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The Demented One
2007-07-07, 10:33 PM
Feral Creatures

It has been said that civilization is just three missed meals and twenty-four hours of chaos away from utter chaos and destruction, a savage and feral apocalypse. It is not unheard of for thinking, rational men to lose all trace of culture or humanity, and to become feral creatures, once-sentient beings reduced to the level of animals. Some Feral creatures were born and grew up outside of civilization, never developing beyond an animal level, while others were once normal, until they suffered some cataclysmic crisis that rendered them feral. Feral creatures resemble other creatures of their kind, but they have clearly animalistic body language, often going on all fours, and have developed more powerful muscles, and even fangs and claws, to survive life in the wild. They have an animalistic level of intelligence, and cannot speak in comprehensible language, nor take levels in classes.

Creating a Feral Creature
Feral is an applied template that can be added to any aberration, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid.

Size and Type
Size and Type remain unchanged.

Hit Dice
If a Feral creature had any class levels before gaining the template, then it loses all those levels, but gains 1 extra HD for each lost level.

Speed
A Feral creature’s base land speed increases by 10 ft.

Natural Armor
A Feral creature’s natural armor bonus to AC increases by one, plus an additional one for every four HD it has.

Attack
If a Feral creature was proficient with manufactured weapons, but also had natural weapons, then it loses it proficiency, but its natural weapons become primary natural weapons, and their damage dice advances by one step. A Feral creature that has no natural weapons gains a bite attack, which is a primary natural weapon, and two claw attacks, which are secondary natural weapons. Feral creatures lose any form of proficiency with weapons, shields, or armor that the base creature might have had. The damage of a Feral creature’s natural attacks depends on its size, as below.

Bite Attack

{table=head]Size|Damage
Fine|1
Diminutive|1d2
Tiny|1d3
Small|1d4
Medium|1d6
Large|1d8
Huge|1d10
Gargantuan|2d6
Colossal|2d8
[/table]


Claw Attack

{table=head]Size|Damage
Fine|1
Diminutive|1
Tiny|1d2
Small|1d3
Medium|1d4
Large|1d6
Huge|1d8
Gargantuan|1d10
Colossal|2d6
[/table]


Special Attacks
A Feral creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following attacks. However, it does lose special attacks that allow it to cast spells or manifest powers (but not use spell-like or psi-like abilities).

Pounce (Ex)
Whenever a Feral creature makes a charge, it can make a full attack at the end of the charge.

Special Qualities
A Feral creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following attacks.

Damage Reduction (Ex)
A Feral creature with at least 4 HD gains damage reduction 1/–. For every four additional HD it has, its damage reduction increases by one.

Scent (Ex)
A Feral creature can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. A Feral creature can detect opponents by sense of smell, generally within 30 feet. If the opponent is upwind, the range is 60 feet. If it is downwind, the range is 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or Troglodyte stench, can be detected at three times these ranges.

The Feral creature detects another creature’s presence but not its specific location. Noting the direction of the scent is a move action. If it moves within 5 feet of the scent’s source, the Feral creature can pinpoint that source. A Feral creature with the Track feat and the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10. The DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. A Feral creature tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.

Low-Light Vision (Ex)
A Feral creature can see twice as far as normal in dim light. If a Feral creature already had low-light vision, then it may instead see four times as far as normal in dim light.

Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex +2, Con +2, Wis +2, Cha -6. A Feral creature’s Intelligence score is either 1 or 2, depending on the base creature’s Intelligence score. If it was below 10, then the Feral creature has an Intelligence of 1; if it was equal to or above 10, the Feral creature has an Intelligence of 2.

Feats
A Feral creature gains Track as a bonus feat.

Skills
A Feral creature gains a +4 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. A Feral creature cannot use any Intelligence-based skills, nor may it use any Charisma-based skills except for Handle Animal and Intimidate.

Challenge Rating
As the base creature +1.

Alignment
Alignment changes to True Neutral.

