Moon Dog

(from 2nd Edition Monstrous Compendium - Outer Planes Appendix - 1991):

Often mistaken for baneful monsters, moon dogs are native creatures of Elysium and champions of the causes of good. They often appear in the Prime Material plane to fight evil wherever it shows itself.

Moon dogs look very similar to large wolf hounds. Their strange heads are slightly human in appearance, giving the animals a very intelligent look. The creatures’ forepaws are adaptable, giving the moon dogs the ability to travel bipedally or on all fours. They are dark colored animals, ranging from dark gray to deep black. Moon dogs have amber eyes.

Moon dogs speak their own language, and they can communicate with all canines and lupines as well. They can speak common using a limited form of telepathy.

Combat: Woe to those who enter combat with a moon dog. These creatures of good are potent fighters and merciless against evil. Their powerful bite inflicts 3-12 points of damage.

Moon dogs prefer to attack with their keening howl. This baying is harmful to evil creatures only. Any evil creature within an 80 foot radius of a baying moon dog is affected as by a fear spell cast at 12th-level of magic use. Additional moon dogs baying have a cumulative effect. The howling will also cause 5-8 points of damage per round to evil creatures within 40 feet. In addition, the howling will cause intense physical pain to extra-planar creatures of evil alignment so much that they are 5% likely per moon dog howling to return to their plane. Moon dogs can whine to dispel illusions or bark to dispel evil, once per round.

The following spell-like powers (at 12th-level of use) are available to a moon dog one at a time, once per round, at will:

• change self, 3 times per day

• cure disease, by lick, 1 time per individual per day

• cure light wounds, by lick, 1 time per individual per day

• dancing lights

• darkness, 15’ radius

• detect evil, always active

• detect invisibility, always active

• detect magic, always active

• detect snares & pits, always active

• improved invisibility

• light

• mirror image, 3 times per day

• non-detection

• shades, 1 time per day

• slow poison, by lick, 1 time per individual per day

• wall of fog

Moon dogs can become ethereal and have the ability to travel in the ethereal and Astral plane at will. They have superior vision equal to double normal vision, including 60' infravision. Combined with an unusually keen sense of smell and hearing, this grants moon dogs the detection abilities listed above, plus the ability to detect all illusions. Association with a moon dog for one hour or more removes charms and acts as a remove curse.

When in shadowy light, a moon dog is able to move in such a way as to effectively create magic equal to a hypnotic pattern of shadows. Only evil creatures will be affected. At the same time, each creature of good within the area will effectively gain a protection from evil and remove fear spell benefit. Moon dogs may not attack or perform any other action when weaving this pattern of shadows. It requires one full round to weave and extends to a range of 50 feet. The moon dog can dispel magic, but doing so will force it back to its own plane immediately.

Moon dogs may be damaged only by +2 or better magical weapons. They are never surprised (due to their keen senses) and cause opponents to subtract 3 from their surprise rolls. Moon dogs are immune to fear spells. They make all saving throws at a +2 bonus and takes half or quarter damage.

Habitat/Society: Moon dogs are native to the plane of Elysium. They are champions of good and will often travel about the upper planes and the Prime Material plane to challenge evil.

Moon dogs are friendly to all good and neutral races and those friendly to those races. They will not long associate with anyone because they are constantly on the move, hunting evil.

Ecology: Moon dogs will often communicate with communities of men, using telepathy, in order to locate trouble spots among them.

(from Book of Exalted Deeds - 2003):

This man-sized mastiff strongly resembles a wolf hound with a shaggy, deep-black coat. It bears some striking humanlike characteristics, including front paws with opposable digits. Its haunting eyes resemble lustrous obsidian orbs. 

Often confused with the baleful yeth hound, the moon dog might be considered that creature’s good counterpart—a native of Elysium and champion of good. A moon dog is roughly the size of a large man on all fours. Its front paws have some limited capacity for manipulation, and a moon dog can stand and even walk (at half speed) on its hind legs in order to make use of the forepaws. 

Moon dogs speak Celestial, Common, and Infernal, but they prefer to communicate telepathically. 

Combat: Moon dogs are potent fighters and relentless in their pursuit of evil. They use their howl ability as soon as evil foes are within range, then use their vicious bite in melee. 

Bark (Su): When a moon dog barks, as a standard action, it creates a dispel evil effect as cast by a 12th-level cleric. The save DC is Charisma-based. 

Bay (Su): A moon dog can bay as a standard action. Its baying has the effect of a fear spell cast by a 12th-level sorcerer (Will save DC 17), but it affects only evil creatures within an 80-foot radius of the moon dog. A creature that makes a successful Will save is immune to that particular moon dog’s baying for 24 hours. This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. 

Howl (Su):When a moon dog howls, evil creatures within 40 feet of the moon dog take 1d4+4 points of damage per round, in addition to the fear effect of its baying. Evil extraplanar creatures within 40 feet of a howling moon dog are targeted by a dismissal effect as cast by a 12th-level caster. 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. 

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. The moon dog’s caster level is 12th. 

Spell-Like Abilities: Always active—arcane sight, blessed sight*, detect snares and pits, see invisibility; at will—astral projection (self only), dancing lights, darkness, ethereal jaunt, fog cloud, greater invisibility (DC 17), light, nondetection (DC 16); 3/day—change self, mirror image; 1/day—greater shadow conjuration (DC 20). Caster level 12th.The save DCs are Charisma-based. 

*New spell described in Chapter 6 of this book. 

Whine (Su): A moon dog can whine as a standard action to automatically dispel any illusion effect within 50 feet. 

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. 

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. 

Luck (Su): A moon dog receives a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws (reflected in the statistics above). 

Scent (Ex): A moon dog can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. 

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. Evil creatures within this effect are fascinated as though by a hypnotic pattern spell (Will save DC 17) cast by a 10th-level sorcerer. Good creatures within the effect are warded by a protection from evil effect and a remove fear effect for the duration of the pattern. The save DC for the hypnotic pattern effect is Charisma-based. 

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. Telepathy (Su): A moon dog can communicate telepathically with any creature within 50 feet that has a language. 

Skills: A moon dog receives a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks.