move closer to the Worg, and takes 1d6 COG/Morale damage a round it remains in conflict with the Worg.  If reduced to 0 COG/Morale, the creature flees until it cannot see the Worg or is out of danger. 

Tactics:
- Frighten groups of enemies
- Pick off the strongest, prevent him from fighting while dealing with the others
- Retreat if in danger

Does this Worg have any allies?  If so, who are they?

1d6
1- An Ogre.  The Ogre thinks he is in charge, and he's almost certainly wrong.  The Worg is clever enough to talk the Ogre into doing whatever it wants and the Ogre is too stupid to realize this. 
2- An Annis Hag.  The Hag considers the Worg to be a big puppy dog and rewards it with meat and beats it when she is displeased with it.  She calls it "Puppy" or some cute name, such as "Spot", "Fuzzy", etc.  The Worg can't stay mad at her though, plus it's a little afraid of her.
3- A Green Hag.  She is more clever than the Worg, and so lets him believe he is in charge.  She feeds him and lets him guard her cottage, in exchange for his muscle and intimidation factor.
4- Goblins.  They sometimes ride the Worg, but other times prance along behind it.  Some wear fake ears made of wolf fur and howl in imitation of wolves or the Worg.  Just as likely to serve the Worg as to have it serve them. 
5- Kobolds.  Cleverer than most, Kobolds develop relationships and partnerships with Worgs.  Two of them will ride on it's back and all three will work together with excellent team-work. 
6- Chaos Cultists.  Chaos Cultists love Worgs, as they are walking symbols of will conquering nature.  They are despised as abominations by Druids for that reason.

by Edward S. Curtis (source)

Coyote:

Number Appearing: 1d6+2 or 3d6 if you've really offended them
Alignment: True Neutral
Languages: There is a 50% any random Coyote speaks the local Lingua Franca, otherwise none
Treasure: Coyotes offer wisdom to the humble and heroic.  If you demonstrate virtue in their presence, they might offer advice or information that can be helpful. 

Coyote and his brother, Jackal, had a reputation for being tricksters and pranksters.  In fairness, this reputation was well-earned.  Coyote and his brother terrorized the Gods and Man when they all lived together in the first Age, but were separated from Men when the First Age came to a close.  When they finally found Man again, they saw how he had become corrupt and villainous, thanks to the scheming of Unta, the Imp of Suffering.  But though Man was tricked into drinking Unta's poisoned cure, they now reveled in wickedness, and Coyote was greatly offended by this. 

So he sought to punish mankind.  He went to the Gods and told them what Man was doing, but the Gods refused to intervene, as they were too busy squabbling amongst each other and fighting off their brethren who had sided with Chaos.  So Coyote decided to punish Man himself.  He went and spoke to the Earth and told it what Man had become.  The Earth became so offended by the stories that it heard that it brought forth thistles and weeds, denying Man easy access to the fruits and seeds he had previously eaten.  But when this happened, Man was left without food and quickly began to starve. 

The Gods heard the pleas of man from Earth and when they saw what Coyote had done, they were torn.  Some thought to save Mankind and force the Earth to nourish them, while others thought it better to let Man die.  After all, he had become cruel and evil as Unta, but was no longer immortal.  Besides, if they were all to die, that might prevent the Dragon-Goddess, the Queen of Chaos from rising.  Others argued against this, both from an ethical standpoint, but also that if the Gods did not save Mankind, the mortals might join Chaos en masse, which would only empower the enemies of Law. 

And to Coyote's horror, one of those arguing that they should let Man die was Jackal, his own brother.  Jackal told him that Man was unworthy of being saved, for he was cruel and evil now.  But Coyote was wise enough to recognize that the Gods and Spirits had been affected by the intrusion of Chaos into the world.  Even he was not sure of his own judgement, so he returned to Earth and disguising himself as a Man, taught mortals how to plow the Earth and plant seeds, so they could grow food for themselves.  He then taught them how to make these crops into bread and other goods, such as wine.  It was said he taught them the latter one so that they would get drunk and continue to amuse him.

When Coyote returned to Heaven, the Gods sought to punish him for acting against Mankind, but seeing his work, they found themselves conflicted.  For though Coyote had judged Man, he had also saved them.  So they placed a curse on him, declaring, that since he acted as savior and destroyer, his children would bear his legacy till the end of the Age.  For whatever a Coyote took, he must also give, but when he gave, he could take.  Then they crowned Wolf as King over his brothers, including Coyote, and banished Coyote from Heaven. 

To this day, it is said that Coyote walks the Earth, either among this mortal children or in disguise as an old man, a maiden girl or a clever dog.  He dispenses wisdom to those he feels who are worthy or willing to receive it, while bringing ruin to the proud.  The Coyote is often a symbol of rebellion, of the downtrodden subverting the powerful through intelligence and cleverness.     

Statblock:

HD 1
AR none
Atk Bite (1d6+1) or Trade
Mor 11
Saves 7 or less

Trade: Coyotes can trade one thing for another.  By sacrificing one thing, they can transfer a condition from themselves to another.  By taking a condition upon themselves, they can gain something in return.  To see what the Coyote can trade, consult the table below. 

Share Pain: Coyotes will trade damage amongst a group, each taking a small amount of damage to heal the wounded Coyote.  If facing a group of Coyotes, divide damage any one Coyote takes equally among all members of the group. 

Tactics:
- Ambush a creature that is vulnerable or weak, flee if injured
- Use Trade to heal injuries
- Seek to humiliate, rather then kill

What can this Coyote trade?

1d4
1- By taking a -1 penalty to attacks for the rest of the battle, the Coyote heals 1d6 HP when it next bites a creature, while that creature takes an equivalent amount of damage.
2- By taking disadvantage on attacks for the rest of the battle, the Coyote can transfer a condition such as Diseased, Poisoned, Blinded or etc to another creature by biting it. 
3- By taking disadvantage on attack and defense rolls for the rest of the battle, the Coyote can steal a creature's power, reducing that creature's STR and Atk bonus by -4.
4- By giving itself disadvantage on it's rolls for the next hour made to flee, pursue or track an enemy, the Coyote can steal a creature's DEX, reducing it's defense rolls and giving it a penalty to DEX checks and saves by 1d6, while the Coyote gets a bonus to AR equal to how much DEX it stole.

 by DarkestSlumberART

Inu-gami:

Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Languages: The local Lingua Franca plus 1d6 other local tongues
Treasure: Inu-gami hoard information, knowledge and other spiritual treasures.  They also take the items they steal and place them inside objects, such as stealing a girl's innocence and placing it in a musical toy.  These items can have their virtues extracted and returned, or taken by the person who finds them.  

