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Hodag
Because they're often fantastically described in the wild tall tales of loggers or miners, hodags are considered by many to exist only in local folklore. However, some individuals have actually encountered these dangerous beasts firsthand, though even fewer have lived to tell the tale.Hodags are reptilian creatures the size of bulls. Their vicious claws can tear creatures apart in seconds. Their backs sport dozens of long spines, running from their snouts all the way down the length of their powerful tails. Their wide mouths are full of sharp, twisted rows of teeth, not unlike those of a shark. The hodags' rough, scaly hides carry hues of green and brown, allowing them to blend into their forest surroundings where they ambush prey. Only their glowing red eyes reveal their presence, though hodags have learned to use this to their advantage by drawing attention to their eyes in one area, closing them, and stealthily moving to another area to discombobulate prey.
Because hodags are rarely seen, their biology is a matter of some mystery. While they may have evolved as natural beasts, rumors persist that they spring from curses or as punishment for mistreating livestock.
In the wintertime, when snow and ice blanket a region, hodags grow a foul-smelling coat of greasy, dark-brown fur that sprouts in tufts from between their scales. A typical hodag measures over 10 feet long from snout to tail and weighs upward of 700 pounds.
Recall Knowledge - Beast (Arcana, Nature): DC 24
Unspecific Lore: DC 22
Specific Lore: DC 19
Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level
Changes from being Weak are marked in red below.NOTE: The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.
Weak HodagCreature 5
Uncommon Large Beast Source Monster Core 2 pg. 192
Perception +12; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Languages Common; (can't speak any language)
Skills Athletics +11, Stealth +12 (+14 in forests), Survival +10
Str +5, Dex +4, Con +5, Int -2, Wis +4, Cha +0
Trackless A hodag sweeps the ground behind it with its tail as it moves, obscuring its tracks. The DCs of checks to Track a hodag are increased by 10.
AC 22; Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +10
HP 70
Ferocity [reaction]
Speed 25 feet, burrow 15 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +15 [+10/+5], Damage 2d8-2+8 piercingMelee [one-action] claw +15 [+11/+7] (agile), Damage 2d6-2+8 slashingMelee [one-action] spiked tail +15 [+10/+5] (reach 10 feet, versatile P), Damage 2d6-2+8 bludgeoning plus KnockdownRip and Tear [two-actions] The hodag makes two claw Strikes and one jaws Strike in any order.Toss [two-actions] The hodag Strides, then makes a Strike against a target in reach. If it moves at least 20 feet and succeeds at its Strike, the hodag deals damage normally and then attempts an Athletics check against the creature's Fortitude DC to toss the enemy into the air. On a success, the tossed creature is thrown 10 feet in a straight line in the direction of the hodag's choice and then lands prone. If the creature is knocked into a solid object, it takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage before landing prone. The hodag can instead toss a creature straight up in the air. The creature lands in the same square where it started, takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and falls prone.
Hodag Tales
Those who've encountered hodags tend to create larger-than-life reports of the sighting. In the dense Verduran Forest, lumberjacks working for the Lumber Consortium regale each other with competing stories about Big Marna, a legendary hodag who the loggers claim has killed two dozen people. Inhabitants of Echo Wood in the River Kingdoms spin lore about Black Shiv, a hodag spotted haunting the outskirts of small settlements, and hunters and miners in the southwestern reaches of Ravounel speak of a frightening undead hodag called Ghouliegut.
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