A campaign with no (few) dinosaurs?

[TheAuldGrump]

Chickens are dinosaurs? Suddenly I'm worried about them eating me!!

The only defense is to eat them first!

The Auld Grump, Col. Sanders, your troops stand ready!

 

[Tonguez]

Chickens are dinosaurs? Suddenly I'm worried about them eating me!!

http://www.scientificblogging.com/news/did_dinosaurs_become_chickens

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have captured and sequenced tiny pieces of collagen protein from a 68 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex. The protein fragments—seven in all—appear to most closely match amino acid sequences found in collagen of present day chickens.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

While I'm not anti-dino, I rarely use them. Its been at least a decade, as a matter of fact.

They are, however, going to be in my next campaign.

 

[Rackhir]

Just a quick question for discussion. It seems that in the "default" D&D settings, dinosaurs are a natural part of the ecosystem, seemingly as common as bears and deer.

If I decide to rule that in my homebrew, dinos only exist in remote "Land of the Lost" type sections of the campaign world, or rule them extinct altogether, would this have too big an adverse effect on things like druid's selection of companion, or creatures on the summon lists?

...basically I want an encounter with a dino to be a rare and wondrous experience, but I don't want to mangle the rules too much to achieve this.

But they aren't exactly either that wonderous or dramatic compared to a lot of the creatures in D&D. They're basically just big cool looking lizards. When you're going up against Demons, Far Realm (Cthulhu), rust monsters, Ilithid and enormous fire/acid/cold etc Breathing Dragons. A T-Rex just isn't that impressive.

Jurassic Park emphasized the size and power relative to "normal" creatures (it was also the first film to really exploit realistic CGI, which I think is part of the reason the film was so big). I'd try to play on those aspects, turn them up to 11. Don't just make them huge. Make them Gargantuan or something along those lines. Have a couple of them go toe-to-toe and make clear how they are ripping up the terrain as a side effect.

Personally I'd just file off the serial numbers on the summons and call them something different while retaining the mechanics. Nothing about the summons is particularly keyed to them having the "name" after all.

 

[Delta]

Just a quick question for discussion. It seems that in the "default" D&D settings, dinosaurs are a natural part of the ecosystem, seemingly as common as bears and deer.

Surely you jest. Perhaps you should pose a poll to ask if others see it the same way.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just to be clear though...I really do appreciate them being in the MMs. Its like having a lifeboat on a cruise ship. I might never need it, but if I need it, it had better be there and in plain sight.

Dinos are one of the few classifications of animals that can still strike fear into a PCs heart, inspire awe, and so forth.

Not having Dinos available in the MM would be kind of like not having Neo-Nazis of some kind available to a modern era RPG.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Surely you jest. Perhaps you should pose a poll to ask if others see it the same way.

I for one have dinosaurs rather common in any homebrew I run, and add them into FR when I run that as well. But my preferred fantasy style is of the ITS OVER 9000 style anyway, so I know it's not very representative of larger systems.

 

[Slife]

If you don't like the flavor, it's easiest just to change it.

 

[Agamon]

Surely you jest. Perhaps you should pose a poll to ask if others see it the same way.

No doubt. Last game I was in with dinos...huh, actually quite recently. Savage Tide adventure path, the Isle of Dread. Before that...um...well...I think it'd be the 2nd adventure I ever ran 25 years ago: X1: The Isle of Dread.

Surely the average campaign doesn't take place on the Isle of Dread? Hasn't been my experience, anyway.

 

[Brother MacLaren]

would this have too big an adverse effect on things like druid's selection of companion, or creatures on the summon lists?

I'd recommend that you ask any players of druids in your game to limit their selection of companions, wildshape forms, and summons to animals that the PC has seen. Not just dinosaurs, all animals. It's a moderate restriction on power and entirely in keeping with the flavor of the typical druid. If the druid has never seen a rhino, it is hard to imagine that he would call on the power of that spirit to aid him in battle. On the other hand, let him go exploring during down time -- maybe making a journey to the Atraughin Plateau to see what creatures live there if you think it's time he added the Dire Bear to his arsenal. Not everything "seen" has to be seen in-game, of course.

For the extra-planar summons (e.g. elementals, genies), I'd waive the requirement -- basically requiring a greater degree of familiarity with the animal spirits.

And the druid will still be quite capable and versatile even with this restriction.