Jackal
Small Beast · · CR 0
- Beast
- Small
- Tier 1
Ranges across desert and grassland; Jackal lists at CR 0 as a small beast (unaligned). Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 0
- Type
- Beast
- Size
- Small
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Desert, Grassland
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Jackals roam desert, scrubland, and dry savanna across Calimshan, Mulhorand, and southern Faerun. Smaller than wolves, they live in mated pairs or small family groups rather than large packs. Diet is rodents, lizards, eggs, fruit, and carrion. They follow larger predators to scavenge leftovers and are notable for **ranging closer to humanoid settlements** than wolves dare.
Behaviour
Cautious, clever, opportunistic. Jackals avoid direct confrontation with creatures their own size and prefer to wait out conflicts. They are excellent at theft — slipping into camps, taking food, vanishing. Their high-pitched howl carries across deserts and is considered ill omen by Bedine nomads of the Anauroch.
Origin
In Mulhorand, jackals are sacred to the death-god Anubis (the Mulhorandi version of Anhur), and jackal-headed mummies serve as tomb guardians. Jackal-skin amulets are believed to grant safe passage in the afterlife. The desert tribes of the Calim Desert tell stories of **Sharrokh the Jackal** — a clever trickster who outsmarts efreet and steals their wishes.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Jackal
- What is the challenge rating of Jackal?
- Jackal has a challenge rating of 0. It fits parties just starting out.
- What type of creature is Jackal?
- The bestiary type for Jackal is beast, small size.
- Where does Jackal live?
- In the bestiary, Jackal appears in Desert, Grassland.