Jarhdel

Medium beast, neutral

Armor Class 17 (description)
Hit Points 52 (8d8+16)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	10 (+0)	14 (+2)	3 (-4)	10 (+0)	6 (-2)

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

ACTIONS

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
• Powerful Charge. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d12+2) bludgeoning damage. In addition, the target must make a Constitution save (DC 13) or be knocked prone and stunned until the end of the jarhdel’s next turn. The jarhdel can only use the powerful charge if it can move at least 10 feet towards a target before making the attack.

ABOUT

The jarhdel are beastly creatures that are able to dwell in a wide range of environments. They stand about 3 feet at the shoulder and are about 6 feet long from head to tail. They have four long, jointed legs with thin clawed toes that allow them to gain purchase on steep rises, icy ledges, or even on slippery rocks. Their heads are broad and covered in an angled plate of bone that allows them to ram their victims, but also protects them from the thrashing of their prey. Their jaws are long and filled with cutting saber-like incisors at the fore and rending teeth at the back. They are wide and bulky and do not run terribly quickly, but their bodies have several bright blue colorations that often confuse less intelligent prey. A thick hide of short horns protects the flanks and back, though their bellies have no protection at all. Their most peculiar feature is undoubtedly the large ‘sails’ they are able to unfold from their backside. They are able to unfold two, long spiny, sails from their back. These sails consist of a thin membrane of skin connected to boney spikes. They have a short tail, used mainly for balance.

Wide-Ranging. The jarhdel prefer to dwell in cool environments but are able to dwell almost anywhere. Their sails, filled with blood vessels, allow them to regulate their body temperatures from one extreme to the next. This allows them to hunt in most environments and throughout much of the year. When the sails are flush with blood, they turn a bright orange color; this color often serves to distract their prey.

Ambush Predators. The jardhel are wide-ranging, traveling in packs of 1-8. There is always one adult male, the rest being female with 1-2 young. Solitary encounters are almost always with young males, hunting the tundra for an older male they can unseat. They are very capable hunters and will eat almost anything they can take down. They are not particularly fast and as such usually wait for their prey to pass near, charge, ramming them, and pouncing upon them. They are scavengers as well, eating almost anything they find dead on the plains.