Inu-gami are horrible creatures who revel in glorious, destructive violence.  They resemble men with the heads of dogs or wolves, with flashing teeth and dark eyes that smolder like coals.  They can also take on normal humanoid forms, disguising themselves as mortals to walk among us unnoticed.  They possess many magical powers and are justly and rightly feared.  But what is worse about them is that there are dark rituals that if done correctly, allow a mortal to control an Inu-gami.  These mortals are almost always wicked, for Inu-gami are only summoned to bring destruction and unleash violence upon the unsuspecting.  What is not known about the Inu-gami is that they are usually the ones who prepare the means of their own control. 

Inu-gami come from Coyotes, those who neglect their duties to shame the proud and give wisdom to the lowly, but those who instead seek to use their knowledge for personal advancement and glory.  This path is rich with rewards, but it comes at the price of honor and mortality, twisting the Coyote into a dread Inu-gami, a horror that can only live by stealing from others and parasitizing the weak.  For while Inu-gami possess many powers, including those of their former brethren, the same limitations are still present.  The Inu-gami cannot steal, but only trade. When something is taken, something is given. 

Inu-gami have the ability to possess creatures and force them to commit crimes, usually murder.  The Inu-gami then leaves, leaving the victim behind to take the blame for the crime committed by the Inu-gami.  However, in order to control something, the Inu-gami has to trade it's own ability to control itself.  As such, those that choose this path create devices that if someone were to possess one, would allow that person to control the Inu-gami.  To try and cheat, the Inu-gami will then hide the device, in the hopes of getting away without paying interest.  This strategy, while clever, rarely works in the long run. 

But for the Inu-gami who chooses not to engage in such dangerous gambles, they still have plenty of dangerous abilities to toy with.  Inu-gami use their ability to shapeshift to take the forms of others and frame them for crimes and use their ability to trade to steal things from others to harm them and benefit themselves.  But they have other methods of causing harm and enriching themselves.  Some Inu-gami serve others willingly, or as long as it is profitable, dealing with Hags and Demons and black Magi for influence and power.  They also strike dark bargains with mortals, aping the spirits and their pacts.  In these bargains, the Inu-gami will aks someone to trade something precious and spiritual, such as innocence, honor or courage in exchange for some other intangible, such as power, charisma or a talent the person lacks.  They then take these items and store them away in secret caches.  What is traded is almost never worth what is offered.   

The other difference between the spirits and the Inu-gami care nothing for fairness and their only goal in making a bargain is to extract as much as possible while hurting their target as much as they can.  But why, you might ask?  There's no real reason, the Inu-gami might say.  They just find it funny.   

Statblock:

Inu-gami
HD 2
AR 3 [Natural Armor]
Atk Bite (1d4+2) + Weapon (1d8+1)
Mor 11
Saves 7 or less

Shapeshifter: Inu-gami can assume the form of a humanoid they have seen or can imagine.  They can also take the form of a coyote or a dog-headed humanoid with glowing eyes.  No matter what form they take, their abilities remain the same, though if in a humanoid form without canine jaws they cannot make bite attacks. 

Trade: Inu-gami can trade one thing for another.  By sacrificing one thing, they can transfer a condition from themselves to another.  By taking a condition upon themselves, they can gain something in return.  To see what the Inu-gami can trade, consult the table below.  The Inu-gami starts with 1 trade and can make others as an action.  

Foist Pain: The Inu-gami can, as an action after being attacked and wounded or as a reaction to being injured, force a creature to compete in a COG contest.  If the creature wins, nothing happens, but if the creature loses, the Inu-gami inflicts half the damage it just took on that creature while regaining an equivalent amount of HP.  For example, if an Inu-gami took 6 damage and forced Robert the Fighter to make a COG check, if Robert loses, he takes 3 damage and the Inu-gami regains 3 HP.

Tactics:
- Depends on the trades the Inu-gami has made

What can/has this Inu-gami trade?

1d6
1- By creating a device that allows the holder to control the Inu-gami, it gains the ability to possess creatures. 
2- By taking a -X penalty to attack and defense rolls for 1 hour, the Inu-gami gains the ability to impose a -X penalty to all rolls on one creature for 1 hour.
3- By temporarily lowering it's AR by 1, the Inu-gami gains a +2 bonus to attack and defense rolls. 
4- By giving itself disadvantage on checks and saves based on vision for the rest of the day, the Inu-gami gains the ability to turn invisible as an action for the rest of the day.  It turns visible again if it does something strenuous. 
5- By giving up it's ability to shapechange for the rest of the day, the Inu-gami gains the ability to create illusions for the rest of the day.  These illusions are extremely good, producing sound and images, but no smell and do not stand up to physical scrutiny. 
6- By giving up one of it's attacks for the rest of the day, the Inu-gami, upon contact can steal 1 HD from a creature, causing that creature to take 8 damage and the Inu-gami to regain 1 HD.

What bargain can the Inu-gami strike with you?

1d8
1- The Inu-gami asks for your kindness, and in exchange you will become stronger.  If you accept, you find it more difficult to care about or help others, but gain some of the Inu-gami's survival instincts, so you will be more effective in a fight. 
2- The Inu-gami will ask for your boldness, and in exchange you will become luckier.  If you accept, you will find you become incredibly cautious and unable to take a chance, but when you do, you seem to have better luck. 
3- The Inu-gami will ask for your magnamanity, in exchange for victory.  If you accept, you will become ruthless in battle and life, but impossibly cruel, willing to sacrifice anything to win.
4- The Inu-gami asks for your self-control, in exchange for a wonderful life.  If you accept, you find yourself indulging in all sorts of things you never would before.  You greatly enjoy yourself at first, but find your life hollow in the end. 
5- The Inu-gami promises that in exchange for your honor, you will become much richer.  If you accept, you become a kleptomaniac while the Inu-gami gains the ability to cloak itself in a shroud of ethos that makes even dubious things it says seem more trustworthy.
6- The Inu-gami asks for your compassion and mercy, you will gain a tongue of silver.  If you accept, you find you lose whatever moral compass you had and are able to lie without feeling bad about it.  You can easily charm people by telling them what they want to hear.  The Inu-gami, meanwhile, can expertly fake compassion using what it took from you. 
7- The Inu-gami promises to make you fantastic with women, in exchange for your courage.  If you accept, he gives you a ring that creates a gas that knocks women unconscious, made from a man's ability to sleep.  You are able to acquire women using the ring, but it becomes extremely hard for you to talk to them ordinarily, as they're too intimidating. 
8- The Inu-gami asks for your wisdom, in exchange for leadership.  You will find yourself catapulted to the commanding heights, but will become so deluded that you will think yourself always right, even when making terrible decisions.

from here

Jackal:

Number Appearing: 1, 2 or 1d4+1 if you seem a serious threat
Alignment: True Neutral
Languages: The Lingua Franca, though Jackals are loath to speak unless it presents an advantage
Treasure: Jackals know a lot, being wise creatures.  They will offer to trade this for food and other tasty things.  However, they often lie.  This is known to almost all travelers and adventurers.   

