Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
Cleon
Legend
I'd flesh the background out more than that.
How's this:
Dholes are highly social canids that live in large clans, which may include many dozen animals. The clan may hunt together, or split into several "hunting packs", depending on the circumstances. Dholes will hunt a wide range of animals, but specialize in big herbivores such as wild boar, antelope, or buffalo.
Dholes dig dens to raise their young in, typically in a dry riverbed or under an area of scrub. A dhole den can range from a simple hole or a re-purposed porcupine lair, to an elaborate network of interconnecting tunnels and chambers, with many entrances. The larger dens often accommodates multiple dhole mothers and their pups. A clan of dholes may use an ancestral den site which has been slowly expanded over many generations.
Dhole packs maintain frequent communication when hunting or travelling. They use whistling "coo-coo" sounds to guide each other through difficult terrain. When attacking prey, their screams sound like "KaKaKaKaa".
A typical dhole is 3 feet long (not including tail) and stands 18 to 22 inches tall at the shoulder. It weighs 30 to 40 pounds.
COMBAT
Dholes are afraid of humanoids and avoid them whenever possible. They show little fear of other animals, and use pack tactics to hunt animals far stronger than an individual dhole. In exceptional cases, a clan of dholes will unite to kill creatures as powerful as bears, leopards, elephants or tigers, even though a bear or tiger can kill a dozen dholes before being slain.
Dholes usually chase their prey to exhaustion and then attack from all sides simultaneously, making much use of flanking attacks and Aid Another actions. Dholes are good swimmers, and often chase prey into water to limit their victim's movement.
Dholes are ferocious and tenacious fighters, and a pack or clan may endure many casualties before deciding to retreat.
Cleon
Legend
Updating Working Draft...
I suggest changing the environment to "Any land" since Dholes live mountains, plains, forests and jungles and can cope with a wide range of climates, from hot areas like Thailand to the cold, dry plateau of Tibet.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Agreed. Transferred to Homebrews.
Next!
Dingo
FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: 1-2/2-8
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 15”
HIT DICE: 1-1
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S (35 lbs.)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: I/10 + 1/hp
Though they are like coyotes in size, build, and habits, dingoes are descended from or closely related to domestic dogs. Evidence of domestic ancestry is to be found in dingo coat colors and patterns, which (in addition to the nondescript tawny color typical of wild dogs) range through black, red, white, yellow, brown, and piebald, though none of these is as common as the “wild” type. Like coyotes, dingoes may be found in any sort of terrain, but they range from tropical to temperate climes rather than from subtropical to subarctic. They will not occur together with coyotes.
Dingoes are semi-social. They can be tamed but not trained.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #102 (1985).
Dingo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Next!
Dingo
FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: 1-2/2-8
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 15”
HIT DICE: 1-1
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S (35 lbs.)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: I/10 + 1/hp
Though they are like coyotes in size, build, and habits, dingoes are descended from or closely related to domestic dogs. Evidence of domestic ancestry is to be found in dingo coat colors and patterns, which (in addition to the nondescript tawny color typical of wild dogs) range through black, red, white, yellow, brown, and piebald, though none of these is as common as the “wild” type. Like coyotes, dingoes may be found in any sort of terrain, but they range from tropical to temperate climes rather than from subtropical to subarctic. They will not occur together with coyotes.
Dingoes are semi-social. They can be tamed but not trained.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #102 (1985).
Dingo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cleon
Legend
Looks like we should just use our Coyote stats or the SRD Small Dog stats.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Works for me.
Cleon
Legend
If you like.
It's just there doesn't seem to be any mechanical differences to work with.
We might as well just give them a different background & description and add "use Coyote statistics for pure strain Dingos, or Dog statistics for the largest cross-breed Dingos."
Shade
Monster Junkie
If we're going to bother giving them an entry, I'd rather reprint stats. Otherwise, we can just make 'em a footnote on the coyote entry.
Similar Threads
