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Frosty
2008-08-20, 02:38 PM
If someone wishes to take these as alternate familiars, what animals would you say they're closest to so we can use them stat-wise?

Bunny
Penguin
Koala Bear
Panda

Recaiden
2008-08-20, 02:49 PM
Panda could share stats with a brown bear and act differently

Koala: Stat it as a badger with no rage and a climb speed?

Bunny:
Rabbit
Size/Type: Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1/4D8 (1 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), Burrow 5 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–12
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3–4)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3–4)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent,
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2
Skills: Balance +10, Hide +16, Move Silently +12
Feats: Stealthy, Weapon FinesseB
Environment: Any
Organization:
Challenge Rating: 1/8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —


Penguin: Raven? Lizard that swims instead of climbing and balancing?

Frosty
2008-08-20, 02:56 PM
Act *very* differently I'd imagine. I get the image that Pandas are extremely non-combattive and weak. Can't protect themselves worth a damn.

Bunny seems a *tad* weak for a familiar...

Fostire
2008-08-20, 03:11 PM
Act *very* differently I'd imagine. I get the image that Pandas are extremely non-combattive and weak. Can't protect themselves worth a damn.

Bunny seems a *tad* weak for a familiar...

:smallconfused: I thought pandas were really aggressive.

TwoBitWriter
2008-08-20, 03:20 PM
From what I have seen from nature documentaries, all pandas can do is eat, look cute, and fall over.

AKA_Bait
2008-08-20, 03:22 PM
:smallconfused: I thought pandas were really aggressive.

I think you are thinking of Koala's. Those little buggers are MEAN.

Jimp
2008-08-20, 03:25 PM
:smallconfused: I thought pandas were really aggressive.

They can be, bust most have grown placid and lazy from munching bamboo.

Gaiwecoor
2008-08-20, 03:33 PM
Bunny seems a *tad* weak for a familiar...

I've heard somewhere (I don't know the source) that a Rabbit should use the Cat familiar statistics. As for the rest .. No clue. :smallconfused:

AKA_Bait
2008-08-20, 03:33 PM
Also, I seem to remember there being a whole long thread in the homebrew section with lots of different animals that were not statted out in the MM's. I'll link it if I find it.

TheThan
2008-08-20, 03:34 PM
I recall one of those generic “worlds most astonishing videos” tv shows where a guy visiting a Chinese zoo was leaning up against the panda exhibit (it was a cage) smoking.
One of the pandas walked over to him (he was obviously enjoying his smoke cause he was oblivious to the bear), reach through the bars and CLAWED HIM IN THE BACK. Ripping through his denim jacket and nearly pulling him into the cage (through the bars mind you). It took four or five guys to get him away from the cute little panda bear, he had to be rushed to a hospital and apparently needed a serious amount of stitches (don’t recall how many).

So yeah, no matter how cute they may be, they’re still dangerous.

edit
the bear made off with his jacket. which is probably the only reason they got him away from the bear.
/edit

fractic
2008-08-20, 03:36 PM
I've heard somewhere (I don't know the source) that a Rabbit should use the Cat familiar statistics. As for the rest .. No clue. :smallconfused:

It shouldn't get any crazier. Bunnies eating commoners...

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-08-20, 03:39 PM
Use rat for bunny, only put all of it's ranks in Jump, let it use dex for jump, and replace the bite with a slam, and boost it's speed.

Frosty
2008-08-20, 03:46 PM
I'm looking to give the rabbit either a fiendish or celestial template since I may be going with Improved Familiar. Let the Dire Bunny Monty Python jokes begin!

SilverClawShift
2008-08-20, 03:51 PM
Use rat for bunny, only put all of it's ranks in Jump, let it use dex for jump, and replace the bite with a slam, and boost it's speed.

Ever been bitten by a rabbit?

Let the rabbit keep the bite attack, those little suckers can chomp just as bad as (if not worse than) any rat.

CASTLEMIKE
2008-08-20, 03:51 PM
Bunny seems a *tad* weak for a familiar...

Great familiars for stage magicians because they can Reduce themselves at will. :smallsmile:


I'm looking to give the rabbit either a fiendish or celestial template since I may be going with Improved Familiar. Let the Dire Bunny Monty Python jokes begin!

