Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[demiurge1138]

Considering the picture and lyrics I posted, it should not surprise that I think the spittle should be silk based. Entangling, with multiple layers doing increasing cocooning until immobilization. The thorciasid from the Epic Level Handbook does something similar.

If we want to have a damaging spittle, I like the millions of tiny, irritating hairs option. Piercing damage plus sickened in a cone?

 

[Shade]

Let's increase the Strength, but not drop the Wis, since most vermin have at least Wis 10.

This surprised me...

Caterpillars have good vision. They have a series of six tiny eyelets or 'stemmata' on each side of the lower portion of their head. These can probably form well focused, but poorly resolved images.[3] They move their heads from side to side probably as a means of judging distance of objects, particularly plants. They rely on their short antennae to help them locate food.

Racial bonus on Spot checks?

Some caterpillars are able to detect vibrations, usually at a specific frequency. Caterpillars of the common hook-tip moth, Drepana arcuata (Drepanoidea) produce sounds to defend their silk nests from members of their own species,[4] by scraping against the leaf in a ritualized acoustic duel. They detect the vibrations conducted by the plant and not air-borne sounds. Similarly, cherry leaf rollers Caloptilia serotinella defend their rolls.[5] Tent caterpillars can also detect vibrations at the frequency of wing beats of one of their natural enemies.

Tremorsense?

More aggressive self-defense measures are taken by caterpillars. These caterpillars have spiny bristles or long fine hair-like setae with detachable tips that will irritate by lodging in the skin or mucous membranes.[3] However, some birds, like cuckoos, will swallow even the hairiest of caterpillars. The most aggressive defenses are bristles associated with venom glands, called urticating hairs; a venom among the most potent defensive chemicals in any animals is produced by the South American silk moth genus Lonomia. It is an anticoagulant powerful enough to cause a human to hemorrhage to death (See Lonomiasis).[8] This chemical is being investigated for potential medical applications. Most urticating hairs however range in effect from mild irritation to dermatitis.

I suppose we could make several variants based on the deadliness of the hairs.

Plants have evolved poisons to protect themselves from herbivores and some caterpillars have evolved countermeasures and eat the leaves of these toxic plants. In addition to being unaffected by the poison, they sequester it in their body, making them highly toxic to predators. These chemicals are also carried on into the adult stages. These toxic species, such as the Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) and monarch (Danaus plexippus) caterpillars, usually advertise themselves with brightly striped or coloured in black, red and yellow—the danger colours (see aposematism). Any predator that attempts to eat a caterpillar with an aggressive defence mechanism will learn and avoid future attempts.

Another variant, with resistance to poison and poisonous flesh?

Some caterpillars regurgitate acidic digestive juices at attacking enemies. Many papilionid larvae produce bad smells from extrudable glands called osmeteria.

There's the inspiration for the acid spittle. I think the 2d6 you suggested is probably good. It looks like stench could be another variant.

Caterpillars can evade predators by using a silk line and dropping off from branches when disturbed.

I'm not sure what to do with that.

Some caterpillars obtain protection by associating themselves with ants. The Lycaenid butterflies are particularly well known for this. They communicate with their ant protectors by vibrations as well as chemical means [9] and typically provide food rewards.

That could be interesting for the Organization line.

Some caterpillars are gregarious; large aggregations are believed to help in reducing the levels of parasitization and predation.[10] Clusters amplify the signal of aposematic coloration, and individuals may participate in group regurgitation or displays.

Further proof that they aren't solitary.

 

[freyar]

I think you guys might have overlapped your posts. Anyway, it sounds like we may have a few variants (perhaps like there are variants of the monstrous spider).

Racial Spot bonus I like. Tremorsense maybe.

Let's make a base with no poison and normal acid spittle. Then variants with (1) cocooning spittle (2) poison hairs (3) poison flesh.

Don't think we can do much with the silk lines, unless we want to give them web throwing. These guys are too big to drop off trees. Walk over and crush trees, maybe.

Organization could indeed be interesting. Maybe formians farm these?

 

[Shade]

Updated.

 

[freyar]

Let's put +8 for the Hide bonus.

For acid spittle, maybe every 1d4 rounds and 40 ft range.

Under the variants, "abilitys" needs to be "abilities."

 

[Shade]

Under the variants, "abilitys" needs to be "abilities."

Sleep deprivation does interesting things.

Updated.

CR 5 for the standard version?

 

[freyar]

CR 5 seems fair. For the organization, maybe "cluster"?

 

[Shade]

How many would you recommend for a cluster?

A giant caterpillar is x feet long and weighs around x pounds.

*Because of its camouflage, the Hide bonus increases to +x when a giant caterpillar is surrounded by foliage.

Shall we tackle some of the variant special abilities?

Here's the thorciasid ability Demiurge mentioned upthread...

Cocoon (Ex): A thorciasid can eject a stream of noxious goo that hardens on contact, potentially fixing a subject in place and hindering its movement and actions. Using a standard action, the thorciasid makes a ranged touch attack against any foe it can see up to 60 feet away. If it succeeds at the ranged touch attack, the subject makes a grapple check against the cocoon. This is accomplished as if the thorciasid itself were making the grapple check with a competence bonus of +10, for a total check modifier of +37. On a failed check for the subject, the goo hardens into a partial cocoon, and the victim is treated as if grappled (even though the thorciasid is free to do as it desires). The subject can attempt to break the grapple of the cocoon (or use Escape Artist) each round, making an opposed grapple check against the cocoon (check modifier +37 for the cocoon).

A thorciasid can reinforce a partial cocoon by spending a standard action secreting additional goo. Each action so spent provides an additional +5 to the cocoon's grapple check modifier. Visually, the victim becomes more and more covered and is finally completely encased in a cocoon. Even fully encased victims can still breathe, and a thorciasid can drain a victim's life force at its leisure.

 

[freyar]

15 ft long and 7000 lb?

Increase Hide to +12?

The cocoon looks good. I guess we can just decrease the bonuses. Since we have a vermin, we can probably drop the bit about reinforcing the cocoon -- the caterpillar wouldn't think to do that.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

More aggressive self-defense measures are taken by caterpillars. These caterpillars have spiny bristles or long fine hair-like setae with detachable tips that will irritate by lodging in the skin or mucous membranes.[3] However, some birds, like cuckoos, will swallow even the hairiest of caterpillars. The most aggressive defenses are bristles associated with venom glands, called urticating hairs; a venom among the most potent defensive chemicals in any animals is produced by the South American silk moth genus Lonomia. It is an anticoagulant powerful enough to cause a human to hemorrhage to death (See Lonomiasis).[8] This chemical is being investigated for potential medical applications. Most urticating hairs however range in effect from mild irritation to dermatitis.

Something like the hamatula's barbed defense, but with injury poison?

Plants have evolved poisons to protect themselves from herbivores and some caterpillars have evolved countermeasures and eat the leaves of these toxic plants. In addition to being unaffected by the poison, they sequester it in their body, making them highly toxic to predators. These chemicals are also carried on into the adult stages. These toxic species, such as the Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) and monarch (Danaus plexippus) caterpillars, usually advertise themselves with brightly striped or coloured in black, red and yellow—the danger colours (see aposematism). Any predator that attempts to eat a caterpillar with an aggressive defence mechanism will learn and avoid future attempts.

Poison Flesh (Ex): Ingested, Fort DC X, 1d6 Con/1d6 Con?. The save DC is Constitution-based.