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The Ecology of the Giant Sea Horse (unpublished AD&D 2E version)
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 8105650" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">I've been thinking about what to write about, and I've decided to start with the giant sea horse, as it is a creature I am very familiar with, having captured, raised, and trained them in the past.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">Many people don't realize the sea horse is a true fish. They see it as a separate type of marine life, but it is just a fish, nonetheless. The problem is that while most fish hold a horizontal orientation, with the head in front and the tail in back, the sea horse normally swims in a vertical position, with head on top and tail on the bottom.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">There are many other ways in which the sea horse differs from normal fish. To begin with, the sea horse's skin is devoid of scales. Instead, it has a hard, bony exoskeleton similar to that of an insect, although, in fact, it has an internal skeleton as well. The exoskeleton is made up of armored plates connected by rings, which cover the fish from its neck to the end of its tail. Other plates overlap along thehead, neck, and back, giving the creature an apparent crest.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">For another thing, the sea horse lacks many of the fins normally found on fish. They have neither ventral nor tail fins. They do have a pair of pectoral fins, normally found on a fish's midsection, although a sea horse sports his on the sides of his head. These fins are used mainly for stabilization in the water, as the sea horse uses its dorsalfin on its back as its primary means of locomotion. The dorsal fin can be vibrated rapidly from side to side to propel the sea horse forward or backward, or rippled in a wavelike manner lengthwise in order to propel the sea horse up or down. Sea horses are very maneuverable creatures.<strong>[1]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">Finally, there is the tail structure itself. The sea horse's tail is long, thin, and very flexible, able to grasp things almost as well as can a hand. In many respects, it is more like an octopus' tentacle than a fish's tail. It can be coiled forward in a spiral, or it can be held out completely straight. Sea horses often use their tails to anchor themselves to a bit of coral, eel grass, or seaweed.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">In other aspects, the sea horse is very similar to other fish. It breathes by means of gills located on either side of its head (directly in front of its pectoral fins), although a sea horse's gills are hidden beneath large gill covers.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">Coloration ranges from gray to black in most cases, although occasionally red, yellow, or greenish sea horses have been found. The sea horse has a limited camouflage ability, being able to change the lightness or darkness of its exoskeleton. Some can call forth patches of a silvery-gray or red to form a mottled appearance.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">Another form of camouflage is the sea horse's <em>cirri</em>, whisker-like appendages that look somewhat like seaweed. These stick out from the head of the fish and help it to blend into patches of seaweed, where the sea horse often spends its time looking for meals.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">Sea horses are measured fully stretched out, from the tip of the horse-like snout to the extended tail. Normal sea horses rarely grow longer than about 12 inches. The giant species, however, can reach up to 8-12 feet in length.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">Giant sea horses are identical to the standard sea horse in almost all ways but size. Because of their greater size, they are found in much deeper water than are their smaller cousins, and are for the most part unknown to surface dwellers. Their size allows them to be used as riding mounts and many of the intelligent marine species use them in such manner.<strong>[2]</strong> Due to their maneuverability, they are more often used for scouting missions than for open warfare.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">This is not to say that the giant sea horse makes a poor combat mount. In battle, they are able to butt with their heads<strong>[3]</strong> and, if trained to do so, can use their tails to constrict opponents. Such is the reach of a giant sea horse's tail that it can attack the same opponent it is head-butting or it can engage the one its rider is battling.<strong>[4]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)"></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210)">Unusually loyal to their riders, these creatures have been known to use their tails to drag their masters to safety if wounded in battle or otherwise knocked from their mounts. I know I myself owe my life to one of my mounts, who managed to pull me out of crossbow range when I was ambushed by a hidden sahuagin scout. The vile creature planted a bolt into my chest before I even knew he was there, and if not for the quick actions of Seafoam, my loyal sea horse war mount, I'd not be here today. He wrapped me in his tail and sped me straight to my family home, where I was tended to. (Incidentally, the sahuagin was hunted down by my tribe and paid for his actions with his worthless life.)</span></p><p></p><p><strong>NOTES</strong></p><p>1. Sea horses in water are treated as Maneuverability Class A flying creatures in air. They usually swim in an upright position but a sea horse can attain great speeds by stretching its body horizontally, with its tail straightened out directly behind it, and fanning its dorsal fin in a vigorous manner.</p><p></p><p>2. Among these are the aquatic elves, locathah, and mermen, although the mermen, having no legs, do not "ride" the giant sea horse so much as use it as a beast of burden. Sahuagin do not ride giant sea horses, using them only as a source of food, for which they are highly prized. Tritons as a rule do not use giant sea horses as riding mounts, preferring the larger and more powerful hippocampus, although triton leaders are able to summon giant sea horses with the conch shells they carry for that purpose.</p><p></p><p>3. The damage done by a head butt depends upon the giant sea horse's hit dice: those with 2 HD do 1-4 hit points of damage; those with 3 HD do 2-5 (1d4+1); with 4 HD, 2-8 (2d4).