Bear
ᛒᛃᛟᚱᚾ
To the Vikings, the bear is one of the sacred
creatures of nature, representative of channeled ferocity and a stalwart defense of family and home. Bjorn, the god-bear, is the subject of the largest animal cult among the Vikings, and every Viking warrior dreams of the day that they can truthfully boast that they slew a bear single-handedly.
To the Angelcynn, the bear is a rarity, having
been hunted most of the way to extinction soon
after the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes arrived in
England.
However, there remain families of bears in
the more remote and less-inhabited sections of
England. Too, the Vikings brought with them
to England a number of pet bears from their
homelands and set them loose on battlefields to
slaughter the Angelcynn.
Medium animal, any temperament
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 19 (3d8+6)
Speed 40 ft, climb 30 ft
Str 15 (+2) Dex 10 (+0) Con 14 (+2)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 7 (-2)
Skills Perception +3
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages ---
Reaction to fear, or an eagerness to attack and slay the bear
Challenge ½ (100 XP)
Keen Smell. The bear rolls with advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The bear makes two melee attacks each turn: one with its bite and one with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) slashing damage.
Boar
ᚹᛁᛚᛚᛁᛋᚹᛁᚾ
To the Vikings, the boar is one of the three sacred creatures of nature, representative of great danger and the ferocious defense of family and home. Jǫfurr, the god-boar, is the subject of a large and intense animal cult among the Vikings, and the Viking who can truthfully boast that they personally slew a boar is a very proud Viking, indeed.
To the Christian Angelcynn, there is nothing sacred or magical about boars; they are simply very dangerous wild animals who breed in large numbers, do huge amounts of damage to farmland, and are hellish dangerous to hunt. How
many boars live in the Four Kingdoms can’t be
estimated, but any stretch of land not currently lived on by humans seems to have at least one boar
family.
Medium animal, any temperament
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 11 (2d8+2)
Speed 40 ft
Str 13 (+1) Dex 11 (+0) Con 12 (+1)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 5 (-3)
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages ---
Reaction to Fear, if a lone boar is seen; utter terror if a sow with her cubs is seen.
Challenge ¼ (50 XP)
Charge. If the boar moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a tusk attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 3 (1d6) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Relentless (recharges after a short or long rest). If the boar takes 7 damage or less that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead.
ACTIONS
Tusk. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 4 (1d6+1) slashing damage.
Dolphin
ᚺᚾᛃᛞᛁᚾᚷᚱ
Viking children sometimes see dolphins playing in the waves and talk about how much fun it must be to sail alongside them. But Viking adults quickly correct the children, as there is nothing amusing about dolphins; they are all servants of Rán, the goddess of the undersea kingdom where all those who drown go, and each dolphin is rewarded for every soul they are responsible for bringing to Rán. Every Viking knows of at least one longship brought to a sorry end because of dolphins. It’s even thought by some of the Viking deep thinkers that the dolphins now in the Miðgarðr-ocean are the descendants of the dolphins of the oceans of Vanaheimr or Ásgarðr rather than ordinary dolphins.
Medium beast, orderly and evil
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 30 (6d8+3)
Speed 0 ft, swim 60 ft, fly 30 ft
Str 14 (+2) Dex 14 (+2) Con 13 (+1)
Int 10 (+0) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 16 (+3)
Saving Throws CHA +4
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses blindsight 60 ft, passive Perception 13
Languages Æsir, Viking, but they can’t speak
Reaction to Fear and horror
Challenge 3 (700 xp)
Charge. If the dolphin swims or flies at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a slam attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 4 (1d6) bludgeoning damage.
Consume Soul. The soul of a creature slain by a dolphin is automatically sucked into the blowhole of the dolphin the moment the creature dies; the dolphin will then transport the soul to Rán’s kingdom. The soul can only be set free through the use of a wish spell.
Hold Breath. The dolphin can hold its breath for 20 minutes.
Innate Spellcasting. The dolphin’s innate spellcasting ability is CHA (spell save DC 13, spell attack bonus +5). The dolphin can cast the following spells:
- At-will: dancing lights, light, mage hand
- 3/day: expeditious retreat, freeze weapon, sleep
- 1/day: blur, frozen arrow
ACTIONS
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+2) bludgeoning damage.
