lordxaviar
Explorer
Ape, Carnivorous 5 CR: 5; Sz: Med Animal; H: 7’; W: 625; Age: 40 max; HD: 6d8+18; Hp: 45; Init: +2; Spd: 50, Climb 20’; AC: 16; ( +2 Dex, +4 Natural), T: 12, FF: 14; BaB: +3; Grap: +13; Atk: +12 Melee (2d6+8 Claw or Slam*); Full Atk: +12 Melee (2d6+8, 2-Claw) and (1d8+8, Bite); Spc/Rch: ; SA: Improved Grab, Fierce Grappler, Rend 3d6+8, ; SQ: Dire, Keen Hearing Low-Light Vision, Scent; AL: ; Sv: F: +7, R: +6, W: +5; Abil: S: 27/+8, D: 14/+2, C: 16/+3, I: 10/0, W: 12/+1, Ch: 7/-2 ; Weapro: ; Skills: Jump+8 Listen* +10, Move silently+7, Spot +3, Survival*+3; Feats: Alertness, Lighting Reflexes, Run, Track*; Equip: ; Loot: ; Possess: ; Holdings: ; Treas: ; Tactics: ; RPGL: ; Descrip: As is well known, carnivorous apes have a superficial resemblance to gorillas. They are tall, broad, heavily built, and covered with long, black hair. Albino carnivorous apes are occasionally seen. Male apes stand up to 7. tall and weigh up to 625 lbs. Females are somewhat smaller, averaging 6’ and 500 lbs. Treat female carnivorous apes as gorillas for hit dice and attacks, but allow them the same keen senses as the males
The Carnivorous Ape is slightly smaller and faster than normal Apes. But have never been observed using Brachiation as they prefer to hunt on the ground or by jumping down from low tree branches. They are also dire in their nature, most likely due to the genetic change from Vegetarian to Carnivorous nature. This also is evident in the Claws and fangs that are not on its normal relatives. This gives the Carnivorous Ape attacks like it was one size category higher. The initial Atk by a Carnivorous Ape may be Slam (non lethal Dam) rather than Claw, then Grapple. This is a tactic that reduces wasted flesh; remember this is an intelligent and cunning creature. They like to hunt nocturnaly but have been seen during twilight hours and very rarely in full daylight. This doesn’t hamper them in any way; it is just a racial preference.
It is the physiology of the jaws that shows the greatest distinction between carnivorous apes and gorillas. The mouth of the carnivorous ape is a bit longer and drawn out than in gorillas, almost becoming a muzzle. The teeth are long and sharp, with pointed incisors and canines designed to cut and tear flesh. The ape is a gluttonous eater, tearing off and swallowing chunks of flesh with every bite. This ape has very keen senses, as befits a carnivore. The senses of sight and smell are comparable to those of the great cats. They are faster then their cousins; a natural adaptation from chasing down prey.
The ape’s hearing is also keen, making it hard to approach a group of these beasts undetected. (Racial bonus +6 to Listen) The arms and legs of the carnivorous ape are longer though nearly identical to those of the gorilla. Surprisingly, this ape has bony nails which curve into the form of claws; this is unusual in a primate. Like all apes, the carnivorous ape is incredibly strong. An adult male is capable of dragging a buffalo carcass (1200-2400 lbs) for miles into the jungle. One ape was seen rolling an elephant’s carcass (Avg: 13,200 Lbs) over using a small tree as a lever to get it closer to a group of protective trees. Carnivorous apes can thus easily carry off a man, if they choose to do so.
Life and habits:
Female carnivorous apes give birth to single young (rarely two) once every five or six years. The young are fully dependent on their mothers for three years. During this time, they cling to the hair on their mother’s backs, only rarely moving away from them. At the age of four to seven years, the young gradually learn to move around in trees and hunt, gaining full independence at age eight. Full maturity comes at the tenth year.
As far as is known, carnivorous apes may live up to 40 years of age. The elderly are easy to pick out; as the apes get past 30 years of age, their hair gradually turns gray at the tips. The oldest individuals have a dark silvery coat, and with practice an observer may note distinctive facial and bodily characteristics of individual apes.
The life habits of the carnivorous apes are an odd mixture of those of the leopard, lion, gorilla, and bear. This is a result of their size, diet, and intelligence. Like other apes, the carnivorous ape lives in small family groups, usually numbering around 8 adults but sometimes reaching numbers as high as 20. Within these groups, there is about a two-to-one ratio of females to males. The leader of the group is the largest male. The leader is often challenged by young males in non-lethal wrestling matches; defeated challengers are driven off and usually (but not always) join another family group. Defeated leaders leave the group and live a solitary existence for the rest of their lives, becoming a particular danger to humans dwelling nearby.
