Rot wolf
Size/Catagory: Large wolf
Stats:
Mind: Untrained 20
Body: Expert 11
Magic: Untrained 20
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: Teeth and claws
Special Attacks: For every hit scored with claws or teeth there is a 2 in 6 chance of the victim being poisoned; 1 in 3 of this being serious.
Special Defenses: None
Special Abilites: Spreads disease (see "special attacks")
Magic Resistence: Nil
Stats:
Mind: Untrained 20
Body: Expert 11
Magic: Untrained 20
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: Teeth and claws
Special Attacks: For every hit scored with claws or teeth there is a 2 in 6 chance of the victim being poisoned; 1 in 3 of this being serious.
Special Defenses: None
Special Abilites: Spreads disease (see "special attacks")
Magic Resistence: Nil
Climate/Terrain: Tend to be found in hot, humid areas and forests.
Frequency: Uncommon to average.
Organization: Pack hunters: small groups of females under one dominant male, sometimes lone males will be encountered.
Activity Cycle: Nocturnal
Intelligence: Average
Language: They communicate chiefly through scent, barking and body language.
Alignment: True neutral
Description:
The size of large wolves, rot wolves have yellow eyes and long stained teeth and claws. Their fur, such as it is, comes in shades of brown and grey, and grows in patches and matted tufts around raw, diseased skin. Maggots writhe in weeping sores and flies follow them in droves, but rot wolves' unhealthy appearance does not appear to sap their strength at all. They run with great speed and agility, their muscles prominent (and sometimes actually poking out), and can tear flesh easily with their remaining teeth. The only differences between rot wolves and ordinary wolves that seem to come to the fore in combat are the rot wolves' ability to spread disease, detailed above, and their slightly lower intelligence compared to their healthy cousins.
Rot wolves also stink to high heaven. This means that they are reduced to scavenging, and often hungry -- and therefore more likely to attack.
Frequency: Uncommon to average.
Organization: Pack hunters: small groups of females under one dominant male, sometimes lone males will be encountered.
Activity Cycle: Nocturnal
Intelligence: Average
Language: They communicate chiefly through scent, barking and body language.
Alignment: True neutral
Description:
The size of large wolves, rot wolves have yellow eyes and long stained teeth and claws. Their fur, such as it is, comes in shades of brown and grey, and grows in patches and matted tufts around raw, diseased skin. Maggots writhe in weeping sores and flies follow them in droves, but rot wolves' unhealthy appearance does not appear to sap their strength at all. They run with great speed and agility, their muscles prominent (and sometimes actually poking out), and can tear flesh easily with their remaining teeth. The only differences between rot wolves and ordinary wolves that seem to come to the fore in combat are the rot wolves' ability to spread disease, detailed above, and their slightly lower intelligence compared to their healthy cousins.
Rot wolves also stink to high heaven. This means that they are reduced to scavenging, and often hungry -- and therefore more likely to attack.
Combat:
Rot wolves tend to hunt in packs of three to five; they rarely travel in larger groups than this owing to the fact that prey can easily tell they are coming by their strong smell of rotting meat. During battle, they use a simple communication system consisting of yelps and barks, which are also designed to intimidate the enemy. They can formulate simple plans (which tend to consist of "surround, attack, eat"), but once in battle tend to stick to a failing plan rather than work out a new one. They are brave and almost always hungry, and will more often than no fight fiercely to the death. They cannot use weapons (other than their teeth and claws, of course).
Rot wolves tend to hunt in packs of three to five; they rarely travel in larger groups than this owing to the fact that prey can easily tell they are coming by their strong smell of rotting meat. During battle, they use a simple communication system consisting of yelps and barks, which are also designed to intimidate the enemy. They can formulate simple plans (which tend to consist of "surround, attack, eat"), but once in battle tend to stick to a failing plan rather than work out a new one. They are brave and almost always hungry, and will more often than no fight fiercely to the death. They cannot use weapons (other than their teeth and claws, of course).
Habitat/Society:
Rot wolves are very much team players within their packs, although they will fight other packs and creatures fiercely for food or territory. However, if it is advantageous for all concerned, rot wolf packs will sometimes work together in times of plenty or to bring down particularly difficult prey.
Rot wolves do not have kings or gods; each pack looks after its own members and answers to none but each other. However, within packs, the alpha male and female will always call the shots. Females look after their young, and if a mother is killed or lost, her puppies will be cared for by a female with few or no puppies. If a pack is taken over, the new dominant male will kill all the puppies sired by the previous male in order to cement his leadership. If the dominant male is killed and there is none to replace him, then the oldest male puppy will take over, supported by the more experienced females. If most of a pack is killed or its members scattered, then the individuals will either join new packs, strike out on their own or die. Cannibalism is common.
Rot wolves are very much team players within their packs, although they will fight other packs and creatures fiercely for food or territory. However, if it is advantageous for all concerned, rot wolf packs will sometimes work together in times of plenty or to bring down particularly difficult prey.
Rot wolves do not have kings or gods; each pack looks after its own members and answers to none but each other. However, within packs, the alpha male and female will always call the shots. Females look after their young, and if a mother is killed or lost, her puppies will be cared for by a female with few or no puppies. If a pack is taken over, the new dominant male will kill all the puppies sired by the previous male in order to cement his leadership. If the dominant male is killed and there is none to replace him, then the oldest male puppy will take over, supported by the more experienced females. If most of a pack is killed or its members scattered, then the individuals will either join new packs, strike out on their own or die. Cannibalism is common.
Ecology:
Rot wolves are distantly related to wolves, though the two do not interbreed and tend to stay away from each other to avoid competing over food and territory. Rot wolves do not make much of an impact on an environment: they do not eat more than the average wolf, and generally act as cleaners for other predators' leftovers, feeding on meat so rotten that all other carnivores turn up their noses. The flies, maggots and other scavengers that would have fed on the rotten meat simply make use of the rot wolves themselves instead.
Rot wolves live for up to about 12 years; the oldest recorded one was 14.
Rot wolves are distantly related to wolves, though the two do not interbreed and tend to stay away from each other to avoid competing over food and territory. Rot wolves do not make much of an impact on an environment: they do not eat more than the average wolf, and generally act as cleaners for other predators' leftovers, feeding on meat so rotten that all other carnivores turn up their noses. The flies, maggots and other scavengers that would have fed on the rotten meat simply make use of the rot wolves themselves instead.
Rot wolves live for up to about 12 years; the oldest recorded one was 14.
--Submitted by Jitters--
The Creature Collection
The Creature Collection
