Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin

[freyar]

How does this look?

Psionic Carnivorous Scallop Colonies
Some clusters of at least X giant carnivorous scallops develop a hive mind (see below), gaining an Intelligence of 6. Furthermore, the cluster gains the phrenic creature template, using the total number of scallops in the cluster as the effective HD of the creature for determining the psi-like abilities, manifester level, power resistance, and CR adjustment granted by the template. To determine CR, calculate the EL for the number of scallops and then add the CR adjustment from the template.

Hive Mind (Ex): All scallops in a psionic colony within 100 ft of each other are in constant communication with each other. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No scallop in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are. This hive mind grants the scallops an Intelligence of 6 and the phrenic template as above; if the number of scallops in the colony falls below X, the hive mind is lost.




By the way, how on earth is a hive mind an Ex ability?????

 

[Cleon]

How does this look?

Psionic Carnivorous Scallop Colonies
Some clusters of at least X giant carnivorous scallops develop a hive mind (see below), gaining an Intelligence of 6. Furthermore, the cluster gains the phrenic creature template, using the total number of scallops in the cluster as the effective HD of the creature for determining the psi-like abilities, manifester level, power resistance, and CR adjustment granted by the template. To determine CR, calculate the EL for the number of scallops and then add the CR adjustment from the template.

Hive Mind (Ex): All scallops in a psionic colony within 100 ft of each other are in constant communication with each other. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No scallop in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are. This hive mind grants the scallops an Intelligence of 6 and the phrenic template as above; if the number of scallops in the colony falls below X, the hive mind is lost.

That looks OK.

By the way, how on earth is a hive mind an Ex ability?????

Pheromones I'd think, at least in the case of Formians.

It's chemical telepathy.

 

[freyar]

Shade, care to weigh in?

Formian hive minds work over 50 miles. I think pheromones aren't that strong of a scent.

 

[Shade]

I envision their hive mind as psionic-based, and thus most likely a Su ability.

 

[Cleon]

Shade, care to weigh in?

Formian hive minds work over 50 miles. I think pheromones aren't that strong of a scent.

If only that were true.

Well it could be anything really, for all we know formians have built in radios.

 

[freyar]

Ok, let's swap it to Su. And, just to get this finished, how many scallops do we need for the hive mind?

 

[Cleon]

Ok, let's swap it to Su. And, just to get this finished, how many scallops do we need for the hive mind?

Six? One for each point of their Int 6 Hive Mind. The Phrenic template doesn't increase the Intelligence of an animal-level (Int 1-2) sentient.

 

[freyar]

Six? One for each point of their Int 6 Hive Mind. The Phrenic template doesn't increase the Intelligence of an animal-level (Int 1-2) sentient.

Works for me. And then Shade can update homebrews and finish this off!

 

[Shade]

Works for me. And then Shade can update homebrews and finish this off!

Really? You're not just teasing me now, are you?

Two weeks for an underbar!

Updated.

 

[Cleon]

Really? You're not just teasing me now, are you?

Two weeks for an underbar!

Updated.

I think it'll do.

Now to unveil my own interpretation of the Psychoclam...