Cooshee
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Elven Lands
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Pack or Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-(4)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral (good tendencies)
NO. APPEARING: 1–8
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 18, Sprint 24
HIT DICE: 3+3
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 (claw/claw/bite)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1–4/1–4/2–8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Overbearing
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Camouflage
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (4' at shoulder)
MORALE: Steady (12)
XP VALUE: 270
The cooshee, or elven hound, is a huge, long-lived dog. It is most commonly
found in the company of sylvan elves, who use it for both hunting and guard
duties. Occasionally, high or grey elves will keep kennels of these dogs, but these
are generally few and far between.
The cooshee has a thick greenish coat, often spotted with large brown spots or
patches. This coat allows it to conceal itself in the forests and fields near
its home with a 75% efficiency. Where most dogs crash through the forest, the
cooshee moves as silently as its elf masters, gaining a +4 bonus on surprise
rolls.
Cooshee weigh more than 160 pounds and often weigh as much as 300 pounds.
Their huge paws house equally huge claws, which are curved to ensure better
traction in the soft loam of the forestlands. Their tails generally arc over their
backs, though they hang between their legs when they are being scolded. Their ears
come to a point on top of their heads, giving the cooshee an attentive,
intelligent look.
Combat: In combat, the cooshee is a fearsome opponent. Its powerful jaws are enough to
frighten any normal person; coupled with its fierce claws and demeanor, the
cooshee is a very effective fighting machine. With a party of elves providing
distraction with their arrows, the cooshee can become a creature from a nightmare
for its prey. Elves say that one cooshee is worth five orcs.
Although cooshee can go head-to-head with many creatures, their strength lies
in the chase. When they are pursuing an opponent, whether it be game or
humanoid, the cooshee can begin an all-out sprint, increasing its speed to 24" for
five rounds. At the end of this time, if it didn't catch its prey, it slows down
to 15" for at least five additional rounds while it catches its breath.
When they draw within range of their foe, cooshee may attempt to overbear
their enemy. If this opponent is fleeing, the cooshee gains a one-round size bonus.
That is, it becomes Size L for the purpose of the overbearing attack roll and
thus gains +4 to attack rolls (see "Overbearing" in the Player's Handbook, p. 98). If it rolls a successful attack roll, the cooshee has successfully
dragged or knocked its opponent to the ground.
If it attempts to overbear, it must forfeit all its other attacks during that
round. In the round following, it automatically pins the quarry and may make
its ferocious bite attack on the helpless prey. The victim may attempt to break
the pin by making a successful Strength check. If it fails, the victim loses any
Dexterity bonus to his or her Armor Class. Further, the cooshee gains a +4 to
attack targets so pinned. They tend to favor the throat of the creature over
any other target. If the cooshee have been ordered to subdue their target, they
simply close their jaws over the quarry's throat, resting their teeth against
its skin. This tends to be an effective method of forcing surrender.
Habitat/Society: Cooshee mate for life. If one of the pair is killed, the other generally
wastes away. Cooshee puppies bond strongly to their parents, and the parents are
highly protective of their offspring. Only a fool comes between an adult cooshee
and its children.
Cooshee tend to avoid other "normal" dogs, seeming to find them inferior. In
this regard, the cooshee echo their elf masters, refraining from much contact
with other races.
The cooshee have an incredibly loud bark that can be heard more than a mile
away. However, they only bark to warn their masters or packmates. In almost no
other circumstances will a cooshee emit noise.
Cooshee often live to be more than 100 years old.
Ecology: No one seems to know whether cooshee are a naturally occurring creature or if
they are a creation of the elves. The cooshee seem almost too perfectly
designed for their tasks to be anything but created beasts. However, their affinity
with nature, closely mirroring that of the elves, leads one to believe that they
are, in fact, entirely natural.
Although elves have had much success in gaining the trust of the cooshee, few
other races have been able to establish a rapport with the hound. Even
experienced animal handlers of other races find it incredibly difficult to approach one
of these magnificent creatures. Thus, unless the cooshee has been magically charmed (it saves at +3 vs. any charm spell), it will only be found in the company of elves.
Table of Contents