These pictures are begging for stats

[Shade]

The Earthquake Dragons Who Embody Planetary Catastrophe

I think we should create stats for at least the first one as a group project.

 

[freyar]

Those are great! I can think of a good project for those, too.

If you check a picture lower down, the first one seems to have a sonic breath weapon.

 

[Shade]

Indeed!

 

[Cleon]

The Earthquake Dragons Who Embody Planetary Catastrophe

I think we should create stats for at least the first one as a group project.

Well I'm game. There are fifty five of these Earthquake Dragons on the ArtOrder blogsite they originated from, so I wouldn't fancy converting all of them, but wouldn't mind doing a few. The tree-backed dragon is number 27 in ArtOrder's line up, credited to one Michael Jaecks.

So, first thing's first, what shall we call it.

The Forest Earthquake Dragon?

Next up, just to save out sanity, I propose it doesn't have age categories like a true dragon, and we should just stat up one version. It may even be a unique (?) creature, such as the Tarrasque.

Colossal Dragon (Earth) seems pretty obvious, but what of the rest of the stats...

EDIT: Come to think of it, the Tarrasque may be a good model. All that shrubbery growing out of the beast's back suggests it may spend long periods buried in the ground, until trees sprout out of its shoulders, then once every few centuries its bursts up and wreaks havoc.

So shall we take the SRD Tarrasque as a baseline and start modifying it? Say, give it a burrow speed, drop some of the immunities / hyperhealing, modify its attacks (maybe dropping the big T's Augmented Critical), add the ability to produce Earthquakes and tweak the ability scores.

Oh, and am I wrong in wanting the "Trees" to actually be prehensile limbs, used to snatch up prey too puny for its mighty claws.

 

[Nookie]

So shall we take the SRD Tarrasque as a baseline and start modifying it? Say, give it a burrow speed, drop some of the immunities / hyperhealing, modify its attacks (maybe dropping the big T's Augmented Critical), add the ability to produce Earthquakes and tweak the ability scores.

Or These things can be along the same lines as the tarrasque. Wasent the tarrasque its self rumored to have been made by the elmental princes. These monsters seem to be verry elemental in nature. These creatures could ust me more examples of a species of primal engines of destruction. Each withh similar traits but Its on uniqunes.

 

[Cleon]

Or These things can be along the same lines as the tarrasque. Wasent the tarrasque its self rumored to have been made by the elmental princes. These monsters seem to be verry elemental in nature. These creatures could ust me more examples of a species of primal engines of destruction. Each withh similar traits but Its on uniqunes.

Yes, that's more or less what I was aiming for. A unique or one-per-world primal monstrosity.

Shall we start on a conversion?

Type & size seems pretty obviously Colossal Dragon (Earth).

Let's say 48 hit dice, same as the Tarrasque.

Now, what about ability scores?

A Tarrasque is Str 45, Dex 16, Con 35, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 14.

A Colossal sized Great Wyrm Red Dragon is Str 45, Dex 10, Con 31, Int 26, Wis 27, Cha 26.

So, Str 45 seems right. I'd fancy averaging the Dex and Con to Dex 13, Con 33.

The mental abilities are trickier. Is this thing supersmart, an instinctive raging brute, or something in between? Regardless of its Int score, I fancy giving it a high Wisdom and Charisma, somewhere in the 20s.

The White Dragon is the dumbest SRD Chromatic, and a Great Wyrm White has Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 18. So, how about giving it a White's Wisdom, a Red's Charisma and average the White and Tarrasque's Intelligence?

Hold on, that would give it four odd-numbered stats. I'll bump the Wisdom up to 20.

That gives us Str 45, Dex 13, Con 33, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 26

Does that seem about right?

 

[Nookie]

Hm those stats seem reasonable. Stats Might Slightly varry from critter to critter. what about other "In common" traits. I can see each haveing SR of some sort. Immunity to some types of energy. (Fire?, Acid?, Electricity?) ALso damage reduction to boot probably in the line of the tarrasque.

 

[Cleon]

Hm those stats seem reasonable. Stats Might Slightly varry from critter to critter. what about other "In common" traits. I can see each haveing SR of some sort. Immunity to some types of energy. (Fire?, Acid?, Electricity?) ALso damage reduction to boot probably in the line of the tarrasque.

Well I'd be fine with spell resistance 32 (same as the Tarrasque and a Great Wyrm Red Dragon) plus immunity to fire, poison, disease, energy drain and ability damage like the tarrasque, plus a true dragon's immunity to paralysis and sleep effects.

I'd throw in the Tarrasque's 15/epic damage resistance, but I would leave out the Tarrasque's regeneration and carapace. Wouldn't want to make it mean, after all.

It should also have a true dragon's 60 foot Blindsense, Frightful Presence and Keen Senses as well.

 

[Shade]

I'd drop the immunity to fire (since trees tend to burn), and go with immunity to sonic (since the pictured breath weapon appears sonic).

 

[Cleon]

I'd drop the immunity to fire (since trees tend to burn), and go with immunity to sonic (since the pictured breath weapon appears sonic).

Sounds good, I'd add immunity to earth attacks.

I'm also wondering about giving it Tremorsense instead of or as well as Blindsense, since I imagine it spends most of its time underground, sleeping and occasionally causing earthquakes.

Anyhow, I think we've got enough to start statting it up. I'll do a write-up as my next post and edit it as we decide on changes.

Now, should it have any spells or SLAs? I fancy going mostly Supernatural powers.