The Hounds of Tindalos
The Hounds of Tindalos are one of the many alien menaces that have become part of the Cthulhu mythos, a horror setting created by author H.P. Lovecraft and later expanded upon by others. Able to travel through time and manifest out of any angled surface, the Hounds of Tindalos stalk their prey with an unyielding ferocity rarely displayed by their fellow monstrosities. This has made them a popular nemesis in board games and role-playing games such as Arkham Horror and Call of Cthulhu.
This page describes the physical appearance of the Hounds of Tindalos, as well as their origin story and various powers. For gaming fans, we look at the creatures in both Arkham Horror and Call of Cthulhu, listing their stats and detailing their lethal abilities. For those who enjoy music, video games and horror novels, we also cite a few of the works that have incorporated the Hound of Tindalos and increased their presence in pop culture.
Hounds of Tindalos Appearance
While
their name might indicate that the Hounds of Tindalos have a canine
appearance, their alien origins suggest something that looks far different.
In fact, it’s possible that they may appear more akin to a bat-like being
such as a byakhee. It has been written that they exude a blue liquid that
resembles pus, and their tongues are hollow to enable them to drain the
bodily fluids of victims.
No accurate description of a Hound exists, and this is due to their lethality. They can track their victims through time and strike at the most inopportune moment, giving them an alarming success rate and leaving no witnesses to provide reliable details. This only adds to the mystique of the beast, as people are likely to imagine them looking like whatever they find most terrifying.
Hounds of Tindalos Powers
The Hounds are immortal creatures that can travel through both time and space. While humans and traditional life forms exist in the curves of reality, the Hounds of Tindalos exist in the angles. This grants them the ability to move through any angle, often proceeded by smoke billowing from the corner of a room or surface.
Their worst characteristic is their tenacity. Once a Hound takes an interest in a mortal being, it will follow them anywhere. Even moving through time will not save a potential victim, which means that an encounter with a Hound spells almost certain doom.
Hounds of Tindalos Story
The first Hounds of Tindalos story was written by Frank Belknap Long and appeared in a 1929 issue of Weird Tales. Entitled “The Hounds of Tindalos,” it would later be included in Belknap’s third book, a 1946 collection of short stories bearing the same name. Since he was close friends with H.P. Lovecraft, this became the first Cthulhu mythos story written by anyone other than Lovecraft.
The story centers around Chalmers, a reckless scientist who visits the fourth dimension with a little help from the same drug that assisted Lao-Tse in discovering the Tao. There, he briefly glimpses the Hounds of Tindalos before returning to our world. But the beings have caught his scent, and he is eventually pursued and devoured after telling his strange tale to a friend (who also acts as the narrator).
In “The Whisperer in Darkness,” published in Weird Tales in 1931, Lovecraft would make a reference to the creatures. This assured the enduring popularity of the relentless beasts, and they have since been mentioned in stories from Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, and many more.
Hounds of Tindalos Arkham Horror
The Hound of Tindalos serve as one of the monsters in the Arkham Horror board game. They were included in the basic set, and they possess Physical Immunity as their special ability. This means that weapons or spells that add a physical bonus do not get to apply the bonus when used against them.
Combat stats for the Hound grant it a horror rating of -2, a damage of 4, a -1 awareness, a toughness of 2, and a combat rating of -1. When it moves around the board, the Hound will always seek out the investigator in the nearest location (with the exception of the hospital or asylum). In the case of a tie, it will move directly to the investigator with the lowest sneak. If there’s still a tie, then the first player gets to choose where it will move. If no players are located in Arkham but expansion sets are also in use, it will move through the train station to the nearest investigator. Once the monster limit is reached, the Hound will move to the Outskirts like a flying monster.
Hounds of Tindalos in Call of Cthulhu RPG
While the Hounds of Tindalos aren’t the largest monsters found in the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game, they are among the most lethal. Listed as a Greater Independent Race, the Hound may attack with either tongue or paw. Their paw attack does 1D6 damage (plus damage bonus), and it coats the target with a blue pus that acts as poison. Each round that the ichor remains, the target will take additional damage equal to a poison of 2D6 potency.
If the tongue is successful, the victim will have a painless hole in their body. No damage will be done, but the unlucky individual will permanently lose 1D3 POW. This can happen multiple times, as the Hound will seek to drain its victim dry.
Mundane weapons have no effect on the Hound. Enchanted weapons and spells must still get past its 2-point armored hide and the ability to regenerate 4 hit points each round. Seeing a Hound results in 1D3 sanity loss on a successful roll and a 1D20 loss if unsuccessful. To make matters worse, each Hound of Tindalos knows 1D8 spells.
Other Appearances
The works of H.P. Lovecraft have cropped up in numerous media over the years, whether it be music, movies, literature or video games. This section details a few of the mentions of the Hounds of Tindalos from other artists, so those obsessed with the Cthulhu mythos are urged to do further exploration.
The Place of Dead Roads - This William S. Burroughs novel about a homosexual gunfighter in the Old West includes tales of time travel. The story of the Hounds of Tindalos is recounted within.
Macho Women with Guns - This role-playing game is a satire of numerous genres, and the Hounds are referenced here as the “Puppies of Tindalos.”
Final Fantasy X-2 - A role-playing video game that features a lupine spirit called a Tindalos.
Tindalos - Written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, this horror tale centers around a woman haunted by a creature named Tindalos and plagued by chewing sounds. As she tries to understand what’s happening to her, she reads the original tale written by Frank Balknap Long.
“All Nightmare Long” - The forty-fourth single from Metallica, this track from Death Magnetic is about the Hounds of Tindalos (according to co-writer James Hetfield).
If you want to engage in battle with a Hound of Tindalos, you’ll need to play a game like Arkham Horror or Call of Cthulhu. Just make sure you’re well-armed, as these time-traveling beasts are much tougher than they sound. More timid fans may want to bypass any combat and curl up with a Lovecraft story instead. After all, there’s no danger in reading a book, unless it turns out to be the Necronomicon.