Within the family groups, the males are dominant. They get the choice parts of killed game and the best sleeping areas. When a kill is brought in, the males eat their fill first, followed by the females; the young are last to feed. In times of scarcity, many of the young starve to death.
Carnivorous apes do not establish actual lairs, but family groups do have large territories over which they widely roam. The size of the territory is about 1 to 3 Sq miles/Adult in the group. The male apes mark their territorial boundaries by scarring tree trunks with their nails, and also by releasing a musky scent from glands in their cheeks (carnivorous apes releasing this scent appear to be hissing with open mouths at trees or objects they are marking).
Since carnivorous apes are not vegetarians, they are not often found living in the depths of the jungle where little game is found. These apes roam areas where the jungle is broken by hills or by the edge of the savannah, where much more game is found than deep in the rain forest. They will often encroach upon civilized lands (Especially ruins) in search of new food sources.
The diet of the carnivorous ape is varied. The apes will take almost any kind of meat they can get. Rodents make up nearly one-third of their diet. Another third is made of things like carrion, snakes, tortoises, eggs, lizards, fish, and the larvae of giant insects. Thus, two-thirds of the carnivorous ape’s diet comes from individual foraging. The apes depend greatly on such foraging because of their size, which makes it necessary to have a large intake of high-protein food.
The remainder of these apes, diet comes from killed game. In this respect, the carnivorous apes are like lions; they drag the kill back to the group so all may eat. The apes may hunt either in groups or singly.
Whenever a herd of large game such as buffalo or wildebeest wanders close to the ape’s territory, all adult apes join the hunt, except for nursing mothers. More often, the only game available consists of antelope and warthogs. One group of apes was seen attacking a giraffe, although the intended prey viciously kicked several of the hunters and was able to run away.
When hunting alone, the apes depend on stealth. They often hide in trees overlooking trails or water, then leap out at creatures passing by. At other times, the apes hide in grass or bushes, dashing out at their prey in hopes of catching it by surprise. Whatever method is used, the prey is doomed once the ape’s great strength and sharp teeth come into play.
Rending and Slaming to break limbs is an often seen tactic when a carnivorous ape means to incapacitate a foe. This is done in area’s where they are far from their home nesting area.
Carnivorous apes and men:
The carnivorous ape has a reputation for man-eating. While this is true to some extent, by no means do they all eat men. The apes can be compared to tigers in that individuals will occasionally turn into man-eaters, while the majority do not. Most of the man-eaters are solitary apes that were injured in some way, so as not to be able to catch other prey; such apes are usually defeated leaders cast out of their tribe.
Occasionally, however, an entire family group will turn into man-eaters. These groups are greatly feared by the native tribes. The apes, cunning allows them to make devastating raids on villages and caravans. Palisade walls are no protection against climbing apes. One group of 18 carnivorous apes attacked a slaver camp at night, silently climbing the walls. Once inside the camp, the apes tore apart huts and smashed tents flat. Out of 32 slavers, 28 were killed, along with 50 manacled slaves. The other six slavers saved themselves only by fleeing headlong into the jungle, somehow escaping undetected.
Although carnivorous apes may hunt men, men may also hunt the apes. Unscrupulous natives search out small family groups, spear the adults, and capture the young. The young are sold to similarly unscrupulous traders. This is how carnivorous apes end up in places far from their native jungle, such as hobgoblin lairs and hill-giant clans.
Carnivorous apes appear to be more adaptable than their gorilla cousins, and they may even thrive in foreign, temperate areas where old forests are found.
Even stranger are the natives who worship carnivorous apes. One tribe believes that killing a carnivorous ape brings great luck and courage to the slayer; thus, one of their rites of manhood is to kill a carnivorous ape. Another tribe is known to regard the apes as sacred. This latter tribe keeps carnivorous apes as pets and feeds captives to them; such apes wander the tribal village freely and are said to be well behaved and friendly, to the villagers only, of course.
In summary, it should be seen that carnivorous apes are merely another jungle predator, instead of the bloodthirsty man-eaters of legend. However, their size and intelligence make them creatures to be wary of.
Wandering through their territories is a perilous undertaking, for a single male ape is the equal of a half-dozen men-at-arms.
It is not known where Carnivorous Apes came from, but like most unusual non-evolutionary creatures, they may have been an experiment gone bad. It is thought that they may have been a combination of Ape and Predatory Cat to explain the physical form and possibly some Human to explain the cunning intelligence.
Dire (Ex): C. Apes are considered to be dire animals for the purposes of saving throws.
Fierce Grappler (Ex): C. apes have a +2 racial bonus on grapple checks (already figured into the Base Attack/Grapple entry above).
