Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin
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demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Nope. Gorillas like the water, especially western lowland gorillas, which are often found in swamps.
Cleon
Legend
My understanding was Gorillas were in the same boat as Chimps and were not instinctive swimmers who generally avoid getting in water. Gorillas in wet habitats do learn to wade in streams and marshes but are cautious about it - testing the water to see how deep it is before venturing to take a dip.
How about giving them the Chimp's racial penalty to Swim checks, but remove the "cannot take 10" bit of Poor Swimmer, which will result in them being willing to enter safe water but not be impressive swimmers. Since they have a +5 Strength bonus they'll still end up with a +1 Swim bonus.
Cleon
Legend
Yup, looks finished to me.
Cleon
Legend
Might as well.
Where's this from? It isn't the Gargantuan Carnivorous Ape from Gygax's Isle of the Ape, which is also a tempting topic of conversion if we haven't already done it.
I'm thinking we should make this a Dire Animal rather than a regular one, since it's not a "real animal". Actually basing it on an upscaled Dire Ape seems a good start:
I'm thinking Huge Animal (Dire), Hit Dice 10d8+40 (95 hp), Str 30, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7, Two 1d8+10 slams, a 2d6+5 bite and a 2d8+15 rend.
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demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
For comparison purposes:
GIANT APE
Huge Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 15d8+105 (172 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50ft (10 squares), climb 30ft
Armor Class: 22 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +11 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+39
Attack: Slam +26 melee (2d6+12)
Full Attack: 2 slams +26 melee (2d6+12) and bite +20 melee (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 15ft/15ft
Special Attacks: Constrict 2d6+12, improved grab, toss
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, uncanny dodge
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +12
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 16, Con 24, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +20, Jump +26, Listen +10, Spot +10
Feats: Alertness, Die-hard, Endurance, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam)
Environment: Warm forests and mountains
Organization: Solitary, pair or family (3-6 plus 100% noncombatants)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +8
Bursting from the jungle comes a great black-furred ape more than twenty feet tall.
Giant apes are easily the most famous of Skull Island’s species and likely one of its rarest. Large omnivores, giant apes eat primarily fruit and leaves but occasionally supplement their diets with meat. Families of giant apes live in the thick jungles of Skull Island, and solitary individuals (like the mighty Kong himself) live in the mountains for their relative safety.
The social system of the giant ape is more complicated than one might expect from an animal, reflecting the beasts’ great intelligence. The apes are quite vocal, grunting, hooting and bellowing to each other, complemented by a surprisingly sophisticated range of gestures and facial expressions. Giant apes and vastatosaurus rexes are natural enemies – the dinosaurs hunt young giant apes for food, and the giant apes hunt V. rexes not for food, but for protection. Confrontations between members of the two species are generally fatal to one party or the other.
Giant apes range in size from eighteen to twenty five feet tall. The males are generally larger than the females.
Combat
Giant apes are usually retiring and shy, avoiding confrontation. If injured, however, they are incredibly deadly, grabbing their smaller tormentors and either squeezing them to death or merely hurling them in a random direction. Some giant apes have been known to use trees as improvised weapons (treat as a Huge greatclub).
Constrict (Ex): A giant ape deals an additional 2d6+12 damage on a successful grapple check.
Improved Grab (Ex): In order to use this ability, a giant ape must hit an opponent with a slam attack. It can then make a grapple check as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it successfully grabs an opponent, it can constrict or toss the poor creature.
Toss (Ex): A giant ape can toss a grappled opponent in a random direction. Resolve the toss as a bull’s rush maneuver (+24 check modifier), except there is no attack of opportunity, as the giant ape has already grabbed its victim. The giant ape does not need to move with its foe in order to throw its foe more than 5 feet. If the tossed victim beats the giant ape’s bull’s rush check, he remains in his current square with no ill effects and is no longer grappled. Tossed victims take impact damage on landing as if they had fallen a distance equal to the distance they were tossed.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A giant ape retains its Dexterity modifier to Armor Checks when flat-footed.
Skills: A giant ape receives a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks and can take 10 on Climb checks even when rushed or threatened.
And yes, Cleon, it's got an Int of 6, because it's not an animal. Presumably, our giant ape here will be, but I'm definitely open to negotiations on that one.
