Jab's Dinosaur Builds!: Prosauropods! Plateosaurus!

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Cougar

Post by Jabroniville »

Ken wrote: Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:35 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jul 18, 2020 6:29 am Image

COUGAR
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
This one never fails to get a laugh, lol. I remember a guy doing a long read-through of my entire thread and cracking up at it, way back when. I switched the pic for a Jane Seymour one on RA, just for the sake of being different, but it's too perfect not to use :).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Clouded Leopard

Post by Jabroniville »

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CLOUDED LEOPARD (Neofelis nebulosa)
Role:
Hidden Small Cat
PL 5 (80)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 16
Normal Version:
PL 3-4
STRENGTH -1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Athletics 6 (+5)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 4 (+8)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 7 (+3 Size)
Perception 8 (+9)
Stealth 4 (+13 Size)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Evasion, Fast Grab, Grappling Finesse, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Prone Fighting, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 4 (16 mph) [4]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +3 [3]

"Cat Agility"
"Climbing Skills" Enhanced Skills 8: Athletics 8 (+13) (Flaws: Limited to Climbing) [2]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Righting Reflex" Immunity 5 (Falling Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2.5]

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

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Claws & Teeth +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +2, Fortitude +3, Will +5

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

Total: Abilities: 12 / Skills: 41--20.5 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 28.5 / Defenses: 8 (80)

Era: Modern
Range: Southern Asia
Stereotypes: None (too unknown).
Colouring: Tawny or grey/silver with black-edged dark clouds.
Size: Up to 4 feet long (35-51 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary.
Diet: Monkeyes, gibbons, young boar & deer, birds, porcupines
Tactics: Silent stalking, followed by pounce. Chokes or severs the spinal cord.

-Clouded Leopards are one of the least-understood and most hidden cats in existence. Relatively tiny compared to larger animals, they are nonetheless believed to be the last surviving descendent of the mighty Smilodons & Sabre-Toothed Cats of the Ice Age, their extra-large canines a giveaway to this ancient link. Believed to be vulnerable, population-wise, these are solitary, silent hunters that climb as well as tiny cats, and fight like big ones. Not many small cats would have the balls to take on a monkey or an ape, but these guys sure would. And that COAT- it's like the prettiest thing ever! Part of why cats rock is that even the 50-pound ones look totally awesome.
greycrusader
Posts: 1179
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 11:25 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Jab's Animal Builds (Ocelot! Serval! Caracal! Lynx! Cheetah!

Post by greycrusader »

That is one STRIKING looking cat! I imagine the stark-looking white and grey coat developed as camouflage?
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Snow Leopard

Post by Jabroniville »

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SNOW LEOPARD (Panthera uncia)
Role:
Snow-Bound Hunter
PL 6 (89)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 18
Normal Version:
PL 5
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 9 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 7 (+8)
Intimidation 6 (+4)
Perception 8 (+9)
Stealth 7 (+12)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Prone Fighting, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
"Mountain Creature" Movement 2 (Environmental Adapatation- Cold & Mountains) [4]

"Cat Agility"
"Climbing Skills" Enhanced Skills 4: Athletics 4 (+16) (Flaws: Limited to Climbing) [1]
Leaping 3 [3]

"White & Spotted Coat" Enhanced Skills 4: Stealth 4 (+16) (Flaws: Limited to Snow-Bound Areas) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Claws & Teeth +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

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

Total: Abilities: 26 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 20 / Defenses: 14 (89)

Era: Modern
Range: Mountains of Asia
Stereotypes: None (too unknown).
Colouring: White/grey with dark rosettes
Size: Up to 4.5 feet long (55-165 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary.
Diet: Sheep, goats, marmots, pikas, hares, birds, rarely yak & asses
Tactics: Silent stalking, followed by pounce. Chokes or severs the spinal cord.

-Snow Leopards are one of my favourites- their coats are simply awesome to behold, very white and fuzzy like a cold-living creature's should be, and their leaping power is legendary. They are exceptionally designed to live in wintry habitats, having camouflage, short years and limbs to prevent heat loss, and a very bushy tail (which can be wrapped around them for further protection from the cold). Extremely agile, they can chase goats through alpine habitats and barely lose any speed. Despite its name, it is not that closely related to the Leopard- the Tiger is its closest relative. They're fairly vulnerable and rare, as despite living in remote areas, are actively hunted for their coats (and probably wang medicine- it IS in Asia after all). They are among the cats least-likely to attack people, but livestock are prone. They can hunt large animals, but focus more on smaller ones like hares.

