The Jackal is a low intelligence, but high-perception beast that you may encounter in DND 5e, but it is not very dangerous or threatening.
The beasts in the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons (DND 5e) are creatures that are not humanoids but are also not as threatening as monsters.
The Jackals are one of these beats that you may encounter in one of your adventures, and while Jackals are not very intelligent, they do have high perception and tend to stay in packs.
The significance of beasts in DND 5E
Some of the inherit fun of DND 5E is the variety of different creatures that you and your team may encounter along your journey.
The beasts in DND are usually based on creatures that you would know in real life and this classification is used for creatures that cannot be classified as humanoid or monstrous.
Beasts are natural creatures, akin to wild animals in real life. In most cases, you will not have to worry too much when you encounter a beast, as they usually do not possess any magical powers or abilities.
However, as DND is a fantasy game, this can change depending on the set of rules that you are playing with.
DND 5e: Jackal
Jackals are just one of the beasts that you may encounter on one of your adventures throughout your DND 5e games.
Jackals are classified as being small creatures, with canine features. Much like Jackals in real life, these creatures tend to hang around warm grassland areas of the world.
There is not much difference between the various types of Jackals that you may encounter in these areas, except for the markings on their pelts.
The three main types of Jackals that are known within DND 5e are the Asian jackal, the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal. Other than the colour of their fur, Jackals have narrow heads and pointed snouts and grizzly, but bushy fur.
You are likely to encounter Jackals as they scavenge along within the world, but they should not be cause for great alarm. Jackals are not particularly feisty or aggressive beasts, and they are not generally brave enough to attack first.
This means that even when you do encounter a Jackal in the middle of your journey, it is likely to flee when attacked by another predator and it will not take much effort to defeat if you have to.
Even though it can be helpful to know what a Jackal looks like and how it behaves, it can be even more useful to know what attributes this beast has, which actions it is most likely to take during combat and how dungeon masters are likely to use this beast within the game.
What are the attributes for Jackals in DND 5e?
Although Jackals are not particularly threatening to encounter within a game, it can be useful to take not of some of their most important attributes, which includes:
| Attribute | Description |
| Armour class |
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| Hit points |
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| Speed |
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| Other attributes |
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When you take all of these attributes into account, it is clear that the Jackal’s low intelligence is part of what makes it such a non-threatening beast.
It is, however, important that you also take note of the Jackal’s keen sense of smell and hearing. This is brought about by the fact that it does have a plus three perception skill and a passive perception of 13.
What actions can a Jackal take during combat?
Although it is more likely for a Jackal to flee when it is threatened than to attack, in the event that a Jackal does decide to attack you, it will bite.
This bite is a melee type of attack and is not particularly damaging. This attack only deals one hit point, reaches for five feet and can only target one player at a time.
It is also common for Jackals to use pack tactics, where a Jackal will have an advantage on the attack role against a creature if the Jackal has an ally within 5 feet of the creature and the ally is not yet incapacitated.
However, in general, even when Jackals are attacking in packs, the attacks will be uncoordinated.
How are Jackals commonly used by dungeon masters?
Although Jackals are not particularly threatening or dangerous, they can add an element of fun to your gameplay when the dungeon master takes advantage of their high perception skills and tendency to stick in packs. These beasts are often used as sniffer dogs to scout out players’ locations.
