Monster -- Wolf Herder

“Once, in the Tresolm, we met this thing… some sort of wolf-- but it attacked us with smaller wolves – that it threw up outta it’s mouth. I don’t go to the Tresolm anymore.”

Wolf Herder
Wolf herders, also called wolf spitters, are towering, humanoid creatures with bulky, top heavy bodies and wide mouthed, wolfish heads. They are usually peaceful creatures until provoked or threatened.

Wolf Herder Level 16 Solo Soldier (Leader)
Huge fey humanoid (discarnate) XP 7000

Initiative +15 Senses Perception +13; darkvision

HP 800; Bloodied 400
Vulnerability 10 ash wrought
AC 34; Fortitude 32, Reflex 30, Will 28
Speed 8 squares
Action Points 2

Claw (basic melee; standard; at-will)
+23 vs. AC; 1d10+7 damage; see dual claw rend.

Bite (standard; at-will)
+23 vs. AC; 2d8+7 damage and the target is grabbed.

Dual Claw Rend (standard; at-will)
The wolf herder makes two claw attacks.

Howling Blast (standard; recharge 456) - Thunder
Close blast 3; +21 vs. Reflex; 4d10+7 and the target is knocked prone.

Wolf Spitter (standard; recharges when bloodied)
The wolf herder summons 4 wolf shades. These creatures appear anywhere within a close blast 5. Summoned wolf shades roll initiative to determine when they act in initiative order an gain a +2 bonus to attack as long as the wolf herd is still alive. They remain until killed or until the encounter ends. PCs do not earn XP from killing summoned creatures.

Empower Wolf Shade (minor, 1/round; at will) - Healing
One wolf shade within 10 squares gains 5 temporary hit points and gains a +1 bonus to all defenses until the end of the wolf herd’s next turn.

Inspire Pack Tactics (move, 1/round; at-will)
Two of the wolf herd’s allies may shift 1 square.

Discarnate Resurrection - Healing
If a wolf herder is reduced to 0 hit points by an attack intended to kill it that does not deal fire damage or is delivered by an ash wrought weapon, the wolf herd rises (as a move action) on the next turn with 10 hit points.

Alignment Unaligned
Languages Elven
Str: 25 (+15) Dex: 21 (+13) Wis: 21 (+13)
Con: 24 (+15) Int: 8 (+7) Cha: 10 (+8)

Wolf herders enter combat by using howling blast followed by spending an action point to use wolf spitter. They then rush into melee alongside their wolf shades and other allies.

Wolf Shade
Wolf Shades are shadowy, barely solid beasts called into the world by the power of a Wolf Herder. They resemble sleek, black wolves with golden eyes and glowing sigils on their brows while stationary or walking, but when moving at full speed, their forms blur and their hind legs dissolve into tapering trails of shadow.

Wolf Shade Level 11 Minion
Medium shadow magical beast XP 150

Initiative +10 Senses Perception +8; darkvision

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 25; Fortitude 24, Reflex 24, Will 22
Resist 10 necrotic Vulnerable 5 radiant
Speed 7 squares; see shadow stalker

Bite (basic melee, standard; at-will) - Necrotic
+16 vs. AC; 6 necrotic damage

Harrying Tactics (melee, standard; at-will) - Necrotic
+16 vs. AC; 6 necrotic damage and an adjacent ally may shift 1 square.

Combat Advantage
If a wolf shade has combat advantage against the target, the target is knocked prone on a hit.

Shadow Stalker
If a wolf shade moves at least three squares in a turn, it gains phasing until the start of it’s next turn.

Alignment Unaligned
Languages --
Skills Stealth +15
Str: 21 (+10) Dex: 20 (+10) Wis: 16 (+8)
Con: 18 (+9) Int: 10 (+5) Cha: 8 (+4)

Wolf shades mob their enemies, using harrying tactics as often as possible to gain flanking and knock down their foes.

A character can learn the following information with an arcana check:

Arcana DC 20: Wolf herders, also called wolf spitters, are savage fey creatures transformed by divinity sparks to have a bizarre connection to the Shadow Realm, allowing them to disgorge wolf shades from their mouths.

Arcana DC 25: Wolf herders are spirit beasts of great power, unable to be killed until their bodies are burned or ash chalk can excise the divinity spark from their bodies.

Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition © Wizards of the Coast
World of Ere and related original content © Landon Porter