Large fiend, chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 90 (12d10 + 24)
Speed 40 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +3
Proficiency Bonus +5 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 15 (+2) | 5 (-3) | 20 (+5) | 6 (-2) |
Saving Throws (suggested) Str +6, Wis +8
Skills Perception +8
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands Abyssal but can’t speak
Challenge 8 (3900 XP)
Pack Tactics. A howler has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the howler’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The howler makes two bite attacks.
- Rending Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d 6 + 3) piercing damage, plus 22 (4d10) psychic damage if the target is frightened. This attack ignores damage resistance.
- Mind-Breaking Howl (Recharge 6). The howler emits a keening howl in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area that isn’t deafened must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of the howler’s next turn. While a creature is frightened in this way, its speed is halved, and it is in capacitated. A target that successfully saves is immune to the Mind-Breaking Howl of all howlers for the next 24 hours.
- Quill (suggested, recharge 5-6). As a bonus action, you can launch a quill from your body at a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC of 14. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d4 piercing damage and has disadvantage on attack rolls until it uses an action to remove the quill. On a successful save, the creature takes no damage and the quill falls to the ground.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
A howler is a large, quadrupedal fiend that resembles a cross between a canine and a feline. It has red fur, scales, claws, hooves, and a mane of quills on its neck. Its face is simian, with a long muzzle and sharp teeth. A howler can emit a mind-shattering howl that instills fear and madness in its enemies. A howler is native to Pandemonium, a plane of chaos and wind, where it lives in packs of six to twelve members, led by the strongest and most cunning one. It follows its leader without hesitation and serves evil mortals or fiends who can command its loyalty. A howler is intelligent enough to understand Abyssal, but cannot speak. It communicates with its pack through body language, gestures, and howls.
COMBAT
A howler relies on speed and ferocity to hunt its prey. It can launch quills from its body as a bonus action, causing piercing damage and disadvantage on attack rolls to the target until the quill is removed. It can also bite with its rending jaws, dealing extra psychic damage to frightened targets. Its most fearsome weapon is its mind-breaking howl, which it can use as an action to affect all creatures in a 60-foot cone. The howl causes creatures to make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer piercing and psychic damage, as well as become frightened and incapacitated for one minute. The howl also has a lasting effect on the minds of those who hear it, slowly driving them insane over time. A howler can recharge its howl at the end of its turn by rolling a 5 or 6 on a d6. A howler can also serve as a mount or a pack animal for smaller creatures, such as goblins or kobolds, who can tame the beasts with skill and courage.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
A howler lives in the tunnels of Pandemonium, where it prefers the larger curved passages that pass for plains and grasslands. On these plains it hunts in packs, scavenging for anything edible. As news of its migrations travels through the tunnels, other dwellers in Pandemonium brace themselves for the agony that is sure to come. A howler pack is loyal to its allies, but ruthless to its enemies. It can be hired by evil mortals or fiends as mercenaries, scouts, or guards. A howler pack defends its territory fiercely and howls during the rutting season. A female howler gives birth to one or two cubs after six months of gestation. The cubs are raised by the whole pack until they are old enough to hunt on their own. A howler can live up to 50 years in the wild, or longer if it serves a powerful master.
ECOLOGY
A howler is an omnivorous creature that feeds on both flesh and plants. It prefers to hunt live prey that can feel fear and pain, as it derives pleasure from terrorizing its victims before killing them. A howler can also feed on the emotions of its prey, especially fear, which sustains its psychic power. A howler does not need to eat often, as it can survive for weeks on a single meal. A howler reproduces by mating with another member of its pack or with a creature of similar size and shape. A howler is adapted to traveling the twisted tunnels of Pandemonium, where it is drawn to shriek its madness to the moonless heavens. Some wizards claim the howlers sing secrets of the planes, a code concealed in their pitch and their keening. Others think the wizards have been howled mad by their studies.