Hound of Ulmorrak

The evil high priest Ulmorrak made these as guards and pets long ago. Each is a huge undead scarab as big as a large mastiff, with strong grasping mandibles and a retractable stinger where thorax meets abdomen. Its battered, cracked shell explains its poor Armor Class, and vermin and parasites swarm its rotting body. It makes a constant sound like nails on slate.

Everyone within 30 feet rolls a save vs. paralyzation as each round begins; failure means confusion, per the 4th-level wizard spell, until that round ends. Priests turn hounds as wights.

A hound bites once per round, and a bitten target is also stung. The sting does no damage but plants a tiny red egg; unless the victim saves vs. poison, a miniature hound emerges a round later and eats its way through him for 1 point each turn. Meanwhile he suffers -2 to AC and saves and a flat 25% spell failure chance. Untreated, he dies, and 1d6 hours later an adult hound bursts out. Heal or cure disease ends the infestation.

Anyone a hound hits, or who hits it in melee, must also save vs. death magic or catch its vermin. The infested heal only by magic and lose 1 Constitution per day, dying at 0. Cure disease, heal, remove curse, dispel evil or cloud of purification destroys the vermin; anti-vermin barrier only stops them from spreading.

A hound regenerates 2 hit points per round, regrowing lost limbs. At 0 hit points it collapses but keeps regenerating and springs up once above 0. Acid, fire, holy water and lightning damage is permanent. Holy water poured on its wounds or a good holy symbol touched to it while below 0 stops the regeneration and kills it.

Hounds roam in search of food, most often in a vast worm-ridden chasm near a great canyon. The demigod's inner circle captures and breeds them in the demigod's capital and releases them in enemy cities. Though mindless, they obey evil priests able to command undead, and followers of a cruel demigod use them as temple guards and torture tools.

Their eggs die within minutes outside living flesh. The vermin survive nearly an hour off a host, then die and turn to brackish water; they also perish when the host is slain.