Converting prehistoric creatures

[Shade]

Well, there are some mass death assemblages of Aetosaurs (e.g. lots of fossil aetosaurs that seem to have died at the same time), suggesting at least some of them gathered in groups. There's a mass death assemblage with 24 specimens of Aetosaurus.

I think that's enough to give them "herd" organization. Maybe 4-24?

Works for me!

 

[Cleon]

Works for me!

Updating Working Draft.

So, are we giving them any racial bonus to skills? If not, we just need flavour text to polish them off.

 

[Shade]

Updating Working Draft.

So, are we giving them any racial bonus to skills? If not, we just need flavour text to polish them off.

I can't think of any racial skills they need.

 

[freyar]

Yeah, I don't see a need to do too much with the skills. Spot if you really want could get a small bonus.

I'll let the experts weigh in on size and flavor.

 

[Cleon]

Yeah, I don't see a need to do too much with the skills. Spot if you really want could get a small bonus.

I'm not in favour of any racial skill bonuses, but I wanted to open the matter to consultation.

I'll let the experts weigh in on size and flavor.

I'm thinking something like:

A reptilian creature resembling a thick bodied crocodile, heavily armored with plates of horn-covered bone. Its head has a long beak with rows of small, conical teeth.

Aetosaurs are a type of herbivorous prehistoric reptiles that lived before the age of the dinosaurs. Aetosaurs ate ground vegetation, grazing off stalks and leaves or digging up roots. Ground ferns are a major part of many aetosaurs' diet.

A typical aetosaur is 6 to 8 feet long (including tail) and weighs 150 to 400 pounds, The biggest species of aetosaur could grow up to twice this size (16 feet or so), the smallest were as little as a yard long.

COMBAT
An aetosaur will defend itself with its tail and bite if attacked, but prefers to walk away from something that looks like a threat.

 

[Shade]

Combined the flavor with the working draft and added to Homebrews.

Finished?

 

[Cleon]

Combined the flavor with the working draft and added to Homebrews.

Finished?

Looks that way.

 

[RavinRay]

Cleon's got the herd organization and physical stats pat down so it's a go for me.

 

[Shade]

Is this one worthy of conversion?

PHYTOSAUR
Phytosaurs are archosaurs from the Triassic, rivals of the crocodilians “ancestors”. They resemble crocodilians, but the nostrils are set on a volcano-shaped bump between the eyes rather than on the end of the snout. Phytosaurs may be treated as crocodilians; many are specialized fish-eaters, but they lack the other crocodiliansubtypes and they never exceed 7 HD.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #112 (1986).


Phytosaur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Cleon]

Is this one worthy of conversion?

PHYTOSAUR
Phytosaurs are archosaurs from the Triassic, rivals of the crocodilians “ancestors”. They resemble crocodilians, but the nostrils are set on a volcano-shaped bump between the eyes rather than on the end of the snout. Phytosaurs may be treated as crocodilians; many are specialized fish-eaters, but they lack the other crocodiliansubtypes and they never exceed 7 HD.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #112 (1986).

They may not actually be Crocodilians, but their morphology is so similar they ought to use the SRD Crocodile stats.

I'm OK skipping this one.