Babies?

[sambouchah]

I've been DM for some time now in my main group and am now about to receive a much needed break! I've been wondering about Baby animals and how to create them. I would like to start the game(which will be from level one on) with an Elephant or Triceratops, maybe even a Dire Bear. But I don't know how to get one at level 1. I think the DM would allow me to raise one from a baby if I could come up with how to determine stats and such.
Any suggestions on where to start or how to go about this at all?

Thanks for any help!

[Phelix-Mu]

Refluff another similar animal (small lizard for baby triceratops, or maybe a dog, large dog for an elephant or something). Keep in mind, baby animals of many stripes are practically helpless, and many remain less-than-effective right up until they are pretty much full sized.

[sambouchah]

Refluff another similar animal (small lizard for baby triceratops, or maybe a dog, large dog for an elephant or something). Keep in mind, baby animals of many stripes are practically helpless, and many remain less-than-effective right up until they are pretty much full sized.

Yeah that's part of why I wanted a baby. Something to protect as well as be companionship. I have the DM convinced to let me have it age as it gains bonus HD from druid as a part of some ritual I did in my back story.

[Phelix-Mu]

One of the Dragon Magazines out there introduced rules for "pets" as I recall. Not sure which, but it may include some stats for small animals or rules for how your DM should handle animals that are valued companions, but maybe not the bees' knees of combat.

[Grim Portent]

I've been wondering about Baby animals and how to create them.

Well, I guess it's time for that little talk. First you need a mummy animal and a daddy animal who love each other very much. Then the mummy and daddy animal [CENSORED]. Sometimes they may even buy special equipment so that they can [CENSORED]. On rare occasions they may invite friends round so they can [EXTRA-CENSORED]. But generally they'll just have a fight and then make up for it by [CENSORED]. :smalltongue:

On the more serious side, there are no official rules for stuff like this I think, so just go with the above posters suggestion to find a similar animal that's smaller and weaker and advance it by hit die until it hits the minimum for the creature it's meant to be.

[MonochromeTiger]

use stat changes by age (as shown in some open source stuff), restat it to a smaller size and change the damage values on its natural attacks to reflect this, then add a HUGE handle animal penalty to it that goes away as it ages because babies really don't listen. also describe it in the most caustically cute way you can so the DM doesn't immediately sic a dragon on it when the fight starts.

[Elderand]

If it has stats they will kill it. I suspect this is why babies and children in general have no official stats.

You could reduce hd and size to get a younger version of any given thing I expect.

[MonochromeTiger]

If it has stats they will kill it. I suspect this is why babies and children in general have no official stats.

You could reduce hd and size to get a younger version of any given thing I expect.

...wait you wait for something to be statted before killing it? my group just attacks till things die.

[Elderand]

...wait you wait for something to be statted before killing it? my group just attacks till things die.

If it has no stats you have no way of killing it outside of DM fiat

[Brookshw]

...wait you wait for something to be statted before killing it? my group just attacks till things die.

Have fun with The Lady!

[Slipperychicken]

...wait you wait for something to be statted before killing it? my group just attacks till things die.

Once it's in the game already (i.e. when you're making the decision as a PC to kill it) then it either already has stats or the GM is bull****ting the stats.

[Coidzor]

I've been DM for some time now in my main group and am now about to receive a much needed break! I've been wondering about Baby animals and how to create them. I would like to start the game(which will be from level one on) with an Elephant or Triceratops, maybe even a Dire Bear. But I don't know how to get one at level 1. I think the DM would allow me to raise one from a baby if I could come up with how to determine stats and such.
Any suggestions on where to start or how to go about this at all?

Thanks for any help!

You're going to try to make a baby fight and kill for you? :smallconfused::smalleek: Dangit, that was just supposed to be a joke about the weirdness of Pathfinder animal companions.

[MonochromeTiger]

You're going to try to make a baby fight and kill for you? :smallconfused::smalleek: Dangit, that was just supposed to be a joke about the weirdness of Pathfinder animal companions.

you mock now, but baby animal companions are perfectly valid and the effectiveness of death-tusk stomp-snuggle should not be questioned.

[Elderand]

You're going to try to make a baby fight and kill for you? :smallconfused::smalleek: Dangit, that was just supposed to be a joke about the weirdness of Pathfinder animal companions.

I know I would if I could, an army of killer babies sound awesome.

[AstralFire]

Have fun with The Lady!

The Lady of Pain is the cherry atop my foamy distaste for Planescape. She's DM Fiat at its worst, most toddleresque expression. "This doesn't have to make sense, she just operates this way! Don't question it! STOP QUESTIONING IT OR IT WILL MAKE YOU BLEED!"

