Dinofelis and Smilodon

[vraad]

Ok, this is my first shot at creating monsters. I've pulled several resources, but I need someone to look over what I've done and tell me if I'm heading in the right direction.

Give your opinion freely, I just ask that if you disagree with something or have a suggestion you explain why so I can LEARN.

Dinofelis
Large-Size Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+15 (37 hp)
Initiative: +3 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 15 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural)
Attacks: 2 claw +7, 1 bite +2
Damage: claw 1d6+5, bite 1d8+3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Pounce, improved grab, rake 1d4+3, scent
Special Qualities: --
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +7, Hide +7*, Jump +5, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +8
Feats: --

Climate/Terrain: Forest, Plains
Primarily Darklands, slowly moving north into the Wildlands.
Organization: Pride (2d6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement Range:

Description
Dinofelis is a sabre-tooth cat that is sometimes known as the “false sabre-tooth” as it has small sabers that are not as flattened and knife-like as those of other sabre-tooth cats. This great cat is fairly large, standing 2.3 feet tall at the shoulder. Dinofelis uses this body size in concert with its powerful front legs to ambush prey. The cat will firmly hold down its prey with its front legs whilst it makes a clean kill with its teeth.

Combat
Pounce (Ex): If a dinofelis leaps upon a foe during the first round of combat. It can make a full attack even if it has already taken a move action.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the dinofelis must hit with both its claw attacks. If it gets a hold, it can rake.
Rake (Ex): A dinofelis that gets a hold can make two rake attacks (+7 melee) with its hind legs for 1d4 +3 damage each. If the dinofelis pounces on an opponent, it can also rake.
Skills: Dinofelis receive a +4 racial bonus to Balance, Hide, and Move Silently checks.
* In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +12.


Smilodon
Large-Size Animal
Hit Dice: 7d8+21 (52 hp)
Initiative: +2 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 14 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural)
Attacks: 2 claw +7, 1 bite +2
Damage: claw 1d6+6, bite 1d8+3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Pounce, improved grab, rake 1d6+2, scent
Special Qualities: --
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +6, Hide +6*, Jump +6, Listen +8, Move Silently +7, Spot +8
Feats: --

Climate/Terrain: Forest, Plains
Primarily Darklands, slowly moving north into the Wildlands
Organization: Pride (2d6)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement Range:

Description
Smilodon is the famous 'sabre-toothed cat'. Many people call it a 'sabre-toothed tiger', but of all the sabre-toothed animals that have ever lived, not one is a tiger.
The sabres are actually quite delicate - any contact with bone and they will shatter. The sabers are instead used to increase the power of a killing bite to the neck. These teeth slice through the major blood vessels in the neck and cut off the windpipe with one well-placed bite. Standing three and a half feet tall, smilodon has powerful front limbs and retractable claws to hold the victim still, and a large number of sensitive whiskers to help place the bite accurately.

Combat
Pounce (Ex): If a smilodon leaps upon a foe during the first round of combat. It can make a full attack even if it has already taken a move action.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the smilodon must hit with both its claw attacks. If it gets a hold, it can rake.
Rake (Ex): A smilodon that gets a hold can make two rake attacks (+7 melee) with its hind legs for 1d6 +2 damage each. If the smilodon pounces on an opponent, it can also rake.
Skills: Smilodon’s receive a +4 racial bonus to Balance, Hide, and Move Silently checks.
* In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +12.

 

[Krishnath]

Although I like them (I really do!) I think they would benefit from being redone as beasts, not only do they get better HD and saves. But it just makes more sense, as they where not alive in historical times in the real world.

But I really like the effort, nice work.

 

[vraad]

THANKS!!!

Ya know, I did think about that. However, if I remember correctly, beasts are creatures that did not exist in earths history. Dinofelis and smilodon both lived in earths history. Granted, it was a LONG time ago, and that did cause me to have about a 15 minute debate with myself over how recent in earths history something has to be in order to qualify as an animal, but they were real. So I made them animals.

I don't have my books in front of me, but it should just be a matter of a hit dice change and possibly a CR change, correct?

Was there anything else that I should consider with these two?

Thanks again for the input.

 

[Krishnath]

Actually I doubt they where around at the dawn of civilization, which makes them Pre-history and as such, should be beasts. Let me put it another way. If they went extinct at the last ice age, they are pre-history. (The oldest human civilization is ancient egypt clocking in at aroung 6 to 7000 years old, babylonia is about the same age.) If it's older than 10,000 years, it should be a beast.
But I'm starting to rant here, so I better stop

anyways, yes, it's pretty much just changing their HD and saves. (Fort and Reflex are good saves for beasts.) And that is about it.

Also you shoulc increase the threat range of the cat's bit attacks to 18-20. Like this:

Augmented Criticals (Ex): <Name> scores a critical with it's bite attack on a roll of 18-20, dealing triple damage on a successfull critical.

If you chose to add this increase the creatures CR by 1.

Later,

 

[The Serge]

Krishnath is right. They should be Beasts. Dinosaurs are considered Beasts. There's actually an explanation from Skip Williams about prehistoric animals as Beasts....

 

[Magus Darkholme]

I really like them alot. Nice job vraad .
I do however have to agree with Krish and Serge though in that they should be beasts instead of animals.

Here's Skip Williams description of what falls into a beast:
Beast: This is a step up from the normal animal. Use it for any fairly mundane creature that doesn't have any magical abilities. Though beasts can be smarter than animals, they can also have the same intelligence as well. You can use this type for real world creatures that were extinct at the dawn of recorded history, such as the dinosaurs.

 

[BOZ]

right, you guys have it. that's how i made my prehistoric mammals as beasts. dinosaurs in 3E have all been beasts. part of the definition of "history" infers that it is "recorded history". as cavemen made no written records (we can only guess what cave paintings really mean), then history as an idea did not exist until writing was invented. since no person was ever alive to study living dinosaurs and other prehistoric mammals/plants, we can only make educated guesses based on their remains and studies of animals that are alive today. so any stats that we come up for them are likely to be even less accurate than "real" animals.

sorry if that doesn't make as much sense as it should, i'm sleepy.

 

[Magus Darkholme]

Hey BOZman, didn't you make some wooly rhino stats?

 

[BOZ]

yes.

 

[Magus Darkholme]

Would you be kind enough to post a link to those stats? You see, I was planning on making the wooly rhino a creature frequently encountered in the northern expanses of my homebrew world.