Darkhounds

[bronnt]

How does a non channeler kill a Darkhound?  I always figured we'd have come across this problem before aMoL, but there really isn't a major encounter of a group of non-channelers attacked by Dark Hounds.  They're really problematic in that they are almost as dangerous as the gholam, but there's many of them.

 

1) Their saliva is poisonous, and kills really quickly.  Mat had one drop on his arm and it would have killed him in minutes if he hadn't had healing.

2) They're tough to bring down.  Perrin put three of the Three Rivers arrows from a Three Rivers bow into one before it fell.

3) They cover a lot of ground.  In tDR, they were as fast as the horses that the party was riding to escape, and they don't tire.

 

As far as channeling on them, the only thing we've seen work on them is Balefire.  Rand carved them up with his firesword but they reconstituted themselves.  That's the only time we've seen that from the hounds, so it might be a special case (the super darkhound theory).  Then again, it's the only time we see the power used on them other than balefire, so it's possible they have some type of resistance to the power.  Not like a gholam, since you can actually BF them.  Presumably the DeathGate solution would work since they are shadowspawn.  But if those WERE some kind of modified DarkHounds...why can't all  of them be modified?

 

I'm not going to say for certain, but I assume that the pack of 50 that Perrin encountered in CoT could have taken out his entire army.  Best case scenario if they had had to fight them would have been to put a wall of bodies between the Dark Hounds and the channelers, but leaving line of sight for the channelers to weave against them.  I don't believe anyone with Perrin knows balefire, so they would have had to innovate ways to take them down.

 

As far as the one that Lan killed, I've wondered if it has something to do with his sword being of Power-wrought steel.  He'd have had to take the thing down in one blow or it would have at least gotten drool on him and probably have bitten him.  If anyone would know exactly how to bring them down, it's Lan, but Perrin showed us that they don't go down easy.  Perhaps Lan has another advantage.

 

Anyone else have thoughts on how you take these things out?

[Guest tree-brother]

Maybe best to do like the old sayings. Put running water between, salt on the ears (may not be wise)

[Rasta Ashaman]

How does a non channeler kill a Darkhound? 

 

2) They're tough to bring down.  Perrin put three of the Three Rivers arrows from a Three Rivers bow into one before it fell.

 

There's one river too many :)

 

And I believe you've answered your question yourself - if Perrin could bring one DH down with a normal not-OP-wrought-arrow, then all other bowmen in his army could do it too; and if arrows can kill Dh, then lances can too, most probably - and Perrin has plenty of them in his army. Also, I think even the wolves can kill them too, if I remember correctly - alas, at a great cost.

[42Bonzo88]

    It's like you said. It will be very difficult but it can be done. Perrin doesn't channel and neither does Rand. Like tree brother said, if you have time to place yourselves you get a river between you and them. If not, you get alot of Two river's bows and do your best. I wrote this while Rasta wrote and I agree.

[bronnt]

How does a non channeler kill a Darkhound? 

 

2) They're tough to bring down.  Perrin put three of the Three Rivers arrows from a Three Rivers bow into one before it fell.

 

There's one river too many :)

 

And I believe you've answered your question yourself - if Perrin could bring one DH down with a normal not-OP-wrought-arrow, then all other bowmen in his army could do it too; and if arrows can kill Dh, then lances can too, most probably - and Perrin has plenty of them in his army. Also, I think even the wolves can kill them too, if I remember correctly - alas, at a great cost.

 

Lol, can't believe I misnamed Two Rivers.  Honestly can't say where my head was. Thanks for politely pointing it out.

[bronnt]

Maybe best to do like the old sayings. Put running water between, salt on the ears (may not be wise)

 

Do we know what water actually does to them?  It's said that they're either discouraged by rain or seriously hindered by it, as well as running water.  Does this actually harm them, or is it merely something they fear unreasonably, i.e. elephants being afraid of mice.

 

In terms of how to hurt them, we've seen more tried on the gholam that we have on the DH.  All we've really seen is BF, Rand's flamesword, and the Two Rivers Bow on screen, as well as Lan killing one off screen.  On the gholam we've seen pretty much all direct channeling fail, and he was stabbed and struck to seemingly no effect-Mat's medallion was all that did anything.

[Charlz Guybon]

Just shoot them or cut them up just like you'd do with any other monster, just make sure you don't get their saliva or blood on you. The Darkhounds that Rand fought in TFoH were clearly enhanced somehow.

[Cillian]

    It's like you said. It will be very difficult but it can be done. Perrin doesn't channel and neither does Rand. Like tree brother said, if you have time to place yourselves you get a river between you and them. If not, you get alot of Two river's bows and do your best. I wrote this while Rasta wrote and I agree.

 

Did miss something??!! :D

 

Just shoot them or cut them up just like you'd do with any other monster, just make sure you don't get their saliva or blood on you. The Darkhounds that Rand fought in TFoH were clearly enhanced somehow.

 

^^Yeah, pretty much.

[42Bonzo88]

    Boy did I step in that one!! ;D  I had just read my last post and I was hoping I could get this one wrote before someone caught it!  Thanks Cillian. Who I meant to say was Lan. Subtle difference. Please pardon an old man. I only have 5 working brain cells left and 3 are disabled! lol

[balefireruinssteaks]

I don't think water kills them, but it's more like shadowspawn and Shadar Logoth...they didn't go in there unless they simply HAD to...

 

maybe throwing stars...that might kill them.  Or talking to them and working out the differences.

 

or balefire...balefire seemed to work fine.

[Sila Darklover]

Just shoot them or cut them up just like you'd do with any other monster, just make sure you don't get their saliva or blood on you. The Darkhounds that Rand fought in TFoH were clearly enhanced somehow.

 

Shoot them, yes, but don't cut them up.  Somebody (Rand?) tried that, and the pieces melted and flowed together into one again.  Unless that was the "flamesword" bromt mentioned?  Sorry, I haven't read that scene in a while. 

 

Or you could try "talking to them and working out the differences."  :D  Most people might not have much success at that, though.

[42Bonzo88]

      :D"talking to them and working out the differences" Maybe not the humans, but how about their dogs? I would use Perrin's wolves, but that would be a bloodbath that nobody wants to be involved in.

[Cillian]

 

Or you could try "talking to them and working out the differences."  :D  Most people might not have much success at that, though.

 

:D. Or do what Mel Gibson did in Lethal Weapon. Start pining, cock your head to one side,  bring out the dog biscuits and roll around on the floor.

 

hey, maybe thats how you turn Dark Hounds back to the light!

[Cybertrolloc]

Hit them in the voolnerables ;)

 

They have some kind of weak point, like the Grolm in that alt-world in tGH--you have to take out their middle eye. Supposedly there's a story about it that turns out to be true, but I don't think we know what it is.

[DemandredFO]

How will people that can't produce balefire deal with darkhounds(i.e. Matt and Perrin, etc.?

[Bob T Dwarf]

There are two varieties of Darkhound.

 

The original WoP DH, and a newer variety that isn't as easy to kill.

 

Mat or Perrin could handle the originals just fine ( OK, they'd have to work for it, but they could kill them ).  The newer ones, probably not.