Fantasy Monster: Burn-Wolf

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Burn-Wolf

A big reddish-orange wolf, with air all around shimmering from great heat.

CR 2; XP 600
N Medium Magical Beast

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +6

Defense
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 19 (2d10+8)
Fort +7; Ref +5; Will +2

Defensive Abilities scorching heat; Resist cold 10, fire 10

Offense
Speed 50 ft.

Melee bite +4 (1d6+3 plus 1d6 fire)

Special Attacks howl at the clouds

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 5, Wis 15, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)

Feats Combat Reflexes

Skills Perception +6, Stealth +6; Survival +2 (+6 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival while tracking by scent

Language Ignan

Ecology
Environment forest, hills, and plains
Organization solitary, pair or pack (3–12)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Howl At The Clouds (Su) A pack of four or more burn-wolves can howl repeatedly over 1 minute, evoking an intense rain in the process. If there are clouds present, the rain is immediate, otherwise it takes between 10 minutes to 1 hour for the clouds to come and release the rain, depending on existing weather. The rain falls for the next 1d10 minutes, doubling the range penalties on attack rolls and Perception checks. This is a transmutation air and water effect.

Scorching Heat (Su) A burn-wolf can project intense heat at will, dealing 1d6 points of additional fire damage with its bite attack. Anyone hitting a burn-wolf with a natural attack, an unarmed strike, or a non-reach melee weapon attack suffers 1d6 points of fire damage. Burn-wolves can ignite flammable materials with their touch while this ability remains in effect.

According to oral tradition of the burn-wolves, wolves were the first to wrest the secret of fire in the ancient times from the spirits of thunder, and used it to help them hunt for other animals—until the envious monkeys tricked most of them and took away their knowledge of fire and the speech, leaving burn-wolves the sole tribe that retained those gifts.

That story, like most other founding myths is likely wrong—there are other kinds of speaking wolves and there were many other creatures capable of using fire in the times before written history. Those facts matter little to burn-wolves, though, and they continue to live like they did, harnessing fire to drive animals into ambushes and repel other predators, using primitive ditches and howls of their packs to restrict fire from spreading out of control—and occasionally causing a massive wildfire if they are careless and short-sighted.