Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mazaron 04-30-07, 12:58 PM	I always liked the last few pages of the third Planescape monstrous compendium, which listed and described non-hazardous Inner Planar wildlife, just local color, maybe animals for druids to talk, perhaps familiars for planar druids, shape change choices, as well as maybe food for PCs. Most of all though they were just neat. Anyone done a list for Outer Planar wildlife, or want to get one started? Gate crows Outlands Appearing as bluish-black crows, these creatures resemble fairly closely normal Prime crows, but much as Prime pigeons can seem to home in on their roosts using obscure clues, gate crows can find gates and thus gate towns. The crows carry nothing for the gates themselves, but they know where there are gates, there are towns, people, and food. Might make interesting familiars. Slime Monkey Carceri Native to the Scarlet Jungles of the second layer of Carceri, slime monkey are an odd symbiotic lifeform; the interior is a monkey-like creature, complete with four long limbs perfect for grasping limbs and a prehensile tail, the exterior is an ooze. Both benefit; the ooze gets to move about thanks to the monkey and drains some food from it, the monkey gets protection from the Scarlet Jungle's hideous acid (and is also unpalatable to any predator). Having no real attack - they are hard to catch and only a threat should a PC try to eat one - they can be a valuable source for ointments to survive the acid dripping deadly foliage. Pellion Hardshell Arborea Unique to the dusty, desert third layer of Arborea, these armadillo like creatures forage for insects, roots, and anything else found below ground. Up to a pony in size though often much smaller, their shells can be made into a type of armor by the locals. Also, they prize glittering objects and their layers - if found - can yield glittering gems, perhaps even pointing the way to the underground tombs that litter parts of this arid layer. I might be able to think of more if anyone was interested. Can anyone think of others?
Return of the Flumph 04-30-07, 03:49 PM	Just add the celestial/fiendish template to normal animals and change their appearance and behavior in an interesting way.
Mazaron 04-30-07, 07:51 PM	Just add the celestial/fiendish template to normal animals and change their appearance and behavior in an interesting way. Well that doesn't do much for my thread now does it! Sure, that maybe how you do it (though even that is still monstrous, too powerful, I was looking for largely harmless/local color), but not what one would come up with.
Gray Richardson 04-30-07, 09:36 PM	Just add the celestial/fiendish template to normal animals and change their appearance and behavior in an interesting way.That seems kind of bland. Besides, that doesn't work for the neutral planes. I don't think there is a "neutral" or "concordant" template, is there? You do have the Anarchic and Axiomatic templates for Law and Chaos, but that still leaves the true neutral planes in the lurch. Anyway, I love Mazaron's list. There are surely many non-threatening planar species to fill all the ecological niches of the outer planes. I can think of hundreds of such critters: Bark beetles: live on the trunk of Yggdrasil Gloom squirrels: they search Hades for buried nuts--they never find any; they are very depressed about that Shrieking mosquitoes: they scream loudly when you swat at them Hippobears: a hairless, planar bear with thick, hippo-like skin that hunts for fish along the shores of the river Styx, it's skin makes the bear immune to the river's effects Larva scarabs: a type of dung beetle always found near larvae, it makes nests from their waste Abacus Fish: found in Mechanus, swim in precise formations and arrays, only travel in schools of even numbers Giant animals: giant versions of pretty much every animal you can think of exist in Jotunheim Pear Lamb: often mistaken for a topiary, the Pear Lamb is a roughly sheep-shaped animated bush, with leaves for wool and four wooden trunks for legs. It grows the most delicious pears. It bleats when the pears ripen, the pears are heavy and weigh it down, and it likes it when planar folk relieve it of its fruit. A pear lamb will often approach planar travelers and bleat piteously until they have relieved it of its most heavy burden. The fruit is delectable and tastes of honey and sunrise