GIANT APE
Huge Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 15d8+105 (172 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50ft (10 squares), climb 30ft
Armor Class: 22 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +11 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+39
Attack: Slam +26 melee (2d6+12)
Full Attack: 2 slams +26 melee (2d6+12) and bite +20 melee (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 15ft/15ft
Special Attacks: Constrict 2d6+12, improved grab, toss
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, uncanny dodge
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +12
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 16, Con 24, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +20, Jump +26, Listen +10, Spot +10
Feats: Alertness, Die-hard, Endurance, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam)
Environment: Warm forests and mountains
Organization: Solitary, pair or family (3-6 plus 100% noncombatants)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +8
Bursting from the jungle comes a great black-furred ape more than twenty feet tall.
Giant apes are easily the most famous of Skull Island’s species and likely one of its rarest. Large omnivores, giant apes eat primarily fruit and leaves but occasionally supplement their diets with meat. Families of giant apes live in the thick jungles of Skull Island, and solitary individuals (like the mighty Kong himself) live in the mountains for their relative safety.
The social system of the giant ape is more complicated than one might expect from an animal, reflecting the beasts’ great intelligence. The apes are quite vocal, grunting, hooting and bellowing to each other, complemented by a surprisingly sophisticated range of gestures and facial expressions. Giant apes and vastatosaurus rexes are natural enemies – the dinosaurs hunt young giant apes for food, and the giant apes hunt V. rexes not for food, but for protection. Confrontations between members of the two species are generally fatal to one party or the other.
Giant apes range in size from eighteen to twenty five feet tall. The males are generally larger than the females.
Combat
Giant apes are usually retiring and shy, avoiding confrontation. If injured, however, they are incredibly deadly, grabbing their smaller tormentors and either squeezing them to death or merely hurling them in a random direction. Some giant apes have been known to use trees as improvised weapons (treat as a Huge greatclub).
Constrict (Ex): A giant ape deals an additional 2d6+12 damage on a successful grapple check.
Improved Grab (Ex): In order to use this ability, a giant ape must hit an opponent with a slam attack. It can then make a grapple check as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it successfully grabs an opponent, it can constrict or toss the poor creature.
Toss (Ex): A giant ape can toss a grappled opponent in a random direction. Resolve the toss as a bull’s rush maneuver (+24 check modifier), except there is no attack of opportunity, as the giant ape has already grabbed its victim. The giant ape does not need to move with its foe in order to throw its foe more than 5 feet. If the tossed victim beats the giant ape’s bull’s rush check, he remains in his current square with no ill effects and is no longer grappled. Tossed victims take impact damage on landing as if they had fallen a distance equal to the distance they were tossed.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A giant ape retains its Dexterity modifier to Armor Checks when flat-footed.
Skills: A giant ape receives a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks and can take 10 on Climb checks even when rushed or threatened.
And yes, Cleon, it's got an Int of 6, because it's not an animal. Presumably, our giant ape here will be, but I'm definitely open to negotiations on that one.
Cleon
Legend
I was wondering how long it would take for that guy to turn up. No need to point out the explanation for their Int 6, I noticed they were Monstrous Humanoids when they appeared in your thread on Skull Island fauna. I wouldn't have minded making our regular Chimps and Gorillas Humanoids or Monstrous Humanoids, just to allow them an Intelligence over 2.
As well as being a smarter, Megaprimatus kong also appears to be a bit bigger and tougher than the species of giant ape under discussion, given the latter's lower HD and damage.
So what are we doing for stats? I'm still thinking we could basically just advance a regular Dire Ape one size category and double its Hit Dice:
GIANT APE
Huge Animal (Dire)
Hit Dice: 10d8+40 (95 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+27 [includes +2 from fierce grappler]
Attack: Claw +15 melee (2d4+10) or rock +6 ranged (2d6+10)
Full Attack: 2 claws +15 melee (2d4+10) and bite +10 melee (2d6+5) or rock +6/+1 ranged (2d6+10)
Space/Reach: 15 ft. / 15 ft.
Special Attacks: Fierce grappler, Improved grab, rend 3d6+15, rock throwing [20 or 120 ft. range increment?]
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +8 [Ref +10, Will +10 w/Feats]
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: 13 [Listen, Survival, Spot]
Feats: 4 [Alertness, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack]
Environment: ? [Any forests or mountains?]
Organization: Solitary or company (5-8) [Maybe reduce company to 3-6?]
Challenge Rating: ? [5 or 6?]
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 11-20 HD (Huge), 21-30 (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: ?
The only stat alterations I've made from an upsized Dire Ape is changed the claw damage from 1d8 to 2d4 and removed the Climb Speed, to match the stat thumbnail Shade posted.
Its lack of a Climb speed suggests a terrestrial creature rather than one that takes to the trees. Maybe it has a more bipedal, sasquatch-like stance than Megaprimatus kong?
I'm tempted to give it rock-throwing, just to differentiate it a bit more from Kong.
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