You were bred or trained for war. The clash of steel, screams of the wounded, thunder of cavalry, and scent of blood are familiar to you. You learned to march beside soldiers, sleep beneath wagons, guard camps through the night, track enemies through hostile country, and throw yourself into violence when commanded. Whether you served an army, mercenary company, knight, ranger, or other warrior, you are no ordinary hound. Battle was your first trade.
- Ability Scores: Ability Scores: Strength, Constitution, Wisdom
Increase one of these scores by 2 and a different one by 1, or increase all three by 1. None of these increases can raise a score above 20.
- Feat: Tough
Your training and conditioning have made you exceptionally difficult to bring down. Your Hit Point maximum increases by an amount equal to twice your character level when you gain this feat. Whenever you gain a character level thereafter, your Hit Point maximum increases by an additional 2 Hit Points.
- Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival
- Tool Proficiencies: None.
- Languages: You understand Common and one other language of your choice. Though you comprehend these languages as readily as any speaker, your canine anatomy prevents you from speaking them. You communicate instead through barks, growls, whines, gestures, expressions, and body language.
- Equipment: A fitted set of leather barding, a reinforced leather-and-steel war helmet designed to protect your head and ears without obstructing your vision or hearing, a reinforced spiked war collar, a sturdy travel harness with saddlebags, a bedroll, a waterskin, 5 days of rations, a handler's whistle, and a worn insignia or token from the military unit or warrior you once served beside.
The circumstances of your training and service helped shape the war hound you became. Choose your former service or roll on the War Hound Service table.
| d8 | War Hound Service |
|---|---|
| 1 | Battle Hound — You fought alongside soldiers in the press of shield walls and brutal close combat. |
| 2 | Scout Hound — You ranged ahead of your handlers, finding enemies, trails, and hidden dangers. |
| 3 | Guard Hound — You protected camps, gates, prisoners, or important people and learned to remain constantly alert. |
| 4 | Hunter Hound — You were trained to track quarry across difficult terrain and bring fleeing prey down. |
| 5 | Messenger Hound — You carried messages and small supplies through dangerous territory where ordinary couriers could not go. |
| 6 | Mage Hound — You served beside spellcasters and were trained to recognize strange magic, unnatural creatures, and arcane danger. |
| 7 | Rescue Hound — You searched battlefields and wilderness for the wounded, lost, and trapped. |
| 8 | Veteran Hound — You survived years of campaigning and filled whatever role the pack, company, or handler required. |
Years of service have taught you the sights, sounds, scents, and routines of military life. You readily recognize military camps, formations, uniforms, signals, and common battlefield commands.
Soldiers, guards, mercenaries, and other veterans can usually recognize you as a trained war hound rather than an ordinary animal. Unless they have reason to be hostile, they are generally willing to provide you with simple food, water, a safe place to rest, and basic care while you remain among them.
You also know how to behave around military camps, mounts, marching formations, and battlefield chaos without becoming frightened or disruptive.
Suggested Characteristics
War hounds are shaped by loyalty, discipline, and the bonds they formed during their service. They often view trusted companions as members of their pack and instinctively remain close when danger threatens. Many are calm and disciplined around the noise and confusion of battle but become intensely protective when a companion is threatened.
A war hound may be suspicious of strangers, uncomfortable when separated from its companions, unusually attentive to commands, or fiercely protective of those it considers family. Despite their training, war hounds remain dogs at heart, and food, affection, play, familiar scents, and a comfortable place beside the fire can mean as much to them as any soldier's medal.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am always watching the edges of the camp, even when everyone else is resting. |
| 2 | I instinctively place myself between my companions and anything I consider a threat. |
| 3 | Once I catch an unfamiliar scent, I have to know where it came from. |
| 4 | I distrust strangers until someone I trust shows me they are welcome. |
| 5 | I become visibly excited whenever armor, weapons, or traveling gear comes out. It usually means we are going somewhere. |
| 6 | I remember people by their scent and treatment of me far longer than they probably realize. |
| 7 | I am remarkably disciplined in danger, but food can make that discipline disappear very quickly. |
| 8 | I rarely understand why everyone is arguing when the solution seems perfectly obvious to me. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Those who stand beside me are my pack. I will not abandon them. |
| 2 | Strength is meant to protect those who cannot protect themselves. |
| 3 | When I am given a task, I see it through regardless of fear, pain, or hardship. |
| 4 | No creature should spend its life chained, caged, or forced to obey through cruelty. |
| 5 | Fear is a warning, not a command. When danger comes, I meet it head-on. |
| 6 | No one survives alone. Hunt together, fight together, rest together, and bring everyone home. |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | My companions are my pack. Anyone who threatens them has made an enemy of me. |
| 2 | Someone once trained, raised, or fought beside me. Wherever they are, I have never forgotten them. |
| 3 | I still remember the scent and voices of those I fought beside who never came home. |
| 4 | I once failed to protect someone entrusted to me. I will never allow that to happen again. |
| 5 | There is a place I recognize as home, and no matter how far I wander, part of me is always trying to find my way back. |
| 6 | Someone showed me kindness when I was wounded, frightened, or alone. I would cross the world to repay that kindness. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I have trouble retreating when someone I consider part of my pack is still in danger. |
| 2 | When something runs from me, every instinct I have tells me to chase it. |
| 3 | Once I decide someone is a threat, it takes a great deal to convince me otherwise. |
| 4 | Certain sounds, smells, or sights from battle can make me react before I have time to think. |
| 5 | I become possessive of people, places, food, and objects I consider mine or my pack's. |
| 6 | No amount of training, intelligence, or battlefield experience has made me immune to food, interesting smells, or the irresistible urge to investigate something I probably shouldn't. |
Contacts
Your years of service left you familiar with soldiers, scouts, handlers, kennelmasters, stablehands, healers, and other camp followers. Veterans of your former unit may recognize you by sight, your equipment, or your old insignia, and some may remember fighting beside you.
You may also recognize former comrades by sight, voice, or scent even after years apart. Though you cannot speak with them normally, old companions familiar with you can often understand your mannerisms and signals better than strangers can.
| d6 | Contact |
|---|---|
| 1 | A former handler trained and fought beside me. They know my signals, habits, and capabilities better than almost anyone. |
| 2 | An old soldier served beside me through more than one battle and still treats me as a fellow veteran rather than an animal. |
| 3 | A military kennelmaster once cared for and trained me. They know war hounds, their equipment, and the people who breed and train them. |
| 4 | A veteran scout once relied upon my nose and instincts in the field. We learned to trust one another when words were impossible. |
| 5 | A battlefield healer patched me up after a fight that nearly killed me. I have never forgotten their scent or their kindness. |
| 6 | A gruff quartermaster remembers exactly how much food, armor, and equipment a war hound requires—and probably still complains about it. |
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