Mustevals could have bunny forms.

Frosty
2008-08-20, 04:02 PM
Great familiars for stage magicians because they can Reduce themselves at will. :smallsmile: ???

Hey...on another note, are there any animals that travel primarily by rolling up into a ball and rolling along the ground?

AKA_Bait
2008-08-20, 04:02 PM
Ok, that thread I was looking for is here:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33651

Thank Gamebird for all the work. Rabbit is on there. There's also a rabbit here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2173954&postcount=24).


You could probably use Duck for Penguin if you take away the fly speed and and some swim speed, or useOotS Rules version (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64858&highlight=Penguin), of you could go off the hook with Demented One's Dire Penguin. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10292&highlight=Penguin)

Vorpal's Drop Bear (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10881&highlight=Koala)is Koala like... but badger with a climb speed works too.

As for Panda's, I'd think a black bear (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/bearBlack.htm)should work. I think Panda's are closer in size to black rather than brown bears.

CASTLEMIKE
2008-08-20, 04:06 PM
???

Hey...on another note, are there any animals that travel primarily by rolling up into a ball and rolling along the ground?


Stage magicians pulling the rabbit out of the hat:smallsmile:

Yes I believe that is the standard for magical armored armadillos in FRPGs. Naruto Ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village developed a technique based off of that.

Frosty
2008-08-20, 04:10 PM
What's FRPG? But I'm looking for an actual animal that might travel like that. For some reason the idea of a familiar who travels around morph-ball style amuses me to no end. Especially if the familiar is very very cute.

CASTLEMIKE
2008-08-20, 04:14 PM
FRPG - Fantasy Role Playing Game.

Tumble weeds do it, so with an intelligent Tumble weed there would be a magical animal or construct depending on the mechanic.

What about Tribbles from Star Trek?

Mewtarthio
2008-08-20, 04:38 PM
What's FRPG? But I'm looking for an actual animal that might travel like that. For some reason the idea of a familiar who travels around morph-ball style amuses me to no end. Especially if the familiar is very very cute.

I don't think any real animals do that. You could go with a Dire Armadillo or a Monstrous Pillbug, I suppose, though neither are especially cute.

Recaiden
2008-08-20, 04:44 PM
No real animals do that that i know of, but some sort of magical 3-banded armadillo or something could totally do so in DnD

And i meant a black bear. Somehow i thought that brown bears were smaller.

fractic
2008-08-20, 04:56 PM
I remember seeing a documentary about a desert spider once. It would put it's legs out and bend it 90 degrees at it's knees and roll down dunes on it's lower legs.

Ionizer
2008-08-20, 06:22 PM
???

Hey...on another note, are there any animals that travel primarily by rolling up into a ball and rolling along the ground?

Hedgehogs http://mfrost.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/hedgeflower.jpg
Note, Flower is an optional accessory.

Hedgehogs don't actually curl up into a ball for rapid movement, they curl up so their quills cover the whole surface of their body for defense. Although, if someone were to see a "balled-up" hedgehog and roll it along the ground... well, the hedgehog probably wouldn't be hurt (at worst maybe a little dizzy). There are stats for a Hedgehog familiar in the 3.5 DMG. Somewhere near the Improved Familiar entry. It's actually supposed to be for Tiny or smaller spellcasters, but it shouldn't take too much to persuade your DM to let you take one as a familiar if you are larger than that.

Dhavaer
2008-08-20, 06:35 PM
???

Hey...on another note, are there any animals that travel primarily by rolling up into a ball and rolling along the ground?

There are pigeons that do this, but not naturally. They have to be bred for it.

Chronicled
2008-08-20, 06:47 PM
Note, Flower is an optional accessory.

:biggrin:

That's the funniest thing I've read/seen all day.

FinalJustice
2008-08-20, 06:52 PM
The penguin option is on Frostburn. +2 on Fort. Quite good, actually.

As for panda, take Leadership, get a druid. Have him wildshape into Polar Bear and cast Bite of Werebear, black-werebear style. Proceed to the whackin'. :smallbiggrin:

celestialkin
2008-08-20, 07:18 PM
I believe each of those is stated out as familiars in the 3rd party book Familiars: Crouching Monkey Hidden Toad.

