Iron Hound
GM's Eyes Only
Spoilers. This page is written for the GM, and players who read on will learn things their characters don't know.
A guard dog of iron plates and clockwork that fights for its maker. Source: Eberron, the Iron Defender (Eberron Campaign Setting, p. 287; Rising from the Last War, p. 293).
What it is. A dog-shaped construct built from iron plates and gears, about the size of a large hound. Most are built in animal shapes. More inventive makers build them as hybrid beasts or stranger things. It never sleeps, and never stops watching.
Bound to its maker. An iron hound fights for whoever built it. It understands its maker's speech, though it can't speak, and its maker can feel what it senses as long as they're nearby.
In Tir Hathar. A piece of Mechanika work. It isn't a Warforged: it has no more mind than a dog. So building one isn't forbidden the way building a new Warforged is.
Stats¶
First draft, built from WWN's baseline stat lines.
| HD | AC | Atk | Dmg | Shock | Move | ML | Inst | Skill | Save | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Hound | 3 | 17 | +4 | 1d6+1 | 1/15 | 40' | 12 | 3 | +1 | 14+ |
- Built. As the Iron Maiden: no eating, sleeping, or breathing; immune to poison and disease; repaired rather than healed.
- Latch. When its bite hits, the target makes a Physical save or is held in its jaws, taking 1d4 more damage at the start of each of its turns. Breaking free is a Main Action and a Str/Exert check against difficulty 9. It can hold only one creature at a time.
- Watchful. +2 to notice anything, and it can't be surprised while its maker is awake.
- Maker's bond. Within 100 feet, its maker knows what it senses, and it obeys simple spoken commands from them.
Still open: playtesting the numbers; what it takes to build one; and who still builds them.