Hound of Madness

"The vile thing was sat in front of us the whole time! We thought it was swamp foliage until its tentacles shot out and grabbed me."

— Arvin Underbrush, King's Forest Ranger

Basic Information

Anatomy

The lower body of a hound of madness is muscular and quadrupedal, but their upper half is an obscene mound of writhing tentacles, punctuated by sharp-toothed mouths. Its primary maw, located at the front of its body, is circular and ringed with slime-coated fangs.

Ecology and Habitats

Although not native to the mateiral plane, when these creatures do break through from the Far Realms, they tend to thrive in swampy or forested regions, where they can blend in with their surrounds and stalk their prey.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The hound of madness subsists on a diet of vital fluids and entrails, which it will only extract from the carcass of a fresh kill. It will not feed from a corpse that is more than a day old and will not touch carrion left by other creatures.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The hound of madness is a solitary hunter.

Domestication

An animalistic predator, these creatures can be subjugated by beings of sufficient willpower and evil through a magical bonding ritual. Once bonded, the hound will do its master's bidding unquestioningly, so long as it is provided with sufficient opportunities to kill and feed.

Average Intelligence

The hound of madness possesses an intellect roughly equivalent to that of the average sentient humanoid, which makes them extremely dangerous predators.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The hound of madness has no visual organs, instead "seeing" the world through vibrations detected by its network of tentacles.

Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath by Daviblight

Scientific Name

Aberration

Average Height

5'5"

Average Weight

330lbs

Average Length

5 feet

Average Physique

Solid, muscular build.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Muddy browns and swampy greys.

Hound of Madness

Medium aberration, chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armour)

Hit Points 85

Speed 30ft Swim: 30ft

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STR

16 +3

DEX

10 0

CON

18 +4

INT

9 -1

WIS

15 +2

CHA

6 -2

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Saving Throws Constitution +6

Condition Immunities Blinded

Senses Blindsight 60 feet; passive perception 12

Languages Deep speech.

Challenge 4

False appearance: While the hound of madness is sitting prone and remains still, it is indistinguishable from a mangrove tree.

Optional: Horrifying Presence: Creatures within 30 feet of the hound of madness and who are aware of what it is must succeed on a wisdom saving throw (DC 14) or take one point of sanity damage. Whether the saving throw succeeds or fails, the creature then becomes immune to this effect for 24 hours.

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Actions

Multiattack: The hound of madness makes two attacks: one with its tentacles and one with its bite.

Tentacles: Melee Weapon Attack: +5, 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 14) and, if its size is medium or smaller, it is also restrained until the grapple ends; the hound of madness can only grapple one target at a time, but has advantage on all attack rolls against that target while the grapple persists.

Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +5, 16 (3d8 + 3) piercing damage. Any creature bitten by the hound of madness must succeed on a constitution saving throw (DC 14) or become afflicted with insanity as the madness-inducing slime from its maw courses through their body. If the hound is not serving a master, the madness takes the form of a creeping delirium, with the victim becoming progressively more nonsensical over the course of a day as the venom takes hold; if the hound is serving a master, the victim instead develops a negative mental quirk and becomes charmed by them, receiving commands telepathically as long as they and the master are on the same plane of existence. Victims are permitted to make additional saving throws at the end of each day, but the madness becomes permanent if it has not been resisted by the end of the day three. Permanent madness can only be removed by means of the greater restoration spell or similar magic. Creatures succeeding on their saving throw or otherwise cured of their madness feel as though they have just awoken from a deep sleep and remember nothing of the time during which they were afflicted.