-Snow Leopards are PL 6, a bridge between the Lynx, Cheetah & Clouded Leopards, and the larger Cougars, Leopards and Jaguars. Not QUITE as dangerous, but still nothing you'd want to openly screw with. They're more than enough to bring down a Bighorn Sheep or a Deer. It's rather costly thanks to its Movement powers and its improved Stealth, and makes a great companion in Arctic-type campaigns.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Animal Builds (Ocelot! Serval! Caracal! Lynx! Cheetah!

Post by Jabroniville »

greycrusader wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 10:14 pm That is one STRIKING looking cat! I imagine the stark-looking white and grey coat developed as camouflage?
Most likely- rosettes and stripes break up the animal's pattern in dense vegetation- especially because a lot of their prey is colorblind.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Leopard

Post by Jabroniville »

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Animal Care: YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG

LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
Role:
African Mid-Tier Big Cat
PL 7 (89)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 18
Normal Version:
PL 4-6
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 9 (+13)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+9)
Intimidation 9 (+7)
Perception 9 (+10)
Stealth 7 (+12)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Prone Fighting, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Cat Agility"
"Climbing Skills" Enhanced Skills 3: Athletics 3 (+16) (Flaws: Limited to Climbing) [1]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Spotted Coat" Enhanced Skills 3: Stealth 3 (+15) (Flaws: Limited to Dense plants or undergrowth) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Claws & Teeth +8 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Cats cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Enemy (Lions, Hyenas)- Lions will kill Leopards they encounter. Hyenas will also Killsteal their prey, and kill Leopard cubs.

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 14 / Defenses: 11 (89)

---

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BLACK PANTHER (Panthera pardus)
Role:
African Mid-Tier Big Cat
PL 7 (89)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 18
Normal Version:
PL 4-6
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 9 (+13)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+9)
Intimidation 9 (+7)
Perception 9 (+10)
Stealth 7 (+12)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Prone Fighting, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Cat Agility"
"Climbing Skills" Enhanced Skills 3: Athletics 3 (+16) (Flaws: Limited to Climbing) [1]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Black Coat" Enhanced Skills 3: Stealth 3 (+15) (Flaws: Limited to Dark Areas) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Claws & Teeth +8 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Cats cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Enemy (Lions, Hyenas)- Lions will kill Leopards they encounter. Hyenas will also Killsteal their prey, and kill Leopard cubs.

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 14 / Defenses: 11 (89)

Era: Modern
Range: Africa, Middle East & Southern Asia
Stereotypes: Unspeaking, implacable predators in Africa & Asian-Based Movies.
Colouring: Tawny yellow with black spots or all black
Size: Up to 6.5 feet long (80-200 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary.
Diet: Antelopes, carrion, humans (in some places).
Tactics: Silent stalking, followed by pounce. Chokes or severs the spinal cord.

-Leopards are the most-lethal African spotted animal, differentiated from Jaguars by their size (they're much less heavily-built) and their spots (Leopards have smaller spots, forming smaller rosette patterns of 2-3 spots touching, versus Jaguars' large empty circular rosettes of multiple splotches). They're amazing athletes, able to grab prey three times their size and then JUMP UP A TREE with it. Leopards have one extra-terrifying trait, too- they often live inside city limits in places like India, where there are tons of poor people with homes that don't have any coverings on their windows. I've seen more than one documentary detailing how some Leopards will just casually traipse about at night inside these towns/cities, pop in through the window (basically just an opening in the wall), grab a 13-year old kid or something, and pop back out. They are positively lethal in some places.

-In fact, dozens of people per-year are killed by Leopards, with numbers difficult to find, as India, Nepal and other countries keep poor records of such things. The records that do exist generally show individual Provinces reporting hundreds of deaths in 12-year periods. Leopards' reputations as killers of livestock is legendary as well- as "surplus killers", they will kill far beyond what they could eat, just to ensure possible food for later. Leopards actually kill so often and so frequently, that one of the best-guesses as to why is that they just plain ENJOY KILLING. There are reports of "man-eating specialists" with over a HUNDRED kills to their name.

