Here's a Dinosaur Class/Race for you... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTimePost
aelryinth

01-15-07, 08:42 PM
Cross posted from my Savage Tide thread. I'm specifically using it for something the Allosaur Prince is starting down, but it should be able to be used easily with Clawfoots and Fastieth and the like for the Halflings.

Is funny, its a racial class for a section of 'monsters'...the perfect fit for this board!


War Raptor

This is the fifth in a series of classes I’ve made up for intelligent animals. Basically, the premise behind each class is training the animal to make maximum usage of its natural gifts and instincts, maximized by the fact that it is now intelligent.

The class is meant to be used in conjunction with the Awaken ability, or a similar spell/effect that grants sentience to an animal.

Guidelines on Awaken

An Awaken spell does the following to an animal:

Changes the type to Magical Beast (Augmented Animal). This changes HD to d10 (+1 Hp/HD), BAB to +1/Level
Roll 3d6 for Int, and 1d3 (or just +2) to Charisma. Wisdom is unchanged.

The animal can speak one language you know (but not read it), plus an additional language that you know for every bonus point of Int. It also evolves the ability to speak in a normal voice.

Electives: Giving the +2 HD is probably not necessary, given the extra HP from the die change. Note that a change to Magical Beast means that a lot of Druidic buff spells no longer work on an Awakened animal.

Retroactively raising the skill points to 2+Int for the animal is generous and hardly unbalancing if you are making the same assumption that it can speak a language.

The Animal Itself: It can basically be assumed that if you are going to Awaken an animal, you want a superior physical member of the species. This can be handled by simply assuming elite Ability scores (15, 14, 13) for the physical stats. This results in a +4, +4, and +2 to the Physical Stats, in whatever order you chose to apply them. War Raptor training assumes these bonuses are in place, either as a result of superior breeding, or because of the intensive training the Raptor is put through to bring out its physical talents.

1) Enlightening, Born of the Land, Warbeast
2) Uncanny Dodge (no Dex), Wisdom bonus to AC
3) Evasion, Favored Enemy I
4) Savage Attack +1d8, Raptor Feat
5) Uncanny Dodge (flanking)
6) Favored Enemy II
7) Raptor Prince, Raptor Feat
8) Savage Attack +2d8, Improved Evasion
9) Favored Enemy III
10) Raptor King, Raptor Feat

Progression: As Magical Beast or Dire Animal (Full BAB, all Good Saves, d10 HD)
Skill points: 4 +Int/level. As an Enlightened Beast, the Raptor receives a free Rank of Survival per Hit die.
Skills: Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Jump, Animal Empathy, Use Normal Device, Mounted, Climb, Swim, Sense Motive, Knowledge (Nature), Handle Animal
Bonus Feat: All Animals are assumed to have Scent, Low Light Vision.

Requirements: Awakened or otherwise sentient raptor-style dinosaur, former animal. Saurials or naturally intelligent anthropomorphic races do not qualify.

The Class could be adapted to some of the more aggressive herbivorous dinosaurs (triceratops, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs) without much trouble.

Enlightenment: This presupposes the Raptor is entering the class, and gains the default assumptions thereof. If it gained HD from being Awakened, it does not gain a HD for this level. The Raptor will generally have the alignment of its creator. It specifically is allowed to retroactively bring its skill points up to the full amount possible for its increased intelligence, using the War Raptor skill list, and the 2+Int typical of a Magical Beast.

Born of the Land: Druidic spells that specifically target animals can still affect the War Raptor. However, the War Raptor has no intrinsic magical ability, and cannot, for instance, learn how to become a spellcaster itself. Likewise, the affinity to natural magic is what makes learning about the land (Knowledge/Nature) a class skill.

If the War Raptor chooses to take a HD advancement without the class abilities applying, such is considered a Natural HD and will apply towards an eventual size increase.

War Raptors have an instinctual aversion to non-Animal beasts of all sorts, specifically those kinds with magical templates applied, and almost all magical beasts, and Dire animals. They regard such creatures as competition and unnatural, and typically react to them with hostility and rivalry. They tend to be rather protective of normal animals, even prey.

Warbeast: The War Raptor class presupposes the existence of a fighting regimen and training exercises developed specifically to advance the skills and natural gifts of bipedal predatory dinosaurs (and can be adapted to more aggressive herbivores if need be).

