Bale Wolves

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Bale Wolves

Deep within the ancient groves and


the silent, enveloping darkness of primeval
woodlands, lurk creatures whose very presence
chills the blood of seasoned warriors and sows
dread in the heart of travelers. These are the bale
wolves, monstrous predators that are the stuff of legends.
Physical Appearance. Their haunting visage is a
grotesque fusion of wolf and the undead. A skull-like face,
stark white and cruelly mocking in its semblance to death,
gazes out with eyes that burn with a hunger that's more than Hunting Tactics. A bale wolf is not one to announce its
just physical. These beasts, larger than any natural wolf, presence prematurely. It stalks, often in a pack. With patient
possess claws so strong and sharp that they can easily pin and deliberate intent, it traverses the dark woods, moving like
their prey, leaving them helpless before delivering the fatal a shadow against the midnight canvas. Any creature
bite. Their huge fangs, reminiscent of ancient drakes or wandering carelessly in their territory is at risk of becoming
behemoths, are not just for display. When their jaws close in prey to a sneak attack. Before one even senses danger, a pack
on vulnerable prey, these fangs eviscerate their victim, often of bale wolves might be right upon them, poised to strike.
killing them instantly.

Bale Wolf Pack Tactics. The bale wolf has advantage on an attack
roll against a creature if at least one of the bale wolf's
Large monstrosity, chaotic evil
allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't
incapacitated.
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (10d10 + 30) Actions
Speed 50 ft.
Multiattack. The bale wolf makes three attacks: two with
its bite and one with its claws.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Vicious Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5
18 (+4) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 5 (-3) 14 (+2) 8 (-1) ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage. If
the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14
Skills Athletics +6, Perception +6, Stealth +4 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the
attack is made with advantage, the bale wolf scores a
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 critical hit on a roll of 17-20.
Pinning Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5
Keen Hearing and Smell. The bale wolf has advantage on ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage. If the
Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or target is a prone creature, the target is grappled (escape
smell. DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the bale wolf's speed is
0, and it can't claw another target.
Woodland Stalker. The bale wolf has advantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide using foliage.
Additionally, the bale wolf can move through plants
without being slowed, taking damage, or being 1
grappled or restrained by them.
Mysterious Origins. Where these abominations came Any equipment the creature was using or wearing drops to
from is a question that has baffled scholars and hunters alike. the ground at its current location, and for the duration of the
The most widely accepted theory is that they are the result of transformation, the creature cannot interact with or benefit
the mutating energies of chaos, an otherworldly and from its dropped equipment. Additionally, it cannot speak,
malevolent force that touches the very essence of a creature, cast spells, or perform any action requiring hands or speech.
reshaping it into something far more sinister. Dark Instincts. At the start of each of its turns, the
The Dark Bindings. There are those with knowledge, creature must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a
dark and forbidden, who have learned to bind these creatures failure, its psyche is overcome by the darkness within until
to their will. Among them, the crones of the northern forests the start of its next turn. During this time, it suffers from the
are particularly notorious. With incantations whispered in following effects:
the dead of night and sacrifices made under the crescent
moon, they can summon bale wolves, bending their savage It perceives all non-Balewolf creatures as enemies and all
wills to serve as monstrous soldiers. Balewolfs as allies until the start of its next turn.
The Dark Bloods. If the bale wolves weren’t terrifying If there is a non-Balewolf creature within its reach, it must
enough, there exists a cursed variant known as the dark use the Attack action against the nearest one.
bloods. The bites of these monsters hold a danger beyond the
physical. Any victim bitten by a dark blood faces a fate If there are no creatures within its reach, it uses the Dash
potentially worse than death. They are infected with a curse action to approach the nearest non-Balewolf creature it is
which transforms them into a bale wolf and threatens their aware of.
free will. The transformation is as much psychological as it is
physical, as the newly transformed wrestle with dark instincts Ending the Curse. Should the creature succeed on this
threatening to overtake their very identity. Those who saving throw three times, the curse is lifted, and it reverts
manage to resist, to hold onto that last shred of their self, can back to its original form. However, if the creature fails the
eventually repel the curse, returning to their original form. save three times, the transformation becomes permanent.
But many are not so fortunate. Those who succumb are lost The creature then adopts the maximum hit points and
forever, their old identities consumed, leaving behind only the Constitution score of a Balewolf, becomes an NPC under the
ravenous creature of the night. DM's control.
Casting dispel evil and good or remove curse within the
The Bale Wolf Curse first hour of the transformation can reverse the curse. After
this initial hour, only dispel evil and good or remove curse
Dark Transformation. A creature afflicted with the Bale spells cast at 9th level, the wish spell, or divine intervention
Wolf Curse is immediately subjected to a dark transformation can restore the creature to its original form.
into a bale wolf. The creature adopts the statistics of a bale
wolf, with the following exceptions: it retains its original hit
points, hit dice, and Constitution score. The creature's
alignment and personality remain unchanged.