-A Leopard is very similar to a Cougar in almost every respect (the template is virtually unchanged), but gains added Stealth in dense forests. A PL 7 fighter, it can take out all but the most ELITE Minions easily, and is no small challenge for a PL 10 hero at times. Their Stealth is almost beyond imagining- a friend of mine went on Safari in Africa, and observed one in the wild, just sitting in the bush. Then my friend blinked. And the Leopard disappeared. Oh, it was still there- but because of its spotted coat in the underbrush, its outline was broken up, and my friend had to "find" it again. Numerous indidivuals attest to standing RIGHT BESIDE someone who was attacked by a Leopard, and not noticing until they saw a shadow creeping away. Even elite Hunters claim that Leopards are by far the most-difficult animals to track in the wild, as they are especially bold and leave few traces, and can take cover in the tiniest of places. Humans attacked by leopards tend to die of "exsanguination", ie. the thing cuts their throat and they bleed out.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Jaguar

Post by Jabroniville »

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JAGUAR (Panthera onca)
Role:
South America's Mightiest Hunter
PL 7 (91)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 19
Normal Version:
PL 4-6
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 9 (+13)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+9)
Intimidation 9 (+7)
Perception 9 (+10)
Stealth 6 (+11)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons) 2, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Prone Fighting, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
"Improved Musculature" Strength-Damage +1 [1]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Cat Agility"
"Climbing Skills" Enhanced Skills 3: Athletics 3 (+16) (Flaws: Limited to Climbing) [1]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Spotted Coat" Enhanced Skills 3: Stealth 3 (+14) (Flaws: Limited to Dense plants or undergrowth) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Claws & Teeth +7 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +5, Fortitude +7, Will +7

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

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 15 / Defenses: 12 (91)

Era: Modern
Range: Central & South America
Stereotypes: Unspeaking, implacable predators in South America-Based Movies.
Colouring: Tawny yellow with black spots or all black
Size: Up to 6.5 feet long (80-350 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary.
Diet: Deer, capybara, tapirs, peccary
Tactics: Silent stalking, followed by pounce. Chokes or severs the spinal cord.

-Here's a Jaguar, the more squat, thick cat than the Leopard, with larger emptier rosettes. Boosting strength damage and toughness, Jaguars are slightly less capable than Leopards at hitting, but harder overall, making it slightly more-dangerous in combat. Also, I stuck in the Black colour-variant. Melanism is relatively common amongst Jaguars & Leopards, giving them an added advantage in areas of darkness (like, say, forests & jungles, where they live). Most other Big Cats only have rumored instances of it, and no photographic evidence of REAL black coats, so these guys are stand-outs. Statistically, it just switches "forested areas" to "Darkness", which is a bit better. Unlike Leopards, Lions, Tigers & Cougars, there are very few accounts of Jaguar predation on humans- they are a much shier, more-hidden animal.

---

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BLACK PANTHER (Panthera onca)
Role:
South America's Mightiest Hunter
PL 7 (91)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 19
Normal Version:
PL 4-6
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 9 (+13)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+9)
Intimidation 9 (+7)
Perception 9 (+10)
Stealth 6 (+11)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons) 2, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Prone Fighting, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
"Improved Musculature" Strength-Damage +1 [1]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Cat Agility"
"Climbing Skills" Enhanced Skills 3: Athletics 3 (+16) (Flaws: Limited to Climbing) [1]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Black Coat" Enhanced Skills 3: Stealth 3 (+14) (Flaws: Limited to Dark Areas) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Claws & Teeth +7 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +5, Fortitude +7, Will +7

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

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 15 / Defenses: 12 (91)

Era: Modern
Range: Central & South America
Stereotypes: Unspeaking, implacable predators in South America-Based Movies.
Colouring: Tawny yellow with black spots or all black
Size: Up to 6.5 feet long (80-350 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary.
Diet: Deer, capybara, tapirs, peccary
Tactics: Silent stalking, followed by pounce. Chokes or severs the spinal cord.

