Conversion (PEACH) Rufus the Trained Climbdog (also advanced and with templates)

[Debihuman]

I tried to post this earlier but it just got eaten. I apologize for the lack of editing/formatting but I will be working on that.


Climbdog

Climbdog
Small Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft., Climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 Natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
BAB/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: Bite+3 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+3)
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5 Will+1
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +19*, Hide +6, Listen +3, Spot +3
Feats: Alertness
Environment: Any Hills or Mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Pack (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Medium) 5-6 HD (Large)

Climbdogs have mottled short gray fur, black eyes, and short legs. Their wide feet have two forward-facing claws and two-rear-facing claws, allowing them to climb nearly any surface; a perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed.

Combat

Climbdogs are extremely loyal to their owners and will fight to the death.

*Skills: Climbdogs have a +4 racial bonus on Climb checks in addition to the +8 bonus on Climb checks from having a climb speed as noted in the statistics block.

The climbdog originally appeared in the Arms & Equipment Guide pages 76-77.

Creation Notes: Since I had to update to 3.5, these get now Alertness as normal dogs but not any bonus feats. They had 3 skill points too many in Spot and Listen.

Here is what a trained Climbdog would look like. I have amended the standard stat block to indicate which tricks the trained climbdog knows. I’ve conveniently named this guy Rufus.

SAMPLE TRAINED CLIMBDOG

Rufus
Climbdog
Small Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft., Climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 Natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
BAB/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: Bite+3 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+3)
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5 Will+1
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +19*, Hide +6, Listen +3, Spot +3
Tricks: Attack, Come, Down, Fetch, Stay, Track
Feats: Alertness
Environment: Any Hills or Mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Pack (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Medium) 5-6 HD (Large)

Rufus is a trained climbdog. Fetch is his favorite game. He loves to retrieve things from trees and steep inclines. Like other climbdogs, Rufus has mottled short gray fur, black eyes, and short legs. His wide feet have two forward-facing claws and two-rear-facing claws, allowing him to climb nearly any surface; a perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed. He loves to climb cliffs to hunt for birds, as they are his favorite food.

Combat

Rufus is extremely loyal to his owner and will fight to the death unless told otherwise (Down trick).

*Skills: Climbdogs have a +4 racial bonus on Climb checks in addition to the +8 bonus on Climb checks from having a climb speed as noted in the statistics block.

The climbdog originally appeared in the Arms & Equipment Guide pages 76-77.

Creation Notes: Since I had to update to 3.5, these get now Alertness as normal dogs but not any bonus feats They had 3 skill points too many in Spot and Listen.

Breakdown of skills: Climb +19, (5 ranks, 2 Dex, +4 racial +8 climb speed), Hide +6 (0 ranks, +4 size, +2 Dex), Listen +3 (+0 ranks, +2 Alertness +1 Wis), Spot +3 (+0 ranks, +2 Alertness, + 1 Wis)

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I then applied the Magebred Template from the Eberron Campaign setting to Rufus.

Sample Magebred Climbdog

Rufus
Magebred Climbdog
Small Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+6 (15 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft., Climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +6 Natural), touch 13, flat-footed 17
BAB/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: Bite+5 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+4)
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Excellent learner, low-light vision, scent, thick-skinned breed
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7 Will+1
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 19, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +21*, Hide +8, Listen +3, Spot +3
Tricks: Attack, Come, Down, Fetch, Stay, Track
Feats: Alertness, Endurance B
Environment: Any Hills or Mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Pack (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Medium) 5-6 HD (Large)

Rufus is a fully trained magebred climbdog. Fetch is his favorite game. He loves to retrieve things from trees and steep inclines. Like other climbdogs, Rufus has mottled short gray fur, black eyes, and short legs. His wide feet have two forward-facing claws and two-rear-facing claws, allowing him to climb nearly any surface; a perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed. He loves to climb cliffs to hunt for birds, as they are his favorite food.

Combat

Rufus is extremely loyal to his owner and will fight to the death unless told otherwise (Down trick).

Excellent Learner (Ex): A magebred animal can learn a maximum of eight tricks, and the DC for all Handle Animal checks involving a magebred animal is reduced by 2. In addition, the time required to train a magebred animal for a purpose is reduced by 1 week (to a minimum of 1 week).

