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Here are two low-level monsters that the dwarves have to contend with in their underground homes. However, not everything under the earth has to be a menace. See how the dwarves of the Ironcrags work with the creatures that live among them.
Orrhund
With beady red eyes, a lolling black tongue, and huge stony fangs, this stony pit bull this looming, rocky canine fills a whole tunnel.
Miner’s Best Friend. Large hounds, suffused with earthly elemental power, strength and resistance, orrhunds are bred and raised by the Ironcrag dwarves as both guardian beasts and auxiliary miners.
Treasure Nuggets. Orrhunds eat and digest soft stones and ores such as limestone, sandstone, mudstone, shales and slate. This is what gives them their stony composition. Rarer minerals, such as silver, gold, mithral, obsidian, and gemstones are not digestible, and passe though the Orrhunds’ rocky gastrointestinal tract.
ORRHUND CR 2
Large Monstrosity
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 32
Speed 40 ft.
Perception 14 Stealth 11
Resistant Monstrosity Resilience, Stony Resilience
Senses darkvision 120 ft.
Languages understands Dwarven but can’t speak
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| +4 | +2 | +4 | −1 | +0 | +0 |
Heightened Hearing and Smell. An orrhund’s Perception is 18 when perceiving by hearing or smell.
Monstrosity Resilience. The orrhund is resistant to exhaustion and to the frightened condition.
Stony Resilience. The orrhund is resistant to bludgeoning, cold, and fire damage, and to the paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, and stunned conditions.
Weak Vision. The orrhund’s Perception is 10 when perceiving by vision.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is a humanoid that is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 14 STR save or be knocked prone.
BONUS ACTIONS
Howl of the Deep (3/Day). The orrhund unleashes a powerful howl audible to a distance of 300 feet. Each enemy within 30 feet must make a DC 13 CHA save or become frightened until the end of its next turn. For 24 hours, orrhunds have advantage on checks to track creatures frightened by its howl.
Pounce. If the orrhund moves at least half of its total movement in a straight line and hits with its Bite attack, it can also make a shoving attack with advantage on its contested STR check.
REACTIONS
Stony Protector: When an ally the orrhund can see is within 5 feet of it and is the target of an attack, the orrhund can move into the path of the attack, becoming the new target.
Great Mothspider
A shaggy-haired spider, the size of a pony, chitters and chatters in its sticky webs. It has coruscating colors on itw translucent gossamer wings, like a glass butterfly.
Semi-Domesticated. Mothspiders attack anyone they deem a threat or a food source. However, they are intelligent enough to make simple deals with the dwarves of the Ironcrags and the kobolds in Zobeck to protect their tunnels in exchange for regular feeding.
Tunnel Blockers. Mothspiders block tunnels and portals with their sticky, flammable webbing. They are also known to create simple traps, such as hiding a pit trap beneath sticky webs.
GREAT MOTHSPIDER CR 1
Large Beast
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 18
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
Perception 14 Stealth 16
Resistant thunder
Senses darkvision 90 ft.
Languages understands Dwarven or Kobold but can’t speak
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
| +2 | +4 | +1 | −3 | +1 | −1 |
Airy Grace. The mothspider is resistant to thunder damage. It ignores difficult terrain and cannot become entangled in webs.
ACTIONS
Poisonous Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) piercing damage. In addition, a creature bitten by the mothspider must succeed on a DC 12 CON save or take 7 (2d6) poison damage and be poisoned for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and isn’t poisoned.
BONUS ACTIONS
Ensnaring Webbing (Recharge 5–6). A mothspider shoots sticky webbing at a creature within 30 feet. The creature must succeed on a DC 13 DEX save or becomes restrained and prone. A creature who makes a successful DC 20 STR check can rip the webbing, or someone else can cut or burn the victim loose. A space where the mothspider has shot webbing is difficult terrain.
Mesmerizing Patterns (1/Day). When not flying, the mothspider can wave its gossamer wings in entrancing patterns that can hypnotize enemies. Each creature of the spider’s choice within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC15 WIS save or be stunned for 1 minute. A stunned creature can attempt the save again at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition with a success. A creature that has saved against the hypnotic patterns is immune to its effects for 1 hour. Its wing muscles are exhausted after this display and can’t fly again for 10 minutes.
REACTIONS
Graceful Webbing. If the mothspider cannot fly and has a vertical surface or object within 10 feet (such as a column or wall), it can shoot out webbing to the surface like a rescue rope, taking no falling damage.
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