Adamantrue
2012-10-11, 02:34 PM
I should note that I am now aware of the WoW Battle Ram, but this idea was brewed up independently, ignorant of its existence until recently. So it probably doesn't reflect that concept, if that's what you are looking for, because it isn't meant to.
Anyways, I wanted to distinguish some of my races/cultures from each other, and one of the first things on my list was to have alternative mundane mounts/beasts of burden for various races. I thought a Ram could be a good choice for my Gnomes & Dwarves, as they generally share similar environments.
Of course, I haven't come across any published versions, so I had to make one. It occurred to me that I could start by downgrading a Bison a size category, and get in the right general ballpark.
SRD Bison, for reference: Bison
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+15 (37 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (-1 size, +4 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+13
Attack: Gore +8 melee (1d8+9)
Full Attack: Gore +8 melee (1d8+9)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Stampede
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Endurance
Environment: Temperate plains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 6-7 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -
Stampede (Ex): A frightened herd of bison flees as a group in a random direction (but always away from the perceived source of danger). They literally run over anything of Large size or smaller that gets in their way, dealing 1d12 points of damage for each five bison in the herd (Reflex DC 18 half). The save DC is Strength-based.
OK, so now a simple downgrade & refluff: "Ram"
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Butt +5 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Butt +5 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Stampede
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Endurance
Environment: Temperate hills or mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 6-7 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
Stampede (Ex): A frightened herd of rams flees as a group in a random direction (but always away from the perceived source of danger). They literally run over anything of Medium size or smaller that gets in their way, dealing 1d10 points of damage for each five rams in the herd (Reflex DC 14 half). The save DC is Strength-based.
We have something that can work in a pinch, but doesn't really feel like a Ram. And as far as game mechanics go, its a little too tough & hits just a little too hard for CR 1, but is underpowered for CR 2.
The reason I wanted to go with a Ram is for something a little more sure-footed in mountainous terrain, a little more exotic than a horse but not at all alien. Something that would make sense to be domesticated as more of a workhorse for Gnomes & Dwarves.
So, I'm going to start by adding a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks in rocky terrain, and increasing its Strength by +2. Stampede doesn't seem appropriate, so I'll drop that. To compensate, I'm going to focus the Feats more, going with Power Attack & Improved Bull Rush.
So, the final result:
Heavy Ram
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
Attack: Butt +6 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Butt +6 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Balance +5*, Climb +8*, Listen +5, Jump +8*, Spot +3
Feats: Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate hills or mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 5-7 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
A ram cannot fight while carrying a rider.
Combat
A ram's butt attack is treated as a two-handed weapon for the purpose of Power Attack.
Skills
A ram has a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks in rocky terrain.
Carrying Capacity
A light load for a ram is up to 114 pounds; a medium load, 115-229 pounds; and a heavy load, 230-345 pounds. A ram can drag 1,725 pounds.
Gnomes may ride rams, but Dwarves and Gnomes generally ride in carts behind a team of rams.
Not exactly happy about the way I worded those last two points, and I'm not sure whether I listed the Skill correctly. But altogether, that looks about right.
But wait, that was just the normal animal. What about the mount?
Battleram
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (39 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+8
Attack: Butt +8 melee (1d6+6)
Full Attack: Butt +8 melee (1d6+6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Push
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Balance +5*, Climb +9*, Listen +5, Jump +9*, Spot +3
Feats: Cometary Collision, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate hills or mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 3
Advancement: 7-8 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
A battleram can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check.
Combat
A battleram's butt attack is treated as a two-handed weapon for the purpose of Power Attack.
Push [Ex]: A battleram that hits with a butt attack can attempt to bull rush the opponent 5 ft as a free action.
Skills
A battleram has a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks in rocky terrain.
Carrying Capacity
A light load for a battleram is up to 150 pounds; a medium load, 151-300 pounds; and a heavy load, 301-450 pounds. A battleram can drag 2,250 pounds.
Gnomes may ride a battleram, but Dwarves and Gnomes generally ride in chariots behind a team of battlerams.
I still have a few questions about this. First...did I do my math right?
