Re: (TFT) Dinosaurs for TFT

[pvk@oz.net]

...
> I dont have T-Rex or any of the other two legged dinosaurs as having a
> tail attack, mainly because it would be used for balance when attacking.

Sounds right to me.

>> Hmm, ok, but it's also big and in the way - for humans at least, it
>> might
>> not be possible to strike at the body from the front, due to the frill,
>> especially if the Triceratops were concentrating on you as a threat.
>
> Then go for the legs B^) its another reason they might make a great mount,
> added protection.

Well, glancing at the skeletal diagram at:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinos/Triceratops.shtml

It looks to me like a humanoid will need a weapon well over two meters
long to be able to reach the legs from a position in front of the
triceratops. In fact, it looks like a humanoid in front would mainly be
fighting with the skull.

>> True. Though the competing creatures were quite different, and scaling
>> up
>> creates many physical challenges that aren't as pronounced for smaller
>> creatures. For example, dogs have a huge range of sizes from Chihuahua
>> to
>> St. Bernard or Great Dane. The big heavy dogs often can't run as fast as
>> smaller ones, and certainly it doesn't scale with size, and often they
>> have skeletal failures over time (hips tend to wear out on some breeds).
>>
> Yes but thats all stuff a GM/DM would need to decide the stats I am giving
> are for full grown species in their prime that are of average size. There
> is
> a huge anount of leeway after that.

I didn't mean differences between individuals. I was referring to your
comparison to current animal herbivores for speed, and asserting that it
wasn't necessarily the case that an extremely large dino herbivore would
move quickly.

>> Yep like getting hit by a large vehicle.
>>
> I would liken it more to being run over by a flatwheel roller or hit by a
> 18 wheeler

I'd call those "large vehicles", so yeah. ;-)

...
> True there is always ways to work around rules or bend them to your
> advantage, but frank discussion about play should usually remedy the
> problems. The other thing is that if you watch a well coordinated pack
> hunting the operate at what would appear to be a higher IQ level then they
> are capable of as individuals.

Perhaps, but they're still going to behave relatively consistently (and
after intelligent human observation, somewhat predictably), compared to a
pack of non-panicked human warriors, especially if the dinos have never
encountered weapons or magic. Or at least, human players might hope so,
and have more fun if they can try to "prevail with their IQ", since they
may likely have a rather tough time doing it with muscle. As with other
animals and monsters, I think a big part of what makes them interesting
and authentic, is if their non-human behavior. Dinosaurs wouldn't fight
just like enormous brigands or knights, and perhaps not even like giant
animals. They also might possibly get confused or frightened by some types
of new things, or by getting hurt by something smaller than them. Also
from a GM perspective, having introduced PC's to dinosaurs, it can be nice
to have appropriate ways for them to survive the experience. ;-)

PvK
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