FREQUENCY: Very rare

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VIII])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Civilized Mountains], [Cold Civilized Hills], [Cold Civilized Forest], [Cold Civilized Swamp], [Cold Civilized Plains], [Cold Civilized Desert])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Wilderness Mountains], [Cold Wilderness Hills], [Cold Wilderness Forest], [Cold Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Wilderness Plains], [Cold Wilderness Desert])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized Mountains], [Temperate Civilized Hills], [Temperate Civilized Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized Swamp], [Temperate Civilized Plains], [Temperate Civilized Desert])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Mountains], [Temperate Wilderness Hills], [Temperate Wilderness Forest], [Temperate Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Plains], [Temperate Wilderness Desert])

FREQUENCY: Rare ([Tropical Civilized Mountains])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Civilized Hills], [Tropical Civilized Forest], [Tropical Civilized Swamp], [Tropical Civilized Plains], [Tropical Civilized Desert])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Hills], [Tropical Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Swamp], [Tropical Wilderness Plains], [Tropical Wilderness Desert])

NO. APPEARING: 1-2 (1)
ARMOR CLASS: 2 to -4
MOVE: 15"
HIT DICE: 6+6 to 12+12
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: [SB]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8 number of HD as +hp
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [SB]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [SB]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 5% /hit dice (ignore pluses)
INTELLIGENCE: High to genius
ALIGNMENT: Evil (lawful)
SIZE: M to L
PSIONIC ABILITY: levitation
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
    6+6 HD = VII | 1275 + 10
    7+7 HD = VII | 2000 + 12
    8+8 HD = VIII | 3450 + 14
    9+9 HD = VIII | 3600 + 14
    10+10 HD = IX | 6100 + 16
    11+11 HD = IX | 6250 + 16
    12+12 HD = IX | 7300 + 18

SAVES,
    6+6 HD: 10.11.12.12.13
    7+7 HD: 8.9.10.9.11
    8+8 HD: 8.9.10.9.11
    9+9 HD: 7.8.9.8.10
    10+10 HD:
    11+11 HD:
    12+12 HD:

Of the various monsters inhabiting the rifts of the Planes of Gehenna,
the barghest is certainly the most common and one of the most fearsome. <1> <2>
These beings tend to live in isolation even from one another,
each having its own stronghold and force of servitors and ruling despotically.
At times, however, a barghest will spawn, and its litter of 6 will be sent to the PMP to feed and grow.
Those which survive will eventually return to Gehenna, but while they are yet young they must
feed upon the lives of men. Barghest whelps will be found alone or in
pairs on the PMP, generally living near isolated communities
of humans or with bands of goblins.

Barghests are able to assume the forms of large war or wild dogs at will.
They are at times known as devil dogs, a misnomer. Their natural shape
is very much the same as that of a large goblin, and when barghests
dwell among goblins, they retain their normal form. While goblins
recognize and worship barghests, other races find them to be virtually
indistinguishable from these goblins. Their goblin hosts fear and serve
barghests, going to great lengths to bring them human sacrifices. The
barghests, in turn, slay the powerful enemies of the goblins and generally
enrich the treasure possessed by their hosts.

When barghest whelps first come to the PMP they are
relatively  weak, having but 6  (1d8) + 6 HD. For each energy level of
human life the whelps slay and devour, they gain 1 HP; 8 such levels
effectively give them another hit die and an additional hit point per die.
(Zero-level humans gain barghests only one-half an energy level, so they
are less desirable prey than are exceptional persons.) Likewise, as HD
are gained, the barghest also becomes more powerful. Its armorr
class increases by 1 place with each additional hit die, and its strength
grows from an initial 18/00 to 24; damage increases accordingly, as
does magic resistance and intelligence. When a barghest eventually
attains full growth and power, it is able to shift itself to the Planes of
Gehenna, where it will search out its own reeking valley rift.

What treasure barghests gather into their own strongholds upon the
Planes of Gehenna is not known, although it is rumoured to be great.
Whilst dwelling on the PMP, however, they possess
none personally.

Barghests are able to perform the following spell-like magic, 1 operation
per round, at will:
    shape change to canine/goblin-like form,
    change self,
    levitation,
    misdirection,
    projected image.

Once per day the following spell-like powers can be employed:
    charm (person || monster), <>
    dimension door,
    emotion.

When in its canine form, a barghest is able to MOVE at double its normal
movement rate (30" max.), pass without trace, and become 75%
likely to be unnoticed when motionless so that it can surprise opponents
50% of the time (3 in 6).

These creatures are hit only by +1 or better magic weapons.

Vulnerability to Fire: Barghests are not particularly vulnerable to any attack form, but, if in their canine
shape, they take the risk of failing to save vs. a magical fire attack such
as fireball, flame strike, or meteor swarm. Fire does absolutely no
damage to barghests, but if they fail to save against such an attack while
in canine form they are hurled back to their own plane. Weaker barghests
returning thus are most likely to be slain or enslaved by their more
powerful fellows. Even if they are not so treated, they cannot return
to the Prime Material Plane without some form of outside assistance.

As already noted, the barghest in its whelp stages appears much the
same as a goblin of large size, although as it grows larger and stronger,
there is a darkening of the skin from yellow toward a bluish red. Its adult
skin color is blue. The eyes of the barghest are glowing orange when it is
excited, but otherwise they are indistinguishable from those of a goblin.
Their canine forms can be those of any typical large dogs, and in these
forms it is almost (95%) impossible to tell them from normal dogs, except
that other dogs, except that other dogs will fear and hate them,
attacking at every opportunity.
 

<1: FREQUENCY: Common (Gehenna)>
<2: morale modifier>

<hebrew font for title>



 

Q: Can barghests be turned by clerics?
Does holy water harm them?
Does a protection from evil keep
them from attacking? Exactly how
large are barghests, and what are
their armor classes? How do you
determine their damage bonuses?

A: Barghests of 8 + 8 HD or less may be
turned as specials, but barghests of 9 + 9
HD or more cannot be turned. Holy water
inflicts standard (1d6 + 1 hp) damage on
barghests. Protection from evil does not
keep barghests from attacking, but this
spell does not prevent attacks from any
other creatures. Protection from evil and
protection from evil 10? radius keep extraplanar
and summoned creatures from
physically touching the protected creatures,
and gives them armor-class and
saving-throw bonuses. The attacking creatures
may still make ranged attacks, and
can use weapons against the protected
creatures. Barghests are extraplanar creatures.
A barghest?s armor class and damage
bonus depends on its hit dice: 6 + 6 HD
= AC 2, Dmg 2d4+6; 7+7HD = AC 1,
Dmg 2d4 + 7; etc. Barghests are man-sized
at 8 + 8 HD and below, and large at 9 + 9
HD and above.
(138.77)