MOTIVES
Dolphins serve Rán, which means dolphins are opposed to humanity when it takes to the sea.
ALLIES
Dolphins, as servants of Rán, work with the sea goddess’ other servants, from human priests to sharks to other aquatic monstrosities from the sea’s floor.
Eagle
ᚨᚱᛁ
To the Vikings, the eagle is the king of all birds, and Odin All-Father’s bird. Vikings see eagles as the lords of the battlefields (“bird of war”) and the birds of death (“corpse-gulper”), and birds which are both holy and to be afraid of. Odin has been known to change into an eagle from time to time, and so it is forbidden to all Vikings of any age to try to kill an eagle, for fear of divine retribution.
Eagles are wise, though not intelligent; giant eagles are wise and intelligent, and to be feared many times over above the ordinary eagle.
Small animal, any temperament
Armor Class 13 (size)
Hit Points 4 (1d6)
Speed 10 ft, fly 60 ft
Str 6 (-2) Dex 15 (+2) Con 10 (+0)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 7 (-2)
Skills Perception +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages ---
Reaction to pleasure; sometimes, religion-based awe
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Keen Sight. The eagle rolls with advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight
ACTIONS
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+2) slashing damage.
Elder Wolf
ᛖᛚᛚᚱᛁ ᚢᛚᚠ
The older, fiercer version of the contemporary wolf, the elder wolf has died out in most places in the world, but in the lands of the Sámi packs of elder wolves still roam free. Naturally, the wolf-worshiping Vikings were eager to acquire some of these elder wolf packs, and eventually succeeded in convincing the Sámi to capture several wolf families and sell them to the Vikings. Once transplanted south, to the Viking lands, the elder wolves mostly prospered, due to an increase in available game for them and a Viking cultural inhibition and taboo about slaying the new wolves.
The Vikings brought several packs of trained elder wolves along for the invasion of the Four Kingdoms.
Large animal, any temperament
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 67 (10d10+12)
Speed 40 ft
Str 22 (+6) Dex 14 (+2) Con 16 (+3)
Int 5 (-3) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 8 (-1)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Viking (can’t speak it)
Reaction to great, though unreasoning, fear, horror, and rage
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Keen Hearing and Smell. The elder wolf rolls with advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Pack Tactics. The elder wolf rolls with advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the wolf’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The elder wolf makes two melee attacks each turn: one with its bite and one with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 11 (1d10+6) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 15 (2d8+6) slashing damage.
Falcon
ᚠᚨᛚᚲᛁ
To the Vikings, the falcon is a magical bird, and the emblematic bird of the goddess Freyja. Falcons are the lords of magic (“speaker of runes”), and Vikings hold falcons to be both holy and as birds to be afraid of. Freyja has been known to change into falcons from time to time, and so it is forbidden to all Vikings of any age to try to kill a falcon, for fear of divine retribution.
Falcons are fierce hunters and skilled flyers. Divine falcons are much, much deadlier.
Tiny animal, any temperament
Armor Class 15 (size)
Hit Points 2 (1d4-1)
Speed 10 ft, fly 60 ft
Str 5 (-3) Dex 16 (+3) Con 8 (-1)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 6 (-2)
Skills Perception +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages ---
Reaction to pleasure; sometimes, religion-based awe
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Keen Sight. The falcon rolls with advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.
Goat
ᚷᛖᛁᛏ
Goats, along with cattle, sheep, and pigs, were one of the basic utility animals for the Angelcynn and the Vikings, a staple of their diet, their animal-based resources, and their daily lives. Goats, being
proverbially stubborn, are not among the animals
that raiders of farms usually take, so that goats are often the first utility animal that a new family starts with.
Medium animal, any temperament
Armor Class 10
Hit Points 5 (1d8)
Speed 40 ft
Str 12 (+1) Dex 10 (+0) Con 11 (+0)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 5 (-3)
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages ---
Challenge 0 (10 xp)
Charge. If the goat moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 3 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 10 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Sure-Footed. The goat rolls with advantage on STR and DEX saving throws made against effects that would knock it prone.
