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Legacy of the Dragons
Rune Animal Template “The land does not seek defenders only from your kind— intellect and ‘civilization’ are poor ways to measure devotion or worth.” So spoke Teeshal, the rune eagle. Rune animals are to normal animals what runechildren are to normal people. The same mysterious, seemingly intelligent force that selects runechildren and bestows upon them wondrous abilities (and great responsibilities) also finds representatives from among the animals of the world to work on its behalf as well. Rune animals gain the ability to speak and reason, but they keep their animal natures. Sometimes even the lowliest of the animal kingdom, the vermin, are chosen to become rune animals. No matter what their original form or mind, however, the rune animal becomes a magical, powerful, and intelligent representative of its kind. Aside from the obvious differences, the main distinction rune animals have from runechildren is that rune animals become something of a champion for their own kind. Although they still look at things holistically—they do not defend their own kind at the expense of all others—their primary concerns in day-to-day life involve the well-being of animals of their own type. A rune bear looks after all bears, a rune dolphin pays attention to all things concerning dolphins, and a rune spider sees to the well-being of spiders. Most rune animals avoid people in the same way that normal animals do. Rune animals that are also predators can prove dangerous in the eyes of humanoid races, however. They’re still predators, and their increased power and ability to organize others of their kind makes them willing to take on more dangerous game (humans, faen, giants, and so on) if need be. Rune animals look like normal members of their kind, except that a mystical rune is visible somewhere on their body, usually their head.
Sample Rune Animal: Rune Wolf Medium Magical Beast Hit Dice: 2d10+6 (17 hp), dying/dead –4/–17 Initiative: +3 Speed: 50 feet (10 squares) Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dexterity, +3 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4 Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+3) Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+3) Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet) Special Attacks: Trip, command wolves, bolster wolves, spelllike abilities Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, speak with animals, DR 10/magic (or 10/+1)
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8 Skills: Knowledge (nature) +2, Listen +4, Sneak +5, Spot +4, Wilderness Survival* +4 Feats: Track B, Weapon Focus (bite) Environment: Temperate forests Organization: Solitary, pair (one rune wolf and one normal wolf), or pack (one rune wolf and 7–16 normal wolves) Challenge Rating: 2 Treasure: None Advancement: 3 HD (Medium); 4–6 HD (Large) Level Adjustment: +2 Wolves are cunning, persistent pack hunters. A rune wolf almost always leads a pack of normal wolves. Although it cannot command them, even creatures such as dire wolves and winter wolves show a rune wolf respect.
Combat A favorite tactic is to send a few individuals against the foe’s front, while the rest of the pack circles and attacks from the flanks or rear. * Skills: Wolves have a +4 racial bonus on Wilderness Survival checks when tracking by scent. Trip (Ex): A rune wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+1 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the wolf. Command Wolves (Su): A rune wolf can command wolves. Trained wolves or wolf companions get a Will saving throw (DC 10) to resist. See ability description on next page. Bolster Wolves (Su): Wolves within sight of a rune wolf gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and saving throws. Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): A rune wolf can cast the following spells as a 3rd-level magister: 1/day—lesser ability boost, predict weather, saving grace, true strike. The save DC against these spells is DC 12 + spell level. Scent (Ex): The rune wolf can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. For upwind foes, the range increases to 60 feet; downwind, it drops to 15 feet. When detecting a scent, the rune wolf doesn’t determine its exact source, only its presence in range. The rune wolf can take a standard action to note the scent’s direction. Once within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the source. A rune wolf can also follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom check to find or follow a track. Speak With Animals (Su): See ability description on the next page.