Mazaron 05-01-07, 12:21 AM	That seems kind of bland. Besides, that doesn't work for the neutral planes. I don't think there is a "neutral" or "concordant" template, is there? You do have the Anarchic and Axiomatic templates for Law and Chaos, but that still leaves the true neutral planes in the lurch. ***Exactly. Plus, many Planescape beasties aren't just modified cats, dogs, or what not. Many are unique life forms, nothing else like it found anywhere else. Anyway, I love Mazaron's list. There are surely many non-threatening planar species to fill all the ecological niches of the outer planes. **Thanks. I thought there would be too. I can think of hundreds of such critters: Bark beetles: live on the trunk of Yggdrasil Gloom squirrels: they search Hades for buried nuts--they never find any; they are very depressed about that **Probably a bit ill-tempered. If a cutter insists on picking one up 5% chance for some wasting disease (like any is really needed in the Gray Waste). Shrieking mosquitoes: they scream loudly when you swat at them ***I like that one, maybe summon prey items, like the old fashioned shriekers. A basher just has to learn to put up with them. Or bring Leomund's Fancy Vermin Creame and Ointment with him or her. Hippobears: a hairless, planar bear with thick, hippo-like skin that hunts for fish along the shores of the river Styx, it's skin makes the bear immune to the river's effects ***As long as they look menacing! Larva scarabs: a type of dung beetle always found near larvae, it makes nests from their waste Abacus Fish: found in Mechanus, swim in precise formations and arrays, only travel in schools of even numbers Giant animals: giant versions of pretty much every animal you can think of exist in Jotunheim Pear Lamb: often mistaken for a topiary, the Pear Lamb is a roughly sheep-shaped animated bush, with leaves for wool and four wooden trunks for legs. It grows the most delicious pears. It bleats when the pears ripen, the pears are heavy and weigh it down, and it likes it when planar folk relieve it of its fruit. A pear lamb will often approach planar travelers and bleat piteously until they have relieved it of its most heavy burden. The fruit is delectable and tastes of honey and sunrise **Good stuff!
Mazaron 05-01-07, 12:35 AM	Here are a few more: Fell Storks - Blackish storks with reddish heads, these long-legged avians dwell in the stinking, sinking foul marshlands of the first layer of Carceri, known as Othyrus. Immune to disease and there is nothing too foul they won't eat it, they tend to avoid eating anything still moving. Most of the time. They can be consumed, though there flesh has a cumulative toxin that has equal chances of making the diner over time paranoid to the point of being delusional, have a strong desire to inflict unneccessary harm on others, or harbor strong feelings of revenge against slights both real and imagine. Guvners theorize that the toxins of the plane accumulate in its flesh. Scragling - Deaf, blind, pure white colored monkey-like creatures, these mammals scrounge and skitter about the howling caverns of Pandemonium. It is not known how they navigate, some suggest they can detect life force as per a spell. Harmless to most adventurers, they are scavengers and will scatter if any potential food source puts up a fight. Though if that creature can no longer defend itself... Bounder - Large goat-like creatures that live on Acheron and are able to survive on the scraggly, sickened, yellowed plant life that manages to grow on the huge rusting red cubes that make the plane of battle, they look like Prime ibex but have somewhat patchy fur, blood-red eyes, and an enormous ability to jump (enabling them to jump from cube to cube). Reeker - Toad-like creature of the Abyss, harmless except for its defense mechaism, the ability to let forth a Stinking Cloud when picked up. Fiends find the smell quite distasteful though the flesh is fine if one can get over its odd blue color and orange blood.
Gray Richardson 05-02-07, 01:20 AM	Ocanthupines are little hedgehog like creatures, with metal blades and spines where a hedgehog's quills would be. They are actually quite cute and are often the favored pet of Bladelings. They are found all over Acheron, but especially on the 4th layer of Ocanthus.
