Converting prehistoric animals

[freyar]

I'd say that sounds good. So we have improved grab and possibly stampede and sprint. +4 racial bonus to balance, I guess. How's this looking?

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews assuming Dex 19.

 

[demiurge1138]

I like it, but don't know where stampede is coming from. Seems more appropriate for a herd-dwelling herbivore than a fast, pack-hunting carnivore. Deinonychus doesn't have stampede, after all.

Demiurge out.

 

[Shade]

I like it, but don't know where stampede is coming from. Seems more appropriate for a herd-dwelling herbivore than a fast, pack-hunting carnivore. Deinonychus doesn't have stampede, after all.

It came as a replacement for trample, but I'm all for dropping it, as it has plenty of abilities now.

 

[freyar]

Yeah, let's drop stampede. This is starting to look good.

For skills, do we want to max Jump? An alternative (I think I like better) is maxing Hide, since this seems to hunt like a big cat might.

Feat: I could see Run as being in the right spirit, but we might find something more effective in combat.

 

[Shade]

Maybe the dino-experts can weigh in, but I don't see anything to indicate stealth. It seems that if it sees something it wants to eat, it races after it and grabs it.

Run is probably a good feat for them.

Updated.

 

[RavinRay]

Stealth makes sense if it's a stalk-and-ambush predator (like a lion) rather than a stalk-and-chase predator (like a wolf). The former has short, bulky muscles for the quick bursts of energy for ambush, while the latter has long, lean muscles for sustained chases. Since Ornitholestes has long lean muscles, I'd say it's a chaser (hence no Stealth), but that doesn't mean it wouldn't ambush from time to time.

 

[demiurge1138]

I think freyar's got the right idea. The thing to remember is that Ornitholestes is a small generalist predator, not the apex of its food chain. Being able to hide would keep Ornitholestes from getting snapped up by larger predators in addition to allowing it to stalk close to prey before giving chase.

Demiurge out.

 

[Shade]

Hide it is, then.

Updated.

CR 1?

Advancement: 3-6 HD (Medium)?

 

[demiurge1138]

CR 1. It's a tricky CR 1, though, with a high AC. It might be a good idea to reduce its natural armor bonus to +2.

That advancement line sounds right to me.

Demiurge out.