A very successful and diverse order of predators, Hyaenodonts resembled modern carnivores like wolves and lions, but weren’t closely related to them. They were Creodonts, a now extinct clade of meat-eaters. They were generally more carnivorous than even the carnivore clade, with teeth unsuited for anything except flesh. Most of them were had sturdy builds, short legs, and long heads.
They thrived in the warm climate of the Oligocene, then died off as global temperatures fell and landscapes shifted from dense woodland to open plains during the Miocene.
Apterodon
A small, semi-aquatic genus which used its strong jaws to crack shellfish open. Powerful front limbs allowed it to dig burrows for shelter.
ST 6; DX 12; IQ 3; HT 11.
HP 6; Will 11; Per 11; FP 11; Speed 6.00; Dodge 9; Move 8.
SM −1, 25 lbs.
Bite (14): 1d−2 cutting.
Traits: Amphibious; Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Born Biter 2; Breath Holding 5; Discriminatory Smell; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 16; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/second); Night Vision 3; Striking ST 3 (Bite only); Quadruped; Ultrahearing; Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-14; Survival (Island/Beach)-13; Swimming-15.
Hyainalouros
A very big animal, possibly the largest hyper-carnivorous mammal ever. Despite its size, it was well suited for running. Megistotherium may be a close relative or even the same genus. Either way, it attained similar sizes, as did Simbakubwa.
ST 21; DX 10; IQ 3; HT 11.
HP 21; Will 12; Per 11; FP 11; Speed 5.00; Dodge 8; Move 5.
SM +2 (3 hexes), 1,100 lbs.
Bite (12): 3d+1 cutting.
Claw (12): 2d+1 cutting.
Traits: Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Born Biter 2; Discriminatory Smell; DR 3; Enhanced Move 2 (Ground Speed 20; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/second); Night Vision 3; Striking ST 6 (Bite only); Parabolic Hearing 2; Quadruped; Ultrahearing; Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-12; Survival (Woodland)-12.
This profile represents a compromise between several wildly different size estimates for these animals. The smallest estimate would instead weigh around 600 lbs. and have ST and HP 17 (damage 2d+2 with a bite, 1d+2 with a claw), SM +1, Born Biter 3, and DR 2. The largest would be 3,300 lbs. and have ST and HP 30 (damage 4d+2 with a bite, 3d+2 with a claw), SM +3, Born Biter 1, and DR 4.
Hyaenodon
These dog-like creatures came in a huge variety of species, ranging from terrier to bear sized. All of them had large heads with long, powerful jaws. They seem to have used a combination of stalking, pouncing, and pursuit to capture prey, like lions. Sturdy teeth suggest they would bite and then hang on to struggling prey, also reminiscent of lions. Dissopsalis was a later genus with similar anatomy which survived into the late Miocene. Pyrocyon was another dog-shaped animal, a little smaller than the smallest Hyaenodon species. It lived in the early Eocene and, like a dog, was able to eat a wider variety of food than most of its relatives.
ST 9; DX 11; IQ 3; HT 11.
HP 9; Will 12; Per 11; FP 11; Speed 6.00; Dodge 9; Move 8.
SM 0, 80-90 lbs.
Bite (13): 1d cutting.
Claw (13): 1d−2 cutting.
Traits: Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Born Biter 3; Discriminatory Smell; DR 1; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 16; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/second); Night Vision 3; Striking ST 4 (Bite only); Parabolic Hearing 2; Quadruped; Ultrahearing; Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-13; Climbing-12; Survival (Woodland)-14.
This profile suits mid-sized species such as H. horridus or H. leptorynchus or Dissopsalis. For a small species such as H. crucians (40 lbs.) reduce ST and HP to 7 and Striking ST to 3 (bite damage 1d−1, claw damage 1d−3). For the smallest, such as H. microdon and H. mustelinus (11 lbs.) or Pyrocyon (6 lbs.), reduce ST and HP to 4 and Striking ST to 2 (bite damage 1d−4, claw damage 1d−5) and remove DR. For the giant species like H. gigas, H. mongoliensis, and H. weilini (800-900 lbs.) raise ST and HP to 19, DR to 2 and Striking ST to 6 (bite damage 2d+3, claw damage 2d).
Kerberos
A large early Hyaenodont from Eocene Europe. It was a jaguar-sized ambush predator, poorly suited to running. It shared its habitat with the far smaller but generally similar Lesmesodon, which resembled a cross between a fox and a weasel. Exceptionally well-preserved remains show that it had long brown fur and a bushy tail. Galecyon was another small animal with a combination of canine and mustelid features from the same place and time, which spent more time on the ground.
ST 13; DX 11; IQ 3; HT 11.
HP 13; Will 11; Per 11; FP 11; Speed 6.00; Dodge 9; Move 6.
SM 0, 300 lbs.
Bite (13): 1d cutting.
Claw (13): 1d−2 cutting.
Traits: Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Born Biter 3; Discriminatory Smell; DR 1; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 12; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/second); Night Vision 3; Striking ST 5 (Bite only); Parabolic Hearing 2; Quadruped; Temperature Tolerance (Heat) 2; Ultrahearing; Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-13; Climbing-12; Survival (Jungle)-12.
For Lesmesodon (1 lb.) reduce ST and HP to 2, SM to −4, Striking ST to 1 (damage 1d−5 with a bite, 1d−6 with a claw), and remove DR. For Galecyon (15 lbs.) reduce ST and HP to 5, SM to −2, Striking ST to 2 (damage 1d−3 with a bite, 1d−4 with a claw), increase Enhanced Move to 1.5 (Ground Speed 18), and remove DR and Climbing skill.