Mazaron 05-02-07, 01:50 AM	Ocanthupines are little hedgehog like creatures, with metal blades and spines where a hedgehog's quills would be. They are actually quite cute and are often the favored pet of Bladelings. They are found all over Acheron, but especially on the 4th layer of Ocanthus. I like! Ok, my turn. Porphatine - Sluggish, ugly, long, black, fairly obese (yet streamlined) creatures described as crossing the worse traits of a walrus and a giant, sea-going slug (long tusks, slimy skin, and antennae of a sort rather than whiskers), these things are only found in the shallow, cold, black seas of the fourth layer of Carceri (Porphatys), most often hauled out on sandbars. Hunted by petitioners, they are one of the few types of meat available, though their flesh has to be smoked for a very long to be made palatable. Mibbit - Found throughout the Lower Planes, these vaguely toad-like creatures have stunted wings, but rarely fly. More often they are buried underground in much the way Prime toads in deserts await the rains, mibbits wait for blood and gore to be spilled in the Blood War. They burrow up and feed and breed in the brief amount of time such gore can be found, before it dries up or is eaten by other organisms. Shadower - Looking like the dinosaur known as comspoganthus, these tiny bipedal reptiles trail along marching armies in the Blood War, functioning basically as walking (or really, running) vultures. Their coloration varies to match the terrain and some have been kept and breed by such creatures as alu-fiends and succubi. A few subtypes have some defensive mechanisms, such as the ability to hide in shadows or blink (like a blink dog).
Skysoar 05-02-07, 04:11 AM	This was originally a creature I designed for a campaign setting of my own. Originally it was meant as a Material Plane creature, but it could just as well reasonably fit some Outer Planes- the Twin Paradises of Bytopia (Shurrock, specifically), the Blessed Fields of Elysium and the Wilderness of the Beastlands spring to mind. Could make for an interesting mount for a planar paladin. Choraz (chou-rahz) Large Magical Beast Hit Dice: 3d10+9 (24 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 40 ft. (8 sq.)/ Burrow 10 ft. (2 sq.) Armor Class: 15 (-1 Size, +6 natural) Touch 9, flat-footed 15 Attack Bonus (Base/Grapple): +3 / +12 Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d6+5) Full Attack: 2x Claw +7 melee (1d6+5) Bite +2 melee (1d8+2) Size/Reach: 10 ft/ 5 ft (2 sq./ 1 sq.) Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision Saves: Fort 6 , Ref 3, Will 2 Abilities: Str 20, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10 Skills: Survival 7, Listen 3, Spot 4 Feats: Toughness, Endurance Climate/ Terrain: Any land and underground Organization: Solitary, pair, pack (2d4+4) Challenge Rating: 2 Treasure: None Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 4-8 HD (Large) 9-15 HD (Huge) This creature looks like a lizard the height of a horse, its round scales colored a dull mottled green and muddy brown. Three pairs of thick, long sharp bony spurs colored dull yellow jut out from behind its shoulders, the longest front pair reaching nearly a full three feet up- and outwards from its body. Its front limbs have claws like short swords, yellow, faintly curved and nearly a full foot long. Its face is short, with a blunt, strong snout. A pair of eight-inch-long tusks jut upwards from its lower jaw, glimmering white against its scales. It has two pairs of green reptilian eyes tinged slightly with yellow. A choraz is a large, reptilian burrowing creature. Strong yet slow and docile, some races use trained and domesticated choraz as beasts of burden or in digging tunnels, mining shafts and the like. An average choraz is usually 10 to 14 feet long and weights up to 4,000 pounds. Choraz, despite their fearsome appearance, are mainly herbivores. Their massive foreclaws are used in tunneling through earth or rock (if given enough time) with relative ease to create nests or in search of their favorite roots; the fierce tusks they need to chew through the toughest plant roots or stalks and to fend off the occasional predators (although not many natural creatures consider fighting choraz worth the trouble) Wild choraz live usually in packs of 2d4+4 adults. They burrow a maze of tunnels underground with one or two entrances; the deepest center of the maze holds a large chamber where they hold their eggs and young (1d6 eggs and/or hatchlings per every adult female- about 75% of the adults in a given choraz pack are female) As long as anything else entering the tunnels does not threaten the choraz or their offspring they are usually ignored by the pack; other underground creatures or tribes of monstrous