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Mojake
2014-11-29, 11:06 AM
I'm looking at doing a couple of sessions for my group based on an adventure in Isla Sorna (Jurassic Park).

There will be combat with other human soldiers, as well as a few dinosaurs. However, I want the dinosaur fights to be hard, and would rather my players run than fight. Which system should I use to run this? We've already played D20 Modern before, so are familiar. Same with 3.5e.

If there is a better system to use, what would it be? Since it's only a few sessions, we don't want to be learning a very rule-heavy system. Savage Worlds seems easy enough, but is there anything better?

p.s. If anybody has any good ideas of things to include in the sessions by the way; it would be massively appreciated.:smallcool:

daemonaetea
2014-11-29, 12:27 PM
I really like Savage Worlds, but in my experience it doesn't seem to do what you want to do with the dinosaurs very well. Due to the acing system, it's way too easy for big encounters to be one shotted, which isn't exactly the flavor you're going for. At this point, anytime a single strong enemy shows up my players are more likely to treat it as a "keep alive until someone aces up to stupid big damage" battle than a "run away, we can't win" battle. You probably could use house or setting rules with Savage Worlds to get what you want, but I think d20 handles that situation better by default.

Tarlek Flamehai
2014-11-29, 02:15 PM
If you come to a time when you don't mind learning a new rules system, and you want to make your players out-think/out-run more often, go GURPS. They play smart, including running when required, or they die. It's also a point-based system where you build any character you like, no need to be shoe-horned into someone else's "class" vision.

Knaight
2014-12-01, 02:30 PM
Fudge should work pretty well. It specifically includes a stat called Scale, which is based on mass (and an exponential function) - this lets it handle things of dramatically different sizes really easily, and it also gives a substantial advantage to larger creatures. It's also fairly rules light, and easy to learn.

Solaris
2014-12-04, 10:11 AM
I think d20 Modern with the VP/WP variant from Unearthed Arcana could handle this fairly well.
At least, it did when I ran a similar campaign with my brother.

I would have the characters be about 3rd-5th level, so they're out of the "Every combat is a game of rocket tag" phase of d20 Modern but aren't yet into the superheroics stage. A tyrannosaur is still a very, very credible threat to them and while they could conceivably beat it with luck and preparation (and really big guns), if it catches them off-guard it'll eat them all.
Which is exactly how it should be.

This is the stats for the tyrannosaur I used with my game, 'cause I really, really don't like how they did T. rex in either the MM or d20 Modern. I'm pushing tyrannosaur so much on account of it being archetypal to the films, right along with the velociraptors, as the main threatening force. While the movies never really had the heroes vanquish the rex, however, I think it might be cool to have your party actually defeat the thing in the end, perhaps as the climax right before they escape Isla Sorna.

Tyrannosaur
Huge (-2) Animal
Hit Dice: 12d8+96 (150 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft (10 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+29
Attack: Bite +20 melee (3d8+18)
Full Attack: Bite +20 melee (3d8+18)
Space/Reach: 15ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Gaping charge, improved grab, swallow whole, worry 6d6+18
Special Qualities: Ferocity, keen scent, low-light vision, lumbering
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +11, Will +8
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 16, Con 26, Int 1, Wis 15, Cha 11
Skills: Hide -2, Listen +11, Move Silently +10, Spot +11, Survival +9
Feats: Alertness, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bite)

Environment: Warm forests, marsh, and plains
Activity Cycle: Late afternoon and early evening.
Diet: Carnivore
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 11 (nonheroic 5)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 13-17 HD (Huge), 18-24 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: -

Some of the largest land predators ever, tyrannosaurs are around thirty to forty feet long from nose to tailtip and about thirteen feet tall at the hip with a hefty bulk of about six tons. Particularly old, robust specimens can be forty-three feet long with a weight of eight tons. They have enormous heads, with gaping maws easily large enough to swallow a man whole and teeth the size of daggers. The tyrannosaur has small, almost vestigial forelimbs and large hind legs with talons like those of a predatory bird. The tyrannosaur's tail offsets the weight of its head, sticking out stiff and straight behind it. Its skin is thick and leathery with pebbly scales that protect tyrannosaurs both from each other and from their prey. Their skin is a dark grey-green with a tan underside and lower jaw. Adult males have bright red markings on the face and running down the back, sometimes even so much as tiger-like stripes. Females tend to be larger and more territorial than males, though the males are nomadic that often come into contact with villages and caravans. A female's territory is around ten or fifteen square miles, while a male tyrannosaur's territory can sprawl around fifty square miles. Tyrannosaurs are usually solitary hunters, but mate for life and will raise their chicks for the first couple of years. A tyrannosaur chick is the size of a grown man by the time it's four years old, and nestmates will hunt as a pack until they're adults at about sixteen years old. Unlike adults, juvenile tyrannosaurs are much more active hunters.
Tyrannosaurs ordinarily prey on carrion, stealing kills from smaller predators. Generally, the tyrannosaur steals the kill by charging in, using its massive maw as a fanged axe to dismember the smaller predator before settling down to eat both carcasses. They do not turn down the opportunity for a more lively meal if it presents itself, including humanoids. Unlike most predators, tyrannosaurs have absolutely no fear of civilized creatures and will plow into a farmer's village as eagerly plow into his herds. They hunt around sundown, but rarely after dark except during the full moon when they go on a veritable feeding frenzy. In lands where tyrannosaurs hunt, the full moon is a particularly terrifying time of the month. A single tyrannosaur requires about eight hundred pounds of meat a month, and one who has recently consumed a hundred pounds or more of meat will generally ignore anything smaller than another tyrannosaur or an elephant, much preferring to sit and digest its meal.


