Converting prehistoric creatures

[freyar]

Yes, please update away.

TRAINING A FERRY TURTLE

Although intelligent, a ferry turtle requires training before it can bear a rider or drag a barge in combat. To be trained, a ferry turtle must have a friendly attitude toward the trainer (this can be achieved through a successful Diplomacy check). Training a friendly ferry turtle requires six weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check.

Riding a ferry turtle requires an exotic saddle. A ferry turtle can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check. Ferry turtle eggs are worth 1,500 gp apiece on the open market. Professional trainers charge 700 gp to rear or train a ferry turtle.

Just guesstimated at the prices there.

 

[Cleon]

Yes, please update away.

TRAINING A FERRY TURTLE

Although intelligent, a ferry turtle requires training before it can bear a rider or drag a barge in combat. To be trained, a ferry turtle must have a friendly attitude toward the trainer (this can be achieved through a successful Diplomacy check). Training a friendly ferry turtle requires six weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check.

Riding a ferry turtle requires an exotic saddle. A ferry turtle can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check. Ferry turtle eggs are worth 1,500 gp apiece on the open market. Professional trainers charge 700 gp to rear or train a ferry turtle.

Just guesstimated at the prices there.

The training section looks fine, including price. They may have the same CR as Griffons but they are a lot less valuable mounts - they can't fly, for a start!

Updating Ferry Turtle Working Draft with tactics & training.

I also cut out the red question from "Environment: Temperate or warm aquatic [?]", I assume you have no objection.

That just leaves background and description. I'm not getting any inspiration about either at the moment, maybe later.

 

[freyar]

Here's a start. I'm roughly basing the description on a painted turtle.

This turtle is the size of a carriage. It has a smooth flat shell with colored spots and stripes along the shell and neck.

Ferry turtles were originally enlarged magically as a means of river transportation, but their size bred true through a quirk of fate. Ferry turtles are docile creatures who willingly haul barges even without training.

 

[Cleon]

Here's a start. I'm roughly basing the description on a painted turtle.

This turtle is the size of a carriage. It has a smooth flat shell with colored spots and stripes along the shell and neck.

Ferry turtles were originally enlarged magically as a means of river transportation, but their size bred true through a quirk of fate. Ferry turtles are docile creatures who willingly haul barges even without training.

They're only 8 foot from nose to tail. That seems a lot smaller than a carriage.

I'd rather not give a color, since there's no mention of it in the original text.

A turtle the size of a large ox. It has a smooth flat shell and powerful flippers.

Ferry turtles are intelligent chelonians that are often employed to tow watercraft. They were originally created as a means of river transportation, by magically enlarging ordinary turtles, and bred true through a quirk of fate.

Do we want an "In Krynn" subsection?

 

[freyar]

There wasn't a whole lot to go on for Krynn, but feel free if you think there's enough to be worth it. I guess we could say, "Ferry turtles are used to transport visitors to Silvanost across the Thon-Thalas." if nothing else.

 

[Cleon]

There wasn't a whole lot to go on for Krynn, but feel free if you think there's enough to be worth it. I guess we could say, "Ferry turtles are used to transport visitors to Silvanost across the Thon-Thalas." if nothing else.

They were created by a special order of elven priests weren't they? The "Blue Phoenix" if I remember rightly. We can do something with that.

 

[freyar]

It does say that. And that they were lost during Speaker Lorac's Nightmare, but some were found later. I can't say I know much about Krynn, so I wouldn't know what to do with that.

 

[Cleon]

It does say that. And that they were lost during Speaker Lorac's Nightmare, but some were found later. I can't say I know much about Krynn, so I wouldn't know what to do with that.

Don't ask me, I never ran any Dragonlance apart from the first adventure (module DL1).

 

[freyar]

Let's give it one more day to see if anyone knows more and can improve on the following:

In Krynn
Ferry turtles are used to transport visitors to Silvanost across the Thon-Thalas. They were initially created by priests of the Blue Phoenix, but only a few survived Speaker Lorac's Nightmare.

 

[Cleon]

Let's give it one more day to see if anyone knows more and can improve on the following:

In Krynn
Ferry turtles are used to transport visitors to Silvanost across the Thon-Thalas. They were initially created by priests of the Blue Phoenix, but only a few survived Speaker Lorac's Nightmare.

Hmm...

I think we can elaborate that a bit, how about...

In Krynn
Ferry turtles were created by priests of the Blue Phoenix to tow passenger-ferries to the city of Silvanost. Most of them died when Speaker Lorac's Nightmare poisoned the Thon-Thalas river, but a few adults and a clutch of eggs survived and those turtles and their descendants still move cargo barges and ferryboats between Fallon island and the mainland.