Monster Monday: Herne, the Wild Huntsman

Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,

Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,

Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;

And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,

And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain

In a most hideous and dreadful manner.

You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know

The superstitious idle-headed eld

Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,

This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.

                 - William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

Today's Monster Monday is Herne, king of the Wild Hunt.  This ethereal huntsman rides his trusty steed through the woods accompanied by a far-seeing owl and two noble hunting dogs.  His motives are a mystery, but tales of this lonesome rider who hunts across the realms of men and fey have spread far and wide.

The tale of Herne the Hunter is first attested in William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (quoted above) which tells of a ghostly huntsman who haunts a particular oak.  The story may originate in the execution of a poacher named Richard Horne during the time of King Henry VIII.  The legend of Herne was expanded upon in Harrison Ainsworth's 1843 novel Windsor Castle, whence comes the illustration below.

Illustration of Herne the Hunter by George Cruikshank, via Wikimedia

Therein, Herne is described as:

a wild spectral-looking object, possessing some slight resemblance to humanity, and habited, so far as it could be determined, in the skins of deer, strangely disposed about its gaunt and tawny-coloured limbs. On its head was seen a sort of helmet, formed of the skull of a stag, from which branched a large pair of antlers; from its left arm hung a heavy and rusty-looking chain, in the links of which burnt the phosphoric fire before mentioned; while on its right wrist was perched a large horned owl, with feathers erected, and red staring eyes.

Some have tried to find the origins of the Herne story in the Celtic god Cernunnos.  While both Cernunnos and Herne are antlered huntsman, it seems to me a bit of a stretch to assume that a story first attested in 1597 has its origins in a god not worshipped there for 1000 years.  Nevertheless, it makes for a pretty rad monster.

Herne is a whole combat encounter rolled into one monster, mostly because he is never without his two loyal hounds, his noble steed, and his enigmatic owl.  These ethereal beasts are treated in essentially the same way as a druid's animal companion; the herne is considered a 15th level druid for the purposes of his hunting companions, with those 15 levels divided up between the horse, dogs, and owl.  So when a party fights the herne, they are actually fighting five individual creatures.  Check out the dauntingly long stat block below.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2017 Jonah Bomgaars.

A ghostly huntsman appears, riding a misty steed. His head is a stag’s skull. Two ethereal hounds keep pace, and an owl with glowing eyes flies silently ahead of him.

Herne              CR 12

XP 19,200

N Medium fey (incorporeal)

Init +8; Senses low-light vision, share senses; Perception +28

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 12 (+8 Dex, +2 deflection)

hp 110 (20d6+40)

Fort +8, Ref +20, Will +17

DR 10/cold iron; SR 23

Defensive Abilities incorporeal

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee +2 longsword +20/+15 (1d8+2/19-20)

Ranged +1 huntsman shortbow +20/+15 (1d6+1/x3) 60ft.

Special Attacks horn of the hunt, huntsman’s stare

STATISTICS

Str --, Dex 26, Con 15, Int 15, Wis 20, Cha 14

Base Atk +10; CMB +18; CMD 28

Feats Weapon Focus (shortbow), Deadly Aim, Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Trample, Point-Blank Shot, Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot

Skills Acrobatics +11, Bluff +10, Diplomacy +15, Handle Animal +22, Knowledge (geography) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (nature) +20, Knowledge (nobility) +7, Perception +28, Ride +28, Sense Motive +23, Stealth +21, Survival +25

Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan

SQ ethereal treasure, hunting companions, share sight, swift tracker

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Ethereal Treasure (Ex)

If slain, the herne’s treasure includes +2 longsword, +1 huntsman shortbow, 40 masterwork arrows, and a horn of the huntmaster.  Each item of treasure has a 50% chance of remaining on the material plane, otherwise it disappears into the ethereal plane.  If the herne is subject to dimensional anchor or a similar effect at the time of his death, all of his treasure remains on the material plane. 

Horn of the Hunt (Su)

Once every 1d6 rounds, as a standard action, the herne can blow his horn.  All enemies within 60 feet who hear it must make a DC 22 Will save or become shaken for 2d4 rounds and have their movement speeds reduced by 10 feet (to a minimum speed of 10 feet).  Those who succeed on their save are shaken for 1 round and their move speed remains unchanged; they cannot be affected again by the same horn for 24 hours.  This is a mind-affecting sonic fear effect.

Hunting Companions (Ex)

The herne is never without his hunting companions: an ethereal steed, two ethereal hunting dogs, and an ethereal owl.  These creatures function as a druid’s animal companions except as noted below and in their descriptions.  For the purposes of his hunting companions, the herne’s effective druid level is 15, and is divided amongst each of them as follows: 6 levels for the ethereal steed, 3 for each hunting hound, and 3 for the owl.  Each companion is incorporeal, gains DR10/cold iron and SR equal to 10 plus their HD.  Any natural armor bonus is converted into a deflection bonus.  Each hunting companion is combat trained.  Their natural attacks deal damage as if they were one size category larger.  The hunting companions count as both animals and magical beasts for any effect related to creature type.  The hunting companions use the herne’s Will save against mind-affecting effects.

