Dinosaur Helper Templates

[Star Gazer]

I needed to create a whole bunch of dinosaurs for my Zharillia campaign and needed a way to do it quickly. Necessity being the mother of invention, I came up with a concept called a Mold, something halfway between a full write-up of a monster and a template, which is something you apply to an already exsisting monster. A mold is used when you have a group of monsters that all have some basic abilities and features, for example: Frills and horns for the ceratopsids. This is an extension of a post somebody made a few months ago about giving dinosaurs a type modifier (if it was you, email me so I can give you credit).

So far so good. I created a bunch of molds for differing taxonomic families of dinosaurs and if there's enough interest, I'll post my dinsaur writeups too and publish the whole thing as a .pdf.

Please note: Not all of the information here is, in a technical sense, scientifically accurate. There is much information about dinosaurs that we just don't have. I have taken a few artistic liberties in their descriptions so as to enhance in-game play.

What I'm looking for is some feedback on the usefulness of this information: are there too many data fields, or am I missing something? Is there a major family of dinosaurs that I have missed (I know of several, but they fit molds provided for other families). And the major question: Do these molds provide enough information for you to create your own dinosaurs?

I have attached the full document as a Word97(!) .doc file. I used W97 to make sure that everybody can read it. I will be posting excerpts here for those of you who don't want to d/l the file.

 

[Star Gazer]

First two Molds! Tyrannosaurids and Allosaurids

Tyrannosaurids (also Allosaurids)

Hit Die: d12
Speed: 30’ (Medium size or smaller), 50’ (Large size), or 60’ (Huge size or better)
Attack Bonus: Total HD (as Fighter)
Primary Attack: Bite
Secondary Attacks: Tail Slap
Good Saving Throws: Fortitude
Special Attacks: Frightful Presence, Improved Grab (Bite), Swallow Whole, Trample
Special Qualities: Scent, Natural Armor +5-7
Skill Points: 10-15
Racial Skill Bonuses: Hide +8, Spot +8, Wilderness Lore +8
Feats: Any one of Alertness, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Initiative, or Toughness

Organization: Solitary or pack (1d4+1)
Description: The Tyrannosaurids and Allosaurids are the largest of the saurian predators. Being so large, they tend to rely as much on camouflage and ambush as speed when they hunt prey. The largest examples of these groups (Tyrannosaurus Rex, Giganotosaurus, and Allosaurus for example) are the only predators able to take down one of the mighty sauropods on their own. Like their smaller cousins, the Ceratosaurids, they are solitary predators, with neither parent giving much care for the young. Most packs consist of sexually immature siblings who stay together for the safety that numbers provide. Packs will tend to scavenging while solitary adults prefer fresh kills and only scavenge when no other options present themselves.
Examples: Albertosaurus (26 feet long) Allosaurus (39 feet), Giganotosaurus (43 feet) , Tyrannosaurus (40 feet)

 

[Star Gazer]

Ankylosaurids

Ankylosaurids

Hit Die: d8
Speed: 20’ (Small size or smaller), 25’ (Medium size), 30’ (Large size or better)
Attack Bonus: Total HD X3/4 (as Cleric)
Primary Attack: Tail Slap
Secondary Attacks: Bite
Good Saving Throws: Fortitude
Special Attacks: Trample
Special Qualities: Scent, Natural Armor +8-+15
Skill Points: 10-15
Racial Skill Bonuses: Hide +8, Listen +8, Spot +8
Feats: Alertness
Organization: Solitary or pair

Description: The Ankylosaurids are the turtles of the dinosaur world. They have heavy armor plating along their backs, sides and heads and a low, squat, four-legged body style. Most have a bony club at the end of their stiff tails. The club is a deadly weapon, able to break the ankles of attacking Theropods, allowing the slow moving Ankylosaurs to escape. They are solitary herbivores who depend on their natural armor and bony tails for defense, rather than the larger numbers found in herds.
Examples: Ankylosaurus (33 feet long) Edmontonia (23 feet), Minmi (8 feet), Euoplocephalus (23 feet)

 

[Krishnath]

Hmm...the only comment I can make at the moment (have to test the mold ) is that all dinosaurs should have d10 for HD. This is since they're classified as beasts in the MM.