Coyote is too hung up on the morality of the situation, according to his younger brother.  As far as Jackal is concerned, the world is doomed and we all deserve to burn with it.  Or at least, most of us do.  Jackal believes that because of the intrusion of the the Dragon-Goddess, the Queen of Chaos, the world has been irrevocably tainted.  We are doomed to a long, slow slide to entropy, ending when the world dissolves back into formless matter as befits Chaos.  Who knows what will come after that- perhaps a new world will spring from the roiling ocean of chaos left behind, or perhaps nothing awaits us but endless, meaningless change.  Either way, this does not concern Jackal.

For while his brother took up the mission of chastising the proud and helping the humble, Jackal is out to get whatever he can.  He has no cosmic mission, self-applied or otherwise.  There is no saving this world, so we might as well enjoy it while we can.  To beings with a smaller time-scale, he would tell them that since they are going to die, they might as well have fun before they do.  The world is unjust and broken, so we might as well have laugh and make merry while we can. 

The story that most demonstrates Jackal's character is when he was traveling and came upon Lion and Tiger before their feud.  The two of them were fighting over the carcass of a horse.  So intervening, Jackal asked them what was wrong.  Both Lion and Tiger told him that they had found the horse and planned to divide it amongst themselves.  But both of them insisted that they each deserved the larger share, as it would be impossible to divide the carcass evenly.  Tiger insisted he was the elder, so he deserved the bigger share.  Lion insisted that since he was cleverer and wiser than Tiger, he deserved the larger cut.  So Jackal proposed a contest- he told them he knew of a method of how to divide the horse so that both of them would get the same amount.  He offered to do this for them, in such a way that they would both get an equal share. 

The two brothers agreed, and asked how to do this.  Jackal explained that all they had to do was climb the tallest tree in the area and ask the clouds and stars how to divide the horse.  For unlike them, the clouds and stars had a more heavenly perspective, and did not show partiality between the two of them.  The brothers agreed this was a good idea and both sought out a tree big enough for them to climb.  While they did so, Jackal gobbled up the entire horse and spat out the bones, leaving them behind.  When the brothers finally found a tree to climb, they spoke to the stars, as night had already fallen.  But to their surprise, the stars informed them that Jackal had gobbled up the carcass already.  They returned to find it was true, and Tiger cursed Jackal and swore that he would get revenge on him, then departed in a rage, trying in vain to catch him.  Meanwhile, Lion realized that while Jackal had already eaten all the meat, there was still marrow left in the bones.  So he sat and chewed them open to slurp them up. 

And to this day, the phrase, "The lion's share" is a term used to indicate someone making the best of a bad situation, or getting a raw deal.  Some people interpret the story and claim that Lion actually won the exchange and use the term in a more positive way, indicating that Lion got the best and the largest share, but this is mostly a tactic of naive propagandists trying to spin defeats into victories. 

Jackals today continue their father's mischevous ways, using their intelligence and ability to learn languages to trick people out of food, treasure or other goods.  And sometimes, Jackals will just mess with people, simply because they can.  They are not trust-worthy creatures, but maybe this time, they are telling the truth.  And who knows, maybe they are.  The only way to know is to find out. 

Statblock:

Jackal
HD 1
AR 1
Atk Bite (1d6) or Devour
Mor 12
Saves 7 or less

Devour: A Jackal can, as an action, gulp down huge amounts of meat, even an amount ordinarily too large to swallow.  This allows them to quickly strip a carcass clean and eat quickly, so no one can steal their meals.  This can also be used on a living creature, but only if that creature is restrained or helpless.  If the creature is prone or only partially immobile, they get a save to take half damage.  Devouring does 2d6 sharp damage. 

Tactics:
- Be peaceful unless combat seems more profitable
- Avoid combat unless prey is extremely vulnerable
- Ambush the helpless
- Do as much damage as possible and then flee  

source unknown

Barghest:

Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Languages: The local Lingua Franca plus 1d10 other languages spoken in the neighboring lands
Treasure: Barhgests drag enemies to hidden lairs.  They have no interest in treasure, so it piles up in these places. 

A trick some Jackals learn that instead of eating meat, they can skip a step and directly consume the mana of living creatures.  These vampiric Jackals resemble their kin, except their fur gradually pales from a shiny yellow to a paler shade, before eventually turning white.  If the Jackal continues along this path, the Jackal will find hunting easier and safer.  Soon it is able to go after bigger game, all by itself without need for allies and has no need to share the kill.  At first, it will eat the body of the slain creature as well, but as it drinks more life force, it will gradually become displeased with eating.  Draining energy is so much easier, with no need for chewing or digestion or defecation.  It's much cleaner and simpler. 

Most Jackals who follow this path die, for they are largely the same as Jackals.  But the clever, savvy ones that survive and endure find further changes wreak their body.  They grow larger and stronger, their claws and fangs sharpening to glassy points, their fur changing to the color of snow and iron.  Their faces become simian with potruding fangs, their eyes glittering orbs set deep in the folds of their faces.  And with this, the Jackal is no more and a new Barghest is born.

Barghests are often thought to be ghosts or some kind of vengeful spirit, but they are creatures, just the same as men or dogs.  The difference is that Barghests feed on the energy they can steal from living creatures.  Their claws and teeth can rend flesh, but their true purpose is revealed when the Barghest has a helpless victim.  Then their natural weapons shimmer and turn immaterial.  They slip through the skin, leaving no mark, even as the victim starts screaming.  With their fangs transformed, the Barghest feeds on the victim's soul.

These gruesome feasts can last for hours or days.  The Barghest is careful not to sever the bond between soul and body, as that would kill the victim.  Instead, the Barghest will keep the victim alive for as long as possible, imprisoning them and feeding on them time and time again.  They leave the soul with just enough strength to cling to the body, but despite their precision, they are ruthless in their butchery.  They carve apart memories and personalities, leaving their victims with horrible psychic scars.  Some who are rescued from a Barghest's den are left catatonic for the rest of their days, in a permanent sleep from which they never wake.  Others resemble elders who need to led by the hand, hand-fed and cared for at all moments of the day.  Some have their personalities permanently altered, either because of the Barghest's feeding or the horrors they experienced.  The lucky ones are simply left with shakes and tremors, horrible nightmares and phobias of dogs, wolves or the dark. 

