Converting prehistoric animals

[demiurge1138]

Plateosaurus
Huge Animal
Hit Dice: 8d8+40 (76 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (-2 size, +6 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+20
Attack: Claw +10 melee (2d6+6)
Full Attack: 2 claws +10 melee (2d6+6), tail slam +8 melee (2d8+3)
Space/Reach: 15ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Trample 2d12+9
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 7
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +9
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Multiattack
Environment: Warm deserts and forests
Organization: Solitary, pair or herd (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9-16 HD (Huge), 17-24 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: -

This creature is about the size of an elephant, with a powerful tail, a long neck, and broad claws on its front legs.

Plateosaurs are one of the largest and most advanced forms of prosauropods, the primitive cousins of such giants as the seismosaurus.

A plateosaurus is about 30 feet long, although specimens as long as 40 feet have been reported. They live in large herds, browsing on low-lying vegetation. They can and do rear up on their hind legs in order to reach tall branches, and in order to defend themselves.

Combat
A plateosaurus will usually try to trample its opponent before staying to fight, but if cornered or surrounded rears up on its hind legs and fights with its claws and powerful tail.

Trample (Ex): A plateosaurus can literally run over any creatures in its way that are of Large or smaller size. Creatures trampled must make a Reflex save (DC 20 half) or take 2d12+9 damage. The save DC is Strength based.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

I don't see anything that needs changing. I think we can probably move on Coelophysis.

 

[demiurge1138]

Coelophysis
Medium-sized Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 60ft (12 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+1) and 2 claws +0 melee (1d3)
Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +6, Move Silently +9, Spot +6, Survival +6
Feats: Track (B), Weapon Finesse
Environment: Warm deserts and plains
Organization: Solitary, pair, pack (4-7) or horde (10-100)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-6 HD (Medium-sized)
Level Adjustment: -

This slender biped has a long snout with jagged teeth, small clawed arms, a long tail and a small crest of feathers on the back of its head.

Coelophysis, also known as pokedesaurus, is a smaller carnivorous dinosaur, roughly equivalent to a reptilian wolf.

These creatures are usually 10 feet long, with almost half of that length being tail. They usually live in small packs, with solitary individuals usually being outcasts or young males seeking a mate. Sometimes, though, many packs will merge into an unstoppable horde of creatures, which eat anything in their path, including each other. After a few months of ravaging the wilderness, the horde disperses, sometimes because of some calamity killing all of its members, but sometimes with no loss of life to any of the coelophysises. Sages are still unsure of why this happens, as there is no obvious environmental trigger.

Combat
Coelophysises attack prey from ambush, knocking it down and nipping at its prone form. They shy away from any prey larger than themselves, and will not attack humans unless starved (or in a horde).

Trip (Ex): A coelophysis that hits with a bite attack may immediately make a trip attempt (+1 check modifier) as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the coelophysis.

Skills: A coelophysis gains a +4 racial bonus to all Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot and Survival checks.

We might give them Uncanny Dodge, but other than that...

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

 

[Shade]

Look OK?

Ready for Dilophosaurus?

 

[demiurge1138]

I'm ready, if nobody else has suggestions

Not sure how to handle dilophosaurus: do we want to do a Jurassic Park style dinosaur or a more realistic one? The original I did below splits the difference with poison but no spitting, but there's no evidence for venom grooves on the teeth of real dilophosaurs.

Dilophosaurus
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 7d8+14 (45 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 50ft (10 squares)
AC: 16 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+14
Attacks: Talons +10 melee (2d6+5)
Full Attack: Talons +10 melee (2d6+5), bite +8 melee (1d4+2 plus poison)
Face/Reach: 10ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +4
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11
Skills: Listen +11, Spot +11, Survival +6
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Run, Track
Climate/Terrain: Warm forest, plains and desert
Organization: Solitary or pair
CR: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 8-14 HD (Large), 15-21 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: -

This slender biped has a long neck, powerful rear legs and a long darting tail. Its most noticeable feature are its two bony frills running the length of its skull.

Dilophosaurus are large carnivorous dinosaurs that have evolved several unusual hunting strategies.

A dilophosaurus stands about 5 feet high at the shoulder, and is nearly 20 feet long, although much of this is tail. Its head is its most unusual feature; the lower jaw is unusually thin and weak for a creature of its size, and the upper jaw has a distinctive kink near the tip of the snout, where the creature’s venom glands are located. Two bone plates run along the length of the head. Dilophosaurs are an intermediate species between ceratosaurs and coelophysises.

Combat
Dilophosaurus are not particularly stealthy hunters, but they do not need to be. They rely on their speed to chase down potential prey, and rake at it with their strong hind legs. On particularly large and strong prey, they deliver a venomous bite and retreat, waiting for the poison to take its effect before finishing off the wounded animal.

Poison (Ex): The bite of a dilophosaurus causes blindness, nausea and weakness. Fortitude DC 17 negates, 1d6 Str plus permanent blindness/1d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution based.

 

[RavinRay]

The closest evidence suggesting at least one dinosaur was poisonous was a single isolated grooved tooth of a small theropod dinosaur found in Mexico and reported in 2000, so if we want to assign this to the D&D Dilophosaurus we can.

 

[freyar]

I think we ought to give it poison just 'cause D&D dinos aren't usually interesting enough. But maybe we need to decide if the poison includes nausea or not; it's not clear in the description.

 

[demiurge1138]

Sorry. Problem is that nauseated is both a condition and an actual word. Let's drop that from the description, then, I guess.

 

[Shade]

Shall we just simplify to the current format?

Poison (Ex): Bite, Fortitude DC 17, initial damage 1d6 Str plus permanent blindness, secondary damage 1d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Do we want to have a variant section for the Jurassic Park spitting variety?