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Amiel
2010-11-21, 09:42 AM
Cow Barbarian
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 7d8+35 (66 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 50 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, +8 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+18
Attack: Gore +14 melee (2d6+13) and bite +9 melee (1d8+6 + bovine spongiform encephalopathy) or +14 melee MW halbred (1d10+13/x3)
Full Attack: Gore +14 melee (2d6+13) and bite +9 melee (1d8+6 + bovine spongiform encephalopathy) +14 melee MW halbred (1d10+13/x3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, stampede, trample (2d6+13, DC 22)
Special Qualities: Cow barbarian, damage reduction 1/-, fast movement, improved uncanny dodge, low-light vision, rage, rage power, scent, trap sense +2
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Perception +12
Feats: Endurance, Improved Bullrush, Power Attack
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or herd (6-30)
Challenge Rating: 6
Alignment: Chaotic neutral

To err is human, to moo is divine

Cow barbarians, or hell bovines, are theorised by some scholars to be the creations of an insane and erstwhile powerful wizard. This arcanist, originally a farmer or so goes the legend, experimented with gene splicing and hybridisation with intent to create a meat that was at once pleasing to the palate and the creature whence it came could prove exceedingly vigorous at defending itself from natural and unnatural predation.

Alas that triumph did not visit the arcanist that day. Oh, the resultant biological synchronisation was a success, or so rumour has it, but the hell bovines proved to be exceedingly uncontrollable, acting almost as if they had been infected with a certain spongiform virus.

The hell bovines stampeded from the arcanists' tower in great haste, toppling it into ruin, and to this day, cow barbarians run amok in various localities.

A cow barbarian appears as a vaguely humanoid bipedal cow, with facial features eerily reminiscent of that of a human's.

Cow Barbarian (Ex) Hell bovines possess barbarian virtual levels equal to their HD.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Ex) A creature struck by a cow barbarian's bite attack must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or be infected with a fatal, neurodegenerative disease known as mad cow disease. Incubation period, 1d4 years, damage 2d6 Int, secondary damage death. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Powerful Blow (Ex) The cow barbarian gains a +2 bonus on a single damage roll. This power is used as a swift action before the roll to hit is made. This power can only be used once per rage.

Renewed Vigor (Ex) As a standard action, the cow barbarian heals 1d8+5 points of damage. This power can be used only once per day and only while raging.

Roused Anger (Ex) The cow barbarian may enter a rage even if fatigued. While raging after using this ability, the cow barbarian is immune to the fatigued condition. Once this rage ends, the cow barbarian is exhausted for 10 minutes per round spent raging.

Stampede (Ex) A stampede occurs if three or more cow barbarians with stampede make a trample attack while remaining adjacent to each other. While stampeding, cow barbarians can trample foes of their size or smaller, and the trample's save DC increases by +2.

GoatBoy
2010-11-21, 10:11 AM
I can't think of a good joke to make in regards to a reference, so I will just say... great job.

Moo moo moo. Moo. Moo moo. Moo? Moo!

Eldan
2010-11-21, 11:40 AM
As someone who's been attacked by normal cows... these things are scary.

AugustNights
2010-11-21, 12:42 PM
Cow Barbarian (Ex) Hell bovines possess barbarian virtual levels equal to their HD.
What, exactly, does this mean?
All Class Features of a Barbarian of Level equal to HD?

Gamer Girl
2010-11-21, 01:55 PM
It's...it's....Sergeant Side O'Beef from the Barnyard Commandos!

Bhu
2010-11-21, 02:10 PM
Oddly enough this fits in with stats I read somewhere that many, many more people in the US are killed by cows than sharks each year, and therefore cows should be considered more dangerous...

Tanuki Tales
2010-11-21, 02:43 PM
If they're bipedal wouldn't they need to be some flavor of humanoid or an aberration (or at least Magical Beast)?

Eldan
2010-11-21, 02:46 PM
Oddly enough this fits in with stats I read somewhere that many, many more people in the US are killed by cows than sharks each year, and therefore cows should be considered more dangerous...

Well, that's more because you have way more contact between people and cows than people and sharks, and that sharks don't just attack people most of the time. Also, a bison (the closest I could find to a cow, most likely) is, at CR 2, already pretty dangerous to a commoner.

DracoDei
2010-11-22, 09:51 AM
To my knowledge diseases don't have secondary damage. Now changing that is fine (I am all for adding little special rules to increase vermisitude) but you are going to have to define those new mechanics... is it the first time you fail a save to avoid an actual ill effect (rather than just contracting the disease in the first place) you take 2d6 Int damage, and the second time you die outright?
That means that once it sets in you either die within 2 days, or make a full recovery within 13ish days of light activity. That doesn't SEEM right to me for a disease with a 1d4 YEAR onset time. Perhaps it only requires a save every month or week or something?

cheezewizz2000
2010-11-22, 11:27 AM
To my knowledge diseases don't have secondary damage. Now changing that is fine (I am all for adding little special rules to increase vermisitude) but you are going to have to define those new mechanics... is it the first time you fail a save to avoid an actual ill effect (rather than just contracting the disease in the first place) you take 2d6 Int damage, and the second time you die outright?
That means that once it sets in you either die within 2 days, or make a full recovery within 13ish days of light activity. That doesn't SEEM right to me for a disease with a 1d4 YEAR onset time. Perhaps it only requires a save every month or week or something?