ACTIONS
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning damage.
Horse
ᛃᛟᚱ
The most efficient and best means of traveling in both the Vikings lands and on the British Isles, horses are widespread in both lands, but valued so highly for their abilities to both work and carry humans around that buying a horse is an expensive proposition and stealing a horse is a killing offense.
Large animal, any temperament
Armor Class 10
Hit Points 13 (2d10+2)
Speed 60 ft
Str 16 (+3) Dex 10 (+0) Con 12 (+1)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 11 (+0) Cha 7 (-2)
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages ---
Reaction to envy at the bastard who owns it
Challenge ¼ (50 xp)
ACTIONS
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 8 (2d4+3) bludgeoning damage.
Mastiff
ᚹᚨᚱᛞᚺᚢᚾᛞᚱ
The standard guard dog of Angelcynn nobility. Not known to the Vikings, who don’t particularly value dogs.
Small animal, any temperament
Armor Class 13 (size, natural armor)
Hit Points 9 (2d6+2)
Speed 40 ft
Str 12 (+1) Dex 14 (+2) Con 12 (+1)
Int 3 (-4) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 6 (-2)
Skills Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages ---
Challenge ¼ (50 xp)
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage.
Owl
ᚢᚷᛚᚨ
Owls are, rightly or wrongly, seen as ominous creatures by both Angelcynn and Vikings alike. The ordinary bird is not, while the larger versions are.
Tiny animal, any temperament
Armor Class 13 (size)
Hit Points 1 (1d4-1)
Speed 5 ft, 60 ft
Str 3 (-4) Dex 13 (+1) Con 8 (-1)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 7 (-2)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3
Senses darkvision 120 ft, passive Perception 13
Languages ---
Reaction to uneasiness
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Flyby. The owl doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
Keen Hearing and Sight. The owl rolls with advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.
ACTIONS
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.
Raven
ᚱᚨᚹᚾ
Ravens are sacred creatures to the Vikings and are on the “absolutely do not kill or bother them in any way” list of animals. They represent Odin All-Father, whose two best advisors are the divine ravens Huginn and Muninn. The skalds chant of the times Odin has shapeshifted into the form of a raven, to better spy on the creatures of Miðgarðr. Everyone knows that ravens are far more intelligent than most birds, and even form their own warbands, complete with leaders. Vikings respect ravens, and always allow them their due on battlefields when the fighting is over.
Tiny animal, any temperament
Armor Class 14 (size)
Hit Points 1 (1d4-1)
Speed 10 ft, fly 50 ft
Str 2 (-4) Dex 14 (+2) Con 8 (-1)
Int 6 (-2) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 6 (-2)
Skills Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages ---
Reaction to boredom
Challenge 0 (10 hp)
Mimicry. The raven can mimic simple sounds it has heard, such as a person whispering, a baby crying, or an animal chittering. A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a successful DC 10 Insight check.
ACTIONS
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
Serpent
ᛖᛁᛏᚱ ᛟᚱᛗᚱ
Despite the often-cold weather of the British Isles and the Viking lands, the Angelcynn and the Vikings must contend with serpents of various sorts in addition to all the other monsters.
Tiny animal, any temperament
Armor Class 15 (size)
Hit Points 3 (1d4)
Speed 30 ft, swim 30 ft
Str 2 (-4) Dex 16 (+3) Con 11 (+0)
Int 1 (-5) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 3 (-4)
Senses blindsight 10 ft, passive Perception 10
Languages ---
Reaction to annoyance and some fear
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 5 (2d4) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Shark
ᚺᚨᚲᚨᚱᛚ
Sharks serve a necessary function in the environment of the seas; as apex predators, they help prevent aquatic overpopulation as well as clean up the bloody debris of other predators’ kills. Yet sharks find themselves particularly hated by humans, who go to great lengths to trap and kill the sharks. For the Angelcynn, the shark is evil, but for the Vikings, they are often taught by priests of Ullr that the shark is one of the creatures sacred to the god of the hunt. The Vikings tend not to listen to this, as is the case with much that priests of Ullr say.
