Moorbounders are tailless, panther-like beasts native to swamps of southern Xhorhas.[4] Moorbounders are bred, trained, and ridden as mounts[5] and hunting companions. An offshoot breed of bristled moorbounders with a bladed hide is less suitable for riding.[1]
Description[]
Appearance[]
Moorbounders are muscular panther-like creatures with no tails. Their head combines with their muscular neck to create an aerodynamic profile that slopes all the way back to their haunches. They have wiry dull gray-purple fur that is matted along their back but fluffs around their muscular shoulders and pits. Their eyes are fish-like and lidless. Their nose is described as a cat's skull nose, but with skin over it and two slits. They have a toothy maw with two upward facing tusks.[6] Moorbounders are over six feet tall at the shoulder and 14-16 feet in length fully grown[3].
Bristled moorbounders, as indicated by the name, are distinguished by rows of bladelike bristles all over their hides.[1]
Fan art of a moorbounder, by Anna Molla.[art 3]
Characteristics[]
Moorbounders are carnivorous and naturally aggressive. Baby moorbounders in the same litter attack and eat each other.[7] Adult moorbounders will eat any kind of meat. The moorbounders purchased by the Mighty Nein engaged in pack hunting when left alone overnight.[8]
A rider must form a bond with a moorbounder before it will obey them. Zorth warns that trying to bond a moorbounder to more than one creature is dangerous because it may get confused and choose one of the two to eat.[9]
Moorbounders require approximately 16 lbs. of food to eat every 24 hrs (vs. only 9 lbs. for a traditional mount), based on the 3rd-level Cleric spell Create Food and Water, which produces 45 lbs. of food - enough to feed all 7 characters of the Mighty Nein, along with roughly 1.5 moorbounders.[10]
Abilities[]
Moorbounders are capable of leaping 40 feet[1] and running faster than a riding horse with a speed of between 70 feet[1] and 80 feet[2] per round. Some moorbounders grow bladelike bristles on their body, which they use as weapons and which make them considerably tougher.[1] One moorbounder is strong enough to carry two Medium creatures and a third Small creature.[11]
Known moorbounders[]
The Calamity[]
As a child, Alyxian was fond of a doll of a moorbounder called Maeska.[12] Later in life, Alyxian sometimes saw moorbounders fall in battle.[13] In the Battle of the Barbed Fields, some warriors of the Crawling King's horde were accompanied by moorbounders.[14]
Circa 836 PD[]
Moorbounders are sold as mounts in Asarius. The Mighty Nein purchased three moorbounders from a livery called Zorth's Pits run by a goblin named Zorth. They were left behind in Bazzoxan when the party teleported back to Rosohna.[15] Their names were:
- Clarabelle[16] bonded to Caduceus Clay
- Yarnball[17] bonded to Jester Lavorre
- Jannik[18] bonded to Caleb Widogast
At around the same time, Rice Pudding was a trained moorbounder ridden by Justice, a tiefling who guarded a caravan in the Xhorhasian wastes. In one scenario, they were ambushed by a pair of wild bristled moorbounders.[19]
Trivia[]
- When Zorth was suspicious that Nott hadn't heard of moorbounders, she lied that she was from the south of Xhorhas and that moorbounders were called "swamp panthers" there.[20]
- Statblocks for moorbounders are included in the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. The moorbounders as presented in the book are slightly slower than as they appear in the campaign.[1][2]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 295.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 See "Chases and Trees" (2x65) at 1:00:53.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 See "Cornered" (2x53) at 0:53:31.
- ↑ See "Feral Business" (2x52) at 1:15:53.
- ↑ See "Feral Business" (2x52) at 59:49.
- ↑ See "Feral Business" (2x52) from 59:49 through 1:02:08. Matt describes the moorbounders for sale in Asarius.
- ↑ See "Feral Business" (2x52) at 1:20:59.
- ↑ See "Agreements" (2x61) at 47:45.
- ↑ See "Feral Business" (2x52) at 1:20:07.
- ↑ See "A Dangerous Chase" (2x64) at 1:15:45.
- ↑ See "Feral Business" (2x52) at 1:18:49.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 149. See also p. 152.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 159.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 153.
- ↑ See "Causatum" (2x70) at 2:51:46.
- ↑ See "Cornered" (2x53) at 1:05:48. Caduceus names his moorbounder Clarabelle
- ↑ See "Cornered" (2x53) at 1:06:21. Jester names her moorbounder Yarnball
- ↑ See "Cornered" (2x53) at 1:05:30. Caleb names his moorbounder Jannik
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 43.
- ↑ See "Feral Business" (2x52) from 1:16:08 through 1:16:29.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of a moorbounder, by Marcela Medeiros (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of a moorbounder with her cub, by Clara (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of a moorbounder, by Anna Molla (source). Used with permission.
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