</p><p></p><p>4. The constriction attack of a giant sea horse's tail does no damage to its victim but merely holds him immobile, unless the victim makes a successful open doors roll, subject to a -1 penalty. The tail is long enough to completely wrap around any opponent of medium size or smaller, preventing the victim from engaging in either melee fighting or spellcasting.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 8105650, member: 508"] [COLOR=rgb(84, 172, 210)]I've been thinking about what to write about, and I've decided to start with the giant sea horse, as it is a creature I am very familiar with, having captured, raised, and trained them in the past. Many people don't realize the sea horse is a true fish. They see it as a separate type of marine life, but it is just a fish, nonetheless. The problem is that while most fish hold a horizontal orientation, with the head in front and the tail in back, the sea horse normally swims in a vertical position, with head on top and tail on the bottom. There are many other ways in which the sea horse differs from normal fish. To begin with, the sea horse's skin is devoid of scales. Instead, it has a hard, bony exoskeleton similar to that of an insect, although, in fact, it has an internal skeleton as well. The exoskeleton is made up of armored plates connected by rings, which cover the fish from its neck to the end of its tail. Other plates overlap along thehead, neck, and back, giving the creature an apparent crest. For another thing, the sea horse lacks many of the fins normally found on fish. They have neither ventral nor tail fins. They do have a pair of pectoral fins, normally found on a fish's midsection, although a sea horse sports his on the sides of his head. These fins are used mainly for stabilization in the water, as the sea horse uses its dorsalfin on its back as its primary means of locomotion. The dorsal fin can be vibrated rapidly from side to side to propel the sea horse forward or backward, or rippled in a wavelike manner lengthwise in order to propel the sea horse up or down. Sea horses are very maneuverable creatures.[b][1][/b] Finally, there is the tail structure itself. The sea horse's tail is long, thin, and very flexible, able to grasp things almost as well as can a hand. In many respects, it is more like an octopus' tentacle than a fish's tail. It can be coiled forward in a spiral, or it can be held out completely straight. Sea horses often use their tails to anchor themselves to a bit of coral, eel grass, or seaweed. In other aspects, the sea horse is very similar to other fish. It breathes by means of gills located on either side of its head (directly in front of its pectoral fins), although a sea horse's gills are hidden beneath large gill covers. Coloration ranges from gray to black in most cases, although occasionally red, yellow, or greenish sea horses have been found. The sea horse has a limited camouflage ability, being able to change the lightness or darkness of its exoskeleton. Some can call forth patches of a silvery-gray or red to form a mottled appearance. Another form of camouflage is the sea horse's [i]cirri[/i], whisker-like appendages that look somewhat like seaweed. These stick out from the head of the fish and help it to blend into patches of seaweed, where the sea horse often spends its time looking for meals. Sea horses are measured fully stretched out, from the tip of the horse-like snout to the extended tail. Normal sea horses rarely grow longer than about 12 inches. The giant species, however, can reach up to 8-12 feet in length. Giant sea horses are identical to the standard sea horse in almost all ways but size. Because of their greater size, they are found in much deeper water than are their smaller cousins, and are for the most part unknown to surface dwellers. Their size allows them to be used as riding mounts and many of the intelligent marine species use them in such manner.[b][2][/b] Due to their maneuverability, they are more often used for scouting missions than for open warfare. This is not to say that the giant sea horse makes a poor combat mount. In battle, they are able to butt with their heads[b][3][/b] and, if trained to do so, can use their tails to constrict opponents. Such is the reach of a giant sea horse's tail that it can attack the same opponent it is head-butting or it can engage the one its rider is battling.[b][4][/b] Unusually loyal to their riders, these creatures have been known to use their tails to drag their masters to safety if wounded in battle or otherwise knocked from their mounts. I know I myself owe my life to one of my mounts, who managed to pull me out of crossbow range when I was ambushed by a hidden sahuagin scout. The vile creature planted a bolt into my chest before I even knew he was there, and if not for the quick actions of Seafoam, my loyal sea horse war mount, I'd not be here today. He wrapped me in his tail and sped me straight to my family home, where I was tended to. (Incidentally, the sahuagin was hunted down by my tribe and paid for his actions with his worthless life.)[/COLOR] [b]NOTES[/b] 1. Sea horses in water are treated as Maneuverability Class A flying creatures in air. They usually swim in an upright position but a sea horse can attain great speeds by stretching its body horizontally, with its tail straightened out directly behind it, and fanning its dorsal fin in a vigorous manner. 2. Among these are the aquatic elves, locathah, and mermen, although the mermen, having no legs, do not "ride" the giant sea horse so much as use it as a beast of burden. Sahuagin do not ride giant sea horses, using them only as a source of food, for which they are highly prized. Tritons as a rule do not use giant sea horses as riding mounts, preferring the larger and more powerful hippocampus, although triton leaders are able to summon giant sea horses with the conch shells they carry for that purpose. 3. The damage done by a head butt depends upon the giant sea horse's hit dice: those with 2 HD do 1-4 hit points of damage; those with 3 HD do 2-5 (1d4+1); with 4 HD, 2-8 (2d4). 4. The constriction attack of a giant sea horse's tail does no damage to its victim but merely holds him immobile, unless the victim makes a successful open doors roll, subject to a -1 penalty. The tail is long enough to completely wrap around any opponent of medium size or smaller, preventing the victim from engaging in either melee fighting or spellcasting. [/QUOTE]
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The Ecology of the Giant Sea Horse (unpublished AD&D 2E version)
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