Monster Dossier

Desert's Howl

Stalker in the Sand Desert's Howl is a towering, gray abomination with a shape vaguely similar to that of a bearded man with glowing yellow eyes, long i...

Level 19

Traits

uniquecehugeaberration

Rules & statistics

Monster Profile

Perception

33

Senses

  • Name
    greater darkvision
  • Name
    fear scent
    Range
    120

Languages

Languages
  • aklo
  • staimorairn

Skills

Athletics
37
Deception
31
Desert lore
32
Intimidation
33
Occultism
30
Stealth
33
Survival
31

Ability Mods

Str
10
Dex
9
Con
10
Int
5
Wis
6
Cha
5

Defenses

Ac
43
Saving Throws
Fort
38
Ref
32
Will
29
Hp
  • Hp
    330
    Abilities
    • regeneration||regeneration 30 (deactivated by cold)
Immunities
  • controlled
  • emotion
  • fear
  • sleep
Weaknesses
  • Name
    cold
    Amount
    15
Resistances
  • Name
    fire
    Amount
    20

Speed

Walk
50
Climb
25
Fly
20
Swim
35

Attacks

  • Range
    Melee
    Name
    claw
    Attack
    36
    Traits
    • agile
    • reach
    Effects
    • Improved Grab
    • Nightmare Fuel
    Damage
    4d10+20 slashing plus Improved Grab and nightmare fuel
    Types
    • slashing
  • Range
    Ranged
    Name
    spit
    Attack
    35
    Traits
    • range
    Effects
    • Paralytic Secretion
    Damage
    2d6 fire plus 2d6 mental and paralytic secretion
    Types
    • fire
    • mental

Spellcasting

  • Type
    Innate
    Tradition
    occult
    DC
    43
    Entry
    2
    Spells
    • Name
      invisibility
      Amount
      at will
      Notes
      • self only
    • Name
      mirror image
    9
    Spells
    • Name
      dimension door
    • Name
      hallucination
      Amount
      at will

