Fey Hunt Hound

With Hardcore Season 6, subtitled "A Most Dangerous Game", a new threat was introduced: Fey Hunt Hounds. True to the season's theme*, these monsters "hunt" a party member. (source: DDO Forums)


 * (* This classic short story describes a veteran big-game hunter who unwillingly becomes "prey" to a similar hunter. The two end up hunting each other, to the death.)

Type
Despite the name, they are not "Fey" creatures, but are confirmed* as:


 * Type: Magical Beast
 * Race: Wolf
 * None of the Fey Hunt Hounds are in the Monster Manual.


 * (* They have been found "trapped" in a net at the end of Protect Baudry's Interests, and /examined at leisure.)

Subtypes
Several different subtypes of Fey Hunt Hounds have been observed and reported. Each subtype does an appropriate type of damage to its target, and a related debuff (see below) to all nearby characters:


 * Fey Brilliant Hunt Hound - Electric/Light
 * Fey Caustic Hunt Hound - Acid
 * Fey Decay Hunt Hound - Poison/Rust
 * Fey Fire Hunt Hound - Fire
 * Fey Frost Hunt Hound - Cold
 * Fey Kinetic Hunt Hound - Force

Challenge rating
Their challenge rating depends on the difficulty-modified quest level.

Spawning mechanic


Hounds can appear in both quests and wilderness areas, including the Solo quests in The Harbor, starting at Level 1.* There is a "howl" that all can hear that announces their imminent arrival. Some time later (observed as short as ~5 seconds before the Hound appears, but perhaps occasionally also much longer?) a random(?)** party member becomes "hunted". For a second or three there is a blue arrow pointing down at the target, and they receives a debuff "Target of the Hunt", visible in their de/buff bar at the top of the screen.




 * (* This includes previously "non-combat" quests such as Baudry 1 & 2, etc. It appears nowhere is safe, with the sole exception of the introductory quest The Grotto.)
 * (** Several times, the "last" party member was observed to be targeted, i.e. someone who had fallen behind the main group or started late - but it's not clear if that was a factor in the target selection.)

It seems there is a timer (~5 minutes?) before the first appears (so quick quests may never see a Hound unless characters are delayed or wait after finishing). Hounds spawn up out of the ground. They appear "on the trail" of their target, i.e. where that target has been* (or where they currently are if they have stopped long enough as the hunt starts).


 * (* They have been observed "waiting" (for an unknown time, but at least a minute) outside a Wilderness quest entrance where party members have entered.)

Estimated cooldown between hunts is ~5-10 minutes (unconfirmed). Finishing a quest does not stop this timer. It's 100% confirmed that Hounds can spawn after a quest is "finished". Do not dawdle at the end chest - get your loot and get out!

Characteristics

 * Red-named
 * All hounds are red-named bosses. As such, they are immune to almost all crowd control and many debuffs. They are strong and tough.
 * At Quest Level 2, a CR 4 Hound was observed to have close to 200 hit points; at QL 4, close to 400.)


 * Monster champions
 * It's very possible to have Monster Champion Hounds, even in areas that normally don't allow champions (e.g., quests below effective level 5, normal difficulty). Champion Hounds can drop s (rem chests have not (yet?) been reported).
 * The combination of red-named immunities + champion buffs can make them particularly dangerous.


 * Melee attackers
 * They have strong melee attacks, dealing standard "wolf" damage types of slashing (claw) and piercing (bite). They don't have any ranged attacks.


 * Vulnerability aura/DoT
 * Any party member can also receive an appropriate "elemental" debuff, a stack of "X Vulnerability, +20% damage" - and it stacks 20x!
 * In addition, after early level* quests, hounds may also deal damage with each tick of the aura.
 * Using a rest shrine clears all stacks.
 * Using a rest shrine clears all stacks.


 * Movement
 * The hounds are not particularly fast - they can be kited fairly easily (observed w/ standard +25% run boost from Anger's Step). However, they will teleport to their target if it is "too far" away, similar to some Reapers.
 * When they teleport, there is a short pause before they become active again, allowing the target to gain some small distance on the Hound before it attacks/chases again. As a result, killing them using a ranged weapon or spells may be safer than in melee.


 * Aggro
 * It's possible to pull the aggro off the original target. Hirelings and pets can do this as well.

Bugs / controversies
There have been reports of problems with spawning of hounds:
 * Hounds spawn but never fully activate, and therefore cannot be killed.
 * Same as above, but the aura starts ticking, killing everyone unless you leave the instance.
 * Hounds spawn or teleport into walls. Cannot be targeted by melee/ranged; some spells/runearm blasts known to penetrate barriers can harm them.

Suggested Tactics

 * Stay with the herd - er, stay with the group! Strength in numbers. Do not zerg ahead, and definitely do not fall behind or go off on your own!


 * Apparently(?), these things do not scale with party size - do not solo, try to quest only with a (nearly) full party. (It's been reported (unconfirmed as of July 28) that they do scale with quest difficulty.)


 * Going afk or multiboxing can be extremely hazardous.


 * There appears to be a timer for the first appearance, based on when the first part member enters a quest or wilderness. Try to enter together. Entering early invites an earlier spawn, entering late can mean you are "on your own" as you try to catch up (and having the bad luck to enter at the moment a spawn occurs means it's possible to enter as a Hound begins to hunt you!).


 * Keep your head on a swivel - keep looking behind the group, anywhere you've been, especially right after you hear the Howl.


 * Treat the hound as any dangerous Champion or Reaper - kill it first!


 * If you hear a howl, let the party know. If you are Hunted, let the party know!


 * If you observe party members who do not "help" Hunted members - it's your call what action to take, but consider your options.


 * If your build starts off weak at Level 1 (or you just want to get stronger before risking hounds), you can do the quick Solo quests in The Harbor. If you dawdle, a Hound can spawn in those Solo quests, but if you do the quest efficiently it seems you're out before that can trigger. You can easily get Level 2 this way (with just a little repetition), and it's possible to get 3 (with a lot more).


 * If you are not in a party, bring a hireling wherever you go. A Cleric is an especially good idea, as they can both help you survive a Hound's attacks and will last longer than most hirelings if they become the target.


 * Hounds are confused by water, and will not follow players into it. If the water is shallow enough to stand in, this will allow you to safely eliminate them with ranged weapons or spells.
 * NOTE: If a Hound teleports to its target in deep water, it will immediately sink to the bottom, then repeat, unable to physically attack its target. However, each time a new "stack" of debuff will be applied to the target. In lower Heroics, this is just a "vulnerability" to an element, but before mid-heroics (CR 7-9 Hounds?) it becomes a Damage-over-Time attack, rapidly stack to absurd and lethal levels! Do NOT let a hound get into this cycle!


 * The Hunt timer keeps ticking after a quest is finished. Do not stop to organize your pack. Get your loot and get out!


 * If someone joins the group late and the quest is in a wilderness, give the star to the late comer so that they can reset the wilderness since the timer is still running from when the first person entered the wilderness.


 * See also: DDO Forums