My question is this; does the sorcerer who cast the hound have some sort of link and would it listen to his commands? Specifically would it be able to deal nonlethal damage, would they be able to tell them NOT to attack (says it can only take the attack action but not that it can't choose to forego) and would the sorcerer know the target's location as the hound does?
The hound's description is as follows:
At 6th level, you gain the ability to call forth a howling creature of darkness to harass your foes. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 sorcery points to summon a hound of ill omen to target one creature you can see within 120 feet of you. The hound uses the dire wolf’s statistics, with the following changes: • The hound is size Medium, not Large, and it counts as a monstrosity, not a beast. • It appears with a number of temporary hit points equal to half your sorcerer level. • It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The hound takes 5 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. • At the start of its turn, the hound automatically knows its target’s location. If the target was hidden, it is no longer hidden from the hound. The hound appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of the target. Roll initiative for the hound. On its turn, it can move only toward its target by the most direct route, and it can use its action only to attack its target. The hound can make opportunity attacks, but only against its target. Additionally, while the hound is within 5 feet of the target, the target has disadvantage on saving throws against any spell you cast. The hound disappears if it is reduced to 0 hit points, if its target is reduced to 0 hit points, or after 5 minutes.
The spell does not say you have any kind of link, and explicitly says that the target is not hidden from the hound, so as a DM I'd rule no to both of those. The hound would appear and use its movement and action to move towards its target using the most direct route and attack, but the sorcerer would not get to control it or use its senses.
I'd probably say no. After all, it doesn't understand any languages, how could you tell it something?
You're thinking of it as an extra-powerful familiar. I don't think that's what it is. I'm reading it as more of a weird single-target damage ability. It keeps damaging a target until either the target is dead or the hound is dead. So it's some damage to the target plus some damage absorption.
I'd probably say no. After all, it doesn't understand any languages, how could you tell it something?
You're thinking of it as an extra-powerful familiar. I don't think that's what it is. I'm reading it as more of a weird single-target damage ability. It keeps damaging a target until either the target is dead or the hound is dead. So it's some damage to the target plus some damage absorption.
Plus giving it disadvantage on saves vs your spells.
The text says it appears with dire wolf stats except for the following changes and one of the changes states that it has temporary hit points equal to half the sorcerer level.
So this could mean a couple of things to me and I want some clarity on the matter.
1. The hound appears and has 3 hit points (If sorcerer is 6th level)
2. The hound appears and has 40 hit points. 37 wolf and 3 temporary hit points from 6th level sorcerer.
Temporary hit points means that they hit points that are added on to permanent hit points? Otherwise would the text read 'the hound has hit points equal to half the sorcerer level'?
Temporary hit points are not the same thing as hit points. A 6th-level caster’s hound would have 37 hit points because none of “following changes” make any changes to hit points. It also has 3 temporary hit points which would be lost before its normal hit points were it to take damage.
My question is this; does the sorcerer who cast the hound have some sort of link and would it listen to his commands? Specifically would it be able to deal nonlethal damage, would they be able to tell them NOT to attack (says it can only take the attack action but not that it can't choose to forego) and would the sorcerer know the target's location as the hound does?
The hound's description is as follows:
At 6th level, you gain the ability to call forth a howling creature of darkness to harass your foes. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 sorcery points to summon a hound of ill omen to target one creature you can see within 120 feet of you. The hound uses the dire wolf’s statistics, with the following changes: • The hound is size Medium, not Large, and it counts as a monstrosity, not a beast. • It appears with a number of temporary hit points equal to half your sorcerer level. • It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The hound takes 5 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. • At the start of its turn, the hound automatically knows its target’s location. If the target was hidden, it is no longer hidden from the hound. The hound appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of the target. Roll initiative for the hound. On its turn, it can move only toward its target by the most direct route, and it can use its action only to attack its target. The hound can make opportunity attacks, but only against its target. Additionally, while the hound is within 5 feet of the target, the target has disadvantage on saving throws against any spell you cast. The hound disappears if it is reduced to 0 hit points, if its target is reduced to 0 hit points, or after 5 minutes.
The spell does not say you have any kind of link, and explicitly says that the target is not hidden from the hound, so as a DM I'd rule no to both of those. The hound would appear and use its movement and action to move towards its target using the most direct route and attack, but the sorcerer would not get to control it or use its senses.
But would it listen if I told it not to attack? Is this an option?
I'd probably say no. After all, it doesn't understand any languages, how could you tell it something?
You're thinking of it as an extra-powerful familiar. I don't think that's what it is. I'm reading it as more of a weird single-target damage ability. It keeps damaging a target until either the target is dead or the hound is dead. So it's some damage to the target plus some damage absorption.
Plus giving it disadvantage on saves vs your spells.
Blank
It does not say you can control it, so I would have to say: no to everything.
I can only agree with what the others have said.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
Follow up question regarding the Hound...
The text says it appears with dire wolf stats except for the following changes and one of the changes states that it has temporary hit points equal to half the sorcerer level.
So this could mean a couple of things to me and I want some clarity on the matter.
1. The hound appears and has 3 hit points (If sorcerer is 6th level)
2. The hound appears and has 40 hit points. 37 wolf and 3 temporary hit points from 6th level sorcerer.
Temporary hit points means that they hit points that are added on to permanent hit points? Otherwise would the text read 'the hound has hit points equal to half the sorcerer level'?
Temporary hit points are not the same thing as hit points. A 6th-level caster’s hound would have 37 hit points because none of “following changes” make any changes to hit points. It also has 3 temporary hit points which would be lost before its normal hit points were it to take damage.
Thanks. It was going to be a short lived hound with 3 hit points.
I was confused the same way. Thank you for asking.