Jab's Dinosaur Builds!: Sauroposeidon! Supersaurus!

[Jabroniville]

STAR-NOSED MOLE (Condylura cristata)
Role: Iconic Weird Creature
PL 0 (20)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 4
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -5 STAMINA -5 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING -2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+5)
Close Combat (Bite) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 5

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Acute & Extended Scent) [2]
Burrowing 1 [1]
Movement 2 (Environmental Adaptation- Underground, Aquatic) [4]
"Paralytic Toxin" Affliction 2 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Flaws: Limited to Shrinking 16 & Under Creatures) [1]
Quickness 2 (Flaws: Limited to Eating & Sensory Applications) [1]

"Fun Size" Shrinking 12 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (6 inches) [25]
(-3 Strength, +6 Defenses, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Paralytic Toxin +5 (+2 Affliction, DC 12)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -5, Fortitude +0, Will +0

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Moles cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Poor Eyesight)- Moles are nocturnal, burrowing creatures, and have poorly-developed eyesight.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, Moles are vulnerable to large creatures- even without good accuracy. Anything of Size Rank -2 or more (human size and up) using a melee attack on a tiny creature effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 34 / Defenses: 5 (20)

-The most distinctive type of mole, these are famous for their multi-pronged noses, believed to have evolved for a superior sense of touch. This is tricky to stat, as effectively it's pretty much like human fingers, so you can't add a "Power" to it- things like this, the whiskers of a cat, etc., are all a bit too vague to classify as Senses. It's just that they have them, while many/most animals DON'T- a rare case where an animal can match us in terms of precision touching. In fact, they are SUPERIOR at it, as the "star's" prongs can tell in 8 milliseconds whether or not something is edible- thought to be an adaptation for tiny prey.

-Hailing from Eastern North America, they are the fastest-eating mammals in the world, consuming prey in as little as 120 milliseconds. Their eating speed allows them to make use of prey not worth it for slower mammals. Unlike most moles, they are highly aquatic, with tunnels often leading into the water. Another odd adaptation is that they can smell things UNDERWATER- they blow bubbles at things, then inhale the bubbles as they come back, thus gaining a sense of what the bubbles had touched- truly weird.

[Jabroniville]

Ps I find it amusing that the most famous burrowing animal in the world burrows too slowly to earn the Burrowing power.

[catsi563]

I wonder if enhanced perception works for those types of senses. The cats whiskers for example are a BIG part of their sensory package they allow the cat to be even more perceptive in the dark providing both sense of changes in air currents acting like mini antennae as well as extending their sense of touch by a small margin

[Spectrum]

Ps I find it amusing that the most famous burrowing animal in the world burrows too slowly to earn the Burrowing power.

That's related to one of the (many) oddneses that I've had with the M&M system- its really hard to have powers that do things, but would only be at the 0 levels range. For example, being able to fly, but only as fast as a normal human can walk. Or, having telekinesis, but only as strong as the average person?

[Jabroniville]

TREESHREWS (Order "Scandentia")
Role: Misnamed Tree-Dwellers
PL 0 (18)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 4
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -5 STAMINA -5 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING -2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 14 (+9)
Close Combat (Bite) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 5

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Arboreal) [2]

"Fun Size" Shrinking 12 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (6 inches) [25]
(-3 Strength, +6 Defenses, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -5, Fortitude +0, Will +0

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Treeshrews cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, Treeshrews are vulnerable to large creatures- even without good accuracy. Anything of Size Rank -2 or more (human size and up) using a melee attack on a tiny creature effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -34 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 30 / Defenses: 5 (18)

-The Treeshrews are named for Shrews- they were assumed to be related. However, further research has revealed that these largely-arboreal critters are actually more closely related to PRIMATES, existing in their own tiny Order, containing only two families- "ordinary" Treeshrews and one species- the Pen-Tailed Treeshrew. They are omnivorous, often eating fruit, and have a higher brain-to-body mass ratio than any other mammal, including humans.

-Treeshrews are more like Squirrels than anything, being very tiny, fast, tree-dwelling creatures with decent eyesight.

