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The Diamond Throne
Dark Warden Encounter (EL 8) The PCs stand at the edge of a small town at dusk. All is very still. They hear no sounds from the nearby woods. Suddenly, one of them spots a large figure standing in the shadows, among the trees, looking out at the town. The creature makes no move, but melts back into the shadows. Later, as the characters leave town, they sense they are being followed—perhaps even watched. From that moment, they have drawn the vigilant attention of a dark warden. This figure currently watches over a hidden forest spring of magical liquid, whose enchanted waters have healed a number of sick animals. If the PCs approach the spring, the dark warden appears (at a distance) and warns them off in a deep, unnerving whisper that they nonetheless hear from 200 feet away. If they do not heed the warning, the dark warden fights to keep them from the spring—unless they somehow prove they will do no harm.
Dream Hunter Medium Magical Beast Hit Dice: 4d10 (22 hp), dying/dead –1/–10 Initiative: +3 (Dexterity) Speed: 30 feet AC: 17 (+3 Dexterity, +4 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+4 Attack: Tongue stab +7 melee (1d6) Full Attack: Tongue stab +7 melee (1d6) Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet Special Attacks: Sleep gaze, improved grab, constrict 1d6 and 1 Wisdom Special Qualities: Immune to gaze attacks, dream tracking, sense dreamer, scent Saves: Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +4 Abilities: Str 10, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 11 Skills: Listen +5, Sneak +7 Feats: Iron Will, Night Owl, Weapon Finesse Environment: Warm plains or desert Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (4–13) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: None Advancement: 5–7 HD (Medium), 8–12 HD (Large) Level Adjustment: +3 The dream hunter is an intelligent, houndlike being that can sense other creatures while they dream. It developed this power to hunt efficiently, which makes it a devastating and brutal foe with a relentless means of following prey over long distances. Dream hunters have tight blood-red flesh wrapped around their gaunt bodies. They almost look like red skeletal dogs, with a more massive head and forequarters than those of most dogs. They travel in packs, feasting on the brains of their prey and leaving the rest of a kill to rot in the sun. Dream hunters are smart enough to stay on the fringes of civilization, although some powerful hunters capture them and force them to work as trackers.
They speak no language but can understand much of the common tongue.
Combat Dream hunters operate in packs, always at night. They launch into combat with their gaze attacks, and then move in to grapple with their tongues. Sleep Gaze (Su): When the dream hunter wishes, it can activate a gaze attack with a range of 60 feet. It puts living creatures to sleep for 10 rounds, unless they succeed at a Will save (DC 12). Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the dream hunter must hit an opponent of up to Large size with its tongue stab attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it establishes a hold, it can constrict. Constrict (Ex): A dream hunter deals 1d6 points of damage with a successful grapple check against Large or smaller creatures. Wisdom Drain (Su): During a grapple, saliva on the dream hunter’s tongue deals 1 point of temporary Wisdom damage to a constricted foe. Immune to Gaze Attacks (Su): A magical membrane over a dream hunter’s eyes renders the creature immune to gaze attacks. Dream Tracking (Su): If the dream hunter knows a character’s name or has an item that was in the character’s possession for at least an hour, it can attempt to discern that character’s location anywhere in the world. The only limitations are that the character must be asleep when it makes the attempt and must fail a Will saving throw (DC 12). Effects that block divinations also block this divinatory ability. If the dream tracker knows a character’s truename, no saving throw is allowed. Sense Dreamer (Su): Even if the dream hunter has no special knowledge or connection to a creature, it can sense a sleeping creature within 250 feet at will, discerning its exact location. Effects that block divinations also block this divinatory ability.
