D20 Modern Dinosaurs

[Alpha0010]

I am going to be running a Jurassic Park D20 Modern campaign. I have found the stats for a deinonychus, lizards (for small dinos), plesiosaur, pteradon, and t-rex. Does anyone know where to find the stats for any other kinds (maybe herbivores as well)?

[dgnslyr]

I think there's a healthy thread over in the Homebrew forums about making dinosaurs for DnD 3.5. You could start with that.

[Alpha0010]

Do you know what its called?

[hamishspence]

More Dinosaurs than Isla Nublar:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174998

[Quietus]

There's also a collection of additional dinosaurs in most monster manuals. I think it was MM5 that provided the Fleshraker, along with Swindlespitter and Battletitan. All nifty critters to throw around.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

A word of warning - my d20 modern gamers (both parties) were playing reasonably well kitted out 3rd level characters when three Deinonychuses TPKed them.
Same set up, both parties, different sessions. All dead.

[Alpha0010]

OK, thanks for the advice. I am planning on making it 4th level, and hopefully making them rely on avoiding fights if there is more that one or two dinosaurs at a time, since that fits better with the spirit of the books and movies.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

There are scaled-down versions of triceratops, ankylosaurus, and T-Rex in the Miniatures Handbook, known as "Cave Dinosaurs." If you made them Dire Cave Dinosaurs, perhaps it would undo the nerfing.:smalltongue:

[hamishspence]

Or just rename them as whatever fits the size category.

Cave Tyrannosaurus could become something smaller- maybe Gorgosaurus? that's one that might be at the top end of Large, rather than Huge.

[Ravens_cry]

It might even make sense for whoever did the reconstruction to make dwarf versions that are a) cheaper to feed and b) easier to keep under control. For most visitors, who cares if its a bit shorter, it's a freaking DINOSAUR.

[Alpha0010]

All these dinosaurs are D&D 3.5, right? Is there anything I have to do to convert to D20 Modern or are they ok? I think there is the massive damage threshold, how do I do that?

[LOTRfan]

I'm not very familiar with d20 modern, so I cannot help there. But if you are willing to convert them from 3.5e to d20 Modern, the list of D&D sources for Dinosaurs and dinosaur-like creatures are:

Sandstorm
Protoceratops
Werecrocodile
Giant Banded Lizard

Stormwrack
Plesiosaur
Archelon
Icthyosaur
Mosasaur

Monster Manual II (these are 3.0, so they'll need a little extra converting)
Cryptoclidus
Allosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Quetzalcoatlus
Spinosaurus
Seismosaurus
Dire Snake
Dire Toad

Epic Level Handbook
Prismasaurus (magical beast, probably not appropriate for what you have in mind)

Dragon Magazine #318
Compsognathus
Dimetrodon
Diplodocus
Parasaurolophus
Gianotosaurus
Helicoprion
Liopleurodon
Pachycephalosaurus
Pteranodon (this can also be used as tapejara, since they are medium instead of large like the other Pteranodon stats)
Rhamphorhynchus
Stegosaurus
Troödon

Eberron Campaign Setting
Velociraptor
Leaellynasaura
Pteranodon

Monster Manual III (none of these ever existed, but they are cool as "genetic experiments gone awry" or "what if dinosaurs continued to evolve past the mass extinction?" type monsters)
Battletitan
Swindlespitter
Bloodstriker
Fleshraker

Monster Manual/SRD
Deinonychus
Elamosaurus
Megaraptor
Triceratops
Tyrannosaurus

Fiend Folio
Ti-khana Deinonychus (templated creature, possibly not appropriate)

Miniatures Handbook
Cave Tyrannosaurus
Cave Ankylosaurus
Cave Triceratops

Serpent Kingdoms
Ceratosaurus
Stegosaurus
Pteranodon

[Alpha0010]

Actually, that list should help with the conversion, now that I remember that tyrannosaurus is in the Monster Manual and the D20 SRD, I can compare them (it looks like really the only difference is the masive damage threshold, they changed some ability scores a few points and aded 3 hit dice and CR, other than that they are the same) . Anyone else know of any other dinosaurs there are stats for? I found the More Dinosaurs Than Isla Nublar thread and the Dinosaur Menagerie thread on Wizards (just so you know what I already have).

