Since their domestication, dogs have been bred for specific traits, or jobs, such as hunting or herding. While commonly characterized as tracking escaped prisoners or search and rescue, the bloodhound was bred to hunt boar, and deer during the middle ages. Able to pick up a human’s scent even days later, it’s easy to see how these hounds found their niche.
Bloodhounds tend to have tan fur, with black or liver colored markings with white underbellies not being uncommon. Ranging thirty five to seventy kilograms on average, bloodhounds are a large breed dog with an average lifespan of just under seven years. They are one of the shortest lived breeds and commonly suffer from Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), or bloat, which causes the stomach to become overstretched by gas, and is the leading cause of death in the breed. Nevertheless, bloodhounds are an intelligent, high energy breed that needs exercise and space to roam.
Comparable Creatures: Belgian Malinois, Coonhound, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Pointer, Springer Spaniel, other trackers with well developed olfactory senses such as bears (adjust build accordingly).
Bloodhound And…
- Parent Attribute: Constitution
- Primary Role: Support: Tracking
Added Support: Perception MA
Added Support: Forensics TY
New Senses: Analytical Scent, Odor Imaging TY
(S) Sense of Smell 7
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Always Smell them Coming (Passive Defense) MA
Secondary Role: Offense MA
Devastating MA
A master tracker, the bloodhound can filter out scents to identify exact smells, this sense is so keen that with medical training the bloodhound character could discern healthy cells in a person’s body from cancerous growths. The bloodhound’s sense of smell allows them to take greater advantage of Perception and Forensics in a scuffle. More so, it’s almost impossible to catch them fully off guard as they smell foes coming. Finally, like other dogs, bloodhounds have natural claws, and some characters may retain a nasty bite.
Cost: 1 Power + 15 AP
Drawbacks
Vulnerability: Biological Attacks
All Bloodhound (Add the following)
Added Support: Constitution MA
Added Support: Subterfuge MA
Full Role (Defense) MA
(S) Never Off Guard (Used with Tracking Advantage) 4
Full Role (Offense) MA
(S) Got Your Scent 4 (Used for foe’s the character has tracked down)
Limited: Added Support: Constitution only for endurance activities such as fasting, or endurance running.
Limited: Added Support: Subterfuge only only for discerning lies from a target with a scent.
Cost: +10 AP