Bonus Feat: Magebred Animals gain Endurance as a bonus feat. Rufus gains a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage, Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march, Constitution checks made to hold his breath, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst, Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments, and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation. Also, he may sleep in light or medium armor without becoming fatigued.

*Skills: Climbdogs have a +4 racial bonus on Climb checks , in addition to the +8 bonus on Climb checks from having a climb speed as noted in the statistics block.

Creation Notes: Magebred added +2 natural AC, Added +2 Str, +4 Con, +2 Dex and added Endurance as bonus feat added special ability excellent learner, which I decided it should be an Extraordinary ability.

Breakdown of Skills: Climb +21, (5 ranks, +4 Dex, +4 racial +8 climb speed), Hide +8 (0 ranks, +4 size, +4 Dex), Listen +3 (+0 ranks, +2 Alertness +1 Wis), Spot +3 (+0 ranks, +2 Alertness, + 1 Wis)

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I then advanced Rufus to 4 HD

Sample Advanced Magebred Climbdog

Rufus
Advanced Magebred Climbdog
Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+16 (34 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft., Climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 22 (+4 Dex, +8 Natural), touch 14, flat-footed 18
BAB/Grapple: +3/+8
Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+7)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d8+7)
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Excellent learner, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +8 Will+2
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +21*, Hide +4, Jump (after a running start only) +12, Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: Alertness, Endurance B, Run
Tricks: Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Fetch, Guard, Stay, Track
Environment: Any Hills or Mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Pack (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 5-6 HD (Large)

Rufus is a fully trained advanced magebred climbdog. With vigorous exercise and more than a couple adventures under his belt (so to speak), Rufus has shown that he’s capable of even more and has bulked up for what’s in store.

Fetch is his favorite game. He loves to retrieve things from trees and steep inclines. Like other climbdogs, Rufus has mottled short gray fur, black eyes, and short legs. His wide feet have two forward-facing claws and two-rear-facing claws, allowing him to climb nearly any surface; a perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed. He loves to climb cliffs to hunt for birds, as they are his favorite food.

Combat

Rufus is extremely loyal to his owner and will fight to the death unless told otherwise (Down trick).

Excellent Learner (Ex): A magebred animal can learn a maximum of eight tricks, and the DC for all Handle Animal checks involving a magebred animal is reduced by 2. In addition, the time required to train a magebred animal for a purpose is reduced by 1 week (to a minimum of 1 week).

Bonus Feat: Magebred Animals gain Endurance as a bonus feat. Rufus gains a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage, Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march, Constitution checks made to hold his breath, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst, Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments, and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation. Also, you he sleep in light or medium armor without becoming fatigued.

*Skills: Climbdogs have a +4 racial bonus on Climb checks, in addition to the +8 bonus on Climb checks from having a climb speed as noted in the statistics block.

Creation Notes: The sole reason for advancing Rufus is so that Rufus becomes Medium size and thus be eligible for the warbeast template later, which will grant him another size increase at 5 HD. With his increase in Hit Dice, Rufus adds +1 to one ability. It cannot be added to a magebred animal’s Intelligence because he would lose that template and turn into a Magical Beast. Animals can't have Int higher than 2. Rufus improves best by Str, Dex, or Con. For this build, I’m adding it to Dex. Excellent Learner should be an Extraordinary ability.

Advancement by Size: When a creature advances by size from Small to Medium, it gains the following: +4 Str, -2 Dex [but he has gained +1 Dex from the template], +2 Con, +2 natural armor and -1 attack and loses penalty to grapple.

Breakdown on Skills: Climb +21, (5 ranks, +4 Dex, +4 racial +8 climb speed), Hide +4 (0 ranks, +0 size, +4 Dex), Listen +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Alertness +1 Wis), Spot +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Alertness, + 1 Wis). It gets 2 more skill ranks so 1 each in Listen and Spot. Jump after a running start (+4 from run feat, 0 ranks, +8 speed).

Breakdown on Feat: Rufus gains a feat for having more Hit Dice so I’m giving him the Run feat. When running, Rufus moves five times his normal speed (if wearing medium, light, or no armor and carrying no more than a medium load) or four times his speed (if wearing heavy armor or carrying a heavy load). If Rufus make a jump after a running start (see the Jump skill description), he gain a +4 bonus on your Jump check. While running, Rufus retains his Dexterity bonus to AC. He has a vertical reach of 4 feet because he is a quadruped.