humanoids often find the twisting mazes of the choraz a suitable lair as long as they leave their neighbors alone. Sometimes the choraz tunnels encounter natural caverns or underground structures; if the new area does not hold anything edible the choraz usually ignore the breach (as long as nothing hostile comes through- in such a case the choraz will attempt to collapse the breach). Underground communities occasionally find wild choraz something of a nuisance. Occasionally choraz can be found outside their underground lairs in search of food or locations for a new nest. Aboveground choraz usually move in pairs. Domesticated choraz are often used as beasts of burden or as trained diggers. Though strong and tough they are slow creatures and not usually used as mounts, at least not in battle (though if you’re not in a hurry anywhere a single choraz can usually carry up to two or three Medium-sized creatures plus their equipment easily) On the battlefield choraz are mainly used in moving large objects like siege engines or in burrowing tunnels to attack an enemy underground stronghold, circle behind the enemy (or to grind their way through those pesky walls). A choraz’ diet consists mainly of roots and fungi although the creature will eat pretty much any soft plantlife if its favorite food is not available- hungry choraz have been known to devour the roots of small trees and then knock the tree down to reach the leaves. Sweet fruits are often used as a kind of treat for choraz. As long as a choraz stays near any reasonable-sized vegetation it’s master doesn’t need to pack food- the creature will forage for what it needs. A choraz moving at its normal burrow speed doesn’t leave behind a tunnel other creatures may use, because the dislocated materials refill the tunnel as the creature advances. Choraz tunnels the creatures use in nesting are specifically emptied and reinforced by the pack; a single choraz can create a 20-foot long stretch of usable, stable 10-foot diameter tunnel in a single hour. Training a choraz A choraz is about as smart as the average horse and can be ridden like one. A choraz requires training before it can bear a rider into combat. Training a choraz as a mount or beast of burden requires six weeks of training time and a successful DC 25 Handle Animal check for an adult, or DC 20 for a young choraz. Riding a choraz requires an exotic saddle. A choraz can fight when mounted; however, the rider cannot attack unless he or she succeeds a Ride check, and if the choraz uses both its claw attacks during the same round (i.e. performs a full attack action) the rider must succeed a DC 15 Ride check or be thrown clear off. Staying on the choraz when it uses its burrowing ability also requires a DC 10 Ride check, +2 for every 5 feet of earth burrowed through beyond the first five feet (i.e. DC 10 for a 5-foot stretch, DC 12 for a 10-foot stretch, DC 14 for a 15-foot stretch and DC 16 for a 20-foot stretch). Burrowing for several rounds forces the rider make consecutive Ride checks for each up-to-20-foot section burrowed through; for example, a choraz burrowing through a 50-foot section of dirt takes three rounds and has the rider rolling two DC 16 Ride checks for the first 40 feet and a DC 12 for the last 10 feet. Note that should a choraz burrow faster (with haste, for example) the rider will have to make higher Ride checks to stay on the mount. A choraz egg costs 300 gp on the market (depending upon the rarity of choraz in the particular area- at DM’s discretion). A professional handler requires usually 1,000 gp in payment for training or rearing a choraz. A light load for a choraz weighs 700 pounds or less; a medium load weighs up to 1400 pounds; and a heavy load weighs up to 2100 pounds. A choraz can usually push or drag around objects weighing up to 10,000 pounds. Combat Normally choraz are docile and harmless much like a bigger, uglier cow or the like. If it or its offspring are threatened, however, it uses its size and power to assault the offenders with impunity. It uses its talons to devastating effect although its bite is not to be underestimated. If badly wounded or outpowered a choraz will use its burrow ability to escape underground.
Mazaron 05-02-07, 10:13 PM	Mazzodactyl - Pterosaur creature from the Beastlands, prevalent on all three layers, looking much like any other pterosaur (or pterodactyl if you prefer), though coloration can vary widely. Very wide-ranging, it was thought for a time they might represent a type of petiioner but after extensive study and tests, the Guvners concluded that they are just flying reptiles. It is not known how they range so far and wide from the lost platuea of dinosaurs in Beastlands, but reports also have them in the Outlands.
