Monster Geographica - Marsh & Aquatic.pdf - The Secrets of the ...

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Retch Hound
Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 3d10+6 (22 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural),
touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, stench,
trip
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., scent
Saves: Fort+5, Ref+5, Will+2
This beast looks like a large wolf with sickly
brownish-yellow fur, matted and torn in places.
Small sores cover its body, each oozing a thick,
yellowish-green liquid, and the creature’s mouth is
filled with pointed yellow teeth. Four large yellow
eyes are aligned evenly across its head.
Retch hounds are highly aggressive and
powerfully built carnivores that love the taste of
human flesh and bones. Their appearance lends
to the facade of a sickly, unhealthy dog which
sometimes works to the retch hound’s advantage
when hunting its prey.
Retch hounds are often found in the service
of powerful fighters and warriors, who use the
dogs to guard prisoners, lead hunting expeditions,
and perform other such services. A retch hound is
only as loyal to its master as it has to be to insure
its own survival. While the dog won’t necessarily
seek escape at the earliest possible time, it often
turns on its master at some point. Retch hounds
raised in captivity are often more loyal to their
masters, than those captured in the wild.
Retch hounds stand 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall at the
shoulder and weigh about 200 pounds.
Combat
Retch hounds hunt their prey in packs.
Using an eerie howl, they seem to coordinate and
communicate with one another during these hunts.
A favored tactic of a retch hound pack is to encircle
a foe and then hit it from all sides at once. Usually
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Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 5, Wis
12, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +4, Search +3, Spot +8,
Survival +3 (+7 when tracking by scent)
Feats: Alertness, Track
Environment: Temperate forests and
marshes
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral (evil
tendencies)
Advancement: 4-7 HD (Medium); 8-9 HD
(Large)
Level Adjustment: —
the largest hound in the pack is the leader. When
slain, a retch hound melts into a pile of stinking
and bubbling slime.
Breath Weapon (Su): Once per minute, a
retch hound can belch forth digestive juices in a
10-foot cone. Affected creatures take 2d6 points
of acid damage and are nauseated for 1d3 rounds.
A successful DC 13 Reflex save halves the acid
damage and prevents the nausea. The save DC is
Constitution-based.
Stench (Ex): All living creatures (except
other retch hounds) within 30 feet of a retch
hound must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save
or be sickened for 10 rounds. The save DC is
Constitution-based. Creatures that successfully
save cannot be affected by the same retch hound’s
stench for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize
poison spell removes the effect from the sickened
creature. Creatures with immunity to poison
are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison
receive their normal bonus on their saving throws.
Trip (Ex): A retch hound that hits with a bite
attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+ 2 check
modifier) as a free action without making a touch
attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the
attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the
retch hound.
Skills: Because of its multiple eyes, a retch
hound has a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search
checks. Retch hounds have a +4 racial bonus on
Survival checks when tracking by scent.