Hodag, Terror of the Northwoods

Large Monstrosity, Neutral Evil

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Armor Class: 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 130 (12d10 + 60)
Speed: 40 ft., burrow 20 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	14 (+2)	18 (+4)	7 (-2)	13 (+1)	8 (-1)

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Saving Throws: Strength +8, Constitution +7
Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +5, Survival +5
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Condition Immunities: Frightened
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 30 ft., Passive Perception 15
Languages: Understands Common, Sylvan, but cannot speak
Challenge: 7 (2,900 XP)

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Traits

Forest’s Fury. The Hodag is at home in dense, untamed woods. It has advantage on attack rolls and saving throws while in forests or overgrown areas, and can move through difficult terrain without penalty in such environments.

Terrifying Presence. The Hodag can emit an aura of dread. As an action, it can force all creatures within 30 feet that can see it to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature that succeeds on the save is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.

Burrower of the Shadows. The Hodag can burrow into the earth as a bonus action, disappearing into the ground in an instant. While burrowing, it is invisible to all creatures aboveground. When it reappears, it can make an attack as part of the same action. The Hodag can also use this ability to set traps by creating a false burrow entrance and luring prey into it.

Regenerative Spines. The Hodag’s spines grow back each time it takes a short or long rest. When it regenerates, all of its spines that were lost or damaged during combat are restored. Any creature that touches or attacks the Hodag’s spines takes 3 (1d6) piercing damage.

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Actions

Multiattack. The Hodag makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 18 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Spine Barrage (Recharge 5–6). The Hodag violently shakes its back, sending a flurry of sharp spines flying in all directions. Each creature within 20 feet of the Hodag must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The Hodag can make this attack once every 1d4 rounds.

Terrifying Roar (Recharge 5–6). The Hodag lets out a bone-chilling roar that echoes through the forest. Each creature within 60 feet that can hear it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be stunned for 1 round. Creatures that succeed on the save are not stunned but are frightened for 1 minute.

Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be pushed back 10 feet and knocked prone.

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Tactics

The Hodag is a cunning and terrifying predator, adept at using the terrain to its advantage.

• Opening Move: It will use Terrifying Presence to frighten as many foes as possible, trying to force them into a defensive position. It follows up with Spine Barrage to strike multiple targets at once and cripple enemy movement.
• Burrow Tactics: The Hodag will retreat into the earth with Burrower of the Shadows when it faces multiple opponents or when it needs to regroup. It prefers to ambush isolated foes, emerging with a bite or tail whip.
• Focus on Weaknesses: The Hodag often targets the weakest or most vulnerable members of the party first, using Tail Whip to knock them prone and then attacking with Claws and Bite while they’re down.
• Escape or Trap: If it is losing the fight, the Hodag may retreat underground, planning to surprise its enemies with a devastating Terrifying Roar or Spine Barrage upon resurfacing.

D&D 5E Epic Monsters: Hodag (5E)

D&D 5E – Epic Monsters: Hodag (5E) | EN World | Dungeons & Dragons | Tabletop Roleplaying Games

In American folklore, the hodag is a fearsome critter resembling a large bull-horned carnivore with a row of thick curved spines down its back. The hodag was said to be born from the ashes of cremated oxen, as the incarnation of the accumulation of abuse the animals had suffered at the hands of their masters. The history of the hodag is strongly tied to the City of Rhinelander where it was claimed to have been discovered. The hodag has figured prominently in early Paul Bunyan stories.

Hailing specifically from Rhinelander in Wisconsin—I could only be referring to the legendary Hodag!

An 1893 newspaper claimed this creature had the “head of a frog, the grinning face of a giant elephant, thick short legs set off by huge claws, the back of a dinosaur, and a long tail with spears at the end,” and if the locals were to be believed it was, “the fiercest, strangest, most frightening monster ever to set razor sharp claws on the earth.”

This was all a hoax by what seems to be a fairly clever prankster by the name of Eugene Shepard who cleverly saw to it that dynamite was used to slay it. He got greedy though, ‘capturing’ another hodag in 1896 which he used to scare folks at the first Oineda County Fair (making it move via wires) until some scientists from the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. said they were coming to check it out—at which point the jig was up. Rhinelander County however has embraced the hodag! It is the local school mascot, there are numerous sculptures of it throughout the area, and they proudly claim they are the ‘Home of the Hodag’.

Bonus Tie-In! The hodag appears in a number of Paul Bunyan stories.

Hodag
Medium monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 75 (10d8+30)
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.

STR-||–+ DEX-||–+ CON-||-+ INT-||+ WIS-||–+ CHA
17 (+3)-|- 16 (+3)-|- 16 (+3)-||- 3 (-4)-|- 14 (+2)-|- 13 (+1)

Skills Athletics +7, Perception +4, Stealth +7, Survival +4
Damage Resistances acid, psychic, thunder
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages —
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Keen Sight and Smell. The hodag has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or smell.
Magic Resistance. The hodag has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Natural Grappler. The hodag has advantage on attack rolls against a creature it is grappling. The hodag can use its action to try to pin a creature it has grappled. To do so, it makes another grapple check. On a success, the creature is restrained until the grapple ends. In addition, the hodag is able to grapple and restrain creatures up to two sizes larger than it.
Tail Spike Regrowth. Although only three are visible at any time, the hodag has nine tail spikes. Used spikes regrow when the hodag finishes a long rest.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The hodag attacks once with its bite and four times with its claws, or it attacks three times with its tail spikes. If the hodag is grappling a creature, it can only attack once with its bite and twice with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+3) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) slashing damage.
Tail Spikes. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 50/100 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage.

REACTIONS
Musk Spray (Recharge 6). When the hodag takes 10 or more damage from an attack or spell, it can use its reaction to spray a foul musk in a 20-foot radius. Creatures in the area (except for the hodag) must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, a poisoned creature makes a new saving throw to end the effect.