Kassil 05-04-07, 04:31 AM	Sphere Ants - These peculiar creatures are native to Mechanus, although they can be found on most of the Orderly Planes, as long as metal can be found for them to build their hives in. So named for their hives, which are created by an innate variation of Shape Stone that allows the ants to create perfectly symmetrical spheres for their hives. Generally found embedded in the ground, as unanchored Sphere Ant nests will often roll away to some horrible end. Good-sligned miners consider them good luck, and may leave bits of precious metal for the ants to use in their hive, while more selfish ones often kill the hives to cart off the relatively pure metal of the nest itself. Splay Spider - These bizarre arachnids dwell almost exclusively in Limbo, which is essentially the only plane that can support them. they resemble nothing quite so much as a spider that has had all the external aspects - eyes, limbs, mandibles, and so on - completely rearranged into relative unrecognisability. They spend their time weaving complex and highly erratic webs through the chaos-stuff; the anchor points are often curiously fixed and stable, persisting for months after the spider has wandered off somewhere else. Dust Worms - The dust worms are native to the Grey Wastes, but often can be found in any of the lower planes. The foul little vermin are actually one of the few useful products of the miserable wastes; subsisting solely on dust and breeding rapidly, they can actually increase the fertility of land as they grow and die, leaving their bodies rotting in the ground. Some speculate they were some barmy wizard's attempt at transforming the Wastes. Jitterbug - A frenetic little beetle found all over the Outer Planes; they have a knack for seeking out petitioners in a given plane, and lay their eggs in them. The irritation caused by the beetle's hatching eggs is enough to make the victim dance around trying to scratch them out, leading to the name. Shimmerwasp - These odd, delicate-looking insects dwell mianly on the Outlands, although they can be found in small amounts in any planar environment that won't kill them. They resemble a Prime wasp, save that they seem about twice as large and made of some lacy, fibrous material that sparkles and glitters in any available light. Often kept as novelties by those with too much money and not enough sense, usually in the company of an everburning torch or two.
Adrez Nesnsid 07-07-07, 09:43 AM	:bump:
Tarascon 07-07-07, 02:55 PM	Cetaceans of the Planes -From the Lectures of the Planar Zoologist Ramothe Danaks, Ursinal of the Sigil Order of Wildlife Preservation (S.O.W.P.) Ahem, welcome students and bystanders, one and all. It is good to see that so many residents of our fine city take an interest in their fellow creatures, great and small. We dwell in a magnificent place. Sigil, City of Doors, crossroads of the planes of existence. And I can see some fine examples of beings showing the diversity this entails. Devils and angels, modrons and slaadi, primers and planars. And these are the common folk of their respective worlds, fascinating but nowhere near as fantastic as powers such as gods or archfiends. (There is some shifting in the audience at being referred to as 'common folk'.) Now, don't get all uppety! Surely none among you can claim to be a Raziel or Primus? (A gelugon coughs.) Or a Bel. I am merely stating the magnificence of this place called home and all its awesome inhabitants. Yet with so many wondrous sentient beings cavorting across sanity, it is easy to overlook the lesser beings that inhabit our planes. You see- Ah, you have a question, sir? (chuckling) No I am not referring to clueless here in Sigil.(The audience laughs, save for a few primers who aren't amused or, more likely, don't understand.) No, my fellow folk, I am referring to all the lesser creatures living out here on the planes, the plants and animals. It often seems that they are not but minute details in the planes, but they are very important to the wonder of these worlds. Holding delicate and unique ecosystems and communities in place, they produce some of the true wonders that cannot be found anywhere on the Prime. And so, that is why I and other members of the Sigil Order of Wildlife Preservation have endeavored to make these lectures, to inform the public of but a few of the fascinating creatures dwelling on the planes. We hope to educate and entertain you. Normally we would bring specimens for display, but this certain lecture prohibits doing