How are the hit points of the hound determined for the Shadow Magic sorcerer's Hound of Ill Omen feature (XGtE, p. 51)?
I have read over the feature several times now, and I have a question. Here are the statistics that differ from the MM Dire Wolf stats (emphasis mine):
The hound uses the dire wolf statistics (see the Monster Manual or appendix C in the Player’s Handbook), with the following changes:
- The hound is size Medium, not Large, and it counts as a monstrosity, not a beast.
- It appears with a number of temporary hit points equal to half your sorcerer level.
- It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The hound takes 5 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
- At the start of its turn, the hound automatically knows its target’s location. If the target was hidden, it is no longer hidden from the hound.
The question I have is in regard to item 2. It states that the Hound appears with a number of temporary hit points equal to half the sorcerer's level. Which of the following is an accurate interpretation of this line?
It only has a hit point total of half the sorcerer hit points.
It has half the sorcerer hit points as temp hit points, on top of the hit points that a Dire Wolf would get per the MM stat block?