I think you make a fortitude save, then in 1d4 years you lose 2d6 int. 1d4 years after that you die. Though I think the disease should perhaps just require a fortitude save every 1d4 years or you lose 2d6 int. Once int is 0 THEN you make another fortitude save in 1d4 years and if you fail that you die. Otherwise you remain alive and at 0 int.

Horrifically, your wisdom (and thus awareness) and charisma (and thus personality) are fine. I'm actually pretty disturbed by that thought...

zyborg
2010-11-22, 11:38 AM
How different are they from minotaurs? I don't mean this in a rude way, I'm just curious.

DracoDei
2010-11-22, 12:10 PM
I think you make a fortitude save, then in 1d4 years you lose 2d6 int. 1d4 years after that you die. Though I think the disease should perhaps just require a fortitude save every 1d4 years or you lose 2d6 int. Once int is 0 THEN you make another fortitude save in 1d4 years and if you fail that you die. Otherwise you remain alive and at 0 int.
Either of these could work, but neither is how diseases work by default. Also, to get this to work, you would have to change damage to Drain, since the damage would have long since healed by the time the person died.

Horrifically, your wisdom (and thus awareness) and charisma (and thus personality) are fine. I'm actually pretty disturbed by that thought...
If Mad Cow disease really works like that IRL then I am all for it. If not, then the mechanics need tweaking on this point.

AugustNights
2010-11-22, 02:02 PM
In Cattle, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), incubates in about 4 years, and basically creates microscopic "holes" in the brain tissue and spinal cord. It is also fatal.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is what people contract from eating contaminated Brain Tissue and Spinal Cord tissue of a cow that suffered from BSE.


It may start out subtly with insomnia, depression, confusion, personality and behavioral changes, and problems with memory, coordination, and sight. As it progresses, the person rapidly develops dementia and involuntary, irregular jerking movements called myoclonus.

In the final stage of the disease, the patient loses all mental and physical functions, lapses into a coma, and eventually dies. The course of the disease usually takes one year

Source. (http://rarediseases.about.com/od/rarediseases1/a/vcjd.htm)

DracoDei
2010-11-22, 08:26 PM
Ok, I am seeing justifications for it to hit Charisma, Dexterity, and yes, Intelligence... or maybe Wisdom, since that effects Spot, and it says there are vision problems.

Although this doesn't fit the D&D world (where the only diseases that can't be recovered from by a tough (CON 18) and/or lucky (2 natural 20's in a row) 1st level commoner are supernatural in nature) you might want to say that no number of successful fortitude saves/heal checks can cure this, only supernatural means.


The course of the disease usually takes one year.
Which implies to me that if the 1d4 year onset time is correct than the secondary damage should be rolled for every 6 months (if the DC is low) to 1 year (if the DC is high).

dgnslyr
2010-11-22, 11:25 PM
How different are they from minotaurs? I don't mean this in a rude way, I'm just curious.

They are deeelicious. Have you ever tried a flank of Cow Barbarian? I hear the heavy-drinking ones have the tenderest flesh, though anyone in their right mind would keep the booze as far away from them as possible, and as such, the flesh of heavy-drinking Cow Barbarians is rare.

DracoDei
2010-11-23, 12:56 AM
Well, would you have to make a Fort Save to avoid the disease each time you ate some? Although with that onset time, if you are rich enough then it will be taken care of the next time you get a flu you don't feel like suffering through...

Actually, as a prion (which is even less alive than a virus I should think) it COULD be argued that Remove Poison is the applicable spell, and Remove Disease doesn't work... or maybe has a chance of not working...
*Says a prayer for the family of the cat-girl he just killed.*

dgnslyr
2010-11-23, 02:36 AM
Well,


Remove disease cures all diseases that the subject is suffering from. The spell also kills parasites, including green slime and others. Certain special diseases may not be countered by this spell or may be countered only by a caster of a certain level or higher.

Note: Since the spell’s duration is instantaneous, it does not prevent reinfection after a new exposure to the same disease at a later date

It says it cures diseases. It doesn't matter if it's caused by viruses or magic, it'll cure it. Heck, I can see it curing genetic disorders as well. You have a good point with the prions, but Remove Disease doesn't say much on how it cures, only that it cures them. So for the Catgirls' sake, let's not worry too much on whether it can eliminate a few pesky prions.

AugustNights
2010-11-23, 09:02 AM
Considering the Terrifying nature of the Cow Barbarian ( I know If I saw one of these in a DnD campaign without seeing its stats I'd start the new character sheet before I rolled initiative) a Supernatural Disease that requires more than just Remove Disease would be fine. Mummy Rot's nasty conjuration Caster Level and Break Enchantment/Remove Curse requirements would be fun, especially with the Cow Barbarian's HD in place of the Caster Level DC. How terrifying a King Cow would be...

BarroomBard
2010-11-23, 02:08 PM
What, exactly, does this mean?
All Class Features of a Barbarian of Level equal to HD?

Yes, because there is no Cow Level... [crickets]

Anyone?....

I'll just go...