Combat
Tyrannosaurs are ambush predators, striking without warning and using their surprising speed and stealth to ambush prey. They strike using Power Attack with their Gaping Charge ability, then snatch their prey up and attempt to swallow it whole. If that fails, the tyrannosaur will worry the prey until it swallows its victim.

Ferocity (Ex): A tyrannosaur is so tenacious a creature that it fights without penalty even when disabled or dying.

Gaping Charge (Ex): A tyrannosaur deals 6d8+24 damage with a critical of 19-20/x3 when it charges with its bite attack.

Improved Grab (Ex): In order to use this ability, a tyrannosaur must hit an opponent with its bite attack. If it successfully gets a hold, it can worry or swallow its opponent whole.

Keen Scent (Ex): A tyrannosaur can detect scents at ten times the normal ranges, carrion and other powerful scents at up to three miles away. It can pinpoint opponents down to a 5-ft square, though they may still have concealment due to darkness.

Lumbering (Ex): A tyrannosaur's body design is ill-suited for swift movement, and thus it cannot take a run action. A tyrannosaur can still take a double move action.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A tyrannosaurus can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of up to two sizes smaller by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 2d8+12 points of bludgeoning damage and 8 points of acid damage per round from the tyrannosaur's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 12). The tyrannosaur must succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude save or die from the internal trauma. Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.
A tyrannosaurus's gizzard can hold 2 Medium, 8 Small, 32 Tiny, or 128 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

Worry (Ex): Each round a tyrannosaurus maintains a grapple, it shakes its prey violently and tears at it with clawed arms and feet, dealing 6d6+9 points of damage.

Skills: Surprisingly stealthy for their size, tyrannosaurus gain a +8 racial bonus on all Hide checks made in a marsh or forest and a +4 racial bonus on all Move Silently checks. They also receive a +4 racial bonus on all Listen, Spot and Survival checks.

Tyrannosaur, juvenile
Medium (+0) Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+20 (38 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft (8 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+9
Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+6)
Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (1d8+6) and 2 claws +4 melee (1d4+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Improved grab, swallow whole, worry 2d6+9
Special Qualities: Ferocity, low-light vision, improved scent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 16, Con 20, Int 1, Wis 15, Cha 11
Skills: Hide +5, Listen +10, Move Silently +8, Spot +10, Survival +8
Feats: Alertness, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Iron Will

Environment: Warm forests, marsh, and plains
Activity Cycle: Late afternoon and early evening.
Diet: Carnivore
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (2-8)
Challenge Rating: 4 (nonheroic 3)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5-8 (Medium); 9-12 (Large)
Level Adjustment: -

A juvenile tyrannosaur fights much like an adult, save there tend to be more of them. Packs tend to get smaller as they age, both from fatalities and from the larger members splitting off to carve out their own territories. Males split off at a younger age than females, and once the last males are gone the females fight to the death to claim the pack's remaining territory. Unlike the adults, juveniles are small enough that they can run down their prey.

hamishspence
2014-12-04, 10:20 AM
In the book I think they actually manage to knock it out with a sleep dart at least once.

Inevitability
2014-12-04, 10:45 AM
In the book I think they actually manage to knock it out with a sleep dart at least once.

That's called critically failing a fortitude save. :smallwink:

Joe the Rat
2014-12-10, 12:23 PM
I really like Savage Worlds, but in my experience it doesn't seem to do what you want to do with the dinosaurs very well. Due to the acing system, it's way too easy for big encounters to be one shotted, which isn't exactly the flavor you're going for. At this point, anytime a single strong enemy shows up my players are more likely to treat it as a "keep alive until someone aces up to stupid big damage" battle than a "run away, we can't win" battle. You probably could use house or setting rules with Savage Worlds to get what you want, but I think d20 handles that situation better by default.

Speaking to Savage Worlds, I happened to have played in this scenario, merged with an 80's action franchise, so we were loaded for bear. Sniper Aced big time and took out the T-Rex in one shot, before the rest of the group even knew she was there. Our GM was sad.

It will depend on your setup. Combat-focused characters will have an easier time of it, more technical types will certainly want to run. Lack of weapons will definitely tip the balance. Go easy on the brownie points - it's easier to be badass when you have a stack of plot armor to spend.

D20 Modern will run a bit grittier, particularly at low levels.