Monster Manual

Environment: Windswept Depths of PandemoniumOrganization: Solitary, gang (2–4), or pack (6–10)Challenge Rating: 3Treasure: NoneAlignment: Always chaotic evilAdvancement: 7–9 HD (Large); 11–18 HD (Huge)Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)This creature looks like some gaunt, bestial hound or feline, with a maneof bristling quills.Howlers live on planes where chaos and evil hold sway; they originateon the plane of Pandemonium. These beasts hunt in packs,racing through caverns to wear down their prey and rend it to bits.A howler is about 8 feet long and weighs about 2,000 pounds.Although they are surprisingly intelligent, howlers do notspeak—they only howl. If there is a language within the howls, assome have suggested, even spells cannot decipher it. Howlersunderstand Abyssal.COMBATHowlers attack in groups, for they are cowardly and cruel. Theyprefer to charge into combat, race out, and then charge in again.A howler’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, aretreated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcomingdamage reduction.Quills (Ex): A howler’s neck bristles with long quills. Whilebiting, the creature thrashes about, striking with 1d4 ofthem. An opponent hit by a howler’s quill attack must succeedon a DC 16 Reflex save or have the quill break offin his or her flesh. Lodged quills impose a –1 penaltyon attacks, saves, and checks per quill. The save DC isDexterity-based.A quill can be removed safely with a DC 20Heal check; otherwise, removing a quilldeals an extra 1d6 points of damage.Howl (Ex): All beings other thanoutsiders that hear the creature’showling for an hour or longer aresubject to its effect, though it doesnot help the howler in combat.Anyone within hearing range of ahowler for a full hour must succeed on aDC 12 Will save or take 1 point ofWisdom damage. The save DC isCharisma-based. The save mustbe repeated for each hour ofexposure. This is a sonic mindaffectingeffect.TRAINING AHowlerHOWLERSmall and Medium infernal creatures such as quasits, abyssal orcs,and even succubi sometimes use howlers as mounts or pack animals.Larger and more powerful demons use them like huntingdogs.Although intelligent, a howler requires training before it canbear a rider in combat. To be trained, a howler must have a friendlyattitude toward the trainer (this can be achieved through a successfulDiplomacy check). Training a friendly howler requires sixweeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check. Riding ahowler requires an exotic saddle. A howler can fight while carryinga rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeedson a Ride check.Carrying Capacity: A light load for a howler is up to 460pounds; a medium load, 461–920 pounds; and a heavy load,921–1,380 pounds. A howler can drag 6,900 pounds.HYDRAThis beast resembles some great reptile with a veritable forest of heads onlong, slender necks.Hydras are reptilelike monsters with multiple heads; they canquickly tear apart all but the most well-armored foes.A hydra is gray-brown to dark brown, with a light yellow or tanunderbelly. The eyes are amber and the teeth are yellow-white. It isabout 20 feet long and weighs about 4,000 pounds.Hydras do not speak.COMBATHydras can attack with all their heads at no penalty, even if theymove or charge during the round.A hydra can be killed either by severing all its heads or by slayingits body. To sever a head, an opponent must make a successfulsunder attempt with a slashing weapon. (The player shoulddeclare where the attack is aimed before making the attack roll.)Making a sunder attempt provokes an attack of opportunityunless the foe has the Improved Sunder feat. An opponent canstrike at a hydra’s heads from any position in which he could strikeat the hydra itself, because the hydra’s head writhe and whip aboutin combat. An opponent can ready an action to attempt to sundera hydra’s head when the creature bites at him.Each of a hydra’s heads has hitpoints equal to the creature’s fullnormal hit pointtotal, divided byits original number ofheads. For example, if afive-headed hydrahas 52 hit points, 10 ormore points ofdamage severs ahead (52 ÷ 5 =10.4, rounded down to 10).Losing a head dealsdamage to the bodyequal to half thehead’s full normal hitpoints. A naturalreflex seals theneck shut to preventfurther bloodloss. A hydra can nolonger attack with asevered head but takesno other penalties.Each time a head is severed,two new heads spring from thestump in 1d4 rounds. A hydra can never have more thantwice its original number of heads at any one time, and any extraheads it gains beyond its original number wither and die within aday. To prevent a severed head from growing back into two heads,at least 5 points of fire or acid damage must be dealt to the stumppqqrsBEHIND THE CURTAIN: HYDRASHydras are intended to be monsters that are difficult to defeat byconventional means. Characters without the Improved Sunder feat willfind it difficult and dangerous to attack by lopping off the monster’sheads, and the hydra’s fast healing ability means that damage directedat its body is quickly restored. The hydra rewards characters who havethe Improved Sunder feat and parties who learn to coordinate theirattacks effectively.pqqrs155HYDRA