A Mystic SecretsWeb Enhancement

By Mike Mearls

Mystic Secrets: The Lore of Word and Rune introduced the dreaded heralds of annihilation, fearsome nihilists who serve the power known as the Dark. The heralds gather undead minions to their side as allies in their quest to destroy the cosmos. Sometimes, a herald gains the services of a dreaded hound of annihilation. These fearsome beasts are sculpted from an unholy combination of negative energy and the primal, runic power of rage. Only the most accomplished heralds can tame these beasts, and their appearance is an omen of terrible tragedy. But even a herald of annihilation cannot truly control these hounds. They range far ahead of their master, giving warning of his approach while spreading death and misery. Some believe the heralds delight in using the hounds to announce their arrival. The sadistic heralds enjoy the slow boil of fear and panic that the hounds spark.

You don't need a copy of Mystic Secrets to use this new monster. This article has everything you need to introduce the hounds of annihilation into your Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed or standard d20 campaign

Hound of Annihilation

Medium Outsider
Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (45 hp), dying/dead -4/-17
Initiative: +8
Speed: 40 feet, fly 40 feet (perfect)
AC: 16 (+2 natural, +4 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+6 and level drain)
Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+6 and level drain) and 2 claws +4 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet)
Special Attacks: Enervating bite, howl of annihilation
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, DR 10/magic (or 10/+1), herald of shadow, phased travel, SR 15
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +7
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 18, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 13
Skills: Balance +13, Escape Artist +13, Hide +13, Intuit Direction +11, Jump +11, Listen +11, Move Silently +13, Spot +11
Feats: Fleet of Foot, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (bite), Weapon Specialization (bite)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or pack (2–8)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Advancement: Medium (7–10 HD); Large (11–18 HD)

A hound of annihilation is a horrifying cross between a monstrous dog and a shadowy being of pure darkness. As befits its shadowy nature, it can slide through physical barriers in pursuit of its prey, and its terrible bite drains its victim's soul into oblivion. While feral in appearance, hounds have human-level intelligence and use deadly, well-planned tactics against their enemies.

A hound is about 6 feet long and 4 feet tall at the shoulder. It has short, sleek black fur and blue flames that flicker from its eye sockets. Its long, jagged fangs shine in the moonlight like obsidian daggers. Inky wells of negative energy pockmark its body. What looks like a normal patch of glistening black fur might be a pool of pure darkness. A brave warrior might slash at a hound, only to watch his blade pass through its body without touching hair, hide, or bone. The hounds exist in the gap between this reality and the Dark's forsaken plane. Parts of their body exist within the world, while others shift to other worlds. This deep-rooted connection to the Dark allows the hound to manifest several deadly, magical attacks.

Like their masters, hounds of annihilation delight in causing misery and pain. They roam the land before a herald of annihilation, descending in small packs upon villages and towns to destroy all who live there. Hounds are cowards at heart. They prefer running helpless peasants to the ground over facing a well-armed band of fighters. But when their masters push them, they throw themselves into any fight with relish.

Combat

Hounds prefer to attack from ambush. They use their skills to sneak close to a victim. If possible, they use their ability to phase through solid objects to strike at helpless victims or launch quick, savage strikes that slowly wear down their enemies. A hound usually phases in to attack and tears into the weakest-looking target. Then it and either uses its phased travel ability (see below) to escape or stuns its opponents with its howl to finish them off or retreat in safety.

The hounds prefer these tactics because their Armor Class and hit points are too low to risk a direct confrontation. They must rely on their herald of shadow ability to ruin attacks, but spells can quickly whittle away their strength. A hound usually prefers to fight with its back to a wall, giving it an easy escape route via its phased travel ability. It may even lure its opponents into a dead end and allow its allies to trap them while it escapes.

Enervating Bite (Su): The hound's terrible bite tears through flesh, bone, and the raw essence of its victim's life force. Anyone hit by this attack gains a negative level, while the hound gains 5 temporary hit points. A Fortitude save (DC 14) is required to remove the level. This DC is Charisma based.

Howl of Annihilation (Su): Once per day, the hound can unleash a terrible, keening wail that carries with it the focused, psionic scream of all its victims. The hound projects this energy in a 30-foot cone. Anyone in this area must make a Fortitude save (DC 14) or be stunned for 1d6+1 rounds. This is a Charisma-based DC.

Herald of Shadow (Su): The hound's strange combination of negative energy and a physical form make it difficult to land effective blows against it. Swords, arrows, and other attacks risk passing harmlessly through the aura of energy that sustains it. Any successful physical attack against the hound has a 50 percent miss chance. If the hound gains the benefits of concealment, test for the higher of this miss chance or concealment. Do not check both.

Phased Travel (Su): The hound can attune its body to a strange harmonic frequency that allows it to travel through solid objects. Once every minute (10 rounds) it can move through solid objects as part of a single move action. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. It can move through enemy squares without penalty and ignores all terrain features. It must end its movement in a clear space. If somehow it ends its space in an object, it is immediately destroyed as it phases into existence within the object. If it ends its move in a creature's space, it traces its path back to the first clear space and appears there.

Generic Fantasy Conversion

If you don't play Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, you will need a few additional stats to use this monster in your standard d20 game. The hound of annihilation is an eager servant of evil. It might fight alongside a cult dedicated to a god of darkness, or it could be a planar mercenary in service to a demon or devil.

Creature Type: Add evil and lawful subtypes.

Hit Dice: Ignore dying/dead values.

Feats: Remove the Fleet of Foot feat and reduce the hound's ground speed by 10 feet. Remove Weapon Specialization (it lacks fighter levels) and replace it with Power Attack.

Alignment: Lawful evil.