Horse, Pravus Clydesdale

Description

The evil relative in the Clydesdale breed, Pravus Clydesdale horses are sinister. Sages do not know why or how this horse got into the natural mix of things, but all agree that the world would be better off without them.

Pravus Clydesdale horses appear as slightly larger Clydesdale Horses. Pravus Clydesdales' colors are black and various shades of grey. They have white straps on the face, and white legs to knees and hocks.

A Pravus Clydesdale has a natural aura of fear about it. The aura has a radius of 10 feet. Creatures entering the aura will turn away and flee in panic for 1d6+6 if a successful save vs. spell is not made. Any Clydesdale whether a Pravus, a Volatilis, a normal Clydesdale, or a horse with at least 50% Clydesdale blood is immune to the fear aura.

Combat

A Pravus Clydesdale will fiercely attack anything which it deems as a threat to itself or its lair. Clydesdale attacks with its hooves and teeth.

A Pravus Clydesdale can charge causing the victim to make a save vs. petrifaction (-3 modifier) or become petrified by the sight of such a large horse charging. If the save is successful, the victim must make a moral check at -3 or flee.

A Pravus Clydesdale has a powerful steam attack. Once every turn, the horse can blow scourging steam from its nostrils at a target with 5 feet of its head (or a target engaged in frontal melee with the horse). The steam will cause 2d6+3 points of damage.

After being angered, for over 1 turn, a Pravus Clydesdale can enter a berserk rage. When berserk, the Pravus Clydesdale has phenomenal endurance to pain and some forms of magic. While berserk, the horse gains the following benefits and hindrances:

• The horse gets a +1 to attack, +3 to damage, and +5 hp.
• While berserk, the horse must fight each opponent until that opponent is down. Once an opponent falls, the horse must attack the nearest enemy and attack him.
• It is immune (no save is necessary) to the mage spells charm monster, friends, hypnotism, sleep, irritation, ray of enfeeblement, scar, geas, and the clerical spells command, charm monster or mammal, enthrall, cloak of bravery, and symbol.
• It gets a +4 to save against mage spells blindness, Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter, hold monster, charm monster, and confusion, and the clerical spells hold monster and hold animal.
• The emotion spell has no effect unless the caster chose the fear result. If fear was chosen, the horse gets a normal save; if the horse makes it, it continues on as before, but if it fails, the horse is prematurely snapped out of its berserk rage, with all normal effects of coming out of the rage (but he doesn't suffer any other fear effect). The fear spell has exactly the same effect. If the horse fails a save vs. charm monster, it simply counts the caster as one of his allies; it doesn't come out of the berserk rage or obey the caster's command.
• Being berserk offers no real protection from finger of death, except that the spell effects do not take place until the horse has come out of his rage. If the horse saves, it doesn't suffer the 2d8+1 damage until immediately after it snaps out of the rage. If the horse fails the save, it doesn't die until the rage is over.
• The horse is temporarily unaffected by the by the cleric spells bless, cure light wounds, aid, cure serious wounds, cure critical wounds, heal, and regenerate (and wither). The horse will gain the benefits of those spells after it has come out other rage and suffered any and all damages which occurred then.
• The taunt spell is automatically successful, and will cause the horse to abandon its current enemy and charge to attack the taunter.

The berserk rage lasts until the last enemy has following. When the horse comes out of the rage, it loses the 5 hp gained when entering the berserk rage. The horse suffers the effects of any spells which wait until the rage is over before affecting it.

Habit/Society

They can carry great weights for long periods of time. A Pravus Clydesdale's normal carrying capacity is 290. A Pravus Clydesdale's encumbered, half-speed load is 420. A Pravus Clydesdale's fully encumbered, 1/3 movement load is 550.

Almost impossible to tame, Pravus Clydesdales have only been none to be trained as steeds to liches, possibly the only creature with enough power and evil to take on such a deed.

Ecology

Pravus Clydesdales are meat eaters. The are fierce predators that are only dominated by those creatures that can eat them (few indeed).

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