The War Raptor gains proficiency in the use of Warclaws, Dewclaws, Tailstars, and all forms of Barding. Furthermore, it gains a +2 Bonus to its Natural Armor Class.

Its natural feats are often trained away or upgraded during the course of its training, and it is taught how to comport itself in individual and group battle situations. If it takes the Mounted skill, it learns how to handle being Ridden and work with a rider.

Example: An Allosaurus has the basic feats Alertness, Run, Toughness and Track.

Warbeast training would drop the Alertness feat (additional skill ranks are used to replace it) for Improved Initiative. Run, a flight instinct feat, is replaced by Dash, which is more broadly useful. Toughness is replaced by Improved toughness, since the Allosaur always qualifies. Track is still useful. At 12 HD from the Awaken bonus, the new feat chosen is Improved Natural Attack (Bite), resulting in an increased Bite dmg from 2d8 to 3d8.

Uncanny Dodge: This is a predatory killing machine with enhanced senses and hardwired to fight, moreso then any barbarian or monk born. Uncanny Dodge exactly as the rogue class skill.

Wisdom Bonus to AC: When in light barding or no armor, the Raptor adds its Wisdom bonus, if any, to its AC. Monks, after all, learned their combat awareness from watching animals.

Evasion: Predatory Reflexes take over from rational thought. Exactly as per the Rogue ability.

Favored Enemy: Exactly as per the Ranger. The initial FE for a Raptor will almost always be Humanoids/X (if raised among such as a warbeast), Animals (if taken wild), or Magical Beasts or Aberrations (if Awakened from a companion beast of a ranger or druid).

While the later FE can vary, it must always be a creature type the Raptor has frequent contact with and reason to learn about. Given natural rivalry, it is logical to assume Magical Beasts and Animals are taken at first opportunities if otherwise, and then Aberrations out of pure revulsion if not.

Savage Attack: This is a bloodthirsty mixture of instinct and cunning fighting, and applies in any situation where Sneak Attack Damage or Skirmish Damage would. However, it does not stack with either type, nor qualify as either type for other benefits.

Raptor Feat: At these levels, the War Raptor gains a bonus feat or ability from the following list: Fast Movement (exactly as Barbarian), Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack (define which attack), Multiattack, Pounce, Swallow Whole, Awesome Blow, Trample, Improved Grapple, Improved Grab, Improved Bull Rush, Overrun, Mighty Natural Attack, Power Attack, Augmented Critical (define attack), Spring Attack, Rake, Rend, Tail Attack.

Raptor Prince: The War Raptor radiates an aura of command instantly perceptible to normal animals and to those with Wild Empathy. It can command a number of creatures of its own type (raptors) = to its HD+Cha as a standard action, effectively using Aid Another to assist them all, giving them orders with Animal Empathy (effectively, +2 TH or +2 AC). The Raptor Prince may not command predatory Dinosaurs with a higher HD then its own, and may not command dinosaur Herbivores with a HD higher then twice its own HD. Such animals as it commands must also have a base Friendly attitude to the Raptor Prince.

Raptor King: The number of animals the Raptor King can command doubles, and it specifically may command any Animal Prince, as well, regardless of Hit Dice limits (an Allosaur King can command a Tyrannosaur Prince). Attitudes must still be friendly, of course.


Equipment:

Warclaws, Dewclaws, Tailstars: These are simply natural add-ons strapped onto a Raptors normal attacks. They increase the effective size of the natural attack for foreclaws and legs by one size category, and can be enhanced magically.

Tailstars additionally can add a Tail attack if the Raptor does not have one, dmg = normal size +1.5x Str mod, that does blud/pierce dmg. If the Raptor has a Tail attack, dmg is also increased by one size category.

Dewclaws are characterized as Lesser Dewclaws (which do no damage increase, but may add other special types and effects, such as Cold Iron Dewclaws) and Greater Dewclaws (as Lesser, +which increase dmg by one size, but decrease speed by 10')

Skills


Mounted: The obverse of the Ride skill is available to intelligent creatures who serve as mounts. If they have at least 5 ranks, then once a round, they may make a Mounted check against an attack roll that has hit their rider…if successful, the rider takes no damage. They may also make a Mounted check DC 20 to allow a rider to mount as a free action.

