Ornithomimosaurs
Ornithomimosaurs
Ornithomimosaurs are a group of a bipedal dinosaurs with long, slender arms with three clawed fingers, a small head on a pretty long neck and a long counterbalancing tail. They are one of the swiftest of dinosaurs, running at least as fast as a horse on their powerful hind limbs.
There is no firm scientific agreement on what they ate, but most likely they were herbivores or omnivores. Their head is mostly a long, narrow straight-edged beak. Some primitive forms had teeth, but the more advanced Ornithomimosaurs were toothless. Ornithomimosaurs have muscular gizzards filled with stones that allow them to efficiently grind up tough food.
For the sake of this conversion I'm assuming they are omnivores.
Ornithomimosaurs were mostly fairly uniform in size, with species ranging from 10 to 20 feet in adult length, with about 13 feet being typical. However, there is one dinosaur, Deinocheirus mirificus which may be a giant relative of the Ornithomimosauria. Since only a pair of 8-foot long arms and a little of the ribs and backbone of Deinocheirus has been discovered, any conversion will perforce be extremely speculative. I've decided to make Deinocheirus a giant omnivore that mainly ate vegetable matter and insects, but would happily eat smaller vertebrates if they fell into its clutches. Since it could have weighed 10 tons, "smaller" could easily accommodate adventurers, which seemed appropriate for a "D&D" version of this animal.
Ornithomimus
Late Cretaceous (85-65 MYA)
Other Ornithomimosaurs Early-Late Cretaceous (250-230 MYA)
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+10
Attack: kick +5 melee (2d6+6)
Full Attack: kick +5 melee (2d6+6); or 2 claws +5 melee (1d4+2) and bite +0 melee (1d3+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Swallow whole, trample 2d6+6 [DC15]
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: Hide +2* [+6 in undergrowth], Jump +18, Listen +6, Spot +6, Survival +3
Feats: Endurance, Run
Environment: Warm or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary; flight (2-12) or flock (5-50)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
Ornithomimus is a typical example of the Ornithomimosauria. They prefer to live in flocks in fairly open ground, so they have many eyes to watch for danger and clear paths to escape. These dinosaurs are omnivores; they mostly eat fruit, nuts and leaves, supplemented with whatever diminutive animals they can catch.
A typical Ornithomimus is 12-15 feet long and weighs about 300 pounds.
Combat
A threatened Ornithomimus's first instinct is flight, although they may fight if cornered or grappled. An Ornithomimus generally defends itself with a powerful kick or trampling attack while trying to clear its path to escape, but they can also fight with slashing foreclaws and a darting beak.
Usually, the only danger Ornithomimus poses to an adventuring party is that they may be trampled underfoot if the dinosaurs panic and stampede. An Ornithomimus would only attack characters as food if they're pixie-sized. They have been known to swallow familiars, however.
Swallow Whole (Ex): An Ornithomimus can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of up to Diminutive size by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 1d6+6 points of bludgeoning damage and 2 points of acid damage per round from the Ornithomimus's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. An Ornithomimus's gizzard can hold 8 Diminutive or 32 Fine opponents.
Skills
An Ornithomimus has a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks and a +2 racial bonus on Jump, Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. *Its racial bonus on Hide checks increases to +8 in areas of undergrowth.
Archaeornithomimus (Lesser Ornithomimosaur)
Late Cretaceous (85-65 MYA)
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: kick +4 melee (1d8+1)
Full Attack: kick +4 melee (1d8+1); or 2 claws +4 melee (1d3) and bite –1 melee (1d2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trample 1d8+1 [DC12]
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: Hide +6* [+10 in undergrowth], Jump +15, Listen +5, Spot +6, Survival +3
Feats: Run, Weapon Finesse(B)
Environment: Warm or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary; flight (2-12) or flock (5-50)
Challenge Rating: ½
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
The above represents any of the smaller varieties of Ornithomimosaur, ranging from 7 to 12 feet long. The same stats can be used for such primitive Ornithomimids as Pelecanimimus polyodon and Harpymimus oklandnikovi, both of which species are unusual in possessing small but sharp teeth.
A typical Archaeornithomimus is about 10 feet between beak and tail tips and weighs 100-140 pounds.
