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Hell Hound 5e: Stats, Fire Breath Math and Pack Tactics
A hell hound is a CR 3 Medium fiend (700 XP) with AC 15, 45 hit points and a 50-foot speed. It fights with a fire-laced bite and a Fire Breath that recharges on a 5 or 6: a 15-foot cone dealing 21 (6d6) fire damage, DC 12 Dexterity for half. Pack Tactics gives it advantage on bites whenever another hound is next to the target, so hell hounds come in packs. The 2024 hound bites twice per turn, has 58 HP and a weaker 5d6 breath, which changes when it should breathe and when it should bite.
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Hell Hound Stat Block (2014)
The hell hound from SRD 5.1.
Hell Hound
Medium fiend, lawful evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (7d8+14)
Speed 50 ft.
STR
17 (+3)
DEX
12 (+1)
CON
14 (+2)
INT
6 (−2)
WIS
13 (+1)
CHA
6 (−2)
Skills Perception +5
Damage Immunities fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands Infernal but can't speak it
Challenge 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Traits
Keen Hearing and Smell.The hound has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Pack Tactics.The hound has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the hound's allies is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Bite.Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6).The hound exhales fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
A hell hound is a Fiend without a devil or demon subtype. It is lawful evil and understands Infernal, so it fits naturally in a devil's service, but it shares none of the devil defenses. It has fire immunity and nothing else: no Magic Resistance, no cold resistance, no resistance to weapons, no condition immunities.
Its senses make it a tracker. Perception +5 with Keen Hearing and Smell means advantage on Perception checks by sound or scent, which in the 2014 rules adds 5 to its passive score (20) against a character trying to sneak past it. Darkvision 60 feet and a 50-foot speed mean it finds the party and outruns most of them.
The 2024 Hell Hound
Hell Hound
Medium Fiend, Lawful Evil
Armor Class 15
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
Speed 50 ft.
STR
17 (+3)save +3
DEX
12 (+1)save +1
CON
14 (+2)save +2
INT
6 (−2)save −2
WIS
13 (+1)save +1
CHA
6 (−2)save −2
Skills Perception +5
Immunities fire
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 15
Languages Understands Infernal but can’t speak
Challenge 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Traits
Pack Tactics.The hound has Advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the hound’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition.
Actions
Multiattack.The hound makes two Bite attacks.
Bite.Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) Piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) Fire damage.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6).Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 12, each creature in a 15-foot Cone. Failure: 17 (5d6) Fire damage. Success: Half damage.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014 Hell Hound
2024 Hell Hound
HP
45
58
Attacks per turn
1 Bite: 7 piercing + 7 (2d6) fire
2 Bites: 7 piercing + 3 (1d6) fire each
Damage if all hit
14
20
Fire Breath
6d6 (21), Recharge 5-6
5d6 (17), Recharge 5-6
Keen Hearing and Smell
Yes
Removed
The 2024 hound moved damage from fire to piercing. Only 6 of its 20 bite damage is fire, compared with 7 of 14 for the 2014 hound. A tiefling or anyone with fire resistance gains less protection against the 2024 bites. The 2024 hound also lost Keen Hearing and Smell, so its passive Perception is a flat 15.
How Hell Hounds Fight
The recharge math. Fire Breath is ready at the start of the fight. After it's used, the hound rolls a d6 at the start of each turn and gets the breath back on a 5 or 6, one chance in three. So:
•Round 1: the breath is guaranteed.
•Round 2: 33% chance it's back.
•By the end of round 3: 56% chance it came back at least once.
•Over a three-round fight, a hound breathes about 1.7 times on average.
Breath or bite? Against a character with a +2 Dexterity save, DC 12 succeeds on a 10 or better (55%), so the breath deals about 72% of its full damage on average. Against AC 16, a +5 bite hits half the time, or 75% with advantage from Pack Tactics.
Option
2014 hound
2024 hound
Fire Breath, one target in the cone
about 15
about 12
Fire Breath, two targets
about 30
about 25
Bite(s) with Pack Tactics
about 10.5
about 15
Bite(s) without Pack Tactics
about 7
about 10
The 2014 hound should breathe whenever the breath is ready, even on a single target. The 2024 hound should breathe only when it can catch two characters, and otherwise bite next to a packmate. That's a real difference in how you play them.