Bale Wolf Dark Blood Woodland Stalker. The bale wolf has advantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide using foliage.
Large monstrosity, chaotic evil
Additionally, the bale wolf can move through plants
without being slowed, taking damage, or being
Armor Class 17 (natural armor) grappled or restrained by them.
Hit Points 110 (13d10+39)
Speed 50 ft. Pack Tactics. The bale wolf has advantage on an attack
roll against a creature if at least one of its allies is within
5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Actions
18 (+4) 15 (+2) 16 (+3) 5 (-3) 14 (+2) 10 (0)
Multiattack. The bale wolf makes three attacks: two with
its bite and one with its claws.
Saving Throws Str +7, Dex +5
Skills Athletics +7, Perception +8, Stealth +5 Vicious Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 18 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage. If
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3 the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 15
Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the
Keen Hearing and Smell. The bale wolf has advantage on attack is made with advantage, the bale wolf scores a
Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or critical hit on a roll of 17-20. If the target is a
smell. humanoid, it must also make on a DC 15 Constitution
saving throw, making the save with disadvantage if the
Regeneration. The bale wolf regains 10 hit points at the attack was a critical hit. On a failure, it suffers the Bale
start of its turn. If the creature takes 5 or more fire or Wolf curse (described later in this document).
acid damage in a single turn or damage from a critical
hit, this trait doesn't function at the start of its next Pinning Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5
turn. The bale wolf dies only if it starts its turn with 0 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage. If the
hit points and doesn't regenerate. target is a prone creature, the target is grappled (escape
2 DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the bale wolf dark
blood's speed is 0, and it can't claw another target.
Bale Wolf Adventures Bale Wolf Tactics
The following table provides some ways to create adventures Initiating Combat. These are ambush-oriented creatures,
featuring these twisted beasts in your games: using darkness and woodland cover to make their sneak
attacks. They will patiently stalk prey until the see the
Bale Wolf Adventure Hooks opportunity to attack from stealth and surprise their victims.
d6 Adventure Hook When to Retreat. Once bale wolves initiate their attack,
Bale Wolf Bounty: The local lord has issued a challenge:
they will only retreat when being commanded by another
rid the northern forests of the bale wolves, which have
more powerful creature. Otherwise, they will fight to the
1 been attacking travelers and trade caravans. The reward death and relentlessly pursue fleeing players.
is substantial, but rumors suggest that a previous Getting Advantage on Vicious Bite. In combat, the bale
group of hunters never returned. wolf's tactics revolve around it getting advantage on its bite
attack to increase the odds of getting a crit with it. There are
The Crone's Pack: A child has gone missing in the a few ways they can go about securing advantage:
woods, and the only clue left behind is a single bale
2
wolf's paw print. The adventurers must venture deep Utilizing their Pack Tactics
into the forest to rescue the child, only to discover an Attacking from a hidden position
old crone manipulating the bale wolves for her own Focusing their bites on a single target until they can knock
dark purposes. it prone and pin it with their claws
The Bale Wolf's Curse: A village bordering a dark Working As a Pack. When bale wolves are operating as a
woodland is cursed; every full moon, one villager turns pack, they instinctively hunt down the physically weakest
3 into a bale wolf. The adventurers must find the source player, relentlessly attacking until one of the bale wolves has
of the curse and stop it before the entire village the player prone and pinned. They will then move from player
succumbs. to player, repeating this process until they are all pinned, or
The Druid's Plea: An old druid seeks the party's there are only two bale wolves left. The remaining two bale
assistance. The balance of the forest is threatened by wolves will then focus on the player closest to death.
the increasing numbers of bale wolves. They're an
4 Dark Bloods
unnatural presence that must be removed. But as the
party investigates, they find that the druid himself The key difference between these bale wolves and their
might have connections to the origin of these beasts. "ordinary" kin is the curse they can inflict with their bite.
The Old Catacombs: A city built near ancient woods is
There are some key strategies to keep in mind when cursing
plagued by bale wolf attacks. However, these wolves
players:
5 aren't coming from the forest; they’re emerging from Prioratize attacking non-cursed players over cursed
old catacombs beneath the city. What old secrets does players to spread the curse to as many players as possible.
the city hide that attracts these creatures? Only focus on cursed players when they are doing
Dark Blood Festival: During a grand festival, a series of something very disruptive, like pinning a bale wolf with
attacks by dark bloods plunges the celebrations into their claws or scoring a critical hit on it.
chaos. The adventurers must protect the attendees,
6
uncover the culprits behind the coordinated assault, Cursed players who've lost control for a round and are
and find a way to prevent the spread of the curse attacking their allies can be used to trigger the bale wolf's
among the wounded. Pack Tactics ability since they are momentarily on the
same side.

