Dire Tigers are real...

[Ghostwind]

1200 lbs and 12ft of fur is a lot to consider when its at a full run and you're the prey...

 

[TheNovaLord]

I've read (uh... somewhere. Can't remember where now--probably Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives) that tigers seem to show lots of signs of incipient social behavior not unlike lions, and it's largely a question of the environments where they live that they don't congregate in pride structures too. Of course, that's unprovable, but your evidence there seems to support it indirectly, at least.

Yep. they had a discovery programme where they moved some threatened tigers from aisa to south africa in a large reserve. They became social/group hunters and developed sprinting hunts rather than pure tiger ambush. They actually started to hunt, by chasing down ostrich, which i think are normally uncatchable by lions and such in a straight race due to their speed.

 

[Klaus]

Now I want to see a titah or cheeger (cheetah/tiger hybrid)!

 

[frankthedm]

Dire Liger
Size/Type: Large Animal
Hit Dice: 22d8+66 [165 HP] 176 If PCs always can get high average HP or better on level up)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+29
Attack: Claw +25 melee (2d4+8)
Full Attack: 2 claws +25 melee (2d4+8) and bite +22 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, pounce, rake 2d4+4
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +15, Will +14
Abilities: Str 28, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +11*, Jump +14, Listen +4, Move Silently +15, Spot +5, Swim +10
Feats: Improved Natural Attack (claw), Improved Natural Attack (bite), Multiattack, Power Attack, Run, skill focus [move silently], Stealthy, Weapon Focus (claw),
Environment: Warm plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 23-32 HD (Large); 33-48 (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
Dire ligers prey on just about anything that moves. They will patiently stalk a potential meal, striking whenever the creature lets down its guard.

Dire ligers grow to be over 14 feet long and can weigh up to 9,000 pounds.

Combat
A dire liger attacks by running at prey, leaping, and clawing and biting as it rakes with its rear claws.

A Dire liger frequently uses power attack, sacrificing 8 points of its attack bonus for +8 to damage. If it fails to hit, or the only available prey is encased in stone or metal, it attacks normally. Claws +17 to hit, 2d4+16 damage; bite +14 to hit, 2d6+12 damage; Rake + 14 to hit, 2d4+12 damage.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, a dire liger must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can rake.

Pounce (Ex)
If a dire liger charges, it can make a full attack, including two rake attacks.

Rake (Ex)
Attack bonus +22 melee, damage 2d4+4.

Skills
Dire ligers have a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. *In areas of tall grass or heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus improves to +8.

 

[Alzrius]

The best way to make a dire liger is to use the liger stats from The Bestiary: Predators and then add the dire template from The Immortal's Handbook Epic Bestiary vol. 1. The resulting animal would be a Huge creature.

A little while back, I made a wereliger, adding levels from several martial classes to make him even more of a badass, and posted it over on the NPC Wiki.

 

[frankthedm]

One thing that irks me is the tendency to slap out new stats to cover any teeny difference in a creature, like the saber-toothed tiger in Frostburn or a possible liger stat. For the liger in the pictures above, I'd just use an advanced tiger and be done with (and for a sabertooth, I'd just use a dire tiger).

That is just what I did.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

There are stats for a liger in Monster Geographica: Plain and Desert. I don'y know where they were originally from; I didn't see The Bestiary: Predators among the sources.

 

[Klaus]

There are stats for a liger in Monster Geographica: Plain and Desert. I don'y know where they were originally from; I didn't see The Bestiary: Predators among the sources.

Which means I'll be doing a counter for it soon.

Hmm... better start saving these liger pictures...



(did a sabertoothed tiger for the tie-in counter collection for MG: Hills & Mountains)

 

[frankthedm]

Yes that is one big cat. And it looks even bigger because it is also one FAT cat. The poor thing looks decidedly overweight, a real shame and its keepers are to blame!

I say the keeper are being safe rather than sorry! If I had to handle large carnivorous animal, I too would make sure they are comfortably well fed, not Lean & Hungry. Nor I be staging any photo shoots while it was on any weight loss diet!