Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[Shade]

Updated. Another one done?

 

[demiurge1138]

Maybe reduce hoof damage to 1d6, but other than that, looks like it to me. Shall we wait for freyar's opinion?

 

[Shade]

Absolutely. I'm also never opposed to going back to finished conversions if new insights are offered.

 

[freyar]

Hey, it looks good to me!

 

[Shade]

Tapir
FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 8
MOVE: 15"//6"
HIT DICE: 3
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 bite
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6

The tapir is normally one of the most peaceful of animals and is ill-equipped for combat; its hooves are soft and its teeth are dull. However, if cornered, a tapir will take a bite out of its attacker with its wide mouth, doing damage if it gets a solid bite.

The tapir swims well and can stay underwater for several minutes. It lives only in tropical forests along rivers.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #137 (1988).

Tapir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Shade]

With the same size and Hit Dice, it looks like we can just customize a boar, replacing gore with bite, adding a swim speed, dropping ferocity (and possibly adding hold breath), and changing feats and skills.

 

[freyar]

Sounds right. Hold Breath seems appropriate, too.

 

[demiurge1138]

Reduce bite damage, and add stamp attacks. Swim speed isn't needed, but a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks would be good. Agreed to hold breath.

 

[freyar]

1d6 bite damage from the original monster, 1d4 for stamps?

I could personally go either way on swim, but I think we should probably go with a swim speed out of deference to the original design.

Skills (Spot and Listen) from the boar seem right. Let's switch Toughness to maybe Endurance. Alertness seems good.

 

[demiurge1138]

Actually, the "hooves are soft, teeth are dull" suggests that we should make all attacks secondary, like some pack animals.