Gallimimus (Greater Ornithomimosaur)
Late Cretaceous (70-65 MYA)
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+20 (42 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+13
Attack: kick +8 melee (2d6+9)
Full Attack: kick +8 melee (2d6+9); or 2 claws +8 melee (1d4+3) and bite +3 melee (1d3+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Swallow whole, trample 2d6+9 [DC18]
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, swallow whole [1d6+9, 10 hp, AC12]
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: Hide +2* [+6 in undergrowth], Jump +20, Listen +7, Spot +7, Survival +3
Feats: Endurance, Run
Environment: Warm or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary; flight (2-12) or flock (5-50)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
Gallimimus is the largest known genus of Ornithomimid.
A typical Gallimimus grows up to 20 feet long and 800-1000 pounds weight.
Combat
(See above for tactics).
Swallow Whole (Ex): A Gallimimus can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of up to Diminutive size by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 1d6+9 points of bludgeoning damage and 2 points of acid damage per round from the Gallimimus's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Gallimimus's gizzard can hold 4 Tiny, 16 Diminutive or 64 Fine opponents.
Skills
A Gallimimus has a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks and a +2 racial bonus on Jump, Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. *Its racial bonus on Hide checks increases to +8 in areas of undergrowth.
Deinocheirus
Late Cretaceous (75-65 MYA)
Gargantuan Animal
Hit Dice: 15d8+105 (172 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (-4 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+33
Attack: Claw +18 melee (1d10+10) or bite +17 melee (1d8+5) or kick +17 melee (4d6+15)
Full Attack: 2 claws +18 melee (1d10+10) and bite +15 melee (1d8+5); or kick +17 melee (4d6+15)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Swallow whole, trample 4d6+15 [3d6+15, 25 hp, DC27]
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +11, Will +6
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 15, Con 25, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills: Hide +4* [+8 in undergrowth], Jump +24, Listen +9, Spot +9, Survival +3
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Run, Weapon Focus (claw), Multiattack, Snatch
Environment: Warm or temperate plains and forests
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 16-24 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —
Stalking into sight is an bizarre looking animal resembling an enormous, scaly ostrich more than three times as tall as a man, and well over forty feet in length once its great lizard-like tail is included. Instead of an ostrich's wings, it has arms as long as an ogre is tall, with foot-long talons on the three fingers of each hand. The head is two or three feet long, with a sharp-edged beak and an crown of ornamental plumes.
A Deinocheirus looks like a Ornithomimus of monstrous size and strength, which is basically what it is. They are remarkably fleet-footed despite their gigantic size.
These animals have extremely powerful gizzards and are most catholic in their diet, being willing to swallow anything that looks or smells edible. Their diet is mostly vegetation, with a supplement of much smaller animals and carrion; they have a particular fondness for breaking open termite mounds with their claws and licking up the insects. These dinosaurs are not active hunters, but will happily snatch up and eat any bite-sized creatures foolish enough to come within a few steps of them. Since these dinosaurs are several times larger than an average elephant, "bite sized" can include humans. On rare occasions they will kill and eat bigger animals, such large prey are usually hapless herbivores careless enough to annoy the Deinocheirus and too slow about getting out of its way, or a carnivorous dinosaur that mistook the "Terrible Hand" for an easy meal.
A typical Deinocheirus is about 50 feet long and weighs up to 20000 pounds.
Combat
Deinocheirus are far more pugnacious than their smaller Ornithomimosaur cousins. While they usually flee attackers whose size rivals theirs, they are not adverse to attacking threats with their terrible foreclaws and a bite. They can also unleash a tremendous kick, usually as a precursor to a rapid departure.
Most Deinocheirus will ignore Medium or Small sized humanoids unless they provoke it by injuring the beast or intruding into its personal space (a radius of about 60-120 feet around the animal). Some of these dinosaurs have learned to attack humanoids, either out of a taste for their flesh or because they have been injured by them, and will go out of their way to stalk, kill and eat them. Such are fearsome opponents, they usually charge and crush as many opponents as they can with their Trample attack, then try to use their Snatch feat to seize its humanoid opponents in their claws and beak and swallow them.
Swallow Whole (Ex): A Deinocheirus can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of up to three sizes smaller by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 3d6+15 points of bludgeoning damage and 8 points of acid damage per round from the Deinocheirus's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Deinocheirus's gizzard can hold 4 Medium, 16 Small, 64 Tiny or 256 Diminutive or Fine opponents.
Skills
An Deinocheirus has a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks and a +2 racial bonus on Jump, Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. *Its racial bonus on Hide checks increases to +8 in areas of undergrowth.