Abilities

Top
  • Name
    Fear Scent
    Entries
    • Desert's Howl can observe any frightened creatures within 120 feet using an incredibly accurate sense of psychic smell as a precise sense. However, its fear scent extends further if the creature was frightened by Desert's Howl. The taste of such a bouquet of fear in the air becomes irresistible and easy for Desert's Howl to detect, like a shark smelling blood in water. Desert's Howl can sense a creature frightened by its own fear effects as an imprecise sense at a distance of up to 1 mile away.
Mid
  • Name
    Aura of Agony
    Traits
    • aura
    • emotion
    • fear
    • mental
    Entries
    • 10 miles. Desert's Howl exudes a massive psychic disturbance many miles away from its location, assaulting the minds and spirits of those who dare to sleep within the unsettling bounds of its aura of agony. Creatures that attempt to rest while they're within this emanation are beset by disturbing nightmares and hallucinations, regardless of whether they're aware of Desert's Howl's presence. This restlessness causes creatures to wake up fatigued, and they don't recover from fatigue by resting. Creatures affected by aura of agony don't reduce their frightened condition by resting as long as they remain within the area of the aura.
  • Name
    Frightful Presence
    Traits
    • aura
    • emotion
    • fear
    • mental
    Entries
    • 90 feet, 38
  • Name
    Putrid Evanescence
    Activity
    Unit
    reaction
    Number
    1
    Frequency
    Unit
    minute
    Number
    1
    Trigger
    Desert's Howl is damaged by another creature
    Entries
    • Desert's Howl bursts into a cloud of putrid smoke, ash, and nightmares, becoming invisible and teleporting up to 100 feet away to an unoccupied space it can see. It remains invisible until the end of its next turn or until it uses a hostile action||2|hostile actions, whichever comes first.
Bot
  • Name
    Forlorn Howl
    Traits
    • auditory
    • emotion
    • fear
    • mental
    Activity
    Number
    3
    Unit
    action
    Entries
    • Desert's Howl vents a long and desolate wail full of nightmares and despair. The devastating howl can be heard up to 1 mile away under the open sky. Any creature who hears it experiences a sudden sinking in its stomach and heart palpitations, its hair stands on end, and it must attempt a 38 Will save.
    • Type
      successDegree
      Entries
      Critical Success
      The creature is unaffected and becomes temporarily immune for 1 hour.
      Success
      The creature becomes frightened 2.
      Failure
      The creature becomes frightened 3.
      Critical Failure
      The creature becomes doomed 1, frightened 4, and is fleeing for 1 round.
  • Name
    Illusory Ambush
    Activity
    Unit
    action
    Number
    2
    Entries
    • Desert's Howl shimmers with illusions and devastates a foe who lost track of its position. Desert's Howl stride||Strides up to twice its Speed. If it ends its movement within its melee reach of at least one enemy to which it's undetected, it can attempt two claw strike||Strikes against that enemy. These attacks count toward Desert's Howl's multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after Desert's Howl makes both of these attacks. Desert's Howl remains undetected to the creature it's attacking until after resolving both of the claw attacks.
  • Name
    Nightmare Fuel
    Entries
    • Desert's Howl's claws are infused with some of the nightmares that make up Desert's Howl's being, and they infect victims with lasting fear, cycling their victims' fears and anxieties in a horrific loop that takes time and rest to break. A creature that takes damage from Desert's Howl's claw Strike while frightened no longer reduces its frightened condition at the end of each turn. Instead, the creature can only decrease its frightened condition by 1 after each full night's rest or with magical effects counteracting the fear, such as remove fear.
  • Name
    Paralytic Secretion
    Entries
    • Desert's Howl's saliva is a potent paralytic substance that drains the energy from prey. A creature hit by its spit Strike must succeed at a 41 Fortitude save or become drained as well as paralyzed for 1 round. If the target was already drained, it instead increases the condition's value by 1, to a maximum of drained 4.
  • Name
    Profane Feast
    Activity
    Unit
    action
    Number
    1
    Requirements
    Desert's Howl has a creature grabbed
    Entries
    • Desert's Howl begins to consume the creature, dealing 2d12+15 piercing damage (41 basic Fortitude save) and exposing the creature to its paralytic secretion.

Background

Lore

Stalker in the Sand

Desert's Howl is a towering, gray abomination with a shape vaguely similar to that of a bearded man with glowing yellow eyes, long ibex horns, deadly black claws, and cloven hooves. These features have sometimes caused those who encounter it to mistake it for some kind of fiend, a fatal mistake likely to lead to their demise, as Desert's Howl is in truth a twisted aberration composed of a disgusting mix of nightmares, smoke, and ash. As such, holy water and other measures that might be effective against fiends have no effect on Desert's Howl.

According to the oral histories of the people who have survived in the Fifalavadn desert the longest, when Desert's Howl first appeared, it was in much the same shape but no larger than a human. Over time, its proportions lengthened and grew, as did its frightening abilities and appetite for suffering.

Given the incredible range on Desert's Howl's namesake desolate exclamation, creatures are much more likely to hear Desert's Howl than see it. Though such forewarning potentially gives distant creatures additional time to prepare to face or escape the creature, Desert's Howl enjoys the steady build-up of fear that this approach allows, potentially breaking its victims' resolve long before it even appears. Besides, a creature of its power has little to fear from travelers, or even most adventurers, regardless of how much time they have to prepare. In the end, a greater struggle just makes destroying them all the sweeter.

Unsettling Dreams

The nightmares induced by Desert's Howl's presence are vivid and disturbing. The first night often entails frequent wakening, often accompanied by gasping or screaming. On subsequent nights, dreams and reality can begin to blur together due to exhaustion, leaving the victim delirious and unable to discern upon waking whether the things they remember truly happened or not. At this point, Desert's Howl can use its illusions to bring to life things the victim saw in their dreams to unsettle them and sow distrust among their allies—perhaps glimpses of their companions acting suspiciously or strange omens and portents carried over from their nightmares.