Some can, with time and love and care, recover and return to something resembling their former selves.  Some cannot.  But even for those who can, they will never, ever forget what happened to them, nor the beast that drank their soul like it was wine. 

Statblock:

Barghest
HD 5
AR 2 [Natural Armor]
Atk Bite and Claws (1d10/1d10) or Spirit Fangs (1d6 COG/1d6 COG)
Mor 13
Saves 12 or less

Magic Claws: A Barghest can alter his claws to be physical or spiritual.  When his claws are physical, they do 1d10 sharp damage each.  When they are spiritual, they do 1d6 COG damage.  When a creature is reduced to 0 COG, he should roll on the Mental Scars table below.

Innate Spellcasting: Barghests have 5 Mana Dice.  These dice do not trigger Chaos on a roll of doubles or triples, but burn out on a 5 or 6.  A Barghest can cast the following spells as an action: Pass Without Trace, Dimension Door, Spider Climb, Perfect Illusion, Invisibility.

Canine Coterie: A Barghest can charm up to 2*HD worht of dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals or other canines or canine-like monsters.  These creatures follow the Barghest as loyal retainers with a morale of 16.  They will follow the Barghest until dismissed or faced with significant difficulty.  If mistreated or oppressed by the Barghest, the charmed canines must save.  A failed morale check means the charm breaks and the creatures return to their normal behavior.  The Barghest can attempt to reassert control over such canines as an action.

Weak to Water: Barghests are damaged by water that has been blessed by a priest, prophet, King or God.  This water damages them as acid would.  Additionally, they cannot cross running water.  This is common knowledge and is part of the reason why Barghests are often mistaken for ghosts. 

Tactics:
- Select and pick targets
- Pursue and attack such creatures
- Avoid pitched battles as much as possible

Mental Scars Table:

Roll 1d6+X on this table, where X equals the number of times reduced to 0 COG by the Barghest.

1d6
1- Trauma.  You gain a Conviction, "I am afraid of Barghests and will not go near it if I have the option."  If you hear anything about ghost dogs, goblin-hounds or any of the other names for Barghests, you will avoid that place like the plague, unless you have no choice.  If you have no choice, you will hate every second of it.  
2- Phobia + Lost Memories.  You lose 1d4 memories, emptying out as many Memory Slots, and gain a phobia of Barghests and 1d4 [1= Baboons (their faces resemble Barghests' muzzles); 2= Big dogs; 3= The dark; 4= Anything with long, curved fangs.]  If you see one of those things, you must immediately save or flee.  
3- Delusion.  You gain a delusion.  You believe that you are 1dX [1= Hunted every day by Barghests, and only one seemingly meaningless ritual keeps them away; 2= One or more of your companions is secretly feeding on you soul while you sleep, you must find out who it is, until then, you cannot let them know you know; 3= You realize your memories are false, you must seek out your real memories and personality; 4= You are being secretly monitored and manipulated by a hostile group.  You must find out where this group is and stop them from hurting you or anyone else.]
4- Personality Change.  You develop a Conviction that is the opposite of how you normally are.  If you're usually considerate and careful, your Conviction makes you more reckless, uncouth or rude. 
5- Frothing Madness.  You go insane and develop a random insanity.  The Referee should roll on his favorite insanity table.  This insanity is permanent.
6- Senility.  Your mind crumbles and you become as helpless as an ancient elder who needs to be spoon-fed.  This character is non-playable for 1 year.  After which, he must save.  If he passes his save, he recovers fully.  If not, he spends the rest of his life stumbling through a haze.  He will recover a bit, but he'll never be who he was before.  Fixing him would be an epic quest.
7+- Coma.  The character falls into a coma from which they cannot awake.  This coma lasts for 1dX [1= 1 week; 2= 1 month; 3= 1d4+1 months; 4= 1 year; 5= 1d4+1 years; 6= 1d10+2 years.]  At the end of their coma term, they must save.  On a failed save, they never wake up.  On a successful save, they wake, but their condition is as "6".  Have them save again after 1 year.  Reviving a character who will never wake from a coma is an epic quest.

by Ryan Hagerty

Dogs:

Number Appearing: 1d8
Alignment: Any Good
Languages: None
Treasure: Dogs are cute and precious creatures.  They can be bought or sold and depending on breed, can be quite valuables.  Puppies are usually worth more. 

Where Dogs come from is a bit of debate.  Some say that Dog was just one of Wolf's brothers, a faithful servant of the Wolf King.  But when he was wounded and abandoned by his brothers, a human child found him and nursed him back to health.  Thus, Dog felt obligated to swear his allegiance to the child.  Since that day, his children have worked to repay that debt, serving the children of the human.  Other tales say how Dog is actually the rebellious child of Wolf, who he bore with a human maiden.  Dog refuses to acknowledge the authority of his King and Father, and serves the offspring of his mother.  Some Druids even claim that civilized folk created Dogs as a cruel parody of Wolves and wild beasts, to demonstrate their superiority over nature.  This last one is only popular among Druids, as almost all of them hate dogs or find them distasteful at the very least.  Regardless, Dogs are ubiquitious among humans and even some other races, though their original loyalty is clearly to the former.  Many races do not trust dogs and dogs tend to return the favor.   

Base Dog Statblock:

Dog 
HD 1
AR none
Atk Bite (1d6) or Trick
Mor 13
Saves 7 or less

Loyal: Dogs are loyal to their masters first and foremost.  Even a brusque or rough master can earn a Dog's loyalty, but one that provides and shelters and comforts the dog will earn the beast's perpetual loyalty.  When they fail a morale check, if their master is in danger, dogs can reroll their morale checks.  When fighting alongside their master, they also have advantage on Fear and Charm spells.

Trick: Dogs are easily trainable, and can be taught to do many different things.  To see what Tricks a Dog has learned, roll on the Trick table below.

Tactics:
- Fight with your master
- Protect them to the death
- Always be loyal, always be there

Trick Table:

1d8
1- Pounce.  The Dog strikes out at a creature smaller than itself, attempting to clamp onto that creature's neck.  It will bit that creature around the throat or shoulder and shake it.  If the Dog successfully hits that creature, that creature must save or die.  On a failed save, the Dog breaks the creature's neck.
2- Take Down!  The Dog grapples a creature and attempts to prevent it from moving.
3- Track.  The Dog sniffs a trail and attempts to follow it.  If the creature is especially dangerous or has an animus toward Dogs, the Dog must succeed a morale check to track it.  Otherwise, it will refuse or run away.
4- Retrieve.  The Dog goes and grabs something off the ground and returns it to the master.
5- Get Help.  The Dog leaves the master and searches for allies, then attempts to bring them back.  If the Dog can find no people it recognizes, it will find someone who looks friendly.
6- Watch.  The Dog watches for danger.  If it detects something with it's keen senses, it will bark or otherwise warn the master.
7- Attack!  The Dog attacks a creature.  If attacking the same creature as the master, it gets advantage on the attack roll.
8- Nurse.  The Dog lays next to someone to comfort them.  This restores 1d4 FS and gives a creature a new save against a Fear effect. 

