Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[demiurge1138]

Might want to give it Imp. Init as a bonus feat.

 

[Shade]

Agreed to all that.

I've often thought that these would make interesting mounts. Any objections to adding some text that "although vermin, giant walking sticks may be trained with the Handle Animal skill"? Maybe a higher DC, like magical beasts?

 

[demiurge1138]

The higher DC makes sense. I like it.

 

[Shade]

Added to Homebrews.

I copied the skill bonuses (other than climb) from the giant mantis. Should the hide bonus be higher?

I actually found some precedent for vermin as mounts, so I copied the text over from the giant dragonfly.

 

[demiurge1138]

That Hide bonus doesn't include the racial bonus, does it? It should be +1 (-4 size, +1 Dex, +4 racial). Frankly, I'd give it an even higher bonus in foliage.

 

[Shade]

Oops! I had it as Huge, rather than Large, and imposed a -8 penalty. I'll correct both.

How about we got with +12 in trees (live or dead) and +16 or even +20 when surrounded by foliage?

 

[freyar]

I actually found some precedent for vermin as mounts, so I copied the text over from the giant dragonfly.

Didn't you convert the giant dragonfly in Dragon Mag, demiurge?

Oops! I had it as Huge, rather than Large, and imposed a -8 penalty. I'll correct both.

How about we got with +12 in trees (live or dead) and +16 or even +20 when surrounded by foliage?

I like the boosted Hide bonus!

What's the poison from on the bite attack? I would say it looks like the original text gives it also 2 claws at 1d2 damage, but the praying mantis doesn't get those.

 

[Shade]

What's the poison from on the bite attack? I would say it looks like the original text gives it also 2 claws at 1d2 damage, but the praying mantis doesn't get those.

Oops. I didn't modify the mantis's attack lines at all.

Updated.

 

[demiurge1138]

Didn't you convert the giant dragonfly in Dragon Mag, demiurge?

Yeah, but as a familiar, not a mount. The Dragon editorial staff resized my meganeura conversion to truly Giant size.

 

[freyar]

This is looking good.

Training a normal animal as a combat mount is DC 20 and DC 15 as a normal mount. Training a non-animal with Int 1-2 adds 5 to the DC. Since this is Int -, probably we should add 10, so DC 25 or 30?

To get carrying capacity, I'm treating this as a Large quadruped, which means it gets a multiplier of x3 on the carrying capacity table. So light load -258 lb, medium 259-519lb, heavy 520-780lb.

Temperate forests look good.
Stick with solitary?
Tough CR 3?
Advancement: 10-17 HD (Large), 18-26 HD (Huge)?