-Here's a Jaguar, a squatter, thicker cat than the Leopard, with larger, emptier rosettes. Jaguars are the largest cat in the Americas, descended from a basal animal that crossed over into North America hounds of thousands of years ago. Sizes and weights vary considerably, with some barely being 80 lbs., and others weighing 348 lbs. (!!). Large males have been seen dragging 800-lb. bulls for several feet, and the animal's pouncing and hunting capabilities are legendary- among their key prey are honest-to-god CROCODILES, as the Jaguar's heavy jaws are actually capable of piercing the creatures' brains, allowing them to carry off a helpless, frozen reptile. Melanism is seen in only 6% of the population, but they are almost never completely black- even decent lighting reveals that they still have noticeable black rosettes on a coat that's merely very dark.

-Despite their size and power, they rarely hunt man- they evolved hunting Capybara & Peccary, not primates, and so typically leave humans alone, and even now rarely attack them except when cornered or otherwise provoked. They are among the only big cats not to prefer even-toed ungulates in prey, but are active in numerous types of habitat, making them highly versatile predators. Jaguars have been spotted in the U.S. states of Arizona, Texas & New Mexico, and are only classified as "Near-Threatened", though they suffer from fairly steady depopulation in many habitats. As expected, many ancient cultures deeply respected them for their power. In captivity, they have reached the age of 23 years, making them among the most long-lived cats.

-Boosting strength damage and toughness, Jaguars are slightly less capable than Leopards at hitting, but harder overall, making it slightly more-dangerous in combat. Also, I stuck in the Black colour-variant. Melanism is relatively common amongst Jaguars & Leopards, giving them an added advantage in areas of darkness (like, say, forests & jungles, where they live). Most other Big Cats only have rumored instances of it, and no photographic evidence of REAL black coats, so these guys are stand-outs. Statistically, it just switches "forested areas" to "Darkness", which is a bit better. Unlike Leopards, Lions, Tigers & Cougars, there are very few accounts of Jaguar predation on humans- they are a much shier, more-hidden animal.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Lioness

Post by Jabroniville »

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LIONESS (Panthera leo)
Role:
The Hard-Worker of the Pride
PL 7 (83)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 17
Normal Version:
PL 5-6
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+6)
Athletics 6 (+11)
Expertise (Survival) 9 (+10)
Intimidation 7 (+7 Size)
Perception 7 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Cat Agility" Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Tawny Coat" Enhanced Skills 4: Stealth 4 (+9) (Flaws: Limited to Grasslands & Brown Areas) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Claws & Teeth +7 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +5, Fortitude +8, Will +7

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Cats cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Enemy (Hyenas, Other Predators)- Lions & Hyenas have a dark relationship with each other, frequently killing each others' infants, and stealing kills. Lions will also attack and kill other predators like Leopards and Cheetahs on sight.

Total: Abilities: 30 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 14 (83)

Era: Modern
Range: Central & South Africa, Gir Forest of India
Stereotypes: Noble, subserviant females.
Colouring: Tawny yellow
Size: Up to 7.5 feet long (190-280 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Prides (4-6 adults with one male and cubs)
Diet: Antelopes (especially Wildebeest), Zebra, buffalo
Tactics: Silent stalking, followed by pounce. Chokes or severs the spinal cord.

-And now we come to the Lions, the "Kings of the Jungle". Even though they live on grasslands and savannah. And generally just lay around all day. Seriously, these guys are BORING to watch when you see them in zoos. Their hunts are spectacular though, as the females stalk the weakest members of HUGE herds, split off into groups, then run one down (often with a series of other, hidden Lionesses taking up the chase). And they stand as the premier carnivore of Africa, with only the Nile Crocodile coming close. They eat the young of any other predators they see (they don't even EAT dead Hyenas), and nobody else messes with them, unless it's in mass numbers. They're also prone to bogarting the kills of anyone else, so they're kind of the dicks of the Animal Kingdom.

-Females are much smaller and weaker than males, despite their role as the hunters of the Pride. The key is their smaller size and lack of manes aid them in stealth, allowing them to capture prey more easily, and they're faster as well. Males typically only involve themselves in solitary hunts or when the pride attacks large game like Cape Buffalo- the heavyset males are extremely useful THEN. Lionesses are the same PL as Jaguars (being roughly the same size- less than 300 lbs. generally), but with more Fortitude, less Climbing, and a higher top speed (they can hit 50 mph in the wild).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24693
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Lion

Post by Jabroniville »

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OH CRAP LIONS JUST MASTERED CAVALRY TIME TO RUN!!!

