FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: Not applicable
MOVE: Not applicable
HIT DICE: Not applicable
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Special
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M (5' tall)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: Not applicable

One of the lejendary beasts whose appearance traditionally portends death,
this creature appears in the form of a dark,
shadowy wolf-hound,
5' tall at the shoulder.
It appears instantaneously and remains in view only for a few seconds during which time it is only visible to one member of a party of adventurers.
Because of its brief appearance and shadowy form, it cannot be harmed in any way, and it is rumoured that only one of these creatures exists.

The person sighting the hound will hear it emit a booming howl before it vanishes again.
The character has no save against the effects of the howl,
though if remove curse is CAST on the victim within one turn the effects of the howl will be halved.

The howl has this effect:
the next 1-10 wounds suffered by its victim (1-5 if remove curse has been cast) do quadruple damage on him.
If he survives,
the victim will take no further effect from the howl,
but until the requisite number of wounds has been taken no healing (cure wounds spells, for instance) will have any effect on him.

It is said that the hound only appears if a character has seriously offended his deity,
for example by a flagrant act out of alignment.
 

by Mike Roberts
Image by Bloated Blowfish