In the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, the yeth hound is a sinister flying canine inhabiting evil aligned planes. Long and skinny, it is described as resembling as a dog

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

 crossed with a lynx

Lynx

A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...

, and is deep black in color with yellow eyes. Although lacking wings, the creature is inexplicably capable of flight. Within the game, packs of yeth hounds only hunt during the night and never venture out during the day. If abroad during the day, the sunlight causes them to quickly fade away to the ethereal plane where they cannot return. Yeth hounds understand the language "Infernal", but can't speak.

Publication history

The yeth hound originally appeared in Monster Manual II (1983) for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, the yeth hound appeared for the Greyhawk

Greyhawk

Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...

 campaign setting

Campaign setting

A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...

 in the Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Appendix (1990). The yeth hound is detailed for the Planescape

Planescape

Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...

 setting in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).

In 3rd edition the yeth hound is in the Monster Manual

Monster Manual

The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...

for this edition (2000).

In v3.5 the yeth hound appears again in the revised Monster Manual

Monster Manual

The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...

for this edition (2003).

Creative origins

According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, yeth-hounds are dogs without heads, said to be the spirits of un-baptized children, which ramble among the woods at night, making wailing noises, probably from Devonshire's folklore. Yeth-hounds are also mentioned in The Denham Tracts.