MALE LION (Panthera leo)
Role:
The King of the Jungle
PL 8 (92)- Minion Rank 7, Sidekick Rank 19
Normal Version:
PL 6-7
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+5)
Athletics 2 (+8)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+6)
Intimidation 12 (+10 Size)
Perception 8 (+9)
Stealth 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons) 3, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Prone Fighting, Ultimate Intimidation Check

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"Natural Weapons- Claws & Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Cat Agility" Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Lion's Mane" Features 2: +4 to Resist Choking Grapples or Neck-Bites [2]
"Natural Size" Growth 1 (Str & Sta +1, +1 Mass, +0 Intimidation, -0 Dodge/Parry, -1 Stealth) -- (8 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [3]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Claws & Teeth +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +7, Fortitude +9, Will +8

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Cats cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Enemy (Hyenas, Other Predators)- Lions & Hyenas have a dark relationship with each other, frequently killing each others' infants, and stealing kills. Lions will also attack and kill other predators like Leopards and Cheetahs on sight.
Rivalry (Other Males)- Being King is nice, but every single other dude in the proximity wants to nail you girlfriends, and will fight you to do it. It's a constant struggle to keep your own genes going, and most males only rule for 2-3 years.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 15 / Defenses: 14 (92)

Era: Modern
Range: Central & South Africa, Gir Forest of India
Stereotypes: Proud, noble, regal rulers.
Colouring: Tawny yellow with brown mane
Size: Up to 8.5 feet long (300-550 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Prides (4-6 adults with one male and cubs)
Diet: Antelopes (especially Wildebeest), Zebra, buffalo
Tactics: Silent stalking, followed by pounce. Chokes or severs the spinal cord.

Lions- The King of the Jungle (but actually the savannah):
-The males of Lion society don't do much work (a common hack animal trainer will joke, "The men do nothing, and the women do all the work- just like real life, huh?"), yet have a very important job- they're expected to see off any intruding males, which will save the females' cubs from a gruesome death (an invader will kill all the rival's cubs to ensure the females reach estrus sooner, much like other harem-based mammals), as well as fight off dangerous Hyenas and other creatures that threaten the Pride. The women are hunters; the men are defenders. Despite their laziness, a male Lion is over 200 lbs. heavier than the female, and size matters in the animal kingdom a whole hell of a lot. This can be hard for some to understand, especially in a generation that grew up watching "Waif-Fu" girl-fighting and small guys beating ass in martial arts movies and comic books, but being bigger and stronger than your enemy will almost always ensure a victory amongst the same species (predators can, of course, kill larger HERBIVORES, but a carnivore with claws & teeth? Little chance). Even twenty pounds can make all the difference. There's a reason martial arts uses weight classes.

-Males without a harem of females are loners, or gather together with their brothers, all exiled from their father's pride once they hit a certain age. Their size, slowness and manes make them far less efficient hunters, but with only one mouth to feed, and the power to take almost anything they can catch, they tend to do alright. Still, it's a hard life being a male lion- two or three years tops of being a King, getting all the ladies you can take, and the entirety of your life before and after are spent alone, before or past your prime.

-There's a great story in We Bought a Zoo (the book; never seen the movie) where the guy is talking about the male lion they had. The dude's working on a tree just outside the enclosure (a few feet from the fence), then turns around and the big male is practically RIGHT BEHIND HIM, edged up against the fence. He's amazed that this 500-lb. animal literally managed to sneak up within a few feet of him without alerting the guy to his presence. Then he sees from the lion's body movement that he's about to "charge". Now, he's seen the lion charge workers before- and no matter what's between them (usually a bit, impenetrable fence), the workers ALWAYS lurch backwards and fall on their ass. EVERY TIME. So the guy is like "nah, I know what's coming- I won't fall backwards". So sure enough, the lion charges, and he's like "OH SHIT!" and immediately lands on his ass! Stuff just completely overtook him and it was fight or flight time! And he KNEW... KNEW FOR A FACT... that there was no way this lion was actually going to get him. These things are INTIMIDATING. The size, mane and roar cut an impressive figure.

Other Lion Breeds:
-Lions also live in Asia, pretty much exclusively in tiny pocket populations in India; these once extended into the Middle East, giving us a lot of heraldic images there. Barbary Lions were common in Egypt and even extended into parts of EUROPE- most European zoo lions (such as those in the Tower of London) were Barbary types, and their descendants still live in zoos to this day. Lions figure into a lot of Greek Mythology, though they died out in the Peloponessian region in 1,000 B.C., and Macedonia in the 4th Century B.C.

