Esuvee

[Krieg]

So (and unless it is a political subject) I would like to know what's wrong with such cars??

Essentially it is a political subject:

Personal responsible vs manufacturer liability vs government regulation.

Actually ny conversions are very off, so here it is in US: 6 miles per gallon (Humvee) and about 12 miles per gallon (average SUV).

I am curious where you pulled those numbers out of? I can state from personal experience that the H1's I have been around all averaged 13-18mpg (including a former USMC M998 I personally own). Not exactly stellar, but double your figures. The 12 MPG "average" is also similarly skewed.

 

[talien]

LOL Excellent!

It's good to know that I'm not the only lunatic out there that thought the esuvee would make a good D20 critter!

Bravo!

Thank you very much, Erica! I consider that quite a compliment coming from a master (or do you prefer mistress) of conversions!

I had no idea that someone else made an esuvee for D20. In fact, I did a Google search and didn't see it...but did one again just recently and your thread came up. My Google-Fu was weak that day.

Anyway, if I had known you created one I would have asked to borrow your stats, as I always think collaboration makes for a better critter. I think you're right though, I made mine with a more sci-fi-ish slant and you created a more fantasy version. I thought your point about the eye-lamps was excellent (especially since they glow in the commercial). For some reason I forgot about that.

I also seriously considered making them have construct traits even though they're living beings. But then in retrospect I'm not sure what the point of that would be...they seem like big, shaggy beasts except for the face.

Have you played the game? It gets annoying after about five minutes as it lectures you about air pressure, gas mileage, and "driving dangerously" (especially after you run your esuvee off a cliff...).

Moral of the story: Esuvees are big, flumfy critters that guzzle gasoline!

 

[DnDChick]

Thank you very much, Erica! I consider that quite a compliment coming from a master (or do you prefer mistress) of conversions!

Thanks for the compliment, but I'm just a D20 fan who had the luck of getting to know someone (Scott Greene) who got picked up by an up-and-coming 3rd party publishser (Necromancer Games). He gave them my name during a backlog and the rest is history. I don't think I'm really that much better than any other monster designer here on the boards; I just met the right person at the right time to get "into the business". Mine is truly a case of "it's not what ya know it's who ya know." lol

Anyway, if I had known you created one I would have asked to borrow your stats, as I always think collaboration makes for a better critter. I think you're right though, I made mine with a more sci-fi-ish slant and you created a more fantasy version. I thought your point about the eye-lamps was excellent (especially since they glow in the commercial). For some reason I forgot about that.

Honestly ... I cheated a bit. My "stats" for the esuvee are just the stats for the rhino from the SRD. I upped the hit die type and the BAB and changed saves the to reflect that its a Magical Beast and not an Animal. I also re-did its skills and feats and gave it different special qualities. Other than that, its a rhino in an esuvee costume.

I also seriously considered making them have construct traits even though they're living beings. But then in retrospect I'm not sure what the point of that would be...they seem like big, shaggy beasts except for the face.

True. I kinda glossed over the obvious glass "eyes" in mine. Your version would also work well in Gamma World d20, with its nanite-fused animal/machine/mutant creatures.

Have you played the game? It gets annoying after about five minutes as it lectures you about air pressure, gas mileage, and "driving dangerously" (especially after you run your esuvee off a cliff...).

Nope ... never played the game on the website. I kinda figured it would be a preachy exercise in futility. lol



I still want an esuvee stuffed animal though ... if they start selling them I am SO getting one.

 

[DnDChick]

PS. I tinkered with my version a little to incorporate some of your ideas.

Esuvee
Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 8d10+40 (84 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+20
Attack: Slam +15 melee (1d8+8)
Full Attack: Slam +15 melee (1d8+8) or 2 slams (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Stampede, trample 2d12+12
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, shining eyes, topheavy
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +2, Will +3
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 2
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7, Survival +4
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Run
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary or herd (2-12)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9-12 HD (Large); 13-24 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

Tromping over the hillside is a great, shaggy beast. It has a bison-like body supported by thick legs. Its feet are splay-toed and have thick foot-pads like those of an elephant. The thing has a heavy, low-slung head, rectangular in shape. Strangest of all, it has an odd bony latticework where its nose should be, and its round, glassy eyes are shining brightly.

An esuvee is a powerful creature that roams in small herds over the hillside. Like elephants, most esuvees in a herd are cows and calves. Bull esuvees leave the heard soon after reaching sexual maturity and become solitary. They only approach other esuvees during the mating season. Occasionally, a wandering bull esuvee goes rogue and attacks everything in sight.

Esuvees are dangerous in the wild, but easily tamed by a skilled handler. They are strong, able to bear heavy burdens, and can move comfortably in nearly any terrain except swamps. Special esuvee saddles can seat up to 8 Medium riders comfortably. The digestive tract of an esuvee is so inefficient that it requires 3 times the normal amount of food for a creature its size.