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I then added the Warbeast Template from Monster Manual II

Sample Warbeast Advanced Magebred Climbdog

Rufus
Warbeast Advanced Magebred Climbdog
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+35 (57 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft., Climb 40 ft. (run 250 ft.)
Armor Class: 24 (+3 Dex, -1 size +8 Natural, +4 mwk scale barding), touch 12, flat-footed 21
BAB/Grapple: +3/+18
Attack: Bite +8 melee (2d6+10)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (2d6+10)
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Combative mount, excellent learner, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +7 Will+3
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Abilities: Str 32 (+11), Dex 16, Con 25 (+7), Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +20*, Hide +3, Jump (after a running start only) +19, Listen +5*, Spot +5*
Feats: Alertness, Endurance B, Run
Tricks: Attack, Come, Down, Fetch, Guard, Stay, Track
Environment: Any Hills or Mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Pack (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Exotic Military Saddle worth 60 gp and weighs 40 lbs., specially designed masterwork scale mail barding worth 350 gp that weighs 60 lbs., and saddlebags worth 4 gp that weigh 8 lbs.
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 6 HD (Large)

Rufus is a fully trained warbeast advanced magebred climbdog. With vigorous exercise and more than a couple adventures under his belt (so to speak), Rufus has shown that he’s capable of even more and has bulked up for what’s in store.

Fetch is his favorite game. He loves to retrieve things from trees and steep inclines. Like other climbdogs, Rufus has mottled short gray fur, black eyes, and short legs. His wide feet have two forward-facing claws and two-rear-facing claws, allowing him to climb nearly any surface; a perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed. He loves to climb cliffs to hunt for birds, as they are his favorite food.

Combat

Rufus is extremely loyal to his owner and will fight to the death unless told otherwise (Down trick).

Combative Mount (Ex): A rider on a trained warbeast mount gets a +2 Circumstance bonus on all Ride checks. A trained warbeast is proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor.

Excellent Learner (Ex): A magebred animal can learn a maximum of eight tricks, and the DC for all Handle Animal checks involving a magebred animal is reduced by 2. In addition, the time required to train a magebred animal for a purpose is reduced by 1 week (to a minimum of 1 week).

Bonus Feat: Magebred Animals gain Endurance as a bonus feat. You gain a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage, Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march, Constitution checks made to hold your breath, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst, Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments, and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation. Also, you may sleep in light or medium armor without becoming fatigued.

Run Feat: When running, Rufus moves five times his normal speed (if wearing medium, light, or no armor and carrying no more than a medium load) or four times his speed (if wearing heavy armor or carrying a heavy load). If Rufus make a jump after a running start (see the Jump skill description), he gains a +4 bonus on his Jump check due to his speed. While running, Rufus retains his Dexterity bonus to AC. He has a vertical reach of 4 feet because he is a quadruped.

*Skills: Climbdogs have a +4 racial bonus on Climb checks, in addition to the +8 bonus on Climb checks from having a climb speed as noted in the statistics block. Warbeasts have a +1 racial bonus to Listen and Spot check. Rufus gains a +4 bonus to his Jump speed after a running start

Creation Notes: Warbeast Template is from Monster Manual II

Advancement by Size: Because Rufus has increased in size, he gains the following changes to his abilities: +8 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, +1 Natural Armor, -1 to AC/Attack.

Breakdown on Skills: Climb +20, (5 ranks, +3 Dex, +4 racial +8 climb speed), Hide +3 (0 ranks, -1 size, +4 Dex), Listen +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Alertness +1 Wis +1 racial), Spot +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Alertness, + 1 Wis +1 racial). It gets 2 more skill ranks so 1 each in Listen and Spot. Jump after a running start (+0 ranks, +11 Str, +4 from run feat, 0 ranks, +8 speed).

