Hound: A hireling for OD&D
Idea by Christian Kessler as interpreted by me, Marky Mark.
Standing a meter tall with stringy grey, to brown, to black hair, with a black nose and blue or hazel colored eyes, the hounds of Killnerd came into being when the sea wolves of the northern coast were interbred with the hunting hounds brought by tradesmen and settlers from the south. In the town Killnerd, they are now specifically kept as watchdogs against the goblins occupying the stony slopes of the coastline.
A hound has 1 HD per level, and at level 3 and 4 receives a +1 to their total HP. It matches the Hit table, Saves, and XP advancement of a Fighting Man, but can not exceed the 4th level.
XP for hounds can be gained by slaying foes as per Player Characters, but they gain the entirety of the XP value of Goblins they have turned. Only hounds gain XP for turning Goblins. For example, if a hound turns a a band of 6 goblins, that hound would net their XP* as if it had otherwise slain them.
*something like 60xp (10/gobbo) in OD&D iirc, but sub the XP for whatever game you play.
When encountered by a hound, Goblins (not Hobgoblins or Bugbears) test their morale immediately. A party with a hound trying to negotiate with goblinoids receives a -2 to reaction rolls.
A hound's loyalty is rolled with 4d6 upon purchase, 6d6 if raised as a pup. As long as it is treated with love and fed, its loyalty raises by 1 each day. Breeders might sell a hound anywhere from 10-20 gp.
The hounds have a piercing bark which echoes across the stone hollers of their homelands. To goblin kind, these barks send shivers of disgust down their crooked spines. To Turn Goblinoid, roll 2d6 and consult the chart below. A score equal to or above the number listed succeeds in turning. This affects up to 2d6 targets, as per the Cleric Turn Undead.
X - No Effect
T - Turned
D - Disbanded
# - Target Number
*Personally, I don’t lump Ogres or Orcs into the Goblinoid Family Tree™. But if you need a tougher, more humanoid foe to try and scare away, this row can be used. Humans, dwarves, elfs, etc are affected as Orcs, if need be.
**Likewise as above, yet this row can be used for even more powerful monsters. Absolutely most monsters will eat your hound without hesitation, but for especially grizzled and mighty hounds, this might prove applicable. A hound could route a small dragon from the fealty for its wounded master.
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