Mundane Dogs:

1d20
1- Inu.  A dog praised for it's loyalty and intelligence, the Inu is a fearless and honorable protector, so faithful that they stand watch at their owner's funerals or even other their fallen bodies, waiting for them to get back up.  They are an adaptable species and can tolerate most races, making them popular in many lands.  They are most commonly known through the story of Hako, an Inu who greeted his fisherman master every time he returned from the sea by the docks.  But one day, his master was caught in a storm and drowned, his boat never returning.  Hako, being unaware of this, returned to the docks every day to await his master's return.  Hako continued to make this journey for 9 years until he finally died.  By the time he died, Hako was famous throughout the land, so much so that the King of Ashane commissioned a statue of the dog, praising the dog for his loyalty and fidelity.  Even to this day, Hako is remembered and used as an example by those who wish to inspire loyalty and honor.     
2- Basenji.  Thought to be an early ancestor of the Climbing Dogs, Basenji lack claws and tails, but are still quite skilled climbers for one born only with paws.  They are highly energetic beasts, best suited for hunting or other jobs that require lots of energy to exhaust them.  Basenji make poor watch or wardogs, as they are too small to fight effectively and they lack the ability to bark, though they can make other sounds, such as growling, whining or screaming.  Some of them can even be trained to mimic other sounds with an almost disturbing effectiveness. 
3- Malamute.  Shaggy dogs with ice blue eyes, these dogs were bred to be able to pull sleds across the snowy wastes and survive in all but the most frigid of gold.  Today, they most often accompany Caribusa and Dwarves, but some still serve their original masters, the Ice-Eaters, tribes of humans who inhabit the edge of the land along the Polar Ocean, hunting seals and living in shelters made of ice.
4- Long-Haired Hound.  An unfriendly dog primarily used for hunting, Long-Hairs are primarily used by humans who inhabit the rugged hill country and arid landscapes around the Cold Gates and Mab's Mountains.  They have a very distinctive look, a long flowing coat with ears that hang low, but they do not enjoy being petted or cuddled and make poor companions. 
5- Saluki.  A floppy-earred cousin of the Greyhound, the Saluki are used as hunting dogs by many of the Steppe tribes and common companions of the Amazons.  Unlike the Greyhounds, which specialize in bursts of blinding speed, Salukis have much more endurance.  They are slower, but are easily able to keep up with horses over long distances, allowing them to travel alongside horse riders and nomads.  Additionally, their excellent vision makes them ideal watchdogs for the often times flat spaces of the plains. 
6- Shar Pei.  These beasts make good companions and have a peculiar charm, because of their strange faces covered in folds of skin.  Yet they were originally bred to hunt boars and in some cases, the Orzane.  For this reason, it is considered suspicious to own one of these dogs in some parts of the world. 
7- Chow Chow.  Also called "Puffy-Lion Dogs" in some parts of the world.  They have blue-black tongues and are usually used as guard or working dogs, being easily large enough to carry big loads.  In some places, they are raised for their meat, while in others, they are the companions of Kings.  Friendly, but if not socialized properly, can make vicious wardogs.     
8- Mastiff.  Often called "Bloody Beasts" Mastiffs are to many mercenaries the ideal wardog.  They are huge and powerful, eat anything and can move quickly when necessary.  A Mastiff can easily kill almost any Small creature, and even Medium creatures should be careful when facing one.     
9- Rat Terrier.  Rat Terriers are vicious toward small things and affectionate towards big things.  They are more loyal and trainable than cats, but their hatred of rats is legendary.  They fly into a rage at the scent of rodents and will pursue them down as far as their narrow heads allow them to.
10- Coonhound.  Floppy earred, long-snouted and stubborn, these dogs are known for their baying calls and their excellent sense of smell.  They are primarily used to hunt racoons, usually by treeing them so the huntsman can shoot them with an arrow.     
11- Goblin Hound or Gobhound.  Gobhounds are big dogs with strong jaws and square muzzles.  They are bred to hunt Goblins and other small creatures, but primarily the former.  They have weak eyes so they are not distracted by illusions and a powerful bite that can snap a Goblin's thin bones with ease.  Gobhounds turn killing Goblins from a brutal struggle into an annoying chore.  Also, when the Goblins dig tunnels that only they can enter, the Gobhound can still enter them to chase them out, while the taller warriors cannot. 
12- Dalmatian.  The origins of this handsome breed of dog is disputed, but the most popular theory is that they were adopted by the Coyoon from some small human tribe that lived up in the mountains and became the companions of the former when the Coyoon were expelled and left orphans by their elder Canfari brothers.  Dalmations trotted alongside the wagons, guarding them when their owners slept.  Some also use them to guard carriages and horses when the owners are busy.  They can also be good companions if trained well, but if not, they possess a savage, unfriendly streak that can make them dangerous. 
13- Greyhound.  The Greyhound is one of the most ancient of dogs, bred by ancient humans to catch game in the sandy areas East of the Canepri mountains.  Those ancient humans are long gone now, but the Handsome Men came to fill their place, adopting the breed as their own.  These beasts still serve them to this day, prized as hunting dogs but also as symbols of rank and status.  As the fastest and sleekest of all dogs, they are considered an extension of the majesty of the Handsome Men.
14- Truffle Terrier.  A small, easily spooked dog bred to track down edible mushrooms.  Does so with efficiency and can identify most mushrooms by scent alone, easily allowing poisonous and non-poisonous ones to be sorted, as long as the dog has been properly trained.
15- Imperial Tigereye.  A huge dog with a rust-colored pelt that protects it from even deep cuts, these dogs are primarily used by those hunting big cats or Cat monsters.  They are stoic and loyal to a fault, but not good for any owner who doesn't have the money to feed one, they are obligate carnivores and eat like kings, or the will to master one.   
16- Hanfari Ape Dog.  A dog with greenish-brown fur, claw-tipped paws and prehensile tails, these dogs can climb like cats and swing from tree to tree like monkeys.  They were bred by the Frogfolk for use in jungle living, and terrorized the enemies of the Free Frogfolk since their introduction.  Despite their savage reputation and strange appearance though, they are quite friendly, if high-energy and hard to control, mostly due to their instincts to climb everything tall.  
17- Cixosian Sea Dog.  Shaved and tattooed with glyphs, these dogs are highly capable swimmers, born with webbed feet and a great affinity for water.  Tattooed once they are fully grown and regularly shaved to prevent interference with the magic runes placed on them, they gain the ability to breath underwater and swim as fast as a marlin.  They are the prized companion of sailors and fishermen, saving those swept overboard and helping them fight Mermaids and Seafolk.  They are sometimes called 'Mermaid Hounds' for their ability to kill the former. 
18- Umbarin Retriever.  Loyal and dumb, these dogs are very good at one thing and one thing only.  They are good at retrieving things, usually birds knocked out of the air by archers or men with slings.  Other then that, they're fairly clueless.
19- Queen Feria Long Earred Ghost Dog.  Also called Ghostdogs, these sensitive dogs are extremely attuned to local fluctuations in the winds of magic, and are able to sense the presence of immaterial beings and ghosts far better than even other dogs, and even have the ability to track these creatures, even when those creatures are in the Shallows.  They are often the companions of Witchfinders and Gravediggers, who find them very useful in detecting not only hidden enemies, but also magical booby-traps.   
20- Royal Mongoose Terrier.  A small, fuzzy dog with ears covered in curly fur and adorable brown eyes, they look like a noblewoman's favorite pet.  Yet the Mongoose Terrier has a secret- they were bred specifically to kill snakes.  They are extremely good at it too, dancing toward a snake with sideways steps, mimicking it's back and forth movements, then striking and snapping the snake's neck with a single blinding strike.

