Phantom Hound

Medium undead, any alignment

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 22 (5d8)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	18 (+4)	10 (+0)	2 (-4)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)

Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., ethereal scent 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages –
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Special Traits

• Ethereal Sight. The phantom hound can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
• Ethereal Scent. The phantom hound automatically senses the presence of any creature within 60 feet, that isn’t a construct, in the Ethereal and Material Plane. This sense does not allow the hound to discern the location of these creatures, only their presence and number within range.
• Incorporeal Movement. The phantom hound can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Actions

• Multiattack. The phantom hound can use its Frightening Howl. It then attacks with its Blood-Chilling Bite.
• Blood-Chilling Bite. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (3d6 + 2) necrotic damage.
• Etherealness. The phantom hound enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can’t affect, or be affected, by anything on the other plane.
• Frightening Howl (1/Day). The phantom hound emits a ghostly howl. Creatures within 60 feet of the hound, that aren’t undead and can hear it, must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw, or become frightened until the end of the hound’s next turn.

About

Animals, on the whole, lack the awareness necessary to remain in spectral form after death, though there is nothing to prevent them doing so otherwise. Spectral hounds are well-established, and there is reason to believe that at least some of them are the genuine impressions of once-living creatures (as opposed to the extensions of a lingering humanoid spirit given canine form), perhaps driven by those same loyal instincts which will compel a still-living dog to pine at his dead master’s grave until the day they themselves perish.

Spectral cats, on the other hand, are practically unheard of. It is thought that, as even the meanest street-cat comports itself with such a sense of royal self-importance, no cat feels there is anything in the mortal realm worth remaining for.