[Phelix-Mu]

You're going to try to make a baby fight and kill for you? :smallconfused::smalleek: Dangit, that was just supposed to be a joke about the weirdness of Pathfinder animal companions.

Was waiting for memories of that other thread to crop up in the collective GitP mind. The thread I am thinking of got quite pedantic (no insult to the various participants...I was very impressed by the level of discourse and the *ahem* length).

I am not familiar with the finer points of the PF Druid and AC, so I can't really comment either way. But the whole matter of baby animals fighting is so amusing that I almost am forced to link some Monty Python content.

But I digress. I really wish it was easier to have actual pets in the game that weren't doomed to either be a.) abandoned at HQ for weeks at a time or b.) splattered ingloriously by some baddy looking to antagonize the pc.

[Coidzor]

I know I would if I could, an army of killer babies sound awesome.

Oh, sure, if you have an army of them, then you can have baby swarms. Killer Baby Swarms. With their little tiny fists of rage. And a great explanation for how they cause nausea.


you mock now, but baby animal companions are perfectly valid and the effectiveness of death-tusk stomp-snuggle should not be questioned.

Baby elephants don't have tusks. :smalltongue:

[Skysaber]

Quintessential Human has rules on characters having children, and raising their offspring. They'd be fairly easy to adapt.

The rule you are probably most interested in:

"A child’s eventual ability scores are determined at birth (see below). As newborn infants, they have ability scores of 1 in all respects. Every year, their ability scores increase by 1 until they reach their eventual ability score, at which point they no longer increase."

[sambouchah]

Quintessential Human has rules on characters having children, and raising their offspring. They'd be fairly easy to adapt.

The rule you are probably most interested in:

"A child’s eventual ability scores are determined at birth (see below). As newborn infants, they have ability scores of 1 in all respects. Every year, their ability scores increase by 1 until they reach their eventual ability score, at which point they no longer increase."

I haven't actually looked through my copy of Quintessential Human too much. Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the input, all!

[Slipperychicken]

The rule you are probably most interested in:

"A child’s eventual ability scores are determined at birth (see below). As newborn infants, they have ability scores of 1 in all respects. Every year, their ability scores increase by 1 until they reach their eventual ability score, at which point they no longer increase."

Doesn't that clash with default starting ages for classes when a character has a higher starting ability score than his age in years?

[Coidzor]

Doesn't that clash with default starting ages for classes when a character has a higher starting ability score than his age in years?

Yes. But it's for humans, so you're a bit hard-pressed to get a character younger than 18. Now races with ability score bonuses and similar to human or faster than human maturation, it doesn't work for.

[MonochromeTiger]

Yes. But it's for humans, so you're a bit hard-pressed to get a character younger than 18. Now races with ability score bonuses and similar to human or faster than human maturation, it doesn't work for.

I don't see why, human starting age is lower than that, the only reason someone would absolutely need 18 or older is to justify trying to sleep wi- ooooooooooh now I see...I hate people.

[Coidzor]

I don't see why, human starting age is lower than that, the only reason someone would absolutely need 18 or older is to justify trying to sleep wi- ooooooooooh now I see...I hate people.

If your Wizard has less than 18 Int, they might as well just stay home.

[MonochromeTiger]

If your Wizard has less than 18 Int, they might as well just stay home.

I'm not certain I really like that system for statting anyway, it doesn't take personal growth into account and treats all ability scores as though you grow into them, I've seen children outsmart their parents, I've seen children direct people better than someone trained to do so.. just seems a bit restrictive.

[AstralFire]

I'm not certain I really like that system for statting anyway, it doesn't take personal growth into account and treats all ability scores as though you grow into them, I've seen children outsmart their parents, I've seen children direct people better than someone trained to do so.. just seems a bit restrictive.

It's a set of guidelines for rule-of-thumb general progression, not a biology text.

[Skysaber]

I'm not certain I really like that system for statting anyway, it doesn't take personal growth into account and treats all ability scores as though you grow into them, I've seen children outsmart their parents, I've seen children direct people better than someone trained to do so.. just seems a bit restrictive.

As with all D&D, first the general rules get established, THEN you add modifiers. And I only quoted a tiny portion of that section.

[MonochromeTiger]

As with all D&D, first the general rules get established, THEN you add modifiers. And I only quoted a tiny portion of that section.

fair enough, I seem to be stating things instead of mentioning opinions anyway, I really should be less combative..