Moon Dog
Alignment: Any good or any evil
HD: d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special1st +1 +0 +2 +2 Moon Dog Body, Keen Senses, Lesser SLAs, Moonlight Hunt, Shadow Pattern, Speak with Canines
2nd +2 +0 +3 +3 DR 1/cold iron or evil, Scent, +1 STR, +1 CHA
3rd +3 +1 +3 +3 SR 14, Telepathy
4th +4 +1 +4 +4 DR 2/cold iron or evil, SR 15, Howl, +1 STR, +1 CHA
5th +5 +1 +4 +4 SR 16, Overwhelming Threat, Soothing Ministrations
6th +6 +2 +5 +5 DR 3/cold iron or evil, SR 17, Evasion, +1 STR, +1 CHA
7th +7 +2 +5 +5 SR 18, Bay, Luck
8th +8 +2 +6 +6 DR 4/cold iron or evil, SR 19, Bark, +1 STR, +1 CHA
9th +9 +3 +6 +6 SR 20, Summoned to the Hunt
10th +10 +3 +7 +7 DR 5/cold iron or evil, SR 21, Improved Evasion, +1 STR, +1 CHA
11th +11 +3 +7 +7 SR 22, Whine
12th +12 +4 +8 +8 DR 6/cold iron or evil, SR 11+HD, Greater SLAs, Voice of the Moon, +1 STR, +1 CHA
Skill Points: The moon dog gains 4 skill points per level (x4 at level 1).
Class Skills: The class skills for a moon dog are Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Weapon & Armor Proficiency: Moon dogs are proficient with their natural attacks only. They are not proficient with any other weapons, or with any type of armor or shield.
Moon Dog Body: The moon dog loses all existing racial traits and gains the outsider type (granting Darkvision 60ft), with a 50 ft. base land speed. The moon dog gains a bite attack that deals 1d8 + STR mod damage. The moon dog also gains natural armor equal to 2 + its CON modifier (if positive). A moon dog can use its forepaws for manipulation, and can stand and even walk (at half speed) on its hind legs in order to make use of the forepaws.
Keen Senses (Ex): A moon dog sees four times as well as a human in low-light conditions and twice as well in normal light. It also has darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
Lesser Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): The moon dog must develop abilities that enable it to hunt down and overcome its enemies. At 1st level, the moon dog can use the following spell-like abilities each once per day:
arcane sight,
dancing lights,
darkness,
detect snares and pits,
fog cloud,
light, and
nondetection. At 6th level, it can use each of these abilities twice per day and also gains access to
mirror image and
see invisibility as spell-like abilities usable with the same frequency. At 9th level, it can use each of these abilities three times per day. At 12th level, it can use each of these abilities four times per day, or once per day for every 3 HD the creature possesses, whichever is greater. At 9th level, however, the moon dog can use
arcane sight and
detect snares and pits, and at 12th level these spells are always active. For these abilities, the moon dog's caster level is equal to its HD (save DC 10 + 1/2 HD + moon dog's CHA mod).
Moonlight Hunt: A moon dog receives a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. It also receives a +2 bonus to survival checks when on other planes.
Shadow Pattern (Su): When in shadowy light, a moon dog can move itself and manipulate the shadows around itself to create a special shadow pattern. Creating the pattern is a full-round action, and the pattern lasts only as long as the moon dog concentrates to maintain it, plus an additional 2 rounds. The pattern emanates in a 50-foot radius around the moon dog. Creatures within this effect with an opposed alignment on the good-evil scale are fascinated as though by a hypnotic pattern spell (Will save negates). Also, if the moon dog's alignment is good, then good creatures within the effect are warded by a protection from evil effect and a remove fear effect for the duration of the pattern. If the moon dog's alignment is evil, then evil creatures within the effect are warded by a protection from good effect and a remove fear effect for the duration of the pattern. The moon dog's caster level for this ability is equal to its HD (save DC 10 + 1/2 HD + moon dog's CHA mod).
Speak with Canines (Sp): A moon dog can use speak with animals (as cast by a 12th-level druid) to communicate with any canine animal, including dogs and wolves. This ability functions at will.
Damage Reduction(Ex) At 2nd level, the moon dog gains the indicated magnitude of damage reduction, which is bypassed by cold iron or evil-aligned weapons (if the moon dog's alignment is good) or by cold iron or good-aligned weapons (if the moon dog's alignment is evil). This damage reduction increases at the indicated levels as the moon dog's hunting prowess matures, until at 12th level it is equal to half the moon dog's HD (but is still bypassed by cold iron or appropriately-aligned weapons).
