Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin
Cleon
Legend
Well, I like them!
For feats, would we want Imp Bull Rush or Ability Focus for the Vortex Maw? I'm sort of at a loss for feats otherwise.
Splitting skills between Hide and Spot is fine by me. We'd better give them a racial bonus to Hide since they're big creatures.
Going by the RAW Ability Focus would not work on its Vortex Maw since it uses a Strength check rather than a saving throw.
However, the description gives it "the same modifiers as a bull rush" so shouldn't a standard grouper get a +8 size bonus for being Huge, making its Strength check +15? That ought to be enough to suck in most victims, or we could throw in the +4 "exceptionally stable" bonus.
The feats the SRD Huge Shark has look a pretty good fit to me - Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will.
That Great Fortitude looks worth exchanging for something else, since it's already got a high Fort save.
Cleon
Legend
It uses opportunity attacks to swallow victims sucked in by its Vortex Maw, right? That suggests Combat Reflexes would be useful, so it can gulp down multiple prey items.
Cleon
Legend
Good oh!
We still haven't got a damage for Swallow Whole - how about 1d10+7 plus 4 points acid, with 25 hp to cut through its gizzard?
For the remaining "Xs", I'm thinking:
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Advancement: 10-17 (Huge); 18-27 (Gargantuan)
Cleon
Legend
Not sure it merits being 2 Challenge Ratings higher than the SRD Huge Shark. It may have 3 more Str and 6 more Con than the shark plus the Vortex Maw, but the shark has 1 more HD.
By the way, why have why giving it standard Str bonus on its bite damage instead of the 1.5 for it being its sole attack?