I dunno how to figure out some things. Price for one, and then there is figuring out how they fit in the whole Animal Companion/Special Mount scheme.
Anyways, I wanted to distinguish some of my races/cultures from each other, and one of the first things on my list was to have alternative mundane mounts/beasts of burden for various races. I thought a Ram could be a good choice for my Gnomes & Dwarves, as they generally share similar environments.
Of course, I haven't come across any published versions, so I had to make one. It occurred to me that I could start by downgrading a Bison a size category, and get in the right general ballpark.
SRD Bison, for reference: Bison
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+15 (37 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (-1 size, +4 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+13
Attack: Gore +8 melee (1d8+9)
Full Attack: Gore +8 melee (1d8+9)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Stampede
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Endurance
Environment: Temperate plains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 6-7 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -
Stampede (Ex): A frightened herd of bison flees as a group in a random direction (but always away from the perceived source of danger). They literally run over anything of Large size or smaller that gets in their way, dealing 1d12 points of damage for each five bison in the herd (Reflex DC 18 half). The save DC is Strength-based.
OK, so now a simple downgrade & refluff: "Ram"
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Butt +5 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Butt +5 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Stampede
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +7, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Endurance
Environment: Temperate hills or mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 6-7 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
Stampede (Ex): A frightened herd of rams flees as a group in a random direction (but always away from the perceived source of danger). They literally run over anything of Medium size or smaller that gets in their way, dealing 1d10 points of damage for each five rams in the herd (Reflex DC 14 half). The save DC is Strength-based.
We have something that can work in a pinch, but doesn't really feel like a Ram. And as far as game mechanics go, its a little too tough & hits just a little too hard for CR 1, but is underpowered for CR 2.
The reason I wanted to go with a Ram is for something a little more sure-footed in mountainous terrain, a little more exotic than a horse but not at all alien. Something that would make sense to be domesticated as more of a workhorse for Gnomes & Dwarves.
So, I'm going to start by adding a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks in rocky terrain, and increasing its Strength by +2. Stampede doesn't seem appropriate, so I'll drop that. To compensate, I'm going to focus the Feats more, going with Power Attack & Improved Bull Rush.
So, the final result:
Heavy Ram
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
Attack: Butt +6 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Butt +6 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Balance +5*, Climb +8*, Listen +5, Jump +8*, Spot +3
Feats: Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate hills or mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 2
Advancement: 5-7 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
A ram cannot fight while carrying a rider.
Combat
A ram's butt attack is treated as a two-handed weapon for the purpose of Power Attack.
Skills
A ram has a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks in rocky terrain.
Carrying Capacity
A light load for a ram is up to 114 pounds; a medium load, 115-229 pounds; and a heavy load, 230-345 pounds. A ram can drag 1,725 pounds.
Gnomes may ride rams, but Dwarves and Gnomes generally ride in carts behind a team of rams.
Not exactly happy about the way I worded those last two points, and I'm not sure whether I listed the Skill correctly. But altogether, that looks about right.
But wait, that was just the normal animal. What about the mount?
Battleram
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (39 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+8
Attack: Butt +8 melee (1d6+6)
Full Attack: Butt +8 melee (1d6+6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Push
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Balance +5*, Climb +9*, Listen +5, Jump +9*, Spot +3
Feats: Cometary Collision, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate hills or mountains
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 3
Advancement: 7-8 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
A battleram can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check.
Combat
A battleram's butt attack is treated as a two-handed weapon for the purpose of Power Attack.
Push [Ex]: A battleram that hits with a butt attack can attempt to bull rush the opponent 5 ft as a free action.
Skills
A battleram has a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Climb, and Jump checks in rocky terrain.
Carrying Capacity
A light load for a battleram is up to 150 pounds; a medium load, 151-300 pounds; and a heavy load, 301-450 pounds. A battleram can drag 2,250 pounds.
Gnomes may ride a battleram, but Dwarves and Gnomes generally ride in chariots behind a team of battlerams.
I still have a few questions about this. First...did I do my math right?
I dunno how to figure out some things. Price for one, and then there is figuring out how they fit in the whole Animal Companion/Special Mount scheme.