Results 1 to 30 of 39
-
2009-11-01, 03:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2008
[3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Do intelligent animals (with class levels) make good recurring characters? What about merchants?
Are there rules for enhancing natural weapons? Are there weapons designed for animals to use?
-
2009-11-01, 03:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- Finland
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Only creatures with arms make any sense as merchants; a quadroped has incredible issues with handling wares. Outside some casters anyways, but chances are those would not become merchants (though Gloves of Man [Savage Species] would probably enable any race to perform the necessary manipulation).
That said, recurring NPCs? Sure. No more or less than any other race, though they should probably be more rare (depending on how common your Druids are and how exactly Awakening is viewed), especially since I don't think their progeny would be intelligent.
No rules for simple enhancing of natural weapons beyond Permanencied Greater Magic Fang of a given level. That said, some classes (notably Kensai off the top of my head) enhance them, and items (Necklace of Natural Weapons [Savage Species] and the Amulet of Mighty Fists [damn expensive]) to do it exist.
Weapons... Savage Species has some for non-standard races, but for intelligent animals? No, though primates could use Humanoid weapons just fine. You'd have to homebrew these if you see them using some kinds of weapons; though may be some standard weapons could reasonably be wieldable with some work for non-standard races.Last edited by Eldariel; 2009-11-01 at 03:48 PM.
Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
-
2009-11-01, 03:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
- Location
- Belgium
- Gender
-
2009-11-01, 03:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Awakened Animals can certainly make excellent characters for a game, especially as servants and allies of powerful druids and the fey. I know in Eberron that there's an awakened pine tree druid that is a figure of influence among the druids, who leads the Warden of the Woods sect.
I'm not so sure about Awakened Animals being good merchants, given that they only gain a little Charisma from Awaken and they tend to have lowish scores. I rather doubt they'd care enough, either, as even awakened animals don't really seem to put much value in coin and at best barter for services.
For weapons and enhancements, there's a couple Dragons that had animal weaponry but I can't think of any real nonmagical enhancement otherwise. For actually enhancing, the two ways of thinking on that is either via the amulet of mighty fists or the amulet of natural weapons. Mighty Fists is actually cheaper than Natural Weapons if you have a great number of natural weapons to enhance, though that only covers base enhancements, not special abilities, which the Amulet of Natural Weapons can provide.
EDIT: Checking Savage Species again, they do have the Tail Blade and Tail Club, but that's about it. Draconomicon and Dragon Magic have a couple of other magic items for enhancing natural attacks, like Claws of the Ripper, Dragonslayer Claws, Jaws of the Dragon and Tailbands of Impact. Only the Claws of the Ripper specify being of the Dragon type, so you can work with the rest and work the others out with some UMD.
Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.Last edited by Cieyrin; 2009-11-01 at 04:02 PM.
-
2009-11-01, 04:29 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Well there's on thing for sure. An Awakened Max hit dice Tyrannosaurus Rex is freaking awesome.
"No extra charge!"
-
2009-11-01, 04:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- With Uncle Crassius
-
2009-11-01, 04:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- Enterprise, Alabama
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Why not the savage species anthromorphic template that grants them hands to hold stuff instead of awaken...
-
2009-11-01, 04:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
-
2009-11-01, 04:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- Finland
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
-
2009-11-01, 04:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
When you see an epic level black scale lizard folk druid riding a max hit dice awakened tyrannosaurus rex that is his animal companion. Then it is time to run because the crap has hit the metaphorical fan and splattered all over the ceiling.
"No extra charge!"
-
2009-11-01, 04:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.
If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).
The best answer is always to ask your DM.
Unless you're the DM, in which case you should talk to your players.
-
2009-11-01, 04:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Dinosaur wizards, might as well just give up now while your head's still attached to your shoulder's villains.
"No extra charge!"
-
2009-11-01, 04:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Screw the bear cavalry, we have Wizard Dinosaur Cavalry!
Damn, now I want to see a build involving a Wizard-Dino as a mount.Last edited by The Dark Fiddler; 2009-11-01 at 04:47 PM.
