The Three Dogs

I didn’t plan on including the Three Dogs in my original campaign.  The main antagonists has already been defeated by the player characters once, so I decided that I needed to introduce another sets of opponents for Knives and Chronosaj as they made their way to Jack’s Castle.  There was already an angry mob and it made sense that a posse would form to pursue the now-fugitive adventurers and dogs seemed like a natural addition.  I Googled “Fairy Tale Dogs” and found the Three Dog story (summarized below so you don't actually HAVE to follow the link), read through it and realized that Hound Archons would be a perfect fit.  Being creatures of the Upper Planes, I thought it would be cool to have them speak with “Thee, Thou, and Thy” but my wife suggested I add a little bit of “doggo-speak” given the whole canine aspect of these “Goodest Bois” and an amalgam of both language types was born.  Then, I borrowed a page from “Thor” comics and gave them their own font to make their dialogue stand out even more.

SAMPLE DIALOGUE

The White Dog takes two steps forward and stops.  It opens its mouth and calls out, “Do a halt, miscreants!  We seek only the return of your ill-gotten gains!  Lay down thy weapons, surrender now and we will show mercy!  Resist and thee wilt receive a heckin’ thrash about thy head and shoulders!”

THE TRADITIONAL CANON STORY

A dying peasant told his son and daughter that he had only his house and three sheep to leave them; they could divide them as they wished, but must not quarrel. The brother asked his sister which she wished to have. She chose the house. He told her he would take the sheep and seek his fortune. He met a stranger who offered to trade three dogs for his sheep: Salt, which would bring him food; Pepper, who would tear attackers to pieces; Mustard, which could break iron or steel with its teeth. The brother agreed and once the trade was done, asked Salt for food; it instantly gave him some. 

He went on and found a town draped in black. There, he heard that a dragon demanded the tribute of a maiden every year, and this year the lot had fallen on the princess. He went to where she was left, and set Pepper on the dragon. The dog swallowed it all except for two teeth, which the man pocketed. The princess offered to marry him. The man said he wanted to see the world, and would return in three years.

When she was being taken home, her coach’s driver told her that her rescuer was gone and he would kill her if she did not say that he had killed the dragon. She promised. The king said he would marry her to him, but he put off the marriage a year, because she was so young. At the end of the year, she begged him to put it off another, and again, for a third year. Then the wedding date was set.

WHAT I ADDED…

This man, still on his three year journey, has made his way to Hamelin and upon hearing how the city’s new mayor is a corrupt embezzler, decided to lend a hand in bringing him to justice.  What the dogs’ owner does not know is that the Three Dogs are actually Hound Archons who have assumed canine forms.  The dogs race ahead of their owner and catch up to Knives and Chronosaj at the bridge where the Pied Piper had been defeated and offer the two thieves the chance to surrender.  Should the adventurers refuse, it is possible that a fight will break out.  If it looks like Knives and Chronosaj are going to kill the dogs the Brothers Grimm, who have risen to divinity as the Narrator and Historian, appear.  While the gods promise not to intervene in the battle, they tell Knives and Chornosaj what will happen if these dogs are killed and how the timeline of the Grimmlands will be affected.

THEIR STATS (as per 3.5e), for 1^st or 2^nd edition, I would just use the standard Hound Archon as presented in the Monstrous Manual and upgrade their gear to the equivalent of what is shown here.

“Salt” (Angelos), “Pepper” (Bartel), and “Mustard” (Raziel)

LG Male Hound Archon Paladin 9

CR14 (EL17)

HD: 6d8+6 plus 9d10+9 (Hp 75/92/91)

Init: +4

Spd: 40’, 30’ in plate armor

AC: 30 (+9 Natural, Full Plate +2, Ring of Protection +1), t: 11, ff: 30, -5 ACP

BAB/Grap: +15/+18 (Base)

Att: +20/+15/+10 Greatsword +1:2d6+5 (19-20/x2)

                or +18 Bite: 1d8+3 

                or +18 Slam: 1d4+3

                or +20/+15/+10 Greatsword: 2d6+5 (19-20/x2) and +13 Bite: 1d8+1

SA: Spell-like Abilities, Divine Spells (CL4, DC12 + spell level: 2/1), Smite Evil (2/day, +1 att/+9 dmg)

SQ: Aura of Courage, Aura of Good (Overwhelming), Aura of Menace, Change Shape, Detect Evil, Divine Grace, Divine Health, DR10/evil, Darkvision 60’, Immune to Electricity and Petrification, Lay on Hands (heal 9 hp/day), Low-Light Vision, Magic Circle against Evil, Remove Disease (2/week), Scent, Special Mount (typically juvenile bronze dragons, ability not used at this time), SR25, Teleport, Tongues, Turn Undead (4/day, as Clr 6), +4 save vs Poison

Saves: Fort +13, Ref +11, Will +11

Str: 16, Dex 10, Con: 13, Int: 10, Wis: 14, Cha: 12

Skills: Concentration +13, Diplomacy +8, Heal +8, Hide +9*, Jump +16, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +3, Listen +10, Move Silently +9, Sense Motive +16, Spot +11, Survival +11* (additional +2 to follow tracks)

Feats: Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator, Power Attack, Track, Weapon Focus (Greatsword)

Gear (Each): Full Plate Armor +2, Greatsword +1, Ring of Protection +1, Potion of Remove Curse, Potion of Protection from Energy (Fire), Flask of Silversheen, Pouch w/ 290 gp, 5-100gp Amethysts and 1,000gp Sapphire, Gold Bracelet (55 gp value), Finely made White Silk Robes with a kingfisher embroidered on the chest in golden thread (105gp value)

• Aura of Menace (Su): A righteous aura surrounds archons that get angry or enter combat.  Any hostile creature within a 20’ radius must succeed on a Will save (DC15 + Cha bonus) or suffer a -2 penalty to attacks, AC, and saving throws for 24 hours or until they successful hit the Archon that created the effect.  A creature that has resisted or broken the effect cannot by affected again by the same archon for 24 hours.

• Change Shape (Su): A Hound Archon can assume any canine form (animal type only, not magical beasts) of Small to Large size.  When in canine form, it loses its bite and slam attacks and the ability to use weapons but gains the bite attack of the assumed form.  * When in canine form, a Hound Archon gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Hide and Survival checks.

• Magic Circle against Evil (Su): as spell, caster level equal to HD.

• Spell-like Abilities: At will – Aid, Continual Flame, Detect Evil, Message (CL6)

• Teleport (Su): As Greater Teleport at will (CL14) except the Archon can only transport itself and up to 50 lbs. of objects.

• Tongues (Su): All Archons can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a Tongues spell (CL14).  This ability is always active.

• Prepared Paladin Spells: 1^st: Bless Weapon, Divine Favor; 2^nd: Zone of Truth

WHAT IS SUPPOSEED TO HAPPEN:

At the end of his three-year journey, the man returns for the princess but when he says he had killed the dragon, he is thrown into prison. He calls Mustard, who eats through the bars. Then he sends Salt for food. Salt goes to the castle, and the princess recognizes him and gives him food in a royal handkerchief. She tells her father the truth and the king sends a servant to follow the dog.  The man produces the dragon's teeth to prove his story. The coachman is thrown in prison, and the man marries the princess. 

After a time, he remembers his sister and sends for her. The dogs appear before him and tell him they had been waiting to see if he would remember his sister. Then they turn into birds and fly away in search of another noble soul to serve.