Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[Cleon]

The original MC "Lizard, Poisonous" included the Rough-Skinned Newt as well as the Gila Monster.

Shall we convert that as well?

 

[freyar]

I think it's good-to-go. Well, except I suppose I'd better change the "coloured" in the description to the gauche transatlantic spelling...

Gauche, but not archaic.

The original MC "Lizard, Poisonous" included the Rough-Skinned Newt as well as the Gila Monster.

Shall we convert that as well?

Sure, though maybe it's just a plain SRD lizard with one SQ added.

 

[Cleon]

Sure, though maybe it's just a plain SRD lizard with one SQ added.

I'll post the original AD&D stats in a while, but it oughtn't to take very long.

We basically just need to figure out the effects of the poison, the rest of it can just be a standard Tiny reptile with the Amphibious trait added on (as it is a newt).

 

[freyar]

Whenever you're ready...

 

[Cleon]

Whenever you're ready...

Well since you asked...

Rough-skinned newt
Climate/Terrain: Temperate Savannahs
Frequency: Uncommon
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Diurnal
Diet: Carnivorous
Intelligence: Animal (1)
Treasure Type: N
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1-2
Armor Class: 7
Movement: 3
Hit Dice: 1-1 (1-2 hps)
THAC0: 20
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: Nil
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: T (2-4” long)
Morale: Average (9)
XP Value: 65

Rough-Skinned Newt (taricha granulosa)
This newt is often mistaken for a small lizard, salamander, or other non-dangerous creature. The rough-skinned newt has warty skin, four clawless toes, and a tail that is longer than its body.

Combat: The rough-skinned newt is non-aggressive to all but its natural prey, and it’s small teeth could barely scratch a normal human’s skin. What makes the newt dangerous is its touch. The creature’s embryos, skin, and eggs contain a powerful poison. This poison is tetrodotoxic, a contact poison that acts on the nervous system of the victim to prevent nerve cell functions. The poison is a milky substance secreted in the tail region. One newt contains enough poison to kill a grown man unless he makes a saving throw vs. poison.

Failing a save against the newts poison causes numbness and weakness throughout the body within 1-4 rounds, incapacitating the victim. Unconsciousness occurs 1-2 rounds later, with death occurring in 1-4 turns. There is no known natural antidote to this poison (making the herbalism proficiency useless against it); it is curable only by magic.

Habitat: Males prefer wooded areas, while females remain near the water, where they lay their eggs.

Ecology: Like many amphibians this newt can regenerate amputated parts such as a tail, leg, or even portions of their head. They feed on worms, slugs, snails, insects, and frogs. Unlike other newts, the females lay only one egg at a time, rather than large masses.

Originally from Dragon Magazine #237

 

[freyar]

Hmm, sounds like contact (and ingested) poison. As for the effect, I guess I'd model it with a fair amount of Dex poison (initial and secondary), with the victim dying if reduced to Dex 0. What do you think?

 

[Cleon]

Hmm, sounds like contact (and ingested) poison. As for the effect, I guess I'd model it with a fair amount of Dex poison (initial and secondary), with the victim dying if reduced to Dex 0. What do you think?

Since tetrodotoxin is the same toxin as pufferfish use, we could use or modify the poison special attack of a pufferfish.

...well, we could if the pufferfish had any 3E stats, but it appears to be one of the few deadly real-world monsters that doesn't have D&D stats.

There is a giant version of one though, the Giant Porcupine Fish, which has the following venom:

Poison (Ex): A porcupine fish's spines and many of its internal organs are poisonous. The save DCs are Constitution-based.

Spine poison: Injury (spines), Fortitude DC 12, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Con.

Organ poison: Ingestion, Fortitude DC 12, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Con.

That looks modifiable for the Newt.

We could do Dex damage plus Dex = 0 = death, but I was thinking something more like Dex = 0 = suffocation (with the usual Con saves to avoid death), since that's the mechanism it kills by.

In either case, the D&D version exaggerates the contact potency of the toxin - the poison is only deadly if swallowed, and people who touch the newts just experience irritation.

 

[freyar]

Hmmm.

What about Dex damage, but Dex=0 only equals death if the poison is ingested? I feel like there may be a precedent for different effects based on delivery method before (though maybe not).

 

[Cleon]

Hmmm.

What about Dex damage, but Dex=0 only equals death if the poison is ingested? I feel like there may be a precedent for different effects based on delivery method before (though maybe not).

Well I was going to include separate contact and ingested stats for the poison, like we did for the Porcupine Fish, so that's no big deal.

I'd be OK with death at Dex=0, but I'd like a Con or Fort save to avoid it (and just be paralyzed 'til the poison wears off), since that's closer to the real-world poison.

 

[freyar]

How about this?

How about the following?

Poison (Ex): A rough-skinned newt's skin and many of its internal organs are poisonous. The save DCs are Constitution-based.

Touch poison: Contact, Fortitude DC X, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Dex.

Organ poison: Ingestion, Fortitude DC X, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Dex. If the victim's Dexterity reaches 0, the victim cannot breath for 2? minutes, which may cause suffocation.


This allows Con saves to avoid death, but it's pretty bad for characters without pretty high Con. We could change it to 1-1/2 minutes.