3
Bale Wolves Loot Example Bale Wolf Loot Names
You can give the different types of items unique names based
The valuable items looted from cold ones will generally come on their material and value to help differentiate them from
from whatever can be harvested from them. This harvesting one another. The following tables provide some example
can usually be done using a Wisdom (Survival) or names.
Intelligence (Nature) check. However, you may allow players
proficient with specific tools to harvest items related to that Example Bale Wolf Item Names
tool. For example, a character might make a Wisdom 1d4 5gp Item 10gp Item 20gp Item
(Leathworker’s Tools) check to harvest the hide of a bale wolf.
Alternatively, you can roll for the loot randomly using a flat 1 Cracked Bale Wolf Bale Wolf Dark Bale Wolf
modifier. (Bone) Bone Bone Bone
2 Stringy Bale Wolf Bale Wolf Dark Bale Wolf
Bale Wolf Loot Tables (Flesh) Meat Meat One Meat
The following tables describe the number of items and value
of those items the players are able to loot depending on the 3 Clotted Bale Wolf Bale Wolf Dark Bale Wolf
result of their check or the results of your roll. If they're (Fluid) Blood Blood Blood
making checks, you can have them make a separate check for 4 Tattered Bale Bale Wolf Dark Bale Wolf
each creature they're looting or use one check for multiple (Hide) Wolf Hide Hide Hide
creatures at once to save time.
Bale Wolf Loot Table
Looting Check Result or 1d20 + 3 Loot
1-5 1 5gp Item
6-10 1d4(2) 5gp Items
11-17 1d6(3) 5gp Items
18-22 1d4(2) 10gp Items
18-23 1d6(3) 10gp Items

Bale Wolf Dark Blood Loot Table


Looting Check Result or 1d20 + 5 Loot
1-8 1 10gp Item
9-13 1d4(2) 10gp Items
14-21 1d6(3) 10gp Items
22-24 1d4(2) 20gp Items
25+ 1d6(3) 20gp Items

Art Credit
Drekavac - Syuichi Obata, Wizards of the Coast
Forest, Throne of Eldraine - Tomasz Jedruszek,
Wizards of the Coast
Skyclave Shadowcat - Simon Dominic,
Wizards of the Coast

4
Change Log
1.0.0
Document release

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

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