[LOTRfan]

There are a bunch at the Creature Catalog at Enworld, but the majority of them are also statted out in Dinosaur Menagerie or the thread I made.

[Alpha0010]

Where is Enworld and the Creature Catalog? (link?)

[LOTRfan]

You do not know of the Creature Catalog? :smalleek: Quick, go there (http://creaturecatalog.enworld.org/) and revel in the beauty of hundreds of lame monsters converted to 3.Xe! :smalltongue:

[Alpha0010]

Thank you, that site looks like it has very useful tools. The EL calculator speciffically is very usefull, I have been wishing for one for a while now (although now that I think of it I never actually looked)

[Lyndworm]

Monster Manual II (these are 3.0, so they'll need a little extra converting)

Just so you know, there is an official update for MM2 available on the Wizards site for free.

[Alpha0010]

There is? I will have to find that tomorrow.

[Lyndworm]

Here you go: Linkies (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a)

[Alpha0010]

Yay! I need to do google searches on these things more I guess.

Also, on the topic of these dinosars, for the campaign they will be in, I plan on having the party being a documentary crew who is told they will be filming on a Costa Rican island, and they will know what to film when they get there. Also, I am trying to keep more in the spirit of the books than the movies, (spoiler relates to The Lost World book)but no prions, because then all the dinosaurs would be deadand so nothing that happened in the third movie happened for example. Any suggestions/new ideas/additions/etc?

[Rappy]

You want suggestions for your campaign? Okay, I'm not expert, but I can give a few.

Life in the rainforest is unforgiving; it is called "the Green Hell" for a reason. While you shouldn't push it to the point of oppressing your players, give focus to the parasites, disease, heat and humidity, corrosion (those weapon reliability rules from UltraModern Firearms weren't reprinted by Wizards of the Coast in d20 Weapons Locker for nothing), and just a generally unwelcoming environment.
The above said, also remember that there are human structures from when Isla Sorna was Site B. These can be both mood setters, impressive combat and chase scene set pieces, and places where the heroes can try to scavenge materials to help them survive.
Don't rely totally and utterly on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals as enemies; use them as setting pieces and sources of wonderment as well.
Similar to above, don't use such creatures as the only combatants, either. Perhaps have BioSyn attempt yet another expedition to Isla Sorna, and encounter the film crew and attempt to silence them with an old-fashioned "'disappear' them" approach.

[Alpha0010]

You want suggestions for your campaign? Okay, I'm not expert, but I can give a few.

Life in the rainforest is unforgiving; it is called "the Green Hell" for a reason. While you shouldn't push it to the point of oppressing your players, give focus to the parasites, disease, heat and humidity, corrosion (those weapon reliability rules from UltraModern Firearms weren't reprinted by Wizards of the Coast in d20 Weapons Locker for nothing), and just a generally unwelcoming environment.
The above said, also remember that there are human structures from when Isla Sorna was Site B. These can be both mood setters, impressive combat and chase scene set pieces, and places where the heroes can try to scavenge materials to help them survive.
Don't rely totally and utterly on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals as enemies; use them as setting pieces and sources of wonderment as well.
Similar to above, don't use such creatures as the only combatants, either. Perhaps have BioSyn attempt yet another expedition to Isla Sorna, and encounter the film crew and attempt to silence them with an old-fashioned "'disappear' them" approach.


I am definitely going to use a lot of that, thanks.
Also, Dogson was the head of "Reverse Engineering", not the whole company, right? The game is starting tomorrow next week (hopefully) so if anyone has something to add, please do so soon.

[Alpha0010]

Okay. The game has started. Turns out that raptors are no problem if you get 3 nat 20's in a row on one shot. (rolled 20, rolled 20 to confirm, rolled another 20 just for fun, rolled a 3). Cave tyrranosaurus is being used as allosaurus (which is not 50 feet tall).