Real life beasts that need more attention

[Huw]

In the spirit of the recent thread about mythological creatures needing a boost by looking back at their origins, I suggest we look at a real life (extant or extinct) beasts and see how their game equivalents can be improved.

Your starters:

1) Snails (& slugs). If you frequent the "Off Topic" forum you may know about my struggles with pulmonate gastropods in my garden. Anyway, the other day, I picked up a snail and it blew a whole mass of (presumably poisonous in some way) bubbles at me. Can we improve the giant slug by giving it a bubble attack?

2) Tigers. Tigers have a roar which stuns their prey. Don't tell me that ain't cool.

3) Dire animals. Okay, so the dire wolf was a real animal, but I think that monoceros, elasmothere and cave bear have more traction than dire stag, dire rhino and dire bear.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

Monstrous versions of more bugs than just centipedes, scorpions, and spiders. Cockroaches come to mind...indestructible little pests.

More small furry woodland creatures for use as familiars would be spiffy too. Squirrels, rabbits, skunks, foxes, etc

For those interested in such things, there is a great deal of variation in possible stats among different breeds of dogs, cats, and horses. Some dog breeds are faster than others, some are better trackers by smell, some have keener eyesight, some are easier to train, etc, etc, etc.

The flightless bird niche seems to have been missed entirely. An ostrich could make a service-able mount (though the chocobo analogies would be hard to avoid).

 

[ColonelHardisson]

3) Dire animals. Okay, so the dire wolf was a real animal, but I think that monoceros, elasmothere and cave bear have more traction than dire stag, dire rhino and dire bear.

I think you mean megaloceros for the first one. It's detailed in Frostburn.

Beyond that, I'm not exactly sure what you mean about the real-world counterparts having more traction. With dire animals, I make one of two assumptions - they are either prehistoric megafauna that have survived into the present of the campaign world, or that they are the fauna of a "giant" area of the world, where everything is bigger and tougher, or, as a variant of the latter, the result of breeding by giants. I'd say to get more accurate depictions of "real" dire animals, one would simply advance the normal animal a bit. Dire wolves, cave bears, cave lions, giant bison, and the like were bigger, true, but generally not that much bigger than their descendants.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Vampire Squids from Hell

Giant Isopods

Cordyceps Fungus

All the above links are Youtube in case you don't want to click.

DS

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I think dinosaurs in general need a bit more attention. I don't necessarily think that every single dinosaur needs to be statted out. However, I do think it would have helped to have a "basic" version of each major type of dinosaur given that adventurers might encounter - sauropods, ceratopsids, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, theropods, etc. - with guidelines on advancing each type to simulate a given specific dinosaur. I guess I could do it myself, but I'm lazy

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Australian animals. Lordy, we have no need to ever create a fictional animal again until all of these are statted up.

 

[frankthedm]

1) Snails (& slugs). If you frequent the "Off Topic" forum you may know about my struggles with pulmonate gastropods in my garden. Anyway, the other day, I picked up a snail and it blew a whole mass of (presumably poisonous in some way) bubbles at me. Can we improve the giant slug by giving it a bubble attack?

Dragon magazine JUST did an update of the giant slug!! I have an advanced one in my advanced monsters thread.

Real life beasts?

I vote Gustave!

 

[Mycanid]

In the spirit of the recent thread about mythological creatures needing a boost by looking back at their origins, I suggest we look at a real life (extant or extinct) beasts and see how their game equivalents can be improved.

Your starters:

1) Snails (& slugs). If you frequent the "Off Topic" forum you may know about my struggles with pulmonate gastropods in my garden. Anyway, the other day, I picked up a snail and it blew a whole mass of (presumably poisonous in some way) bubbles at me. Can we improve the giant slug by giving it a bubble attack?....

BAHAHAHA!!!!

I read your mind! I saw this thread and came into here thinking: "I'm gonna vote for snails and slugs! " ... and ... voila! ... thou hast defeated me again O Huw!

Other than that ... hmm ... a Dire Platypus?

 

[frankthedm]

Gustave, elite ancient giant crocodile [sblock= Gustave CR7 Giant Crocodile] GIANT CROCODILE Huge Animal
Hit Dice: 13d8+91+13 (162 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (–2 size, +3 Dex, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+27
Attack: Bite +17 melee (2d8+15 19-20 crit) or tail slap +17 melee (1d12+15)
Full Attack: Bite +17 melee (2d8+15 19-20 crit) or tail slap +17 melee (1d12+15)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Hold breath, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +11, Will +7
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 16, Con 24, Int 1, Wis 14, Cha 2
Skills: Hide +7*, Listen +3, Spot +3, Swim +16
Feats: Combat Reflexes, improved toughness, Skill Focus (Hide), Iron will, improved crit bite
Environment: Warm marshes
Challenge Rating: 7
Advancement: 14 HD (Huge)

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a crocodile 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, the crocodile establishes a hold on the opponent with its mouth and drags it into deep water, attempting to pin it to the bottom.

Hold Breath (Ex): A crocodile can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 4 x its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

Skills: A crocodile has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
*A crocodile gains a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks when in the water. Further, a crocodile can lie in the water with only its eyes and nostrils showing, gaining a +10 cover bonus on Hide checks[/sblock]

 

[Klaus]

I am of a mind to write a book called "d20 Zoo", statting several real-world animals, present and past.