Re: (TFT) your monster manual for tft. i noted a messsage from last

[srydzews@ix.netcom.com]

A few thoughts on your comments:

>* Talents: How does the Climbing Talent differ for a monkey than for a man?
>How can a Monkey get Climbing Talent with such a low IQ. 

He just does.  Where a talent approximates an animal's abilities it's probably
better to use it, just to minimize the amount of custom one-off rules
required.  Bloodhounds have tracking talent, etc.

>* Ecology. What do they eat? Where do they live? I like to find a generic
>system for categorizing animals. For example, what does it eat and how much
>of it per ST point?

I don't know that it's neccessary to have a complete "food chain" of animals,
notation that an animal is a carnivore and the general type of things it preys
on is sufficient.  A food chain (IMHO) is more something for a world description
than a monster manual.  

>* Pets/Companions: How do PCs buy monsters as pets and companions?

TFT has some pricing guidelines on page 59 and 62 of ITL, with prices based on
the animal's stats.  This would make a good starting point.

>* Worth: How much meat can you eat of an animal?

As far as quantity, I thought the general rule for real mammals was 1/5 
of body mass, more for domestic animals. 

As far as palatability, this has come up before in my game.  "Well, can we eat 
the giant scorpion meat?"  Since so many combinations of eater and eat-ee are 
possible, I've taken to rolling 2d6 for each race in the party.  High rolls 
indicate relative yumminess.  For instance, I rolled an 11 for the humans in
the party regarding the giant scorpion.  They loved it!  I rolled a four for
the dwarf, it tasted kind of lousy to him and make him kind of queasy.  

> How much is it's pelt worth if you sell it? How valuable are dragon's teeth?

Well, you can either cite actual prices in your descriptions or just a include 
a notation that an animal has a pelt that is highly sought after.  

> How much magical component parts can you get from an animal?

As in, how many am-bushes do I have to kill to get the 2 kilos of leaves for an
Increase DX potion?  Well, I'd say that you guess.  

>* Movement: How does flight effect combat options? How does a Pteradactyl
>fight in combat? 

You find the flight rules in Advanced Melee (pages 4 & 32) to be insufficient?

>
>* Combat: How does trampling work?

Advanced melee, pages 4 & 26.

> An elephants tusk?

If you think it's long enough to be the equivalent of a polearm, just say that 
in the animal's description.

>Constriction? A stampede? Pinning an animal? Multiple HTH with swarms of 
>animals? Aimed Shots for animals? Crippling Hits for Dragons?

I see your point on these!

>* Weapons: Some "monsters" use weapons? How do they work compared to how
>normal figures use weapons?

Pretty much the same.  You can get into issues like "well shouldn't a 
giant-sized 2H sword be longer than a human spear, thus negating some
of the spear's polearm advantages", but that's probably going a bit too
far.

>* Are there giant-sized swords? (ala Balrog).

Well there should be, obviously.  TFT pretty much dodges the issue by 
making all the big guys so dumb they all use clubs, which scale to the
user's ST.  I'd suggest the giant-sized weapons article in the archive.

>* Poison/Venom: How does snake poison work?

Well, TFT has mechanics for poison, it's a matter of coming up with
the values for damage and saving throws.

>* Disease: How does anthrax or rabies work?

Well, how does bubonic plague or hyborian lung-rot work?  I think this 
is material better handled in a "supplement" specifically about diseases.

>* Lycantrhopy: How does werewolfism work in TFT?
>* Vampirism: How do vampires work in TFT?

I'm guessing you don't like the rules on p. 55 of ITL?  

>* Undead: How do Undead work in TFT?
>* Spirits: Summing and Divine monsters? What's up with the general nature
>  of these for TFT?

Yes, this is a large lack in TFT.  I has no cosmology, other than an apparent
bent by SJ for rationalistic, non-"supernatural" explanation for things whenever
possible.  Without a cosmology, it's hard to have extra-planar and undead critters
that make sense.  




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