Looking like a mix between a large dog and a lion, the creature glares at everyone who passes the threshold of the temple it guards.
A temple dog is an imposing guardian used by various deities to protect their temples. They are fiercely loyal and territorial. Often depicted in temple statuary, the creature has a largely canine body, soft but short hair, a thick hairy tail, and a mane like a lion’s around a dog’s face with a short snout.
Divine Colors. Coloration and other features of the temple dog vary to match the deity who created it; sometimes a temple dog’s coloration is quite fanciful. Greenish bronze temple dogs are known, as are those the color of cinnabar or lapis. Even coats resembling fired ceramic of an orange hue have been seen guarding some temples. These unusual casts make it easy for a temple dog to be mistaken for statuary.
Travel with Priests. As a temple protector, it rarely leaves the grounds of the temple to which it has been attached, but temple dogs do accompany priests or allies of the temple during travel. The temple dog cannot speak but understands most of what’s said around it, and it can follow moderately complex commands (up to two sentences long) without supervision.
Temple dogs are notorious for biting their prey, then shaking the victim senseless in their massive jaws.
Temple Dog
Medium celestial, goodArmor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 97 (15d8 + 30)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) |
Saving Throws Str +7, Con +5, Int +2, Wis +5
Skills Perception +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands Celestial and Common but can’t speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Magic Resistance. The temple dog has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Protector’s Initiative. If the temple dog is entering combat against a clear threat to its temple, it has advantage on its initiative roll.
Rushing Slam. If the temple dog moves at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then makes a slam attack against that target, it can make an additional slam attack against a second creature within 5 feet of the first target as a bonus action.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 9 (2d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). The target must also make a successful DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed 5 feet. The temple dog can immediately enter the position the target was pushed out of, if it chooses to.