Scent (Ex): A moon dog can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Ability Score Bonuses: A moon dog is strong and fearsome. The moon dog gains a +1 bonus to each STR and CHA at each even-numbered level, for a total +6 STR, +6 CHA at level 12.
Spell Resistance (Ex): As the moon dog bathes in the silver radiance of the moon, its coat becomes infused with its light. Starting at 3rd level, a moon dog gains spell resistance 14. For each class level the moon dog gains, this spell resistance increases by one. At 12th level, this spell resistance becomes equal to 11 + HD. Also, this spell resistance always increases by +4 against evil spells (good spells, if the moon dog's alignment is evil) and spells cast by evil outsiders (good outsiders, if the moon dog's alignment is evil).
Telepathy (Su): The hunter must fully understand the mind of its prey. The moon dog can communicate with any creature in range that has a language. The range of the moon dog's telepathy is 10 ft. per HD.
Howl (Su): When a moon dog howls as a swift action, creatures within 40 feet of the moon dog with an opposed alignment on the good-evil scale take 1d4 points of damage per round. If a creature is currently taking damage from a moon dog's howl, subsequent howls do not increase this damage. After 7th level, any creatures affected by the fear effect of the moon dog's baying take 1d4 + CHA mod points of damage per round instead. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to half the moon dog's HD (minimum 2).
Overwhelming Threat The moon dog's mastery of the hunt improves to the point that its threat takes effect even if its prey is incapable of recognizing that fact or is not susceptible to fear. The moon dog's class abilities now pierce any immunity to fear or immunity to mind-affecting effects, but creatures with such immunities receive a +5 bonus to their saving throws.
Soothing Ministrations (Su): By licking a wound, a moon dog can create any of the following effects, one time each per individual per day:
cure light wounds,
remove disease, and
slow poison. If the moon dog's alignment is evil, then the effects are instead
inflict light wounds,
contagion, and
poison. The moon dog's caster level for this ability is equal to its HD.
Evasion (Ex): At 6th level and higher, a moon dog can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If the moon dog makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, it instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the moon dog is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless moon dog does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Bay (Su): A moon dog can bay as a standard action. Its baying has the effect of a fear spell (Will save partial), but it affects only creatures within an 80-foot radius of the moon dog with an opposed alignment on the good-evil scale. A creature that makes a successful Will save is immune to subsequent uses of that particular moon dog’s baying for 24 hours. This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect. The moon dog's caster level for this ability is equal to its HD (save DC 10 + 1/2 HD + moon dog's CHA mod).
Luck (Su): A moon dog receives a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws.
Bark (Su): When a good-aligned moon dog barks, as a standard action, it creates a
dispel evil effect; evil-aligned moon dogs create a
dispel good effect. The moon dog's caster level for this ability is equal to its HD (save DC 10 + 1/2 HD + moon dog's CHA mod). At 12th level, this effect functions as a
greater dispel evil (or
greater dispel good if the moon dog is evil).
Summoned to the Hunt (Ex): At 9th level, a moon dog can take a standard action to make a bite attack in combination with using its Bark, Bay, or Howl. In addition, it sends out a call to any other moon dog within 1 mile having the same alignment on the good-evil scale, alerting these potential allies to the present hunt.
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a moon dog takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage if the saving throw fails.
Whine (Su): A moon dog can whine as a standard action to automatically dispel any single illusion effect within 50 feet. The moon dog is aware if this action has succeeded or failed (because it attempted to dispel something that was not actually an illusion effect). If the moon dog does not choose to target a particular effect (or suspected effect), and there is more than one illusion effect active within range, then the dispelled effect is chosen randomly.
Greater Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At 12th level, the moon dog can use the following spell-like abilities each once per day for 5 HD the creature possesses:
astral projection (self only),
ethereal jaunt, and
greater invisibility.
Voice of the Moon: The moon dog is now fully manifesting the moon's power. When it howls, extraplanar creatures within 40 feet of a howling moon dog with an opposed alignment on the good-evil scale are targeted by a dismissal effect. The moon dog's caster level for this ability is equal to its HD (save DC 10 + 1/2 HD + moon dog's CHA mod). If more than one moon dog is howling within 40 feet of such a creature, the creature receives only one saving throw, and the effective caster level of the dismissal effect is increased by +2 for each additional moon dog beyond the first.
CommentsThe moon dog monster entry found the Book of Exalted Deeds, p. 179, is mechanically questionable, so I have attempted to improve it in thematically appropriate ways. As always, I rely upon feedback from others to correct oversights and to recommend improvements.
