Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[Cleon]

Blindsense or even blindsight (of the two, I like blindsense better for this, I think) is ok, but I like tremorsense even better. Tremorsense for aquatic creatures specifically includes vibrations in water per the SRD; blindsense for the shark seems like an extension of its keen scent.

Yes, I know. To quote the SRD "Aquatic creatures with tremorsense can also sense the location of creatures moving through water."

Maybe its tremorsense works through water but not the ground? I once did a "reimagining" of the SRD crocodiles which could feel the movement of prey in water (like real-life crocodilians can).

I called it Ripplesense.

It should certainly swallow Large and probably even Huge critters!

I was thinking that it can only swallow objects that are miniscule compared to itself. A Huge swallow whole is two steps, which is the level of creatures with a big head & throat such as Tyrannosaurus. I prefer 3 (Large) or even 4 (Medium) size differences, so it is swallowing "small particles".

I'd favour Large, since it means that human-sized PCs can't just use the enlarge person spell to make themselves immune from swallowing.

Before hp needed to cut out, though, we should probably pick natural armor. +20 or so? What do we get advancing our other worms to Colossal?

Well, standard Large to Colossal advancement increases NA by 12, which suggests +15 or so. It may have a hefty bonus for its tube, though, so would be happy to consider +20 or even more.

 

[Shade]

Let's stick with standard tremorsense. They are in contact with the ground via their tube, after all.

I also concur with Demiurge that we should note the aquatic uses of tremorsense in the text, as I think most people aren't aware of this mechanic (or forget it, like me).

As for natural armor, the century worm (Gargantuan) has +25 and the luncent worm (also G) has +18. Raising them to Colossal would yield +30 and +23 respectively. So +20 is well within reason.

I'm fine with sticking with Large for the swallow whole.

 

[Cleon]

Let's stick with standard tremorsense. They are in contact with the ground via their tube, after all.

I also concur with Demiurge that we should note the aquatic uses of tremorsense in the text, as I think most people aren't aware of this mechanic (or forget it, like me).

Fine by me

As for natural armor, the century worm (Gargantuan) has +25 and the luncent worm (also G) has +18. Raising them to Colossal would yield +30 and +23 respectively. So +20 is well within reason.

I'm fine with sticking with Large for the swallow whole.

Hmm, or +20 natural armour outside its tube, boosted to +30 NA when withdrawn? We still haven't decided what to do with its armoured tube.

 

[demiurge1138]

Simple. It can flee into its armored tube to gain the benefits of full cover.

 

[freyar]

Agreed with full cover in the tube. If you want, we can specify hardness and hp for the tube, though.

 

[Shade]

Simple and elegant. I like! Hardness and hp for the tube makes sense. Suggestions?

 

[freyar]

Stone is hardness 8, but the tube is probably limestone-ish, which should logically be a little less hard than other stone. Hardness 7? Stone is 15 hp/inch. How thick should this be? Up to 6 inches?

Alternately we could keep hardness 8 and go low on the hp. Maybe that makes the most sense.

 

[demiurge1138]

I like hardness 7, 90 hp.

 

[Cleon]

Stone is hardness 8, but the tube is probably limestone-ish, which should logically be a little less hard than other stone. Hardness 7? Stone is 15 hp/inch. How thick should this be? Up to 6 inches?

Alternately we could keep hardness 8 and go low on the hp. Maybe that makes the most sense.

I'll vote for hardness 8, like regular stone.

As for hit points, I was thinking it would be a foot or two thick, with the worm some 10 feet in diameter, since I'm assuming it's twice the dimensions of a Purple Worm. So, how about giving the tube some fraction of the worm's hps, say 25% of 50%? As an average Titanic Sabella has 400 hp, that's an armoured tube with 100 or 200 hit points.

 

[freyar]

Not enough gradations of stone! If we say it's a foot thick and 90 or 100 hp, that's reasonable for limestone, I guess, but much more and it's like granite! Any sourcebook have different kinds of rock?

I'm still divided on hardness 7 vs 8. But I want it weaker than regular stone in some way.