It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.
If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).
The best answer is always to ask your DM.
Unless you're the DM, in which case you should talk to your players.
-
2009-11-01, 04:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Hundreds of thousands of microraptor wizards on a Amphicoelias, that's right, we just one upped the Mumakil.
Last edited by Volkov; 2009-11-01 at 04:53 PM.
"No extra charge!"
-
2009-11-01, 04:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- the abyss (aka NJ)
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
I want to know if it's possible to play one.
-
2009-11-01, 04:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
-
2009-11-01, 04:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- Finland
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
-
2009-11-01, 05:02 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
Well, not a Wizard if you rolled well enough on Int, but most animals don't have enough Wisdom to be epic* Druids or Clerics, and they don't gain any from awakening.
Then again, Periapt of Wisdom.
*That's epic awesome, not epic level.
Are there any good ACFs for Druids that lose Wild Shape? You don't really need it when you're a dinosaur.Last edited by The Dark Fiddler; 2009-11-01 at 05:03 PM.
It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.
If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).
The best answer is always to ask your DM.
Unless you're the DM, in which case you should talk to your players.
-
2009-11-01, 05:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
-
2009-11-01, 05:05 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
A Utahraptor druid could have some really awesome fights with a druid in dire bear form. Of course, it's sort of mandatory to end the fight by sticking your one and a half foot long killing claw through the bear's neck, thus partially decapitating it. Or better yet, through his skull.
"No extra charge!"
-
2009-11-01, 05:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.
If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).
The best answer is always to ask your DM.
Unless you're the DM, in which case you should talk to your players.
-
2009-11-01, 07:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2008
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
*That's epic awesome, not epic level.
-
2009-11-02, 01:22 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
For the weapons thing, the necklace of natural attacks has already been mentioned. Lords of Madness has the mouth pick enhancement. Any weapon you like to replace your critter's bite
-
2009-11-02, 10:47 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
- Location
- Rocket City, USA
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
My current PC's cohort is an Awakened Magebred Warbeast Riding Dog. With 4 levels of Monk. Lots of fun. But a very long name. :)
Awakened Magebred Warbeast Riding Dog Monk 4
STR 22
DEX 18
CON 20
INT 8
WIS 14
CHA 8
HP 99
Init +8
AC 24
Speed 60'
Fort 13
Ref 12 (evasion)
Will 7
BAB +6/1
Bite +13 1d8+10 (Trip attack as wolf - 1d20+7)
Paws(flurry) +11/+11/+6 1d8+6
Still Mind
Ki Strike (magic)
Feats:
Alertness, Track, Imp. Natural Attack, Imp. Init., Power Attack, Leap Attack, Stunning Fist 5x (DC 16), Combat Reflexes
Jump +30
Listen +11
Spot +6
Swim +7
Survival +2 (bonus for scent)
Items: Collar of mighty paws (+1) [renamed Amulet of Mighty Fists], Bracers of armor (+2)
-
2009-11-02, 11:03 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
-
2009-11-02, 11:44 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
- Location
- Boston, MA
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
I like to awaken an animal companion sinultaneous with taking the Leadership feat, and make it my cohort. That makes a great recurring character.
My opinion on your question: If your campaign setting is naturalistic, spiritual, or low-magic, intelligent animals are a good choice. Only a few make sense in an urban setting without upsetting suspension of disbelief (maybe cats and rats), and with high magic, talking animals can be common enough that the character's special attribute becomes just a gimmick.
-
2009-11-03, 12:01 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- Le Quebec
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
-
2009-11-03, 12:04 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
-
2009-11-03, 12:05 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Gender
Re: [3.5] Intelligent (/"Awakened") Animals...
maximized empowered awaken... 27 in all mental stats :)
I do not have a superman complex; for I am God, not Superman!
the glass is always 100% full. Approximately 50% of its volume is full of dihydrogen monoxide and some dissolved solutes, and approx 50% a mixture of gasses known as "air" which contains roughly (by volume) 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases.
-
2009-11-03, 12:11 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009