Large animal, any temperament
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d10+12)
Speed 0 ft, swim 40 ft
Str 18 (+4) Dex 13 (+1) Con 15 (+2)
Int 1 (-5) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 4 (-3)
Skills Perception +2
Senses blindsight 30 ft, passive Perception 12
Languages ---
Reaction to fury and fear
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Blood Frenzy. The shark rolls with advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn’t have all its hit points.
Water Breathing. The shark can breathe only underwater.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) piercing damage.
Squirrel
ᛁᚲᛟᚱᚾᛁ
Small rodents who are widespread throughout Scandinavia and the British Isles. Squirrels are simply another animal to the Angelcynn, but to Vikings they are all associated with if not descended from Ratatoskr, the divine squirrel who lives in the branches of Yggdrasill and serves a vital function by carrying gossip and messages between the gods and between gods and monsters.
Tiny animal, any temperament
Armor Class 12 (natural armor and size)
Hit Points 1 (1d4-1)
Speed 30 ft, climb 30 ft
Str 2 (-4) Dex 13 (+1) Con 9 (-1)
Int 2 (-4) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 4 (-3)
Skills Acrobatics +3, Perception +3, Stealth +3
Senses darkvision 30 ft, passive Perception 15
Languages ---
Reaction to annoyance
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Nimble. Squirrels have advantage on all Dexterity saving throws.
Keen Smell. Squirrels have advantage on all Wisdom checks which involve their sense of smell.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
Whale
ᛒᚢᚱ ᚺᚹᚨᛚᚱ
For the Vikings, whales are infernal creatures, demons ridden by witches or even shapeshifted witches themselves. There are some whales like that (see the fiend-whale), but the majority of the whales that Vikings and Angelcynn are likely to encounter and hunt are blue whales.
Gargantuan animal, any temperament
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 246 (17d20+68)
Speed swim 60 ft
Str 24 (+7) Dex 10 (+0) Con 18 (+4)
Int 14 (+2) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 7 (-2)
Skills Perception +6
Senses blindsight 120 ft, passive Perception 16
Languages The Sea
Reaction to a desire to hunt and kill it and harvest its meat and organs
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Keen Hearing. The blue whale rolls with advantage on Wisdom checks that rely on hearing.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft one target. Hit: 28 (6d6+7) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 23) if it is a Large or smaller creature.
Swallow. The whale makes a bite attack against all creatures it has grappled in its mouth. If the attack hits a Tiny creature, the creature is swallowed. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and effects from outside the whale, and it takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of its turns. If the whale takes 30 points of damage or more on a single turn from the swallowed creature, the whale must succeed on a DC 16 CON saving throw at the end of that turn or vomit the swallowed creature, which falls prone within 30 feet of the whale. If the whale dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse by using 60 feet of movement.
MOTIVES
Whales have their own culture, heroes, stories, and adventures. When they interact with humans, matters rarely end well for the humans, but mostly whales ignore humanity as being beneath their notice.
Wolf
ᚢᛚᚠ
Wolves are one of the main predators of ordinary animals, small game, and humans (when the wolves can take them down safely) in both the British Isles and the Four Kingdoms. However, in the Viking lands wolves are seen as holy creatures, thanks to the roles they play for the gods and in the destiny of the gods. Conversely, in the British Isles wolves are seen as an ever-present danger that must needs be wiped out if farmers, travelers and shepherds’ flocks are to be safe.
The wolf population in the Viking lands is healthy and stable, thanks to the large areas of natural habitat untouched by humans. In the British Isles, the wolf’s natural habitat is dwindling and being transformed into farmland, and wolf hunts are regular occurrences for the Angelcynn.
Fortunately, the Vikings have brought hundreds of trained wolves with them on the invasion, to repopulate the Isles with new and better wolf blood.
Medium animal, any temperament
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 11 (2d8+2)
Speed 40 ft
Str 12 (+1) Dex 15 (+2) Con 12 (+1)
Int 3 (-4) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 6 (-2)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages ---
Reaction to an unreasoning fear
Challenge ¼ (50 XP)
Keen Hearing and Smell. The wolf rolls with advantage on Wisdom Perception checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Pack Tactics. The wolf rolls with advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the wolf’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 11 STR saving throw or be knocked prone.