Fantasy Monster: Name-Wolf

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Name-Wolf

A blue-grey wolf with intricate silver patters spelling ancient glyphs on its fur.

CR 8; 4,800 XP

N Medium Magical Beast

Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, smell name; Perception +22

Defense

AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 16 (+5 Dex, +6 natural)

hp 102 (12d10+36)

Fort +10; Ref +12; Will +7; +4 vs. language-dependent effects
Defensive Abilities nameless 

Offense
Speed 50 ft.

Melee bite +18 (2d4+8 plus trip)

Special Attack devour name (DC 18)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th, concentration +13)

Constant—magic fang, tongues

Statistics
Str 20, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 15
Base Atk +12; CMB +17; CMD 32 (36 vs. trip)

Feats Acrobatic Step, Combat Reflexes, Improved Vital Strike, Nimble Moves, Power Attack, Vital Strike

Skills Acrobatics +20, Perception +22, Stealth +20; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Survival when tracking by scent of someone whose name it knows

Languages Aklo, Common, Sylvan; tongues

Ecology
Environment cold or temperate forest
Organization solitary, pair, or leading a pack of wolves and similar creatures
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Devour Name (Su) When a name-wolf successfully deals damage to a sapient creature that is prone, stunned, incapacitated, surprised or otherwise unaware of the name-wolf, the name-wolf can eat part of the target's name, consuming its identity in the process unless the target resists with a successful Will saving throw (DC 18). From now on, everyone who met the target before has to succeed a Will saving throw (DC 18) to recognize the victim, otherwise they treat the target as a complete stranger. People who have deep emotional ties to the victim suffer –4 penalty to their saving throws. People who witnessed devouring of the target's name receive +4 bonus to their saving throws. This is a language-dependent curse effect. If the name-wolf that devoured the target's name was killed, any attempt to remove the curse has a corresponding DC increased by 10. As a side effect, this curse renders the victim immune to effects that target their name or require knowledge of their true name. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Nameless (Ex) Name-wolves—despite being sapient, speaking creatures with individual personalities—have no names of their own and cannot be named, though they can bear nicknames, usually based on the place they roam. All forms of magic that rely on or affect names have no effect on them.

Smell Name (Su) Name-wolves automatically learn names of people who they detect directly with their scent.

Name-wolves are cunning predators that feed on flesh of livestock and names of speaking folk. They usually avoid killing sapient beings unless forced to, and can even be bargained to a degree—some villages even going as far as offering them names of a few elders each year, in addition to chickens, goats, and pigs.

And once in a while, someone might actually deliberately seek a name-wolf to lose their old identity and begin a sort of new life. Or maybe avoid even worse fate tied to their old name.

Greater Name-Wolves (CR 10) are giant advanced name-wolves that operate in packs that can strip whole places of their names, erasing backwater villages and lone forts from the memories of all but their denizens.