Advancement
A Feral creature always advances by HD. If the base creature advanced by class level, then it instead advances by HD, up to a maximum of 20 HD. However, if it did not already advance by HD, then it does not change size when advancing HD.

Level Adjustment
None.

The Demented One
2007-07-07, 10:40 PM
Sample Feral Creatures

Feral Hill Giant

Size/Type: Large Giant
Hit Dice: 12d8+60 (114 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 22 (-1 size, +13 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+22
Attack: Bite +18 melee (1d8+9) or Rock +9 ranged (2d6+9)
Full Attack: Bite +18 melee (1d8+9) and 2 Claws +12 melee (1d6+4) or Rock +9 ranged (2d6+9) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Pounce, rock throwing
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 3/–, low-light vision, scent, rock catching
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +4, Will +5
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +9, Jump +9, Listen +8, Spot +11, Survival +5
Feats: TrackB, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Weapon Focus (Bite)
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always True Neutral
Advancement: 13-20 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: –

Pounce (Ex)
Whenever a Feral Hill Giant makes a charge, it can make a full attack at the end of the charge.

Rock Throwing (Ex)
A Feral Giant can hurl rocks, and receives a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls made with them. Hill Giants can hurl rocks weighing between 40 and 50 lbs., with a range increment of 120 ft.

Rock Catching (Ex)
A Feral Hill Giant can catch rocks (or similar projectiles) of Small to Large size. Once per round, a Feral Hill Giant that would normally be hit by a rock can make a Reflex save to catch it as a free action. The DC is 15 for a Small rock, 20 for a Medium one, and 25 for a Large one (If the projectile provides an enhancement bonus on attack rolls, then the DC increases by that amount). The Feral Hill Giant must be ready for and aware of the attack in order to make a rock catching attempt.

Skills
A Feral Hill Giant gains a +4 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. A Feral creature cannot use any Intelligence-based skills, nor may it use any Charisma-based skills except for Handle Animal and Intimidate.

Feral Nymph

Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 6d6+15 (36 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +2 natural, +1 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+2)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+2) or 2 Claws +1 melee (1d4+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Blinding beauty, pounce, spell-like abilities, stunning glance
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 1/–, damage reduction 10/cold iron, low-light vision, unearthly grace, scent, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +13
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 19, Cha 13
Skills: Escape Artist +5, Handle Animal +2, Hide +5, Listen +9, Move Silently +5, Spot +9, Survival +9, Swim +11,
Feats: TrackB, Toughness, Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always True Neutral
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: –

Blinding Beauty (Su)
All humanoids within 30 ft. of a Feral Nymph who look directly at her must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be blinded permanently, as though by the blindness spell. A Feral Nymph can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Pounce (Ex)
Whenever a Feral Nymph makes a charge, it can make a full attack at the end of the charge.

Spell-Like Abilities
1/day—dimension door. Caster level 7th.

Stunning Glance (Su)
As a standard action, a Feral Nymph can stun a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target creature must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Unearthly Grace (Su)
A Feral Nymph adds her Charisma modifier as a bonus on all her saving throws, and as a deflection bonus to her Armor Class. (The statistics block already reflects these bonuses).

Wild Empathy (Ex)
This ability works like the Druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that a Feral Nymph has a +6 racial bonus on the check.

Skills
A Feral Nymph has a +4 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks and a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. She can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. She can use the run action while swimming, provided she swims in a straight line. A Feral Nymph cannot use any Intelligence-based skills, nor may she use any Charisma-based skills except for Handle Animal and Intimidate.

Feral Orc

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+5)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+5) and 2 Claws +0 melee (1d4+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Pounce
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will -1
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 9, Cha 1
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +3
Feats: TrackB, Alertness
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always True Neutral
Advancement: 2-20 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: –

Pounce (Ex)
Whenever a Feral Orc makes a charge, it can make a full attack at the end of the charge.

