This vile predator has a hide as thick and tough as leather. Wicked ebony quills run from its head, tail, and back.
Howler CR 3
XP 800
CE Large outsider (chaotic, evil, extraplanar)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +4 natural, â1 size)
hp 37 (5d10+10)
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +3
Defensive Abilities quill defense
Speed 60 ft.
Melee bite +8 (1d8+4), quills +3 (1d4+2 plus pain)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks howl
Str 18, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +5; CMB +10; CMD 22
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+22 jump), Climb +12, Perception +13, Stealth +6
Languages Abyssal (cannot speak)
A howlerâs constant howling is a grating, exhausting baying that can drive listeners insane. All beings other than outsiders within 120 feet of a howling howler must succeed on a DC 12 Will save or become cursed by the creatureâs howl. Once a creature becomes cursed in this way, she takes no additional penalty for being exposed to additional howlersâ howls until the current howler curse is lifted. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Howler Howl: Curseâhowl; save Will DC 12 negates; frequency 1/hour; effect 1 Wisdom damage; cure 1 save.
Whenever a creature takes damage from a howlerâs quill attack or its quill defense, that creature must make a successful DC 14 Reflex save or one quill breaks off in its flesh, causing the target to become sickened until all embedded quills are removed.
Removing one quill requires a DC 15 Heal check made as a full-round action. For every 5 by which the check is exceeded, one additional quill can be removed. On a failed check, a quill is still removed, but the process deals 1d4+1 points of damage to the victim. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Any creature that strikes a howler with a non-reach melee weapon, unarmed strike, or natural weapon takes 1d4+1 points of piercing damage from the howlerâs quills and suffers from the howlerâs pain attack.
Environment any land (Abyss)
Organization solitary or pack (2â4)
Treasure incidental
The howler is a native to the Abyss, an Outer Plane where madness is the norm and cruelty is expected and often rewarded. The howler prowls these Abyssal realms, serving the role of a hungry predator like a lion or tiger, save for the fact that the typical howler is much more intelligent than a big cat. Worse, howlers have little interest in eating their preyâthey need not feed to live, but rather enjoy the process of stalking, mauling, and killing living creatures. In a way, the act of inflicting intense pain and madness upon mortal life is what fills a howlerâs life instead of the desire to feed.
The howlerâs mane of razor-sharp quills makes it a poor choice of mount for most creatures, but it serves quite well as a guardian or sentinelâespecially for outsiders, who may not enjoy the creatureâs constant howling, but arenât adversely affected by the supernatural sounds. When a howler sees prey, the tenor of its howls changesâhowlers cannot speak, but they can use their howls to communicate quite a bit of information if required. They understand the Abyssal tongue, and when serving demons as guardians, their howls can not only alert their masters to the presence of intruders, but also to their number, appearance, and weaknesses.
A howler is about the size of a tigerâ12 feet from snout to tail and weighing 6,000 pounds. They are normally pale in color, with darker quills and milky eyes.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.