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a C. Ape must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free Act without provoking an AoO. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can toss its opponent.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): A creature with low-light vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. See Table 9–7: Light Sources and the Vision and Light section PHB p164-5; also see Low-Light Vision in the DMG p 296
Rend (Ex): If a C. Ape hits with both claw attacks, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 3d6+8 Hps of Dam.
Scent (Ex): Detects opponents by scent within 30 feet – 60 feet if opponent is upwind, and 15 feet if downwind (double these ranges if odor is strong; triple if overpowering).
Skills: C. Apes receive a Racial bonus +6 to Listen checks. But do not have the bonus to climb like their cousins (the dire, giant and normal ape). They also gain+5 to survival and the Track Feat only when attempting to track in their normal hunting area.
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The Carnivorous Ape is slightly smaller and faster than normal Apes. But have never been observed using Brachiation as they prefer to hunt on the ground or by jumping down from low tree branches. They are also dire in their nature, most likely due to the genetic change from Vegetarian to Carnivorous nature. This also is evident in the Claws and fangs that are not on its normal relatives. This gives the Carnivorous Ape attacks like it was one size category higher. The initial Atk by a Carnivorous Ape may be Slam (non lethal Dam) rather than Claw, then Grapple. This is a tactic that reduces wasted flesh; remember this is an intelligent and cunning creature. They like to hunt nocturnaly but have been seen during twilight hours and very rarely in full daylight. This doesn’t hamper them in any way; it is just a racial preference.
It is the physiology of the jaws that shows the greatest distinction between carnivorous apes and gorillas. The mouth of the carnivorous ape is a bit longer and drawn out than in gorillas, almost becoming a muzzle. The teeth are long and sharp, with pointed incisors and canines designed to cut and tear flesh. The ape is a gluttonous eater, tearing off and swallowing chunks of flesh with every bite. This ape has very keen senses, as befits a carnivore. The senses of sight and smell are comparable to those of the great cats. They are faster then their cousins; a natural adaptation from chasing down prey.
The ape’s hearing is also keen, making it hard to approach a group of these beasts undetected. (Racial bonus +6 to Listen) The arms and legs of the carnivorous ape are longer though nearly identical to those of the gorilla. Surprisingly, this ape has bony nails which curve into the form of claws; this is unusual in a primate. Like all apes, the carnivorous ape is incredibly strong. An adult male is capable of dragging a buffalo carcass (1200-2400 lbs) for miles into the jungle. One ape was seen rolling an elephant’s carcass (Avg: 13,200 Lbs) over using a small tree as a lever to get it closer to a group of protective trees. Carnivorous apes can thus easily carry off a man, if they choose to do so.
Life and habits:
Female carnivorous apes give birth to single young (rarely two) once every five or six years. The young are fully dependent on their mothers for three years. During this time, they cling to the hair on their mother’s backs, only rarely moving away from them. At the age of four to seven years, the young gradually learn to move around in trees and hunt, gaining full independence at age eight. Full maturity comes at the tenth year.
As far as is known, carnivorous apes may live up to 40 years of age. The elderly are easy to pick out; as the apes get past 30 years of age, their hair gradually turns gray at the tips. The oldest individuals have a dark silvery coat, and with practice an observer may note distinctive facial and bodily characteristics of individual apes.
The life habits of the carnivorous apes are an odd mixture of those of the leopard, lion, gorilla, and bear. This is a result of their size, diet, and intelligence. Like other apes, the carnivorous ape lives in small family groups, usually numbering around 8 adults but sometimes reaching numbers as high as 20. Within these groups, there is about a two-to-one ratio of females to males. The leader of the group is the largest male. The leader is often challenged by young males in non-lethal wrestling matches; defeated challengers are driven off and usually (but not always) join another family group. Defeated leaders leave the group and live a solitary existence for the rest of their lives, becoming a particular danger to humans dwelling nearby.
Within the family groups, the males are dominant. They get the choice parts of killed game and the best sleeping areas. When a kill is brought in, the males eat their fill first, followed by the females; the young are last to feed. In times of scarcity, many of the young starve to death.
Carnivorous apes do not establish actual lairs, but family groups do have large territories over which they widely roam. The size of the territory is about 1 to 3 Sq miles/Adult in the group. The male apes mark their territorial boundaries by scarring tree trunks with their nails, and also by releasing a musky scent from glands in their cheeks (carnivorous apes releasing this scent appear to be hissing with open mouths at trees or objects they are marking).
Since carnivorous apes are not vegetarians, they are not often found living in the depths of the jungle where little game is found. These apes roam areas where the jungle is broken by hills or by the edge of the savannah, where much more game is found than deep in the rain forest. They will often encroach upon civilized lands (Especially ruins) in search of new food sources.