Open with the cone volley. Four hounds that each breathe on round one deal around 60 fire damage spread over the party, before anyone has acted if the hounds win initiative. Aim the cones so the party's frontline and backline each catch at least one.
Then flank. Pack Tactics only needs one other hound within 5 feet of the target, not on the opposite side. Two hounds on the same character both bite with advantage. Four hounds work as two pairs, each pair on one character.
Chase down the runners. With a 50-foot speed, a hound can reach the wizard at the back of the room in one move. Don't let the party's ranged characters feel safe.
How Many Hell Hounds for a Level 5 Party?
Each hell hound is 700 XP. For four characters under the 2024 budget:
Under the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator), group size inflates hounds fast. Two hounds are 1,400 x 1.5 = 2,100 XP, past Deadly for four level 4 characters (2,000) but Medium at level 5. Three hounds are 2,100 x 2 = 4,200, Hard for level 5 (3,000 to 4,399).
The round-one breath volley is the dangerous part. Four 2014 hounds can drop a level 3 wizard before the wizard acts. At low levels, use fewer hounds or give the party a chance to hear them coming.
How Players Beat Hell Hounds
•Bring fire resistance. A tiefling's Hellish Resistance, Protection from Energy, or any fire resistance halves the breath and the fire part of the bite. Against the 2014 hound, fire is all of the breath and half of every bite.
•Spread out against cones. A 15-foot cone is small. Characters who keep 10 to 15 feet apart give each hound one target instead of two.
•Hit hard, not wide. 45 HP (58 in 2024) and AC 15 means one hound dies in two or three good hits. Killing one also takes away Pack Tactics from its partner.
•Use any damage type except fire. Cold, lightning, thunder and radiant all work. Lightning Bolt catches a pack lined up in a corridor, and Fireball does nothing.
•Target Wisdom and Intelligence. No Magic Resistance and no save proficiencies. Hold Monster and other Wisdom saves (+1) land often. Hold Person doesn't work, because a hell hound is a Fiend.
•Don't try to sneak past a 2014 hound. Its passive 20 against sound and smell beats most Stealth checks. Silence, or a fight on your terms, is better than hoping for a high roll.
Hell Hound Encounter Ideas
The kennel master's debt. A disgraced devil-worshipping noble keeps three hell hounds as guard dogs. They patrol the estate grounds at night, and their baying carries to the road. The party has to cross the grounds to reach a prisoner, which means either a fight on open lawn or a plan to deal with dogs that can smell them coming.
Scent of the guilty. A bearded devil arrives at the town gate with a hell hound on a chain, demanding the party's rogue, whose name is written on a contract. The hound has the rogue's scent. Running only works if the rogue can get past a 50-foot-speed tracker.
The burned stair. A narrow spiral staircase in a burning tower, with two hounds coming down from above. Cones down a staircase hit everyone in a line, and Pack Tactics can't work in a 5-foot passage. The players can choose where to make their stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a hell hound in 5e?
A hell hound is CR 3 and worth 700 XP in both the 2014 and 2024 rules.
How often can a hell hound use Fire Breath?
Fire Breath has Recharge 5-6. It's available at the start of combat, and after each use the hound rolls a d6 at the start of each of its turns, regaining it on a 5 or 6. On average that's once every three rounds after the first breath.
Is a hell hound a devil?
No. A hell hound is a Fiend with no subtype, lawful evil, that understands Infernal but can't speak. It lacks the devil traits like Magic Resistance and cold resistance; its only defense is immunity to fire.
What changed for the hell hound in 2024?
The 2024 hound has 58 HP instead of 45, bites twice per turn with less fire damage per bite (1d6 instead of 2d6), breathes for 5d6 instead of 6d6, and lost Keen Hearing and Smell.
Is a hell hound immune to fire?
Yes. Both versions are immune to fire damage. Use cold, lightning, thunder, radiant or plain weapon damage instead.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.