[Jabroniville]

COLUGOS (Order "Dermoptera")
Role: Gliding Mammals
PL 0 (20)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 4
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -5 STAMINA -5 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING -2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+5)
Close Combat (Bite) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 5

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Arboreal) [2]
"Demoptera" Flight 2 (8 mph) (Flaws: Gliding) [2]

"Fun Size" Shrinking 12 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (6 inches) [25]
(-3 Strength, +6 Defenses, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -5, Fortitude +0, Will +0

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Colugos cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, Colugos are vulnerable to large creatures- even without good accuracy. Anything of Size Rank -2 or more (human size and up) using a melee attack on a tiny creature effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 34 / Defenses: 5 (20)

-Like Treeshrews, Colugos look vaguely rodent-like and are related to primates- only two species make up the entire family and order "Dermoptera" (literally "Skin Arm"). They are sometimes called "Flying Lemurs" (and were once assumed to be most closely-related to Bats), and weigh between 2-4 lbs. Shy, solitary animals, they are vegetarian foragers.

-Colugos are said to be the gliding mammal most well-adapted to that form of locomotion- they can glide as far as 230 feet from one tree to another without losing much altitude, with the record being about 490 feet. Though Colugos are great gliders, they are not especially athletic- they are weak, poor climbers and get around by short hops.

[Spectrum]

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Colugos cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.

Do humans have the disabled (Human) complication?

Disabled (Human)- Humans cannot speak to animals, and are generally oversized weak oafs.

[Jabroniville]

ORDER- AFROSCORIDA:
-Afroscorida is the name given to a few related animals from Africa, once classified under "Insectivora"- the Otter Shrews (small aquatic critters), Tenrecs, and Golden Moles (distinct from regular Moles). Thanks to convergent evolution, these animals have all evolved very similar body plans to established, much more famous animals- looking like weasels, possums, rodents or shrews, but they're all pretty distinct, obscure animals.

[Jabroniville]

OTTER SHREWS (Family "Potamogalidae")
Role: Tiny Freaky Creatures
PL 0 (15)- Minion Rank 1, Sidekick Rank 3
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -5 STAMINA -5 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING -2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+5)
Close Combat (Bite) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 5

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Acute & Extended Scent) [2]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Semi-Aquatic) [2]

"Fun Size" Shrinking 12 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (6 inches) [25]
(-3 Strength, +6 Defenses, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -5, Fortitude +0, Will +0

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Otter Shrews cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Poor Eyesight)- Otter Shrews are nocturnal, burrowing creatures, and have poorly-developed eyesight.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, Otter Shrews are vulnerable to large creatures- even without good accuracy. Anything of Size Rank -2 or more (human size and up) using a melee attack on a tiny creature effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 29 / Defenses: 5 (15)

-Otter Shrews superficially resemble Otters, but are rodent-sized crab-eaters that live in Africa. Closely related to the Tenrecs, they engage in short dives and kill 10-15 crabs a night, typically avoiding anything more than 7 cm across. Only three species are known.

[Jabroniville]

ELEPHANT SHREWS (aka Sengi, Family "Macroscelididae")
Role: Tiny Freaky Creatures
PL 0 (18)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 4
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -5 STAMINA -5 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING -2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+5)
Close Combat (Bite) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 5

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Acute & Extended Scent) [2]
Speed 3 (8 mph) [3]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Desert) [2]

"Fun Size" Shrinking 12 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (6 inches) [25]
(-3 Strength, +6 Defenses, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -5, Fortitude +0, Will +0

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Elephant Shrews cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Poor Eyesight)- Elephant Shrews are nocturnal, burrowing creatures, and have poorly-developed eyesight.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, Elephant Shrews are vulnerable to large creatures- even without good accuracy. Anything of Size Rank -2 or more (human size and up) using a melee attack on a tiny creature effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 5 (18)

-Elephant Shrews, named for their elongated probosces, were originally classified among Insectivora since... well, they look just like them, but hilariously, further research revealed that they are ACTUALLY MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO ELEPHANTS. Their closer relatives include Aardvarks, Otter Shrews & Tenrecs. This led to some saying they should be renamed "Sengis"- the Bantu term for them. They live across most of the southern portion of Africa. They live in monogamous pairs, and burrow narrow holes.

-Sengis are pretty much statistically equal to Shrews, except they were BLISTERINGLY fast- among the fastest small mammals. They've been recorded as hitting up to 17 mph- human speeds! Typically, they eat spiders, insects and worms, sometimes taking off pieces of larger prey.

[Spectrum]

Huh... any chance to see Serpent Society cross promotion?

[Jabroniville]

Huh... any chance to see Serpent Society cross promotion?

It’ll be a while before I get to the snakes, unfortunately. I was thinking of going through all the mammals first, but I’m not sure what people want to see next.