The diet of the carnivorous ape is varied. The apes will take almost any kind of meat they can get. Rodents make up nearly one-third of their diet. Another third is made of things like carrion, snakes, tortoises, eggs, lizards, fish, and the larvae of giant insects. Thus, two-thirds of the carnivorous ape’s diet comes from individual foraging. The apes depend greatly on such foraging because of their size, which makes it necessary to have a large intake of high-protein food.
The remainder of these apes, diet comes from killed game. In this respect, the carnivorous apes are like lions; they drag the kill back to the group so all may eat. The apes may hunt either in groups or singly.
Whenever a herd of large game such as buffalo or wildebeest wanders close to the ape’s territory, all adult apes join the hunt, except for nursing mothers. More often, the only game available consists of antelope and warthogs. One group of apes was seen attacking a giraffe, although the intended prey viciously kicked several of the hunters and was able to run away.
When hunting alone, the apes depend on stealth. They often hide in trees overlooking trails or water, then leap out at creatures passing by. At other times, the apes hide in grass or bushes, dashing out at their prey in hopes of catching it by surprise. Whatever method is used, the prey is doomed once the ape’s great strength and sharp teeth come into play.
Rending and Slaming to break limbs is an often seen tactic when a carnivorous ape means to incapacitate a foe. This is done in area’s where they are far from their home nesting area.
Carnivorous apes and men:
The carnivorous ape has a reputation for man-eating. While this is true to some extent, by no means do they all eat men. The apes can be compared to tigers in that individuals will occasionally turn into man-eaters, while the majority do not. Most of the man-eaters are solitary apes that were injured in some way, so as not to be able to catch other prey; such apes are usually defeated leaders cast out of their tribe.
Occasionally, however, an entire family group will turn into man-eaters. These groups are greatly feared by the native tribes. The apes, cunning allows them to make devastating raids on villages and caravans. Palisade walls are no protection against climbing apes. One group of 18 carnivorous apes attacked a slaver camp at night, silently climbing the walls. Once inside the camp, the apes tore apart huts and smashed tents flat. Out of 32 slavers, 28 were killed, along with 50 manacled slaves. The other six slavers saved themselves only by fleeing headlong into the jungle, somehow escaping undetected.
Although carnivorous apes may hunt men, men may also hunt the apes. Unscrupulous natives search out small family groups, spear the adults, and capture the young. The young are sold to similarly unscrupulous traders. This is how carnivorous apes end up in places far from their native jungle, such as hobgoblin lairs and hill-giant clans.
Carnivorous apes appear to be more adaptable than their gorilla cousins, and they may even thrive in foreign, temperate areas where old forests are found.
Even stranger are the natives who worship carnivorous apes. One tribe believes that killing a carnivorous ape brings great luck and courage to the slayer; thus, one of their rites of manhood is to kill a carnivorous ape. Another tribe is known to regard the apes as sacred. This latter tribe keeps carnivorous apes as pets and feeds captives to them; such apes wander the tribal village freely and are said to be well behaved and friendly, to the villagers only, of course.
In summary, it should be seen that carnivorous apes are merely another jungle predator, instead of the bloodthirsty man-eaters of legend. However, their size and intelligence make them creatures to be wary of.
Wandering through their territories is a perilous undertaking, for a single male ape is the equal of a half-dozen men-at-arms.
It is not known where Carnivorous Apes came from, but like most unusual non-evolutionary creatures, they may have been an experiment gone bad. It is thought that they may have been a combination of Ape and Predatory Cat to explain the physical form and possibly some Human to explain the cunning intelligence.
Dire (Ex): C. Apes are considered to be dire animals for the purposes of saving throws.
Fierce Grappler (Ex): C. apes have a +2 racial bonus on grapple checks (already figured into the Base Attack/Grapple entry above).
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a C. Ape must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free Act without provoking an AoO. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can toss its opponent.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): A creature with low-light vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. See Table 9–7: Light Sources and the Vision and Light section PHB p164-5; also see Low-Light Vision in the DMG p 296
Rend (Ex): If a C. Ape hits with both claw attacks, it latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 3d6+8 Hps of Dam.
Scent (Ex): Detects opponents by scent within 30 feet – 60 feet if opponent is upwind, and 15 feet if downwind (double these ranges if odor is strong; triple if overpowering).
Skills: C. Apes receive a Racial bonus +6 to Listen checks. But do not have the bonus to climb like their cousins (the dire, giant and normal ape). They also gain+5 to survival and the Track Feat only when attempting to track in their normal hunting area.
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