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Sample Advanced Warbeast Advanced Magebred Climbdog

Rufus
Advanced Warbeast Advanced Magebred Climbdog
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+42 (69 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft., Climb 40 ft.
Armor Class: 24 (+3 Dex, -1 size +8 Natural, +4 mwk scale barding), touch 12, flat-footed 21
BAB/Grapple: +4/+19
Attack: Bite +14 melee (2d6+15/19-20)
Full Attack: Bite +14 melee (2d6+15/19-20)
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Combative mount, excellent learner, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +11 (+15 to avoid nonlethal damage in hot and cold environments) Ref +7, Will+3
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Abilities: Str 32 (+11), Dex 16, Con 25 (+7), Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +20*, Hide +4, Jump (after a running start only) +19, Listen +5, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Endurance B, Run, Improved Critical (Bite)
Tricks: Attack, Come, Down, Fetch, Guard, Stay, Track, Work
Environment: Any Hills or Mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Pack (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Exotic Military Saddle worth 60 gp and weighs 40 lbs., specially designed masterwork scale mail barding worth 350 gp that weighs 60 lbs., saddlebags worth 4 gp that weigh 8 lbs., and hold 5 cu. ft. He carries a pack saddle stowed in the saddlebags worth 30 gp that weighs 15 lbs.
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: —

Rufus is one of the largest climbdogs, bred for brawn and exceptionally well trained. He is easily the size of a warhorse though a bit shorter and much stockier. Like other climbdogs, Rufus has mottled short gray fur, black eyes, and short legs. His wide feet have two forward-facing claws and two-rear-facing claws, allowing him to climb nearly any surface; a perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed. He loves to climb cliffs to hunt for birds, as they are his favorite food.

Because of his specialized training, Rufus wears masterwork splint mail barding and has his own exotic military saddle. He can even sleep in his barding without becoming fatigued. Rufus can even run 5x his speed in his barding while carry a medium load. His saddlebags hold 5 cubic feet of items but his pack saddle will hold as much as Rufus can carry. Removing and fitting his barding takes a single character 20 minutes (10 minutes with an aide).

Rufus is easier to ride than most Animals. Riders gain +2 circumstance bonus to ride Rufus from his Combative Mount ability and gain an additional +2 circumstance bonus on Ride checks related to staying in the saddle.

Fetch is still his favorite game. He loves to retrieve things from trees and steep inclines. Like other climbdogs, Rufus has mottled short gray fur, black eyes, and short legs. His wide feet have two forward-facing claws and two-rear-facing claws, allowing him to climb nearly any surface; a perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed. He loves to climb cliffs to hunt for birds, as they are his favorite food.

Combat

Rufus is extremely loyal to his owner and will fight to the death unless told otherwise (Down trick).

Carrying Capacity: Rufus can carry 2,076 lbs. or less as a light load, he can carry 2,077-4,080 lbs. as a medium load, and he can carry 4,081-6,240 lbs. as a heavy load. With a pack saddle, Rufus can carry a fully heavy load of items but no rider.

Combative Mount (Ex): A rider on a trained warbeast mount gets a +2 Circumstance bonus on all Ride checks. A trained warbeast is proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor.

Excellent Learner (Ex): A magebred animal can learn a maximum of eight tricks, and the DC for all Handle Animal checks involving a magebred animal is reduced by 2. In addition, the time required to train a magebred animal for a purpose is reduced by 1 week (to a minimum of 1 week).

Bonus Feat: Magebred Animals gain Endurance as a bonus feat. Rufus gains a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage, Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march, Constitution checks made to hold his breath, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst, Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments, and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation. Also, he may sleep in light or medium armor without becoming fatigued.

Run Feat: When running, Rufus moves five times his normal speed (if wearing medium, light, or no armor and carrying no more than a medium load) or four times his speed (if wearing heavy armor or carrying a heavy load). If Rufus make a jump after a running start (see the Jump skill description), he gains a +4 bonus on his Jump check due to his speed. While running, Rufus retains his Dexterity bonus to AC. He has a vertical reach of 4 feet because he is a quadruped.

*Skills: Climbdogs have a +4 racial bonus on Climb checks, in addition to the +8 bonus on Climb checks from having a climb speed as noted in the statistics block. Warbeasts have a +1 racial bonus to Listen and Spot check. Rufus gains a +4 bonus to his Jump speed after a running start.

Breakdown on Skills: Climb +20, (5 ranks, +3 Dex, +4 racial +8 climb speed), Hide +3 (+1 rank, -1 size, +4 Dex), Listen +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Alertness +1 Wis +1 racial), Spot +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Alertness, + 1 Wis +1 racial).Jump after a running start (+0 ranks, +11 Str, +4 from run feat, +8 speed).

Creation Note: Rufus gains another feat at 6 HD so I gave him Improved Critical (Bite)

Debby