Temporal Dog

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temporal Prime

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

ORGANIZATION: Solitary or in packs

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Carnivorous

INTELLIGENCE: Very (11-12)

TREASURE: Nil (alone)/W (in lair)

ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral

NO. APPEARING: 1/2d6

ARMOR CLASS: 3

MOVEMENT: 18

HIT DICE:4+1

THAC0: 15

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d8

SPECIAL ATTACKS:Haste

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Timeslip

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 10%

SIZE: Medium (3-4 leet long)

MORALE: Average (10)

XP VALUE: 375

Tempqral dogs are a highty evolved form of blink dogs that make their home on Temporal Prime. It is impossihle to tell whether the temporal abilities of these dogs are a difference engineered or bred by some ancient chronomancer or if the progression from blink dogs to temporal dogs was a case of natural evolution, but these canines do have a pleasant attltude toward wizards for some unknown reason.

Temporal dogs distinctly resemble their distant ancestors. They have short, yelloe-brown hair, and they are stocky and muscular. They are slightly smaller than blink dogs ând they have apparentlv lost the power ofteleportation büt they have developed other, more powerful abilities that make up for that loss. They are another kind of temporal creature that possesses ihe ability to slip to reality.

Habitat/Society: Temporal dogs prefer solitude over the pack, mostly due to the fact that there is sparse hunting on Temporal Prime. Whenever they are encountered, however, there is a 15% chance that they are running in a small pack (2d6) in order fo take down a larger creature that none of them could handle om their own.

Temporal dogs communicate between themselves by complicated combinations of barks and growls, and they have a detalled knowledge of the layout of the surrounding time-stream. Adventurers have taught these creatures to understand many languages though they may feign ignfirance so as to not have to deal too closely with slrangers. A few of the friendlier ones can even bark out a close approximation of a dozen or so words.

Many characters have taken to feeding these creatures food sometimes even offering them some sort of treasure in order to gain their company for short periods. A friendly dog remains with the person or party for 1-4 days in the timestream. Fast as these creatures are, the group never has to worry about the temporal dogs slowing it down—quite the opposite, but the dogs do not seem to mind. The major benefit of having a temporal dog along on a trip is that the canine barks at any sort of unfriendly creature, warning companions of danger.

Temporal dogs make lairs within naturally occurring caves formed by event tangles in the lifelines, and it is there that they store their treasure and hide their precious pups. These dogs normally detect adventurers long before they reach a lair and draw them off in any way necessarv. If a lair is discovered, there is a 10% chanee tor 2-8 pups and a 20% chance for other treasure to be there.

Pups can be raised to be loyal companions lo a characler, and their high Intelligence makes them very useful or very troublesome. depending on how they are treated. The treasure couid be anything of value, including magcal weapons and armor, high-quality merchandise, miscellaneous magic (including potions and scrolls), and of course gems and coins. Although the dogs have little need for this stuff, they know the value of trade. They acquire the material not by aftacking passing travelers but by scouring the areas where batlles between chronomancers and less friendly temporal creatures have been. Some predators care not for these items, so ihe dogs collect them for their own uses.

Temporal dogs normally thrive on tempsynth, but packs sometimes go for a temporal dlider or vortex spider. Hunger might drive ihem to reality in search of food, but only for short periods of time. Their frequency in reality is very rare.

Combat: Oniy a very hungry pack, or one thrat feels threatened, will âttack adventurers. This deference to humans is a curiosity, but whatever the reason, it is not cowardice, since these dogs are slighliy more fierce than their ancestors. Thev have an ability to hit as per Articus's melee manager, not the haste spell. This gives them one exfra attack per round, as well as the other bonuses, and the power can be used once per tum, the effect lasting for the tum's duration. They can also slip betvveen Temporal Prime and reality, but in reality, they function as if 2 Hit Dice lower, and they lose their ability to haste, so they only do this to escape a threatening situation.

If a pack of temporal dogs loses one third of its number or fails to bring down une person withm five ruunds, the dogs slip away. A solitary dog never attacks penple—unless it is defending something—preferring to slip away If it feels at all threatened. Experience points are awarded if this creature stands and fights, or if the character can enlist its aid for a period of greater than two weeks. Bribery or threats never hold a temporal dog to service this long. The character must prove worlhy of the dog's loyalty within four days.