Combat
Esuvees are herd animals at heart and thus react in a fashion similar to bison. When threatened, they turn their backs to the center of the herd and face outwards, bellowing and roaring. In combat an esuvee swings its massive head side to side, smashing anything it can see. An esuvee can also rear up on its hind legs to deliver devastating blows.

Shining Eyes (Ex): The eyes of an esuvee contain bioluminescent bacteria, and at night they glow. An esuvee’s eyes illuminate a cone 30 feet long as brightly as torchlight.

Stampede (Ex): A frightened herd of esuvees flees as a group in a random direction (but always away from the perceived source of danger). They literally run over anything of Large size or smaller that gets in their way, dealing 1d12 points of damage for each five esuvees in the herd (Reflex DC 22 half). The save DC is Strength-based.

Topheavy (Ex): If an esuvee tries to make a 90 degree turn while moving at a Run, the rider must succeed on a DC 25 Ride check or the esuvee rolls onto its side. All riders must succeed on a DC 15 Reflex save or take 1d6 points of damage from the fall. A rider failing the Reflex save by 10 or more lands under the esuvee and takes damage as if the esuvee had trampled her.

Trample (Ex): As a full-round action, an esuvee can move up to twice its speed and literally run over any opponents at least one size category smaller than itself. The creature merely has to move over opponents in its path; any creature whose space is completely covered by the trampling esuvee is subject to the trample attack. Trampled opponents can attempt attacks of opportunity, but these take a -4 penalty. If they do not make attacks of opportunity, trampled opponents can attempt a Reflex save (DC 22) to take half damage. A trampling esuvee can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature. The save DC is Strength-based.

Training An Esuvee
Training an esuvee requires six weeks of work and a DC 25 Handle Animal check. Riding an esuvee requires an exotic saddle. An esuvee can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check.
Baby esuvees are worth 3,500 gp apiece on the open market, while young are worth 7,000 gp each. Professional trainers charge 1,500 gp to rear or train an esuvee.

Carrying Capacity
A light load for an esuvee is 918 lbs. A medium load for an esuvee is 919-1839 lbs. A heavy load for an esuvee is 1840-2,760 lbs.

 

[Turanil]

The digestive tract of an esuvee is so inefficient that it requires 3 times the normal amount of food for a creature its size.

LOL!!!

 

[talien]

Topheavy (Ex): If an esuvee tries to make a turn greater than 60 degrees while moving at a Run, the rider must succeed on a DC 25 Ride check or the esuvee rolls onto its side. All riders must succeed on a DC 15 Reflex save or take 1d6 points of damage from the fall. A rider failing the Reflex save by 10 or more lands under the esuvee and takes damage as if the esuvee had trampled her.

Classic!

 

[DnDChick]

Glad ya like it!

I realized this morning that I had posted an older version of mine in which I hadn't yet completed its skills.

D'OH!

So, I re-tinkered to give it its skills back. lol

 

[the_dunner]

While this isn't quite from the commercial:

Mesmerized: Esuvee's have an innate attraction towards humanoid young. In the event that a herd should pass by a field where children are at play, they will immediately stop all movement and be mesmerized for the duration of whatever game the children are playing. Upon completion of the game, the herd will Stampede as listed above, away from the field of play.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Anyone also notice, according to consumer reports, that hybrids only save you 2 miles per gallon in exchange for the several thousands of extra dollars on their price tag? Plus the $1500.00 tax advantage for buying one only really works out to be effectively $500.00?

Of course I have met people who have hybrids that get really good mileage (62 miles per gallon), but that is waaaaay better than the published numbers. So I am also curious as to why the huge performance range. Are some cars really made better than others?

It all depends on what you are using the hybid car for. On long distance driving, they get only a bit better mileage, as the gasoline engine does the majority of the work. On short, in town, stop and go traffic, they get a vastly improved gas mileage because the electric motor is in use more often (the electric motor takes over when stopped and at low speeds, >10mph I think). It also depends which hybrid car you are talking about. The Honda Element gets much better mpg than the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid, but the Element also weighs about 2/3 the weight of the other two. Different mileage for different cars used for different purposes.

As for the 2mpg difference in particular, that was the number that Ford was throwing around for it's hybrid SUV last year. I never understood why they would want to make a point of saying "Our hybrid engine gets 2 MPG MORE than our standard engine!" Heck, a good tuneup will often give you 2mpg more.

Then there was a hybid pickup truck that someone (Chevy?) was promoting but I don't think it actually went into production. It was going to have electric outlets in the bed for use on construction site to plug power equipment into. Great idea, except the major point of a hybid engine is to improve gas mileage. The truck actually got LESS mpg with the hybrid engine than the standard engine. Sure, slightly less emissions, but for the added cost, you could just buy a generator to use for power equipment (of course, then there are two engines putting out emissions...)