Magical Beast • Intelligent Worg-Kin • Pack Hunter
Worg — The Savage Shadow
Worgs are intelligent, speaking wolf-like predators whose greatest advantage is not their jaws but their ability to plan, bargain, remember enemies and hunt as a disciplined pack.
Worgs resemble heavily built wolves with broad heads, powerful jaws and coats commonly ranging from grey through charcoal to black.
Their behaviour distinguishes them from natural wolves. A Worg studies travellers, recognises weapons, remembers roads and settlements and can coordinate an ambush through spoken instructions.
Northern traditions sometimes describe Worgs as lesser children or distant descendants of the Fenris Wolf, while other traditions treat them as an older and more widespread supernatural lupine lineage.
Quick Rules Reference
Game Statistics
Worg
Armor Class 13
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 26 (4d10 + 4)
Speed 50 ft.
Skills Perception +4
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 14
Languages Goblin, Worg
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. The next attack roll made against the target before the start of the Worg’s next turn has Advantage.
Habitat & Treasure
Habitat Forest, Grassland, Hill, Planar (Feywild)
Treasure None
Worg
XP 600
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +11
Defense
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 26 (4d10+4)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3
Offense
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d6+4 plus trip)
Statistics
Str 17, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +7; CMD 19 (23 vs. trip)
Feats Run, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Perception +11, Stealth +9, Survival +5
Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, +2 Stealth, +2 Survival
Languages Goblin, one regional language
Ecology
Environment temperate forests and plains
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–11)
Treasure incidental
Special Ability
Trip. A Worg can trip a creature struck by its bite using the trip universal monster ability.
Worg
Hit Dice 4d10+8 (30 hp)
Initiative +2
Speed 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple +4/+7
Attack bite +7 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack bite +7 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks & Qualities
Special Attacks trip
Special Qualities darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves & Abilities
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +3
Str 17, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills & Feats
Skills Hide +4, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6, Survival +2*
Ecology
Environment temperate plains
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (6–11)
Challenge Rating 2
Treasure 1/10 coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment usually neutral evil
Advancement 5–6 HD (Medium); 7–12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment +1 (cohort)
Languages
Worg. Some individuals also speak Goblin and/or a regional language.
Trip (Ex)
A Worg that hits with a bite can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action using a +3 check modifier, without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot attempt to trip the Worg in return.
Skills
A Worg has a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Move Silently and Spot checks, and a +2 racial bonus on Hide.
When tracking by scent, it has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks.
Appearance
Worgs have the build of powerful wolves: deep chests, long running limbs, broad jaws and heavy musculature. Dark coats are common, although colour and size vary between packs.
The representative creature differs in game size between rules systems. Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e use a Medium Worg, while D&D 5.5e / 2024 uses a Large Worg.
Intelligent Predators
A Worg can recognise individuals, understand territory and threats, remember agreements and identify the difference between weak prey and a dangerous opponent.
This intelligence allows Worgs to bargain or withdraw as readily as they attack.
Behaviour and Pack Society
Worg packs hunt with deliberate coordination. One animal may reveal itself and draw attention while others circle through cover, cut off an escape route or wait beside the path the quarry is most likely to choose.
Speech allows them to exchange information about roads, guards, settlements, weapons and previous encounters rather than relying only on instinctive pack signals.
Pack Leadership
A pack leader maintains authority through strength, judgement and success. A Worg that repeatedly finds food, chooses good territory and avoids needless losses can retain leadership without constant challenges.
Memory and Feuds
Worgs remember enemies. Packs driven from hunting grounds may shadow those responsible, learn their routes and settlements and return when conditions favour them.
Habitat and Ecology
Worgs favour forests, hills, grasslands, moors and unsettled border country. Dens are commonly established in caves, ruined structures, wooded ravines, abandoned workings or dense woodland.
A settled pack learns its territory in detail. Roads, bridges, river crossings, farms, patrol routes, game trails and defensible passes become part of the pack’s hunting ground.
Some Worg lineages have strong associations with the fey realms, reflected in their Fey classification under D&D 5.5e / 2024. Others have inhabited Earth for generations.
Worgs in SpiralWorlds
Worgs occur in wild and contested regions across Earth, particularly where woodland, rough country and sparsely settled frontiers provide room for a pack to maintain territory.
Goblin-associated Worgs commonly speak Goblin. Packs that live beside other peoples often learn the languages used around their territory, while Worg remains their own tongue in traditions that preserve it.
The Fenris Tradition
Northern stories sometimes call Worgs lesser children or distant descendants of Fenris Wolf. Some northern packs openly claim such ancestry.
Dire Wolves
Worgs resemble Dire Wolves, but are intelligent, speaking supernatural predators rather than simply unusually large natural wolves.
Winter Wolves
Winter Wolves are powerful supernatural relatives of Worgs, adapted to extreme cold and distinguished by their freezing breath and greater size.
Hunting and Combat
Observe
Worgs assess numbers, weapons, mounts and routes before closing.
Separate
Packs seek isolated, injured or slower opponents.
Pursue
Their speed makes Worgs dangerous once an enemy breaks formation.
Pack Ambush
Worgs prefer divided opponents and obstructed ground. A visible pair may pressure the front of a group while the rest of the pack approaches from woodland or broken terrain.
Running Down Prey
Worgs have a speed of 50 feet in all three supported rules systems. Once quarry begins to flee, the pack can maintain pursuit and strike exposed individuals.
Bring the Target Down
Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e represent the Worg’s ability to pull prey down with a trip attached to its bite. D&D 5.5e instead allows a successful bite to create an opening for the next attacker.
Pack Warfare
Worgs fighting beside riders or infantry can coordinate movement and attacks rather than behaving as ordinary mounts.
They can flank, intercept fleeing enemies, carry a rider through broken ground and retreat independently when an engagement turns against them.
Worgs as Mounts, Guardians and War Beasts
Worgs are closely associated with goblins and other Small riders. Some partnerships begin with Worgs raised beside a community, while others arise through military alliances, shared territory, bargains or coercion.
A mounted Worg remains an intelligent combatant. Experienced Worg-and-rider pairs can scout, pursue fleeing enemies, outflank infantry and coordinate attacks without relying on ordinary animal handling.
In some pairings the Worg is the senior partner, choosing the route and the enemy while the rider provides weapons and hands.
Legacy Purchase and Training Values
| Entry | Price |
|---|---|
| Young Worg | 1,500 gp |
| Worg Training | 1,500 gp |
Source: Ultimate Equipment Guide II, Greg Lynch and J. C. Alvarez, Mongoose Publishing, 2005.
Encounter Ideas
The Rider Gives the Orders — Apparently
A goblin patrol appears to be led by an armed rider mounted on a Worg. During negotiation it becomes clear that the Worg is deciding what the patrol will accept.
The Pack That Watches
Travellers discover that Worgs have shadowed them for two days without attacking. The pack is learning their numbers, watches and destination.
Children of Fenris
A northern Worg pack claims descent from Fenris Wolf and presents an ancient relic as proof of its right to a disputed territory.
Related Creatures and Rules
Worg Lore and Videos
Rules Sources
- D&D 5.5e / 2024: D&D Beyond — Worg
- Pathfinder 1e: Archives of Nethys — Worg
- D&D 3.5e: d20 SRD — Worg
- Legacy equipment: Ultimate Equipment Guide II, Greg Lynch and J. C. Alvarez, Mongoose Publishing, 2005.