[Jabroniville]

ORDER- PERISSODACTYLA:
-And now we finally reach the Ungulates- two separate orders of closely-related animals. The Odd-Toed Ungulates here are seventeen species over three families- the Rhinos, Tapires & Horses. All of them bear most of their weight on the middle of five toes- Rhinos have three, Tapirs have four on the front feet and three on the rear, while Horses evolved to lose all of their side-toes, leaving only one on each leg, covered by a hoof. Extinct ancestors include the Brontotheres (heavyset, rhino-like horned mammals) and Chalicotheres (those weird, long-armed ones). They all have long heads, and young that can keep up with the mother very quickly- they're also all very long-lived, easily reaching 50 years of age.

[Jabroniville]

EQUIDAE FAMILY (Order- Perissodactyla)
-A symbol of grace and freedom, Horses are a very iconic animal, and no wonder. They're easily one of the Top Five most important animals ever to humanity's overall development (I'd consider that to be: Horses, Dogs/Wolves, Rodents, Goats/Sheep & Pigs), becoming the masterful plow-draggers, mounts and generally-helpful animals of all time. They're one of the few animals we can ride with any kind of regularity- only a few others are even capable of being ridden well (even if willing, a Tiger and its flexible spine hardly make for ideal riding conditions), and only the horse and its relatives perfectly combine size, power, loyalty, intelligence, hardiness, and endurance.

-Horses also make great animals when "Mixed" with other stuff- they appear in myths and legends with wings, horns, fins and can even be mixed with Griffins to produce Hippogriffs! "Horse, But Different" animals are one of my favourite things in fantasy fiction, and are generally a sign that the creators put a bit more thought into things than most. I use the trope so much that the Horse comes off as a rather plain, nothing mount in any world *I* create, but they're a great, boring "Base Animal".

-Unusually, they are descended from much smaller animals- one of the few animal types at the apex of its evolutionary size. Ancient horses were very tiny things like Eohippus. The common Horse's relatives include the Zebra, Wild Ass (which led to the modern domesticated Donkey), Przewalksi's Horse, the Onager, and a few others. The only wild horses in existence today are merely feral herds of the descendents of freed pets and mounts- the animal was so useful to humanity that the wild-ness got bred right out of them.

-Horses are fairly slow to breed, and childbirth can be fraught with complications, which is why careful breeding is so important. There's only been a few instances of multiple births (I was reading a book by TV's Dr. Pol where he describes the shock of finding a horse giving birth to THREE foals!), and in most of those cases, only one foal typically survives. Though not given a reputation for ferocity, Horses can be quite violent, especially in feral and wild herds- rival males will get into violent brawls over fillies, usually descending into huge kicks to the head.

[Jabroniville]

EOHIPPUS (Equus caballas)
Role: Standard Mount For Little Girls, Plow Animal
PL 2 (22)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 5
Normal Version: PL 0-1
STRENGTH -1 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 3 (+4)
Insight 2 (+3)
Perception 5 (+6)

Advantages:
Evasion

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision, Radius Sight) [3]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 1 (4 mph) [1]

"Small Size" Shrinking 4 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (3 feet) [9]
(-1 Strength, +2 Defenses, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -1, Fortitude +1, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Eohippus cannot speak to humans, nor use their hooves to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: -4 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 13 / Defenses: 4 (22)

Era: Eocene Period
Range: North America
Stereotypes: None.
Colouring: Probably Horse-like
Size: 12-14 inches high (Unknown weight)
Encounter Groups: Wild herds of 3-25 creatures, or mounted by sentients.
Diet: Grass & vegetation
Tactics: Flee using speed or attack all-out with powerful hooves.

-Eohippus is the "dawn horse"- the earliest-known Equine ancestor of the famous Horse Family- a tiny animal about the size of your average dog, more designed for running around forests than dominating the great plains. He's a curious little bit of evolution, and one of those animals you can see modify itself over the years- the Natural History Museum in New York has a cool little display of the horses slowly growing in size over the millennia, ending with our current steeds. They're also used by some Creationists in order to discredit Evolution, because apparently a descendant loses three pairs of ribs, then another GAINS a few, then the Horse drops one. WHY this discredits Evolution is beyond me, but a friend's Anthro Prof had a great response: "Eohippus doesn't GIVE A F*CK how many ribs it has!"

-Eohippus is as unimpressive an animal build as you're ever likely to see- a 22-pt. piece of nothing that's slow and not small enough to be truly evasive. It's a little strange that something like this has evolved into the mighty steeds of modern times.