Shadow Mastiff

These hounds are natives of the shadow plane, reaching the Prime Material only when a wizard or priest calls them. At home they roam ceaselessly and return to their dens only after feeding. When summoned, they hunt at night or during eclipses and similar darkness, always going to ground just before light returns.

In darkness a mastiff is at its deadliest. After each strike it slips back into the gloom, with a 40% chance it cannot be seen and a -4 penalty to its target's attacks. While hidden, only physical blows or area spells reach it; spells that need a clear line to the target, like magic missile, fail unless it can be located some special way.

Under daylight or continual light (an ordinary light spell is not enough), the mastiff can no longer vanish, drops 4 hit points, slows to movement 9 and falls to average morale (9).

Four or more mastiffs can bay together whatever the lighting. All within 360 feet must save vs. spell, modified by the pack's size, or run from them for 2d4 rounds, with a 50% chance of dropping anything in hand. On the shadow plane a pack of twenty or more can impose a penalty up to -6.

The strongest hound rules, but loyalty is thin. Since another always stands ready to lead, losing a leader never lowers pack morale.

Half of all lairs hold 2-5 whelps worth 200-500 gold pieces apiece. Bright light kills them, so carrying one off normally requires continual darkness or comparable magic.

Sages long believed shadow mastiffs begin as ordinary animals slain by undead shadows, whose spirits are then carried to the shadow plane to join the pack.