by White Chapel Witch

Magical Dogs:

Black Dog:

Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Languages: None
Treasure: Black Dogs guard the hidden caches of the graveyard and cities they protect and collect a share of the offerings left for the dead.  Should you help one, the Black Dog might reward you with some lost trinket or forsaken valuables. 

It is common knowledge that the first person buried in a graveyard will have their spirit bound to the land to serve as the protector of the other dead and living who come to visit them.  This ghost is often called 'The Gravedigger's Helper'.  These ghosts are said to remain until the End of the Age, where they will all be set free.  The problem arises when people realize that they might not get to see their loved ones in the afterlife, which is something no one wants.  Some cities solve this problem by killing a murderer or convicted criminal and burying him in a new graveyard, but binding a murderer to a graveyard is a risky gamble. 

The more popular solution is to kill a dog and bury it instead.  This Dog becomes a Black Dog, watching over it's sacred charge, only appearing to drive off grave-robbers and demons who come to snatch away the souls of the dead, or steal their rock souls for some devious crime. 

Black Dogs are usually harmless, but they can mistake unknown people in the graveyard as potential miscreants and attack by mistake.  They are sometimes also known to be seen by those near death, which tends to frighten the ignorant.  There are stories of Black Dogs killing those who are near death or pulling the chariot ridden by a skeleton crowned in gold and bone, but these are simply stories, with no truth to them.

Statblock: 

Black Dog
HD 3
AR none
Atk Bite (1d6+2 radiant)
Mor 15
Saves 10 or less

Immaterial Nature: Black Dogs as ghosts.  They can fly and are intangible, so non-spiritual objects pass through them.  They are immune to damage from non-magical weapons, as well as from sources that do cold, poison and necrotic damage.

Invisible Passage: Black Dogs can turn invisible as an action.  They remain invisible until they take a free action to appear, or make an attack.  They can always be detected by dogs or cats, and are visible in mirrors.   

Honor-Bound: Black Dogs are bound to their graveyards.  They cannot be controlled by spells designed to bind or control Undead, and cannot be forced to leave their graveyard. 

Conditional Immortality: If a Black Dog is destroyed, it returns to life in 1d3+1 days at sundown.  Only defiling their graves and burning their bones will permanently remove them from their post.

Tactics:
- Guard the innocent, punish the guilty
- Stand watch over those soon to die
- Appear to warn of the presence of ghosts, demons or wandering spirits that could be harmful

source unknown

Blink Hound:

Number Appearing: 1d4
Alignment: True Neutral
Languages: None
Treasure: Blink Dogs are valuable, easily trained and intelligent beasts.  Magi, Priests and Sages who have use for them will pay great sums for a tame one.  For those who serve Heaven, rescuing or aiding them will bring a far more valuable reward.   

Blink Dogs are believed to be a race of Dogs that was cross-bred with some other creature, possibly a Folk, to create a type of Dog with the ability to fold space.  Blink Hounds resemble normal dogs, with rust-red to orange colored fur, with dark eyes and ears that fold back.  They are quick and intelligent, easily trainable and loyal to a fault.  They are a rare breed, raised mostly by a few Sages in remote monasteries and some Temples of foreign Gods.  Some are also said to serve in Heavens as companions to the Angels and servants of the Gods, who lend their speed and power to them, allowing those servants to easily travel from Heaven to Earth by bending and folding space.  Yet despite their lofty spirit, they are not much different than normal dogs besides their unnatural abilities.  They still enjoy chasing things, belly rubs and curling up by the fire.

Statblock:   

Blink Hound
HD 2
AR 1 [Natural Armor]
Atk Bite (1d8)
Mor 16
Saves 9 or less

Blink: Blink Hounds can teleport up to 30' as a free action.  They can do this each time it is their turn and may do it before or after moving and/or taking an action.  For example, a Blink Hound could bite someone, run away, then teleport into to the distance.

Fold Space: A Blink Hound can, 1/Day, open a portal to anywhere it is has been too.  This can be any distance, as long as the destination is not protected by magicks designed to repel such travelers or something else does not occur to interrupt or defeat the portal.  Opening this portal takes 1d10+1 minutes and remains open for 1 minute, after which the portal closes. 

Tactics:
- Use hit and run tactics
- Avoid superior foes
- Fight smart, retreat when in danger

source unknown

Foo Dog:

Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Lawful Good
Languages: None, but the Foo Dog can understand any language frequently spoken around it.
Treasure: To those who recognize what they are, Foo Dogs are priceless animals, worth their weight in gold, ivory, zebra skins or precious stones.

The offspring of a female dog and a benevolent Divine Dog Spirit, Foo Dogs are highly intelligent, magical guardians who protect Temples and sacred sites.  Starting off as little puffs of fur, they swiftly grow into titans as big as mastiffs, though a tad shorter and not nearly as broad.  They more than make up for this with a variety of magical powers that vary depending upon the dog and his specific lineage.  Foo Dogs can also live for centuries, as long as they do not meet a violent and bloody end.  And despite their rarity, they tend to find their way to heroes, chance and fate dancing together to drop such beasts into the laps of those who most need their protection and guidance.   

