The Cooshee, or
elven dog, was first introduced to 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the adventure The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, published
in 1982. It subsequently reappeared in 1983 as an entry in Monster Manual II. Then it returned in the Monstrous Manual (1992) and the Complete
Book of Elves (1992). The Cooshee
has most recently turned up in the Pathfinder
game, first in Forgotten Foes by Tricky Owlbear Publishing, Inc. in 2010
and then in Tome of Horrors Complete
by Necromancer Games, Inc. in 2011.
The Cooshee would
appear to be heavily inspired by the Cù-Sìth,
the mythological hound of Scottish legend. It was the size of a young bull and
bore a strong resemblance to a wolf, with a shaggy coat that was usually green,
though was occasionally white. It could hunt silently, but would sometimes let
out three bays that could be heard for miles. The baying could fill a person
with such terror that he or she could potentially die.
The Cù-Sìth was
feared as a harbinger of death, thought to carry the soul of the recently
deceased to the afterlife. The Cooshee
is a little less supernatural than that, being a very long-lived dog bred by
the elves to serve as a guardian & hunting companion. It is most frequently
encountered with elven war bands.
The Cooshee will
probably make an official appearance in D&D
5th Edition eventually, but in the meantime, here is my take on
an elf’s best friend.
Cooshee
Medium beast, unaligned
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 16 (3d8+3)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 3
(-4) 13 (+1) 6 (-2)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages –
Challenge ½
(100 xp)
Camouflage. The cooshee has advantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks when in forested terrain.
Keen Hearing and Smell. The cooshee
has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Pounce. If the
cooshee moves at least 20 ft. straight towards a creature and then hits it with
a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength
saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the cooshee can make
one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
Sprint. Once per minute, the cooshee can
move 4x its current speed for 1 round.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage.
Cooshee, also known as elven dogs, are large
dogs only found in the forests and meadows frequented by elves. They are most
commonly encountered in the company of elves and rarely on their own. They are
quite large, typically weighing between 170 and 200 lbs, with some occasionally
reaching up to 300 lbs. Their coat is green with brown spots, and their paws
are large with heavy claws. Cooshee
usually avoid other dog species.
Loyal Guards & Companions
Elves
typically use cooshee as guard
animals and hunting companions. This extraordinarily long-lived breed is
completely loyal to its elven masters, immediately following any command and
unafraid to put itself in danger to defend its master. Cooshee only bark to warn their masters of danger, and their bark
can be heard up to a mile away.
Excellent! I was going to be converting these over myself, soon, and you beat me to it! Much thanks.
ReplyDeleteIn my world of Eska, the wood elves used magic to transform some cooshie into humanoid form to fight against the dark elves. Pretty much going to use a modified gnoll stat block.