Hodag

Spikes cover the body of this vaguely reptilian creature. Its fearsome face features dagger-sharp teeth and glowing red eyes.

[This content was created for the Pathfinder rules by Paizo Publishing LLC and is part of the Pathfinder RPG product line.]  

Source: Pathfinder d20pfsrd.com  

As stout as a bull, with a reptile’s scaly, spiked body, hodags are fierce forest predators hunting along the edges of civilization in the thick woods. Green, gray, and black scales cover the beasts, helping them to blend in amid the underbrush, and sharp spikes stand along their backs and run down their powerful, dangerous tails. Loggers share stories of being followed by hodags and seeing their glowing red eyes in the oppressive darkness of the thick forest. In the wintertime, when snow and ice blankets the region, hodags grow a foul-smelling coat of greasy, dark brown fur, sprouting in tufts from between their scales and helping them blend in with dead vegetation. Males sport large curving spikes on their heads that look like forward-facing horns.

Many believe that hodags are not true-breeding beasts but rather a unique and specific terror that has lived and hunted certain woodlands for ages. Many regional people living near such wildernesses consider hodags a myth, nothing more than the sort of tall tale that is typical of excitable rural folk. Some go so far to use ‘hodagger’ as a derogatory term for the more rustic and simple people working the forests and rivers.

Folklorists say the first hodag rose from the charred remains of an ox sacrificed to cleanse foul spirits. The ritual failed on the seventh day of burning, and this foul beast Climbed from the pyre and devoured those performing the rites as a putrid smell spread through the forest like a rancid fog. Superstitious lumberjacks refuse to work when similar fogs hang thick in the woods, even though many who don’t know or don’t care about such tales claim such fogs are perfectly natural or mere swamp gases. The oral tradition passed down from the people living in regions hunted by hodags tells that the name comes from the combination of ‘horse’ and ‘dog,’ two of the beast’s favorite meals.

A typical male hodag measures over 10 feet from the snout to the tip of the tail and 4-1/2 feet at the shoulder, though when they rear back on two legs, they reach far more intimidating heights. Females tend to be a foot or more smaller but are stockier; both male and female hodags weigh around 700 pounds. Female hodags also lack horns (female hodags have no gore or toss attack and are CR 4).

Hodag CR 6

XP 2,400 N Large magical beast Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, Scent; Perception +7

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dexterity, +8 natural, -1 size) hp 60 (8d10+16) Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +5 Defensive Abilities ferocity

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., burrow 15 ft. Melee bite +11 (1d8+4), 2 claws +11 (1d6+4), tail slap +11 (1d4+4) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks spiked tail, toss

STATISTICS

Strength 19, Dexterity 14, Constitution 15, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 12, Charisma 10 Base Atk +8; CMB +13; CMD 25 (29 vs. trip) Feats Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Vital Strike Skills Climb +10, Perception +7, Stealth +2, Swim +8 Languages Common (cannot speak) SQ trackless

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Spiked Tail (Ex) A hodag’s tail spikes allow the creature’s tail slap to deal both bludgeoning and piercing damage. A hodag’s tail slap is a primary attack. Toss (Ex)  A hodag charging 20 feet or more that damages a foe with an attack can throw its foe with a special combat maneuver check. The opponent must be corporeal and at least one size category smaller than the hodag. If the combat maneuver check succeeds, the hodag’s opponent is thrown 10 feet through the air in a direction chosen by the hodag and falls prone. The hodag can only toss its opponent in a straight line. If an obstacle prevents the creature’s movement, both the creature tossed and the object struck take 1d6 points of damage, and the creature falls prone in the space adjacent to the obstacle. A hodag can also toss an opponent 10 feet up into the air. The victim lands in the same square it started in, falls prone, and takes 1d6 points of damage. Trackless (Ex) A hodag sweeps its tail behind itself in a way that obscures its tracks. Attempts to track a hodag have their normal DC increased by +10.

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forests or marshes Organization solitary Treasure incidental

Ecology

Hodags do not typically seek out creatures to hunt. Rather, the unpredictable beasts wander the forest and countryside in the hope of something crossing their paths. If a hodag becomes interested – something that seems to depend wholly on the appeal of a being’s Scent or appearance – it will follow and stalk a creature, unwilling to stop until it has fed upon its prey. Hodags sometimes stalk their prey for weeks, some say to fill victims with fear and panic, making them thinner.

They tend to prefer lean meals that provide considerable crunching sounds as they are consumed. Some tales claim the beast doesn’t feed upon the actual bodies of its victims but rather on the fear of those about to be consumed and the pleasure of the crunch. The scene of a hodag attack appears to back up this claim, as the beast dismembers and shreds its victims, throwing viscera and body parts about the area and consuming very little actual meat.

This is actually due to the eating habits of the creature. While they enjoy killing at any time, hodags gorge themselves only once every 3 months. During these feasts, they can eat an entire herd of horses, consuming thousands of pounds of food in one attack.

Habitat and Society

Extremely secluded and territorial creatures, hodags are rarely seen together. During mating season, hodags expand their usual hunting grounds and wander farther from their dens on the chance that they may find a mate. The courtship is abrupt and to the point, and after the act of breeding, the two hodags depart in opposite directions.

The female hodag finds an isolated place in the forest and digs a den in which to birth her young. Despite their reptilian appearance, hodags do not lay eggs but rather give live birth to a small litter of no more than three or four young. Sibling rivalry is strong and play is often rough. Not all young hodags survive this competition, ensuring only the strongest of the litter make it to maturity.

Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3  

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.  

Pathfinder 32: Rivers Run Red. Copyright 2010, Paizo Publishing LLC. Author: Rob McCreary