Gorehound 5E Tactics
This is the first creature I've done from the Pendrake Encounter "A Midwinter Night's Dream", and the first fey creature, but it's essentially a faerie wolf-creature straight out of a nightmare...
Their primary role of this grymkin is as a pursuit predator for the grymkin, leveraging its higher movement of 40 ft., immunity to exhaustion, extended darkvision, Perception proficiency, Keen Smell, and Incorporeal Movement to relentlessly pursue quarry over any distance, without relief, and through any physical obstacles. They can do this while remaining unseen, making use of their Stealth proficiency and Shadow Stealth trait to strike from hiding when they come upon their quarry.
If caught in a fair fight, gorehounds can tank decently, as they have decent Hit Dice, decent CON, above average AC, proficiency in DEX saves, and are also immune to the frightened condition. Unlike most creatures that flee when reduced to 40% of their health eg 51 hit points, these hounds are unwilling to give up on a hunt when begun. They don't break off battle other than to pursue their prey if it makes a run for it, in which case they use their superior movement speed to Disengage.
These lawful evil faerie wolves are Large, occupying 2 x 2 squares, but lack extended reach with its basic Bite attacks so can get caught in melee with multiple opponents. Due to its low INT and average WIS, a gorehound fights instinctively, homing in on its intended quarry even when better targets present themselves. With high DEX and only melee attacks, the gorehound is a shock attacker, although its decent STR makes it able to hit harder than most.
Unlike many creatures with Multiattack, the gorehound doesn't have a set combination and can choose to substitute two Bites for a Tongue Lash. This latter option does the same damage, but bludgeoning rather than piercing and has a reach of 15 ft. and pulls the victim 10 ft. towards it. If the tongue attack hits and the victim fails a DC 15 STR save, it pulls the victim to within 5 ft., the gorehound can use a bonus action to make another bite, compensating for the opportunity cost of giving up two bites for the tactical option. The only time this option makes sense is when the fey wolf ends up out of melee range, but within 15 ft. of its quarry, in which case any attack with a chance of another Bite is better than no attacks...
Variant: Slay-Belle
This creature from the "A Midwinter Night's Dream" has the following additional ability:
Hear Those Slay Bells Ring (Recharge 5–6). The gorehound sets its bell ringing to produce a dissonant song. Hostile creatures within 20 feet of the gorehound that can hear it must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the gorehound for 1 minute. The charmed target must sacrifice either its movement or its action to dance and cavort wildly in time with the song. An effected target can make a Wisdom saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success, the spell ends.
This is more a thematic effect, as not attacking the gorehound or it's accompanying master, Grim (a skin & moans) in the scenario really only serves to let the pair concentrate their butchery on the villagers or characters that have not left them "gifts".
As noted in the scenario, this gorehound serves a master and disappears when the Grim is slain - it does not have a specific quarry to pursue unless the second future story suggestion is used, where it seeks revenge on its master's killer...
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