Statblock:

Foo Dog
HD 1d6+1
AR 1d4 [Natural Armor]
Atk Bite (1d12) + Slam (1d10)
Mor 15
Saves (7+HD) or less

Magical Senses: Foo Dogs can sense when spirits or other creatures are in the Shallows near them, and can sense invisible creatures who fail a Stealth check near them.  They can track amazingly well, getting +4 to track any creature whose mana they have been exposed to.  If someone attempts to ambush a Foo Dog, the Dog has a 3-in-6 chance of detecting them just before the attack begins.  

Magical Weapons: A Foo Dog's bite attacks count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances.

Smarter than the Average Dog: Foo Dogs are as smart as people and can understand any languages commonly spoken around it.  They cannot speak, but can communicate.  They usually choose to pretend to be normal dogs, but mostly understand what their charges and servants (ie owners) are talking about. 

Honored among Hounds: Foo Dogs are esteemed among Dogs, and any Good-aligned Dog will not fight them, unless the Foo Dog has been corrupted.  Even then, they will be hesitant.  Neutral Dogs will honor the Dog, and must succeed a morale check to fight or harm the Foo Dog or his charges in any way.  Evil Dogs and Dog monsters will be intimidated by Foo Dogs and will avoid fighting them unless otherwise impossible.  When traveling with a Foo Dog, reroll any failed morale checks involving dogs or dog monsters. 

Thunderous Roar: 1/Day, a Foo Dog can unleash a terrible bark that splits the air like thunder.  When this sound is heard, all enemies must immediately check morale or flee.

Tactics:
- Guard and assist your charge
- Use 'Thunderous Roar' to disrupt groups
- Help the person who seems most in trouble by fighting with them

by RavenMadwolf

Hellhound:

Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Any Evil
Languages: None
Treasure: Hellhounds terrorize the community where they were born.  There are almost always rewards for those bring them down. 

There are no such thing as bad dogs, only bad owners; all dogs go to Heaven; there is no dog that cannot be given a second chance.  These are common sayings you will hear about dogs that bite or hurt people.  They are popular because they are comforting, but like many things that are comforting, they are illusions.  There are bad dogs, for a dog can be corrupted just as easily as any other creature.  How the common dog becomes corrupted is not known- there are cruel and violent dogs, of course, but these are usually explained by the training and/or neglect they faced at the hands of their owners. 

Corruption most commonly comes from rising above the hierarchy, but Sages will argue that this isn't an option for dogs.  Other creatures must consume many forbidden meals to gain any degree of power and thus only become monsters after many years of rebellion and subversion.  But dogs who attack people are usually put down almost immediately, so there is no chance for this to occur.  Thus, such Sages argue that dogs who are corrupted are made so primarily by conditions outside of the dog's control, such as living conditions, the temperament of the owner and even possession by evil spirits. 

Yet this is a false premise, for the simple reason that the bond between dogs and mortals is so close, any breach of that covenant would represent an abomination.  There is no bond of friendship, duty or honor between Wolf and Man, but dog and man are bound together in bonds of faith and love.  To rend such apart is the antithesis of what a dog should be, even if the man is the one severing the connection.  Such a thing is sacrilege and the stuff that monsters are made of.  But perhaps it is better to cling to your illusions.  After all, a potential monster outside your house is scary enough.  If the one you loved and trusted could be a monster though, that is the far scarier notion.  The idea that even something as loving and kind as your favorite pooch might turn out to be a very, very bad dog after all.

A Hellhound is what happens when a dog is rejected, mistreated and expelled from the covenant.  Poisoned by hatred and anger, they grow strange and warped, jaws growing heavy with muscle and teeth, lips set into a permanent snarl, eyes long emptied of love and comraderie.  The fur that once cuddled and warmed now becomes armor, piercing and entangling those who try to offer comfort.  The Hellhound is a sneering parody of a dog, which it views with contempt.  Where one was united in brotherhood, the latter seeks to separate itself from others and to enforce that same isolation on others.  You will know the pain of loss, as you are forcibly taken from your loved ones, or you are forced to watch them be taken from you.  It does not matter which happens, only that you suffer as it has suffered.  Yet even the pain you feel and the blood you shed will not be enough for the Hellhound.  It is never enough.

Statblock:

Hellhound
HD 1d4+2
AR 3 [Natural Armor]
Atk Bite (1d10+2 + poison) + Claw (1d8+1)
Mor 13
Saves (7+HD) or less

Invisible Passage: Hellhounds can turn invisible as an action.  They turn visible when they make a strenuous action or attack.  They can also turn visible as a free action.  While invisible, they leave no trace of their passage on dirt, but burn pawprints into wood and leave them on stone.  They can be seen in mirrors and when they are nearby, even if invisible, they can be detected by other dogs.  Dogs who detect signs of them must immediately check morale or want to leave the area. 

Magical Weapons: A Hellhound's natural weapons are considered magic for the purposes of overcoming damage resistances. 

Tactics:
- Target vulnerable creatures
- Ambush those who are weak or alone
- Pretend to be weaker than you actually are
- Pretend to surrender, then attack again

To customize a Hellhound, roll on the table below:

What does the Hellhound look like?

1d6
1- It has coal-black fur, glowing red eyes and teeth and claws of iron.  It's breath is rank and poisonous and it carries the scent of sulfur.
2- It is skinless, with muscle and viscera clearly visible.  It has no eyes, but it's other senses compensate well enough that it is unaffected by it's blindness.
3- It has translucent flesh, with dark bones visible through waxy, jelly-like flesh.  It has far more bones than a dog should, as if it houses multiple skeletons inside it's body.
4- It's neck is long like a hydra's, while the it's mouth bristles with needle teeth.  The tongue is tipped in a pointed barb.
5- It is covered in dark scales with a lighter underbelly, except for it's legs, which are covered in coarse fur.  The tail has become a living serpent, snapping at those who come too close.
6- It's back legs end in hooves and it has a pair of fleshy tentacles emerging from it's shoulder blades.  These usually remain coiled around it's body, which is hairless and discolored, it's muzzle halfway between a pig's and a dog.   

What damage type is this Hellhound immune to?

1d4
1- Fire.
2- Poison.
3- Necrotic.
4- Ice.

What other power does this Hellhound have?

1d6
1- It can leap into and out of mirrors, using them as portals to enter closed areas.
2- It can teleport using shadows, entering one and leaving through another within 100'.
3- It can, once it has tasted someone's blood, always find that person's trail.
4- It can speak and mimic the voices of others. 
5- It can disguise itself as a normal dog.  This illusion does not disguise scent or stand up to physical inspection.
6- It can grow to the size of a horse, which causes it to get +4 on pursuit rolls and do +1 damage, while taking -1d4 damage from creatures per size category that it is larger.  When in normal form, it is a Medium creature.  When it grows, it becomes a Large creature. 

What does the Hellhound's poison do?

