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mockingbyrd7
2007-12-28, 03:35 PM
Hey all, I've got a question for you.

How would you stat a deer, a gazelle, a fawn, a stag, an elk, a caribou, etc. etc.?

I don't need these stats for anything in particular, I was just curious as to what your input would be, since the closest thing to these creatures I can find in the SRD is a Bison, which isn't very close in the first place.

Thanks in advance.

P.S. While we're at it, why not try statting some other real animals that aren't in the SRD too?

Lolzords
2007-12-28, 06:57 PM
That's a toughie, because animals of that type aren't in the monster manual because they just tend to run away instead of fight.

That said, I don't see why we need the stats for a toad or an owl, since toads cannot attack and an owl does 1d4-3 damage.

Bag_of_Holding
2007-12-28, 06:58 PM
That said, I don't see why we need the stats for a toad or an owl, since toads cannot attack and an owl does 1d4-3 damage.

Because Harry and Neville need 'em :smallamused:

Collin152
2007-12-28, 08:08 PM
Attacking? Psh! We needs stats for attacking them! Plus, we need the small ones for Baleful Polymorph!

Treguard
2007-12-28, 08:10 PM
I'm curious as to how a hippopotamus would stat out. Not too differently from the rhinoceros (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/rhinoceros.htm) I suppose.. Vicious buggers they are, too. I'm surprised they weren't in there already.

bluish_wolf
2007-12-28, 08:14 PM
Attacking? Psh! We needs stats for attacking them! Plus, we need the small ones for Baleful Polymorph!

The thing is, something that pathetic doesn't really need stats. Don't even bother rolling- you attack it, it dies.

kpenguin
2007-12-28, 08:17 PM
Someone should make an Animalia Codex or something.

Lemur
2007-12-28, 08:18 PM
They have caribou in Frostburn.

:P

KIDS
2007-12-28, 08:25 PM
Silver Marches (3.0 regional Forgotten Realms book) in its monsters section has Deer and Elk. They're pretty much like slightly nerfed horses and while some of their weapon entries are a bit innacurate, I found them quite reasonable.

Hallavast
2007-12-28, 08:27 PM
For a stag or an elk, just use the light horse stats and give it a primary antler attack and hoof secondary attacks.

For a deer or gazelle use the pony stats.

Problem solved.

Treguard
2007-12-28, 08:36 PM
But what about the skinks? THE SKINKS

Hallavast
2007-12-28, 08:38 PM
But what about the skinks? THE SKINKS

What the hell is a skink?

Nada Rakshasa
2007-12-28, 08:42 PM
I'm curious as to how a hippopotamus would stat out. Not too differently from the rhinoceros (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/rhinoceros.htm) I suppose.. Vicious buggers they are, too. I'm surprised they weren't in there already.

Apparently there's a hippopotamus and a dire version in the Sandstorm accessory.

Treguard
2007-12-28, 08:43 PM
What the hell is a skink?

skiiiiiiink

Hallavast
2007-12-28, 08:47 PM
skiiiiiiink

EPA! EEEPAAA!

Collin152
2007-12-28, 08:50 PM
The thing is, something that pathetic doesn't really need stats. Don't even bother rolling- you attack it, it dies.

Pah! With that kind of logic, suicide shouldn't require a roll!

Nada Rakshasa
2007-12-28, 08:51 PM
What the hell is a skink?

And a skink is a sort of lizard. Sometimes they lack legs.

Collin152
2007-12-28, 08:55 PM
Oh, yeah. i confused them with Minks. And... Ermines?

WhyBother
2007-12-29, 02:21 AM
For the record, there's an Elk stated out in Dragon #333's article on mounted druids (p87). without saying too much (or at least I hope not): CR 2, 3 HD, one gore and one hoof attack.

tyckspoon
2007-12-29, 02:23 AM
Apparently there's a hippopotamus and a dire version in the Sandstorm accessory.

There's also a hippopotamus-based PrC. It's.. rather silly.

horseboy
2007-12-29, 02:45 AM
Prior editions had them at 2 HD. Which made archery hunting near impossible. :smallannoyed:

John Campbell
2007-12-29, 03:40 AM
In prior editions, it didn't cost an arm and a leg just to be able to use your Strength bonus to damage with your bow, and a 1st level character could shoot two arrows per round, at full THAC0. Even with a 20 THAC0, an archer'd need only a little luck to drop a 2 HD deer in a single round.

Nowhere Girl
2007-12-29, 03:43 AM
Pah! With that kind of logic, suicide shouldn't require a roll!

Yesh, suicide in D&D is tough to pull off. You're not a helpless defender, so you can't coup de grace yourself. Also, if you're high level, you can easily shrug off dozens of knife wounds.

If all you have is a knife or similar weapon, you're basically relegated to stabbing yourself repeatedly until you finally hit negative hit points, then hoping you don't accidentally stabilize.

Luckily, no matter how hurt you are ... even if you're at 1 of 175 hit points ... as long as you have positive hit points, you don't weaken even slightly, so you can keep right on stabbing full-strength until you get there.

Getting back to the actual thread topic, I think that whatever you do for statting out the deer or gazelle, you should make one special one with obnoxiously powerful stats, so that it's the equivalent of a BBEG. An epic gazelle of doom.

Make it a memorable hunting trip!