so. In light of recent public interest in the City of Glass, we have decided to make this lecture about cetaceans; whales, dolphins, and porpoises, all swimming across reality. Much field work was done to obtain this information. We owe much of what we know about celestial whales to a clan of helpful celestial darfellan that guided us through the River Oceanus, the Silver Sea of Heaven, and the lakes of Arcadia, to say nothing of Ossa on Arborea. Our assistance on fiendish cetaceans comes from several aquatic baatezu willing to guide us through the River Styx, as a well as a few yugoloths. (He says the last sentence with a look of absolute disgust on his bear-like face.) Note that we will not be discussing some of the more famous cetaceans of the planes, including sky-whales, deepsingers, Stygian Leviathans, or Dragon Whales. Now let us begin the lecture!: Devil Whales; These brutish creatures plow through the oceans of the Abyss and Baator. While they exist all over the Lower Planes, their territorial nature requires large amounts of space provided by the Abyssal Ocean and Stygia. Resembling cachalots to a degree, they share the same square head, a series of humps, and diving abilities. However, they are much much larger, bulls reaching up to eighty-five feet long. They also have a set of baleen plates covering their underside. More importantly is their dreadful mouth: the gaping orifice is huge and sets of teeth on the upper and lower jaw. Strangely, the teeth resemble the teeth of no other animal in creation, looking like horrible sharp rocks formed from ivory. These foul natured beasts are known to attack unprovoked, and frequently ram into ships and other aquatic life forms with glee. Fights between members of the species are common, especially bulls. They are said to feast on massive calamari, but then again, they seem to feast on everything! Be warned travelers, as these creatures earned their name well. Ship Scrapers: Dolphins native to the fiery seas of Infernum and Baator, these creatures were long thought to be sharks. Immune to fire unlike their prey, the idea stood for a long time until at last a carcass was examined. With a short snout full of large sharp teeth, a strangely curving fin and vicious disposition, it is no wonder these animals were mistaken for sharks. We now know that they are in fact no more than aggressive dolphins. Strangely, their discovery prompted a scientific rush to see what else dwells in the Fire Ocean of Infernum. Ranta: An unusual cetacean found across all planes. The species was originally a whale but over a period of time evolved into a ray-like shape. It is now not only an able swimmer, but also capable of flight, and does so frequently, skimming the air with its mouth open to capture microscopic air-borne plankton much like its aquatic cousins. Ice-Drillers: A sub-species of narwhal found in certain areas of the Plane of Ice. Female members of the species have one tusk, males have two. While not particularly unusual by themselves, it is fascinating to watch how they survive in such a hostile environment. River Dolphins: Found in both the Styx and the Oceanus, these river dolphins are nearly blind and have long, thin snouts. They are sometimes confused with icthyosaurs. They are one of the food sources for many residents close to the water on the Lower Planes. XXXXL-0198122 or Swimming Music Boxes: While not cetaceans per se, these constructs are worthy of mention. Originating in Mechanus, these mechanical animals are made to resemble clockwork whales. They earned their name due to a special device inside them that allows them to emit haunting songs. While originating in Mechanus, they migrated to Arcadia, dwelling in lakes and subsidiaries of the Oceanus. Now popular vacation spots on the planes include underwater keeps where the constructs reside, allowing tourists to listen to their beautiful songs. Floops: Porpoises native to Limbo, these fat cetaceans are covered in a thick green slime like a hag fish. They zoom through Limbo at breack-neck speeds leaving wakes of mucus in their paths. The only thing stopping them is either a pool of negative energy, or very large rocks. The slaadi seem to enjoy them, either as food, mounts, or competitors in a race. And that is all I have for you my audience. There are many more species of cetaceans across the planes, but I leave you to discover the rest. Come back next week when professor Zhuck will be discussing Praying Mantises of the planes.
Adrez Nesnsid 10-03-07, 07:23 PM	:bump: