Converting prehistoric creatures

[InsanePsychoRabbit]

But wolves and lions are both back hunters - or do solitary predators do this as well?
Thinking about it again, I realize that you can do pretty much the same thing in Spore if you play as a carnivorous creature, but you still have to be fast enough to catch your prey once you've spooked it. (Then again, real carnivores do generally go for the little sick ones, so...)

I guess my final point is that if we give it both Bonecrushing Bite and Trip, I'm not sure I want to give it another ability.

 

[demiurge1138]

Fair enough. Roar was just a suggestion. I think it's robust enough without it. Unless Shade and/or freyar are in favor...?

Sarkastodon, v2
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 15d8+75 (142 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+26
Attack: Bite +21 melee (1d12+16)
Full Attack: Bite +21 melee (1d12+16)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Bonecrushing bite, trip
Special Qualities: Dire, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +10
Abilities: Str 33, Dex 13, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: 18 points
Feats: 6
Environment: Temperate plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: x
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: x
Level Adjustment: -

This brown-furred predatory beast is nearly the size of a rhinoceros. It resembles a melding of bear and cat, with a leonine face and a bear-like body terminating in a long, furry tail.

Although it superficially resembles a bear or cat, Sarkastodon is a creodont, a seperate lineage of carnivorous mammal. One of the largest carnivorous mammals ever to live, Sarkastodon specializes on hunting enormous prey, such as brontotheres and Indricotherium. Its bite can crush bone and its stomach is acidic enough to digest it, leaving little left for the scavengers.

A sarkastodon is 10 feet long (excluding the tail, which is about one-half to two-thirds as long as the body) and 6 feet tall at the shoulder, weighing around 1-½ tons.

Combat
A sarkastodon begins combat from ambush, pulling prey to the ground with trip and beginning to eat while its prey still lives.

Bonecrushing Bite (Ex): Sarkastodon's jaws are immensely powerful, and can crush bone to pulp. On a successful critical hit, a Sarkastodon also deals 1d4 points of Str damage

Trip (Ex): A sarkastodon that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent (+16 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the sarkastodon.)

Skills: A sarkastodon has a +4 racial bonus on all Hide and Move Silently checks.

I set bite damage at 1d12 because it's what the 1e version had, plus d12s don't get enough love. I suggest we split the skill points among Hide, Move Silently, Listen and Spot, perhaps with Hide and Move Silently getting 4 points and Listen and Spot 3.

Feat suggestions: Alertness, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (bite)

 

[InsanePsychoRabbit]

I like the skills and feats

 

[freyar]

This looks fine to me, too.

 

[InsanePsychoRabbit]

It looks to me to be at least CR 8.

Advancement 16-18 HD (Large); 19-30 HD (Huge)?

 

[demiurge1138]

Oh! I forgot an SQ:

Dire (Ex): Sarkastodon is considered to be a dire animal for the purposes of saving throws.

Your advancement suggestion looks good. About CR... 8 seems reasonable. It's got less hit points than a T. rex, but does more damage (am I the only one bothered that a dire bear has a higher Strength than a T. rex?).

 

[freyar]

That does seem strange. Really tells you how badly the dinosaurs were designed...

 

[Shade]

Transferred to Homebrews.

And yeah, I agree about the odd superiority of dire mammals over dinosaurs.

 

[demiurge1138]

So... are we done?

 

[InsanePsychoRabbit]

. . . the opponent cannot react to trip the sarkastodon.)

There's an extra closing parentheses at the end of the trip entry, probably a copy-and-paste mistake.

Bonecrushing Bite (Ex): Sarkastodon's jaws are immensely powerful, and can crush bone to pulp. . . .

Also I don't think the comma here is necessary unless it says "and they can crush bone to pulp."

Other than that, I think we're done. I'd like to continue with the prehistoric mammals.