Leonine Stats:
-So the male stats up a bit like the female, but is stronger and a better fighter, pushing their PL higher. They lose a notch of Speed and a great deal of Stealth, but gain much more- their Manes are repellent against other big cats' attacks (particularly rival males)- giving them an advantage against breeds without (a Lion is actually about even with a Tiger, in spite of the size difference, because every cat's key attack is the neck-bite). They have many more Combat Advantages, especially Prone Fighting (as Calvin of Calvin & Hobbes said, five of their six ends are pointy when on their back), and a lot of Improved Critical. They're also a bit bigger, earning small ranks of Growth.

-A nasty showcase of their power was in a scene from a nature documentary- two male Cheetahs were fighting over a female, and some male Lions (who will kill any rival predators they can find) divebombed them and killed the female. Their method? One ran her down before she could bolt away, carefully grabbed her head with both paws, then placed her head in his mouth and COMPRESSED IT, sending gross "skull-cracking" noises echoing across the Savannah. And then the Cheetahs, still caught up in a mating frenzy, tried to MATE WITH HER CORPSE, resulting in ANOTHER Cheetah being run down and meeting the same fate. The Animal Kingdom is a scary place.

-Still doubt their power? How about the Tsavo Man-Eaters, a pare of maneless male Lions alleged to have killed ONE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE PEOPLE during the construction of a railway in late 1800s Africa- scientific tests have shown they'd eaten a "mere" 25-31 men each, but this of course doesn't account for men simply slaughtered and left there (they ARE cats, after all). Some of the tales are particularly horrifying, consisting of the Lions simply crawling into tents and dragging men out to their dooms.
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Re: Lion

Post by Shock »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:02 pm Image
How the hell do you train a horse to allow that?
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Re: Lion

Post by pathfinderq1 »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:02 pm -Still doubt their power? How about the Tsavo Man-Eaters, a pare of maneless male Lions alleged to have killed ONE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE PEOPLE during the construction of a railway in late 1800s Africa- scientific tests have shown they'd eaten a "mere" 25-31 men each, but this of course doesn't account for men simply slaughtered and left there (they ARE cats, after all). Some of the tales are particularly horrifying, consisting of the Lions simply crawling into tents and dragging men out to their dooms.
Mmm- Tsavo lions. Definitely one of the interesting things we saw at the Field Museum. Not as impressive as Sue- but they killed more people than she did...
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Re: Lion

Post by Jabroniville »

Shock wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:16 pm
How the hell do you train a horse to allow that?
It's really friggin' weird- it's hard enough to train them to accept HUMAN riders; lions weigh like 500 lbs. and could EASILY kill a horse.
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Re: Jab's Animal Builds (Cougars! Clouded & Snow Leopards!)

Post by catsi563 »

Saw an interesting thing on Cheetahs part of one of those BBC shows. they had a segment on three cheetahs that formed a band the normally solitary hunters used team tactics to bring downa freaking ostrich. something no cheetah would dare attempt solo for serious risk of injury. but these three pulled it off.
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Re: Jab's Animal Builds (Cougars! Clouded & Snow Leopards!)

Post by Jabroniville »

catsi563 wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:01 am Saw an interesting thing on Cheetahs part of one of those BBC shows. they had a segment on three cheetahs that formed a band the normally solitary hunters used team tactics to bring downa freaking ostrich. something no cheetah would dare attempt solo for serious risk of injury. but these three pulled it off.
You clearly didn't read my Cheetah build, or else you'd have seen a full paragraph on that very thing *cries*
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Re: Jab's Animal Builds (Cougars! Clouded & Snow Leopards!)

Post by catsi563 »

Jabroniville wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:15 am
catsi563 wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:01 am Saw an interesting thing on Cheetahs part of one of those BBC shows. they had a segment on three cheetahs that formed a band the normally solitary hunters used team tactics to bring downa freaking ostrich. something no cheetah would dare attempt solo for serious risk of injury. but these three pulled it off.
You clearly didn't read my Cheetah build, or else you'd have seen a full paragraph on that very thing *cries*
Sowies No I actually did read it but its been a hectic and stressful last couple of days and the cheetah thing just popped into my head so i posted it to regain a bit of normacly
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