1d6
1- It does 1d6 poison damage a round until it does 3d6 poison damage or the creature passes a CON save.
2- It gives the creature a -1d6 penalty on attack and defense rolls. 
3- It forces a creature to save or be blinded.  On a successful save, the creature only gets -2 on checks or saves relating to vision.
4- It causes the creature's sense of touch to be greatly enhanced, causing that creature to take +1 damage from all sources.  If the creature experiences something pleasurable or painful, he must save or lose his next turn.
5- It causes the creature to take +1d4 damage from the Hellhound's attacks for the next hour.
6- It causes the creature to start bleeding out of every orifice, taking 1 damage a round for the next 1d10 minutes (1 minute = 10 rounds).  After each minute, the creature may make a CON save to end the effect.

 by anastina91

Wolf-Princess: 

Number Appearing: 1
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Languages: 1d20 languages, most archaic but a few modern as well.
Treasure: Wolf-Maidens carry magical weapons and wear jewelry made of moonlight and winter wind.  They will hand these over to worthy champions or off them as prizes.  They can also offer magical boons on behalf of the Wolf King. 

The Wolf-Princesses are the brides, concubines and bodyguards of the Wolf King.  They are shapeshifters, taking the form of enormous, silver-and-slate furred wolves, Wolf-women in clinging garments or human women with wolf ears, tails and golden eyes.

Wolf-Princesses act as the King's hands, carrying out his will and ensuring his edicts are obeyed.  If the Wolf King needs you to hear a message, one of them will come to you to hand down his judgement.  They also fight to defend the King's interests, fighting his enemies and preventing widepsread violation of the Celestial Hierarchy.  They are usually obeyed by all faithful canines, with the exception of Dogs, who are in rebellion against their King.  For this reason, though they will charm dogs and use them as necessary, they never show any respect toward those beasts, with the exception of the Foo Dogs, though that is rank pragmatism at best.

Wolf-Princesses carry magical weapons which they will sometimes lend to worthy champions, usually in exchange for some kind of service.  The weapons they carry are spirit weapons, each one created by the Wolf Princesses' spirit, so killing her will just cause her weapon to crumble to dust and vanish.  And unlike other spirits, the Wolf-Princesses make no pacts or bargains with mortals, but they do negotiate on behalf of the King.  Should he wish to honor a mortal or select a champion, they can bestow power upon those mortals, usually for little or nothing in return, except for some kind of service.            

Wolf-Princesses also serve one other purpose.  When someone offends the King, harms his interests or threatens his children, they serve as his agents of Vengeance.     

Statblock:

Wolf-Princess
HD 1d4+2
AR 1d4+1 [Natural Armor]
Atk Spirit Weapons [Varies, see below] - Humanoid Form
Bite (1d12-4) + Claws (1d8 + grapple) - Wolf Form
Mor 15
Saves (7+HD) or less
Resistance to Cold and Lightning damage

Native of the Shallows: Wolf-Princesses can, as an action, leave or enter the Shallows of the Astral Sea at will.  When they does this, they vanish from our world but also loses any ability to affect it except indirectly, until they re-enter our world.

Shapeshifter: Wolf-Princesses can shapeshift, changing their form between that of a humanoid of various types of a Large Wolf.  Regardless of what form they are in, their abilities and statistics remain the same, and they always have wolf ears, tails and golden eyes.    

Alpha: A Wolf Princess can, 1/Day, summon 1d6 regular Wolves or 1d4 Ghost Wolves to aid her in battle.

Charm Canine: A Wolf-Princess can, as an action, attempt to charm a canine or canine-type monster as an action.  That creature must save.  On a failed save, the creature is charmed by the Wolf-Princess and will not take an action to harm her, nor will allow her to come to harm if that creature could prevent it.  It will generally obey orders, though anything that seems particularly unpalatable or dangerous can still prompt a morale check.

Spirit Being: Spirits have bodies made of mana.  Magical weapons automatically ignore their armor, while non-magical ones must penetrate their armor as normal.  Damage from spells or magical abilities also ignores their armor. 

Tactics:
- Uphold the honor of the Wolf King
- Fight with honor and grace, unless your opponent refuses to abide by them
- Show no fear in the face of death

To customize a Wolf-Princess, roll on the tables below:

What does this Wolf-Princess fight with?

1d6
1- A whip made of wolf hair.  If she injures a creature with her whip, she can grapple that creature.  She makes four attacks, with each doing 1d6 damage.
2- A bow that fires arrows tipped in starmetal.  She makes two attacks that do 1d6+4 damage.  If a creature hit by one of these arrows has a magical effect affecting it (Charm, Fear, Mage Armor, etc) that effect immediately ends.  If there are multiple persistent effects, roll randomly. 
3- A pair of glittering knives made of steel and dripping with ice.  She makes two attacks that do 1d6+2 sharp + 1d6 cold if the hit is confirmed.
4- A spear with a rabbit's foot dangling from the crossguard.  She makes two attacks that do 1d8+2 damage each.  When she hits a creature, she can force that creature to compete against her in a STR contest.  If she wins, that creature is knocked prone.
5- A sword made of smooth black metal and a small leather shield hung with feathers.  She can make three attacks that do 1d6+1 each.  Her sword can also fire blasts of cold, doing 2d6 cold damage, save for half, and she can use this ability every 1d4 rounds. 
6- A net made of frozen moonbeams and a bident with a handle wrapped in dog-leather.  She makes two 1d8+2 attacks.  She can replace one attack with a net attack, which does no damage on a success but instead entangled a creature, knocking it prone and restraining it. 

What magical boons can she offer you?

1d6
1- She can give you enhanced senses.  1/Day, for 10 minutes, your senses are boosted to the levels of a Wolf.  This gives you a +4 bonus to any rolls based on scent or hearing. 
2- She can give you the ability to speak with wolves and other canines as if you shared a language.
3- She can give you a magic weapon.  She gives you Longtooth, a magic sword.  While carrying Longtooth, your teeth transform to become more wolfish and you become an obligate carnivore.  Also, 4/Day, you can fire one of your fangs out of your mouth.  This does 1d8+2 damage, save for half.  Your fangs regrow after 1d4 days. 
4- She can give you the ability to shapeshift into a wolf.  While a wolf, you get +10 Fighting Spirit, have enhanced senses and can run much faster, but can't use armor or weapons, or anything requiring opposable thumbs.  Spellcasting is also impossible, as you can't pronounce the words or make the required hand gestures.      
5- She can bless your next hunt.  The next time you go hunting, you will stumble upon an enormous elk, fat deer or other animal that would be a prize catch.  She won't guarantee you catch it however.  The Wolf-King insists that his children be self-reliant. 
6- She can give you the ability to commune with canine spirits, including the Royal Children of the King, or even the King himself.

by Aleski Briclot