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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shade" data-source="post: 5283855" data-attributes="member: 287">Armor BoarCLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arctic to temperateFREQUENCY: UncommonORGANIZATION: FamilyACTIVITY CYCLE: DayDIET: OmnivoreINTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)TREASURE: NilALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 2-12 (2d6)ARMOR CLASS: 3MOVEMENT: 12HIT DICE: 7THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-24 (3d8)SPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: M (6' tall at shoulder)MORALE: Average (10)XP VALUE: 650The armor boar is a giant-sized animal and is readily identified by its peculiar armor. The armor is actually hair, thick and stiff and similar to the horns of a rhinoceros. From a distance, the creatures appear to be simply large, shaggy boars with hair that sticks out in all directions. Closer, the hair looks like a spiny shell.The boar is also noted for its elephant-sized tusks that nearly touch the ground. Most boars are 6' high at the shoulder and 10' long. However, some larger specimens have been sighted.Combat: This ill-tempered and aggressive brute attacks quickly and with no planning. It will charge at creatures wandering through its territories. And when the boar itself is wandering, it will attack creatures it perceives as a threat or as competition for food.It has one attack-a goring thrust made with its long tusks. In addition, the boar's armor also can inflict damage. Any creature striking, biting, or leaping upon the boar suffers 3-12 (3d4) points of damage because of the boar's penetrating hair-spines.The boar does not back down from combat, fighting to the death.Habitat/Society: Armor boars live in small family groups. A boar mates only once every two years, and it is more prolific than other giant boars, having up to 1d10 offspring per litter. If the maximum number of boars are encountered, the family will likely have one boar, one sow, and 10 young. The adult boars are very protective of the young and will fight to the death to defend them. Armor boars often make their homes in caves or in densely overgrown wooded areas. They can be found in hills, mountains, forests, broken terrain, and occasionally on plains.Ecology: A voracious omnivore, the armor boar will attempt to eat anything within reach and will go out of its way to catch plump rodents. Although it is fond of flesh, it usually ends up eating more vegetable matter than other boars do because its size does not allow it to chase prey into hollow logs and other hiding spots. A boar which develops a taste for vegetables is quite capable of destroying a garden all by itself. Families of armor boars have been known to destroy entire fields. Thus, armor boars are considered a major nuisance in settled regions-a nuisance typically ill-armed peasants and farmers cannot deal with on their own.While the armor boar has few natural predators, they are sometimes sought by butchers, as the meat is rich and sweet. However, an armor boar is difficult to butcher because of its hard, spiny shell. Butchers who have developed a technique for removing the armor increase their profits by selling the carapace to armorers who make it into shields and breastplates.Armor made from the carapace is the equivalent protection of banded mail, plus it has a special property. Creatures striking the armor or shield with their hands or other body parts suffer 1-8 pounds of damage because of the remaining spiny ruffs. The armor is also prized because it will not rust.Craftsmen value the tusks and lard of armor boar, which they make into art objects and soap, respectively.Originally appeared in Polyhedron #67 (1992).</blockquote>

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