Earthdawn 4E: Anatomy of a Creature 28 - Wolf, Crag

This is the twenty-eighth 4E Anatomy of a Creature, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

This was part of a cycle of elemental wolves that went unfinished. The biggest problem was getting good concepts that didn't scream "I'm just an excuse to make an elemental wolf!" Maybe I'll come back to that some day and also finish off the cycle of elemental big cats.

Wolf, Crag

Crag wolves live almost exclusively in mountainous terrain, frequently quite treacherous. While they are clearly related to wolves, their appearance is different in a few notable ways. Their skin is loose on their lanky bodies, hanging in thick wrinkles, and their fur is in shades of brown and gray, clumping and sticking out at strange angles. Crag wolves also have exceptionally flexible rib cages and joints that allow them to achieve strange contortions and lay remarkably flat against the ground. When doing so, it's easy to mistake them as simply part of the landscape. Their large, mobile ears and oversized maws complete their slightly nightmarish appearance.

Unlike other wolves, crag wolves are ambush predators, though they still hunt in packs, waiting completely still in terrain that gives them a natural advantage over their prey. They are vicious and attack anything where they have the upperhand, including Namegivers. Otherwise, crag wolves simply never reveal their presence and wait for a better meal. These creatures are only territorial against other canines, who they viciously attack, but never consume the corpses.

Crag wolves are suitable as animal companions.

Challenge: Novice (Third Circle)
DEX: 7        Initiative:                   9      Unconsciousness:      36
STR:  7        Physical Defense:   10     Death Rating:               43
TOU: 7        Mystic Defense:       8       Wound Threshold:    10
PER: 7         Social Defense:        10     Knockdown:                 13
WIL: 4        Physical Armor:       5       Recovery Tests:           2
CHA: 3        Mystic Armor:          3        
Movement: 14
Actions: 1; Bite: 12 (14)
Ambush (5)
Awareness (10): As the skill, Player's Guide, p. 129.
Enhanced Sense [Smell] (2)
Enhanced Sense [Touch] (2): The crag wolf may make an Awareness test against anything touching the ground within 40 yards.
Fury (2)
Stealthy Stride (10): As the skill, Player's Guide, p. 170.
Willful (1)
Special Maneuvers:
Hamstring (Crag Wolf, Bite)