Cooshee
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CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Elven Lands |
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FREQUENCY: Rare |
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ORGANIZATION: Pack or SolitaryPack or Solitary |
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ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any |
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DIET: Carnivore |
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INTELLIGENCE: Semi-(4) |
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TREASURE: Nil |
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ALIGNMENT: Neutral (good tendencies) |
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NO. APPEARING: 1–8 |
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ARMOR CLASS: 5 |
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MOVEMENT: 18, Sprint 24 |
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HIT DICE: 3+3 |
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THAC0: 17 |
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NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 (claw/claw/bite) |
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DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1–4/1–4/2–8 |
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SPECIAL ATTACKS: Overbearing |
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SPECIAL DEFENSES: Camouflage |
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MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil |
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SIZE: M (4' at shoulder) |
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MORALE: Steady (12) |
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XP VALUE: 270 |
The cooshee, or elven hound, is a huge, long-lived dog. It is most commonly found in the company of sylvan elves, who use it for both hunting and guard duties. Occasionally, high or grey elves will keep kennels of these dogs, but these are generally few and far between.
The cooshee has a thick greenish coat, often spotted with large brown spots or patches. This coat allows it to conceal itself in the forests and fields near its home with a 75% efficiency. Where most dogs crash through the forest, the cooshee moves as silently as its elf masters, gaining a +4 bonus on surprise rolls.
Cooshee weigh more than 160 pounds and often weigh as much as 300 pounds. Their huge paws house equally huge claws, which are curved to ensure better traction in the soft loam of the forestlands. Their tails generally arc over their backs, though they hang between their legs when they are being scolded. Their ears come to a point on top of their heads, giving the cooshee an attentive, intelligent look.
Combat: In combat, the cooshee is a fearsome opponent. Its powerful jaws are enough to frighten any normal person; coupled with its fierce claws and demeanor, the cooshee is a very effective fighting machine. With a party of elves providing distraction with their arrows, the cooshee can become a creature from a nightmare for its prey. Elves say that one cooshee is worth five orcs.
Although cooshee can go head-to-head with many creatures, their strength lies in the chase. When they are pursuing an opponent, whether it be game or humanoid, the cooshee can begin an all-out sprint, increasing its speed to 24" for five rounds. At the end of this time, if it didn't catch its prey, it slows down to 15" for at least five additional rounds while it catches its breath.
When they draw within range of their foe, cooshee may attempt to overbear their enemy. If this opponent is fleeing, the cooshee gains a one-round size bonus. That is, it becomes Size L for the purpose of the overbearing attack roll and thus gains +4 to attack rolls (see "Overbearing" in the Player's Handbook, p. 98). If it rolls a successful attack roll, the cooshee has successfully dragged or knocked its opponent to the ground.
If it attempts to overbear, it must forfeit all its other attacks during that round. In the round following, it automatically pins the quarry and may make its ferocious bite attack on the helpless prey. The victim may attempt to break the pin by making a successful Strength check. If it fails, the victim loses any Dexterity bonus to his or her Armor Class. Further, the cooshee gains a +4 to attack targets so pinned. They tend to favor the throat of the creature over any other target. If the cooshee have been ordered to subdue their target, they simply close their jaws over the quarry's throat, resting their teeth against its skin. This tends to be an effective method of forcing surrender.
Habitat/Society: Cooshee mate for life. If one of the pair is killed, the other generally wastes away. Cooshee puppies bond strongly to their parents, and the parents are highly protective of their offspring. Only a fool comes between an adult cooshee and its children.
Cooshee tend to avoid other "normal" dogs, seeming to find them inferior. In this regard, the cooshee echo their elf masters, refraining from much contact with other races.
The cooshee have an incredibly loud bark that can be heard more than a mile away. However, they only bark to warn their masters or packmates. In almost no other circumstances will a cooshee emit noise.
Cooshee often live to be more than 100 years old.
Ecology: No one seems to know whether cooshee are a naturally occurring creature or if they are a creation of the elves. The cooshee seem almost too perfectly designed for their tasks to be anything but created beasts. However, their affinity with nature, closely mirroring that of the elves, leads one to believe that they are, in fact, entirely natural.
Although elves have had much success in gaining the trust of the cooshee, few other races have been able to establish a rapport with the hound. Even experienced animal handlers of other races find it incredibly difficult to approach one of these magnificent creatures. Thus, unless the cooshee has been magically charmed (it saves at +3 vs. any charm spell), it will only be found in the company of elves.