If the Rider has at least 5 Ranks in Ride, the mount gets a +2 synergy bonus to their Mounted checks. If these numbers are 15 ranks, this bonus rises to +4. The obverse is true for ranks of Mounted, benefiting skilled riders.

When making saving throws against effects that encompass or target Mount and Rider, the better of either’s saves may be used to save against the effect. The lower bonus to synergy from ranks of Mounted/Ride applies as a circumstance bonus to this save.

Note that Mounted is Wis related…it’s more important to be able to move with and predict the activities of the rider then be nimble and balanced…that’s the rider’s job.


Use Normal Device: this is the art of using human-designed gear with jaws and paws. Animals with this skill can open doorknobs as a standard action (DC 15), a free action (DC 25), saw thru ropes with a dagger in the teeth (DC 15, slowly, DC 20 as a standard) or slowly hunt and peck and type out a letter on your computer like a one-fingered human (DC 30). Animals with prehensile paws receive a +10 bonus on this skill. Note that they must still figure out or be shown how to use them…this skill is more about manipulation then experimentation.

Use Normal Device checks allow animals to put on their own custom barding/armor, or help another animal to do the same, and similar feats.

Raptors, with fairly agile claws, receive a +5 bonus on any checks with something they can readily manipulate in their foreclaws.


Handle Animal: Used mostly for herding purposes, a check to herd horses, sheep or ankylosaurs of DC 15 is much easier then the check to communicate with them (Animal Empathy, DC 25)

Animal Empathy: Used to communicate with other animals, as well as alter initial reactions. A DC 5 check is enough to relate simple warnings (Fire! Enemy!), with progressively higher checks conveying greater meanings. A DC 25 check with a similarly intelligent animal is virtually talking even if one or the other party cannot ‘speak’.

This use of the skill is penalized for –5 if not talking to a member of the same type (raptor to canine, etc), –10 if across prey types (herbivore to carnivore) or –15 to Men or other non-animal bipeds. If both parties have Animal Empathy (5 ranks), they gain a +4 bonus on the checks.

Learn Language: An Enlightened animal can spend one point to learn a verbal language, and then another point to learn its written form. An animal gains a +2 bonus to Sense Motive checks against a being whose language it understands, since they pay considerably more attention to body language then most bipeds do.

Unlike humans, Enlightened animals don’t learn languages they aren’t regularly exposed to, and don’t have intellectual aspirations. Trying to teach a War Raptor Celestial basically wastes a lot of time if the Raptor isn’t around devas or in a church where services are held in the tongue…and it’s not addressed regularly in that language.

==+Aelryinth
aelryinth

01-18-07, 03:36 AM
44 views and not one comment? I am bereaved! I thought a class for intelligent dinosaurs would spark some more interest. Heh!

===Aelryinth
goblin_pride

01-18-07, 09:25 AM
44 views and not one comment? I am bereaved! I thought a class for intelligent dinosaurs would spark some more interest. Heh!

We had those before, they're called lizardmen.
aelryinth

01-18-07, 07:32 PM
We had those before, they're called lizardmen.

That's a rather petty slam, I don't equate an intelligent Allosaurus with lizardmen. Lizardmen are anthropomorphic creatures...an intelligent fastieth is something quite different.

===Aelryinth
Bruize

01-24-07, 10:08 AM
I think the concept is deffinately interesting. It may belong in Xendrik or Argonessen rather than the Talenta Plains with the halflings though. The thought of intelligent beasts of burden that can talk back is humorous and could be handy though.
The Ubbergeek

04-25-07, 07:31 PM
If I were you, I'd just take the Saurial race(s) of Forgotten Realms, and Eberronize it. Those guys are cool, they are given a 3,X treatment in the web enhancement of the "Serpent Kingdoms" books.

Heck, they are said to come from another world....
Nundahl

04-25-07, 10:48 PM
It's a great concept, I'm not sure I'm sold on it yet ... but I'll continue juggling it in my head. Otherwise, very neat, and certainly worthwhile if you're running a lot of Awakened creatures. As for Goblin Pride ... I think he was giving you a hard time ... not so much a petty slam. Besides, he's a goblin just give him a good punt and he'll fly ;) I'm so going to get a "slam" from him now ... hehe
Poison_Dusk

04-25-07, 11:10 PM
You should take a look at the race in my sig, for a slighlty meaner surial.