Information on the book:
http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2355

Dr Bwaa
2008-08-20, 07:23 PM
Hey...on another note, are there any animals that travel primarily by rolling up into a ball and rolling along the ground?

I think you're thinking of Gorons :smallbiggrin:

Eldariel
2008-08-20, 07:33 PM
They're statted out in Frostburn at any rate.

EDIT: Failure to read.

Frosty
2008-08-20, 07:50 PM
I failed to locate Sonic the hedgehog in the DMG. Can anyone point me to it?

Collin152
2008-08-20, 08:12 PM
I failed to locate Sonic the hedgehog in the DMG. Can anyone point me to it?

It's not there.
Nor is Improved Familiar, if I recall corectly...

RTGoodman
2008-08-20, 08:51 PM
It's not there.
Nor is Improved Familiar, if I recall corectly...

Improved Familiar and stats for alternate familiars based on master size are indeed in the DMG (pg. 200-204).

Hedgehog is listed as a familiar for a Tiny or smaller master, but it should work for anyone. It gives +1 natural armor. The table also includes bat (no special bonus), ferret (+2 Reflex), mouse (+2 Move Silently), screech owl (+2 Move Silently), toad (+3 hp, same as the PHB version), and thrush (speaks one language).

Huge and bigger masters get some cool stuff, too, and I'd never noticed. They can choose from dire rat, leopard, monitor lizard, owl (Medium-sized), raven (Small-sized), viper snake (Medium size), or wolverine.

Chronicled
2008-08-20, 09:27 PM
Hedgehog is listed as a familiar for a Tiny or smaller master, but it should work for anyone. It gives +1 natural armor.

:smalleek: Um, that's a nice bonus. A nice bonus.

Cuddly
2008-08-20, 09:53 PM
Use black bear for panda stats. Pandas are tiny compared to a brown bear- the biggest browns are 5 times heavier than the biggest pandas, which is almost an entire size category (8x weight) different.

Frosty
2008-08-20, 10:50 PM
:smalleek: Um, that's a nice bonus. A nice bonus.

Better than +2 Fort save?

Cuddly
2008-08-20, 10:56 PM
Better than +2 Fort save?

No.
+2 Fort save is a ton, especially under level 12, with a SAD caster.

Colmarr
2008-08-21, 02:10 AM
I think you are thinking of Koala's. Those little buggers are MEAN.

But nowhere near as mean as their cousins the drop bears (http://www.kadaitcha.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/dropbear1.jpg).

Tengu_temp
2008-08-21, 02:18 AM
I don't think any real animals do that. You could go with a Dire Armadillo or a Monstrous Pillbug, I suppose, though neither are especially cute.

As a fan of armadillos, I disagree.

If you get a penguin, remember to cast Awaken on it and make it a Dervish. Dood.

Thurbane
2008-08-21, 02:43 AM
The Book of Familiars (http://www.trolllord.com/newsite/d20/1011.html) from Troll Lord Games has a good list of other animals to use as familiars. Some of the stats are a bit suspect (Kangaroo with a 2d6+4 kick indeed!), but in general, most are pretty usable.

It has stats for the koala, panda and penguin, BTW...

Ionizer
2008-08-27, 03:50 PM
As a fan of armadillos, I disagree.

If you get a penguin, remember to cast Awaken on it and make it a Dervish. Dood.

http://www.pinkgodzillagames.com/Events/Hall.prinny-thumb.jpg

DOOD!

Frosty
2008-08-27, 04:13 PM
I totally need to get a Prinny familiar.

Starshade
2008-08-27, 05:06 PM
3e?
Koalas cant really be that powerfull, can they? their diet makes them slow, same as panda, their diet got so low nutrition value their metabolism make them quite slow.
Id sugest Rat stats for bunny with burrowing. Koala, an lizard, with slower speed(half), slower initiative, and 1 size larger, pluss double hp.

On rolling animals: what about centipedes? there exist some who can turn to balls by rolling together. What about a monsterous centipede with roll speed? (not as cute as a hedgehog though).