 

[Star Gazer]

Hmm...the only comment I can make at the moment (have to test the mold ) is that all dinosaurs should have d10 for HD. This is since they're classified as beasts in the MM.

The thought did indeed occur to me, but I figured that the advantages of greater differentiation between weaker/smaller dinosaurs and stronger/larger ones greatly outweighed the cost of keeping to a definition of them as Beasts. Besides, a strict interpretation of the MM almost requires that they all be classified as Animals anyways:

MM (pg. 5, col. 2, pp. 2, heading: Beast)
"A beast is a nonhistorical, vertebrate creature[...]"

To the best of my knowlege, dinosaurs are historical.

Done this way, the monsters of the dinosaur world (like Allosaurus' or Diplodocus' ) are truly impressive, with the equivalent of a +2 hp per HD bonus built into them from the start...[insert evil DM cackle of your choice here]

This is an enhancement of what was presented in the MM, which was done by a very intelligent group of people on an extremely tight deadline. Consider what's been presented and what's to follow the 'full treatment' as opposed to a 'good once over'.

 

[Virginia Wilde]

Let's see if it makes sense this way:

Dinosaurs are nonhistorical since they lived in a period of time before (recorded) history, making them nonhistorical.

 

[Star Gazer]

Ahhh... Semantics!

Let's see if it makes sense this way:

Dinosaurs are nonhistorical since they lived in a period of time before (recorded) history, making them nonhistorical.

Or put another way, fossil records are studied to determine the nature of things long dead... sounds like recorded history to me... just a change in medium. Dinosaurs lived in the past, which makes them history (sorry, I couldn't help the pun), hence they were, historically speaking, alive at one time.

I'll shut up now and let you guys rip apart the actual mechanics/description.

Roger.

-----------------------
Bulwer-Lytton had it wrong: The pun is mightier than the sword!

 

[NiTessine]

Re: Ahhh... Semantics!

Or put another way, fossil records are studied to determine the nature of things long dead... sounds like recorded history to me... just a change in medium. Dinosaurs lived in the past, which makes them history (sorry, I couldn't help the pun), hence they were, historically speaking, alive at one time.

They aren't historical. They are prehistorical. History is generally seen to have begun at the time of the neolithic revolution, when mankind invented writing. Before that, it was all prehistory. So, technically, the dinosaurs are not historical.

 

[Virginia Wilde]

Dragon magazine, October 2000, "How to Create a Monster":
Beast: This is a step up from a normal animal. Use it for any fairly mundane creature that doesn't have any magical abilitites. Though beasts can be smarter than animals, they can have animal intelligence as well. You can use this type for real-world creatures that were extinct before the dawn of recorded history.

Oh, well. All this aside, I think dinosaurs should be animals, with everything that comes with it, because they are just that. Animals. Impressive animals, but still animals. I mean, most species and population members were no bigger than modern animals, it's just that people latch on to the big ones.

Now for my dinosaur suggestions:
I don't think a large predatory dinosaur like a carnosaur would attack with its tail. It's just not that smart. The MM gives Tyrannosaurs an intelligence of 2, but that's giving the creature too much credit. They were opportunistic feeders that didn't really hunt their food so much as eat whatever was in front of them. Allosaurs were a little smarter, but they were smaller and more lightly built. A deinonychus should have an intelligence of at least 3.

Oh, and remember: Velociraptors are about 2.5 feet tall, 5 feet long, and eat eggs, not adventurers.

Sorry. I like dinosaurs and know way more about them than someone my age outta.

 

[Krishnath]

Virginia: Ah, you like dinosaurs. So do I, although I suspect it is to a lesser degree than you. What is your favourite ceratopsid? Mine is the Pentaceratops (Although it doesn't really have five horns, but hey, it's a cool beast ) I also like Dionychus and the infamous Carnosaurus who has been grossly missrepresented in a horror ripoff of Jurassic Park. (The third one is the best, so far...)

Star GAzer: If it was up to me (which unfortunatly it isn't). All dino's would be dragons, having d12's for HD and all good saves