Send In The Clowns… (or, Converting the Oddballs)

[freyar]

Note this: "Pigalope hides are tough and can be fashioned into hide armor."

Hide armor is a +3 armor bonus, so that should more than cover their entire AC, leaving them with average Dex.

Added to Homebrews.

I was surprised to find stats for neither a pig nor a kangaroo. We'll have to remedy that.

Ahhh, missed that line. Stats look good now. These should either have no natural attacks (I guess we could put nonlethal damage on the attack line) or else a slam doing something like 1 point of damage.

Yes, we need pigs and kangaroos! Surely there are some old edition pigs and kangaroos for us to convert!

 

[Shade]

According to Echohawk's index, we've got pigs-a-plenty, but no kangaroos in sight.

I like the idea of a slam representing a kick.

Skills: 4
Jump, Listen, Spot?

Racial bonus on Jump checks?

Feats: 1
Alertness?

Organization: Solitary or herd (x-x)

Challenge Rating: 1/4?

Advancement: 2-3 HD (Small); 4 HD (Medium)?
A pigalope stands x feet tall at the shoulder and weighs x pounds.

Per Wikipedia, the largest kangaroo, the Red Kangaroocan be 6 ft. 7 in. tall and weigh 200 lb. Wallabies are 2-1/2 feet tall and weigh 30 lbs.

So shall we range from 2-1/2 to 4 feet tall (for Small) and 30-100 pounds?

 

[freyar]

Huh, no kangaroos. We might just have to homebrew them up anyway. Surely some 3rd party company has written an OGC one somewhere, though.

Jump 2, Listen 1, Spot 1
+8 bonus on Jump

Alertness

herd (8-20)

1/4

Advancement looks good.

Height and weight look good.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Anything left?

 

[freyar]

Strange and simple, but I think they're done.

 

[Shade]

More foolishness!

"[...] ahead are two large shapes moving to intersect the trail. As you close rapidly, the shapes resolve themselves into huge turtles with white-feathered wings. One of the creatures is equipped with a large leather case. [...]

The turtledoves are aggressive and fight until destroyed, but the party may simply choose to fly past the hapless turtledoves, which cannot catch up. [Note: This is because the adventurers have recently ingested magical eggnog with gives them a flight speed of 1024!] The doves will, however, get one attack at -4 as the party flies past.

Turtledoves (2): Int Low; AL N; AC 2 (top), 5 (head, wings, and underside); MV 6, Fl 15 (C); HD 7+7; hp 31 each; THAC0 12; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8; SA bite inflicts serenity, victim must save vs. paralyzation or refrain from hostile actions for 1d4+1 melee rounds; SZ H (6' Diameter); ML 11; XP 1400 each.

Turtledoves are known to fill their lairs with gaudy, hollow glass balls, Dead turtledoves continue to float, thus the shells of these creatures are highly prized as components for potions of flying and other similar magics. One of the turtledoves carries a large leather case, which contains three musical horns made of shiny brass tubing formed into a circular coil."

From Polyhedron #55 (1990).

 

[Shade]

Medium magical beast?

Updating the snapping turtle's (Stormwrack) ability scores to Medium yields...

Str 16, Dex 6, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4

These have Int Low (5-7).

The Large warturtle (Dragon #343) has Str 20, Dex 7, Con 17, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 9.

I'd imagine these things are weaker than something bred for war.

So maybe...

Str 16, Dex 7, Con 17, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 9?

Here's a start for serenity:

Serenity (Su): A creature bitten by a turtledove must succeed on a DC X Will save or forgo all hostile actions for 1d4+1 rounds. This is otherwise identical to a calm emotions spell. The save DC is Constitution-based.

 

[freyar]

Let's swap Wis and Cha because I think the serenity bite will probably be Cha-based.

Edit: just saw your start on Serenity. Con is definitely a better DC, but, for a spell-like effect, doesn't Cha-based make more sense? Or we could make this like a poison. What do you think?

 

[Shade]

I'd like to keep Wis consistent with the other turtles, so let's just bump the Cha.

Added to Homebrews.

+10 natural armor like warturtle?

Dead turtledoves continue to float

Hmmm...that seems to suggest magical flight like a beholder, despite having wings.

 

[GrayLinnorm]

I actually found a stat block for a kangaroo! From "The Voyage of the Princess Ark", Dragon #186:

Kangaroo: A common herbivore of the grassy outback and lower hills outcroppings, this marsupial forms an important component of chameleon men diet. Skins can be sold to phanatons for 2d6 silver pieces (or equivalent barter value). AC 8, HD 2 (M), MV 240' (80'), AT 1 hind leg, D 1d8, NA 0(3-60), Save F1, ML 7, TT Nil, Int 2, AL N, XP 20. The kangaroo can leap up to 60'.

The article also has stats for saltwater crocodlies, dingos, giant spiny anteaters, emus, goannas, koalas, kookaburras, giant termites, wild turkeys, and wakaleo (marsupial lion).