| Hit Dice: | 2d10+4 (15 hp) |
| Initiative: | +2 |
| Speed: | 50 ft. (10 squares) |
| Armor Class: | 15 (+2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +2/+4 |
| Attack: | Bite +5 melee (1d6+2) |
| Full Attack: | 2 bites +5 melee (1d6+2) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Disease, trip |
| Special Qualities: | Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent |
| Saves: | Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1 |
| Abilities: | Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 7 |
| Skills: | Hide +3, Listen +6, Move Silently +4, Spot +4; racial bonuses |
| Feats: | Weapon Focus (bite) |
| Environment: | Any desert, hill, plains, mountains, or underground |
| Organization: | Solitary or pack (5–12) |
| Challenge Rating: | 2 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Usually neutral evil |
| Advancement: | 3 HD (Medium); 4–6 HD (Large) |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
Thought by some to be descendants of the mythical threeheaded dog Cerberus, death dogs certainly don’t take well to guard duty. The dogs recognize the disconcerting effect their two heads have on would-be prey and use that fear to their advantage. Nighttime or underground hunters, death dogs are roughly the size of large wolves, covered in thick black or dark gray fur that enables them to blend into the dark. Death dogs are ruthless predators. Those who travel in their territory learn to listen for the double bark that heralds a pack’s approach.
Death dogs prefer to attack with overwhelming numbers. They tend to pick a single opponent to harry, attempting to trip that foe so the rest of the pack can leap in and finish the fallen victim. Even when they’re not hungry, death dogs can strike briefly to infect a victim with the disease they carry, which is characterized by a yellowing of the victim’s skin and swelling around the eyes and throat. The dogs then withdraw and follow from a distance until they grow hungry enough to finish the victim off.
Disease (Ex): Any creature hit by a death dog’s bite attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 13) or contract a disease. The incubation period is 1 day, and the disease deals 1d4 points of Strength damage and 1d3 points of Constitution damage. (See Disease for more information.)
Trip (Ex): A death dog that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent 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 death dog.
Skills: Death dogs have a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Source: Fiend Folio, page 41. Changes applied as per the D&D® v.3.5 Accessory Update.