Canus, Lord of the Hounds

Canus, Lord of the Hounds
No. Enc: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4th level fighter (20 hp)
Attacks: 1 (energy whip)
Damage: 1d6, see below
Save: F 4
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: XIX
XP: 190

Once there was a barbarian, vicious even by the standards of the reavers of his tribe.  This man was driven away by his brethren when he began to turn on his own, slaying men, women, and children who had failed to show him the respect his might deserved.

Canus (for that was his name) wandered long across the Land of One Thousand Suns, leaving a trail of murder and savagery, until he came across a wizard in need of a test subject.  The wizard had spent long years studying in the ruins of a pet cloning company, learning the fine art of gene splicing.  The wizard attempted to restrain Canus, and inject him with the DNA samples he had concocted, but there is always danger in using barbarians as test subjects – Canus killed the sorcerer with a bite to the throat as he leaned over to deliver the injection.

Canus was blessed with more than just sociopathic behavior and brute strength – he was a quick study, and soon produced more of the pet-cloning serum.  He captured dozens of helpless test subjects, and learned the serum’s true power – the production of the Dober-Men (see the Monsters section for more details).  Soon he had an army of these dog-headed freaks, and he has used them to carve a personal city-state for himself out of the barren wilderness.

Canus rules his lands from a four-story stone tower he calls “the Kennel.”  The stone tower has no visible entrance, and no windows except on the uppermost floor.  It is entered from an underground cave system he calls “the Den,” where he keeps his army of Dober-Men at the ready.

Canus’s long association with the Dober-Men has twisted his body into a “wolf-man” shape.  He is covered with black shaggy hair, except on his pink nose, and has a pair of pointed ears sticking out of the top of his head.

In combat, Canus wears a suit of plate mail and wields an energy whip.  The whip does 1d6 points of damage on a hit, and if the victim fails a save vs. paralyzation, he will be tangled in the whip.  Targets tangled in the whip will continue to take 1d6 points of damage per round automatically until they free themselves via a successful save vs. paralyzation.  This energy whip will cease to function 1d4 days after Canus’s death, as it is powered only by his twisted will.

Canus additionally has the power to charm dogs and wolves.  He may charm one dog or wolf per round, up to a total of four.  The dog must save vs. spell; if successful, they are only confused (as per the spell) instead of charmed.  A charmed dog is entirely under Canus’s command, and will unhesitatingly attack its former master.

Dober-Man (Minion of Canus)
No. Enc: 3d8
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d8 (or 1d4 for bite)
Save: F1
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 20

These monsters are the unswervingly loyal servants of the wizard Canus.  A Dober-Man has the body of a human, with the head of a Doberman pinscher.  In battle, they wear only loincloths and sandals, and wield sharp, curving scimitars.  If deprived of his scimitar for some reason, a Dober-Man will bite for 1d4 points of damage instead.

(A note to readers - when I say "servants of the wizard Canus," that's not a typo.  These are wizards in the Thundarr-the-Barbarian sense, lunatics who've gotten hold of super-science.  Canus is another genetic-modification style wizard, like Monsator.  It's a convenient excuse for designing goofy minions.  Yes, I know these are incredibly corny - I want my wizard villains to be full of cartoonish supervillainy, not deadly epic threats to the safety of the world)