   The herne’s hunting companions must remain within 100 feet of the herne at all times; if ever they are further than 100 feet away from the herne, they must make a withdrawal action toward the herne at the next available opportunity.  If the herne is slain, his surviving hunting companions persist for a number of rounds equal to the herne’s Charisma modifier (2) after his death.  If one of the herne’s hunting companions is slain, he can conjure a new one with a ceremony lasting 24 hours. 

Huntsman’s Stare (Su)

As a swift action, the herne can focus his gaze on a single target within 60 ft.  That target must make a Will save (DC 22) or become paralyzed until the beginning of the herne’s next turn.  If the herne maintains his gaze on the target, each successive round triggers a new saving throw for the target, but the DC goes up by 2 for every consecutive round the target has been paralyzed by the huntsman’s stare. 

   As a standard action, the herne can instead make a huntsman’s stare attack through the eyes of his owl companion, using the herne’s statistics in place of the owl’s.  The herne cannot make a huntsman’s stare attack through his owl if he has already made a huntsman’s stare attack that turn.  The owl cannot make any additional attacks in a round that it makes such a gaze attack; this is a standard action for the owl as well.

   This is a sight-based mind-affecting fear effect.  The save DC is Charisma-based. 

Share Senses (Su)

The herne and his hunting companions share the same senses and lines of sight.  They may each make Perception checks or Survival checks to track using the highest Perception or Survival bonus from among the five of them.  If one of them is blinded or otherwise sensorially impaired, it can still see or sense what the others can.  Sense-based special abilities are not shared between the companions, but each companion has access to the information gained from such senses (for example, the herne does not gain scent just because his hunting dogs have scent, but the herne does know what each hunting dog scents).  Each of the herne’s hunting companions adds 2 to the herne’s Perception bonus; this is incorporated into the base statistics presented above.  If any of the hunting companions is more than 100 feet away from the herne, it ceases to share senses with any of the other companions until it is within range again.

Swift Tracker (Ex)

The herne takes no penalty for using Survival to follow tracks while either he or his mount is moving at normal speed, and takes only a -10 penalty while either he or his mount is moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.

ECOLOGY

Environment any forest

Organization solitary

Treasure standard (+2 longsword, +1 huntsman shortbow, 40 masterwork arrows, horn of the huntmaster; ethereal treasure)

Hunting Companion, Ethereal Steed

N Large animal (incorporeal)

Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent, share senses; Perception +7

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, -1 size, +8 deflection)

hp 51 (6d8+24)

Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +3 (+7 vs. enchantment, +21 vs. mind-affecting effects)

DR 10/cold iron; SR 16

Defensive Abilities evasion, incorporeal

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft.

Melee bite +6 (1d6), 2 hooves +6 (1d8)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

STATISTICS

Str --, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 16

Feats Improved Overrun, Power Attack, Stable Gallop

Skills Perception +8, Stealth +7

SQ combat trained, devotion, link, share senses

Hunting Companion, Ethereal Hunting Dog

N Small animal (incorporeal)

Init +4; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +7

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 15 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +4 deflection)

hp 22 (3d8+9)

Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +2 (+17 vs. mind-affecting effects)

DR 10/cold iron; SR 13

Defensive Abilities evasion, incorporeal

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft.

Melee bite +7 (1d6)

STATISTICS

Str --, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +2; CMB +5; CMD 15

Feats Lightning Reflexes, Toughness

Skills Acrobatics +8, Perception +7

SQ combat trained, link, share senses

Hunting Companion, Ethereal Owl

N Small animal (incorporeal)

Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +3 deflection)

hp 16 (3d8+3)

Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +3 (+17 vs. mind-affecting effects)

DR 10/cold iron; SR 13

Defensive Abilities evasion, incorporeal

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., fly 80 ft. (average)

Melee bite +6 (1d6), 2 claws +6 (1d4)

STATISTICS

Str --, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6

Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 14

Feats Flyby Attack, Lightning Reflexes

Skills Fly +8, Perception +6

SQ combat trained, link, share senses

The herne is an ethereal fey huntsman, riding eternally through the woodlands of the fey and mortal realms.  He has the figure of an ancient hunter, but his head is the skull of a stag, and his eyes glow eerily.  He is always accompanied by a troupe of ghostly animals that aid in his hunt: a steadfast steed, two noble hunting dogs, and a mysterious owl, all of which have glowing eyes and seem to fade in and out of existence as they move.  During times of great unrest, important festivals, and lunar convergences, the herne is sometimes joined by a plethora of other ethereal huntsmen in an event called the Wild Hunt, known to strike fear and awe into any mortals who chance to bear witness to it.  

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-your superstitious idle-headed d20 despot