Skills
A Feral Orc gains a +4 racial bonus on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. A Feral creature cannot use any Intelligence-based skills, nor may it use any Charisma-based skills except for Handle Animal and Intimidate.

The Demented One
2007-07-07, 10:41 PM
Civilizing Feral Creatures

Although it is a difficult task, it is not impossible to return a Feral creature to civilization. There are two main ways to go about doing this.

The first method is a gradual reintroduction to society. First, one must capture the Feral creature, and bring it back to a social group of its fellow creatures. Depending on the strength of the creature, this may be a difficult task–once a creature has gone Feral, it has little desire to return to civilization. However, as the Feral creature spends time in society, it gradually returns to a civilized state. For every month it spends in society, its Intelligence and Charisma scores increases by one point each, up to the normal Intelligence and Charisma of the base creature. Once the Feral creature’s Intelligence score reaches 3, it becomes self-aware, gains the ability to speak whatever language is most commonly spoken in the society, and may take class levels. As it gains in Intelligence, it becomes more and more acclimated to civilization. Once its Intelligence reaches normal, it is capable of functioning completely in society, though it still possesses vestiges of its Feral mindset. However, re-entering society can be a arduous task for the creature–not physically, but mentally. Rates of suicide among Feral creatures re-introduced to society are extraordinarily high, and one attempting to civilize a Feral creature must take care to avoid this fate.

The other way to civilize a Feral creature is by casting the awaken spell on it. When this is done, the creature’s Intelligence and Charisma scores are immediately restored to their normal maximum. However, the creature does not gain any knowledge of society or civilization–that must be gained through experience. However, it is far easier for a awakened Feral creature to re-enter civilization. However, the threat of suicide remains present.

Regardless of the method used to re-civilize a Feral creature, it does not lose any of the abilities granted by this template. Its natural weapons, improved physical characteristics, and heightened senses are developed by years of life in the wild, and cannot be removed. Although most Feral creatures have an Intelligence score below 3, and are thus inappropriate for use by player characters, a civilized Feral creature can be used by a PC. The LA of a civilized Feral creature is increased by three.

I_Got_This_Name
2007-07-08, 01:12 PM
Interesting; seems to be equal parts apocalypse barbarians (possibly a bit of Planet of the Apes in there) and Tarzan.

Then again, Tarzan seemed to retain his brainpower, what with teaching himself to read and write English without speaking a word of it.

This is a brilliant monster, as always.

Mordokai
2007-07-08, 01:35 PM
I like it, but I'm having some problems with sample creatures. Feral giant and orc are ok, but feral nymph strikes me as kind of odd. Aren't nymphs by their very definition more feral than not? And yes, I know that feral creatures are degraded to the point of almost being animals, but she still strikes me as weird. Other than that, I find this template very well done.

ArmorArmadillo
2007-07-08, 04:02 PM
You'll either need to get rid of Pounce or heavily up the CR adjustment, under the right circumstances this makes a creature a TPK machine; Imagine a Feral Dragon, with Flyby Attack. It's not invincible, but it's also not CR +1.

I_Got_This_Name
2007-07-08, 04:04 PM
You'll either need to get rid of Pounce or heavily up the CR adjustment, under the right circumstances this makes a creature a TPK machine; Imagine a Feral Dragon, with Flyby Attack. It's not invincible, but it's also not CR +1.

You can't use Pounce and Flyby Attack together.

Well, not straight out of the box anyway.

JackMage666
2007-07-09, 06:47 AM
Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex +2, Con +2, Wis +2, Cha -6. A Feral creature’s Intelligence score is either 1 or 2, depending on the base creature’s Intelligence score. If it was below 10, then the Feral creature has an Intelligence of 1; if it was above 10, the Feral creature has an Intelligence of 2.

What is the creature's intelligence score was exactly 10? Flip a coin?

The Demented One
2007-07-09, 11:29 AM
What is the creature's intelligence score was exactly 10? Flip a coin?
Changed it to be greater than/equal to 10.