Jab's Dinosaur Builds!: Argentinosaurus! Mokele-Mbembe!

[Jabroniville]

AQUATIC RODENT
Role: Mid-Sized Rodent
PL 0 (18)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 4
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -4 STAMINA -3 AGILITY 0
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 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
Movement 1 (Semi-Aquatic) [2]

"Tiny Size" Shrinking 8 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (1 foot) [17]
(-2 Strength, +4 Defenses, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 5)
Initiative +0

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

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

Total: Abilities: -26 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 24 / Defenses: 5 (18)

-Effectively the "Mid-Sized Rodent" plus a rank of Environment since they're good swimmers, these are versatile animals that can become tremendous pests.

Existing Animals:

MUSKRAT: Semi-aquatic 4-lb. creatures, known in a big swath across Eurasia & North America. I once saw a dead one on the street- I actually had no idea what it was- I'd never seen a rodent anywhere close to that size in a non-zoo environment before. It was just kinda lying their flat on the side of the road with its little rodent teeth sticking out.



NUTRIA/COYPU: 10-20 lbs., the Nutria are a huge invasive species over much of the world. Inhabiting Tierra del Fuego in South America, they were brought to Louisiana and other regions to produce fur pelts, but this industry drying up, along with escaped animals, created a large menace, as the large, aquatic rodents got everywhere. Huge populations now exist in the Southern U.S. and much of Europe, and are a big problem- I've watched a PBS documentary on the massive extermination campaigns (which include paying people by the slaughtered animal). They have distinctive bright orange teeth.

[pathfinderq1]

Squirrels, even giant squirrels!

But no Monkey Joe or Tippy-Toe as Elite builds, to assist Squirrel Girl? No Flying Squirrels, to help combat Boris and Natasha?

No, really, this series continues to be great for my 'real animals only' shifter. Thanks again.

[Jabroniville]

FLYING SQUIRREL
Role: Iconic 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, Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Arboreal) [2]
"Gliding" Flight 2 (8 mph) (Flaws: Gliding, Winged) [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 10)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 10)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness -5, Fortitude +0, Will +0

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Flying Squirrels cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, Flying Squirrels 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 rodent effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 31 / Defenses: 7 (20)

-Among the only mammals capable of gliding, Flying Squirrels are rather famous for this feature. Most are from Europe, but a few live in North America. Most are clumsy on land but can glide between tree-tops. This feature is impressive, but so low-pointed in M&M terms that it's only a one-point Power here. Similar animals are the Scaly-Tailed Squirrels of Africa, which are a completely different Family group, and named for the fact that their tails are often rat or mouse-like.

[Davies]

... 8 mph? Really?

[Jabroniville]

... 8 mph? Really?

It’s very unclear just how fast they are, so I went with a generic “kinda fast” and something that would t gave a fractional cost .

[Jabroniville]

NAKED MOLE-RAT (Heterocephalus glaber)
Role: Horde Animal, Famously-Hideous Creature
PL 0 (17)- 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 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 5

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
Immunity 1 (Skin-Based Pain) [1]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Underground) [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 10)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 10)
Initiative -2

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

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Mole-Rats cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, Mole-Rats 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 rodent effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 31 / Defenses: 5 (17)

Era: Modern Day
Range: Africa.
Stereotypes: Evil, diseased plague-hordes.
Colouring: Pink & naked.
Size: Up to 12 inches long (less than a pound)
Encounter Groups: Hordes (numbering in the hundreds)
Diet: ANYTHING.
Tactics: Flee at all costs, rarely biting savagely with rodent teeth.

-Famously hideous, disgusting creatures, the Naked Mole-Rat is the only species in the family Heterocephalidae- its closest relations are the Blesmols. They are highly-unique among mammals, they are known to live in societies that fit insects more than mammals, with "Queens" breeding and being served by legions of "workers". They have evolved to be hairless, wriggling creatures that resemble a mass of uncircumsized penises, nearly cold-blooded as they live in underground tunnels. They can move backwards as easily as they can forwards, and their lips are sealed behind their teeth so they don't swallow dirt they've shoveled through- this leaves them with large, pronounced foreteeth at all times. They use such mimimal oxygen that their levels of tolerance for CO2 and other things are abnormal to mammals, and are the longest-lived of all rodents- 32 years is the maximum, which is insane for an animal of this size. They are also highly resistant to cancer and their skin provides no pain sensors (they will not feel pain if exposed to acids, for example).



Similar Animals:
DAMARALAND MOLE-RAT: Very similar to the Naked Mole-Rat, they are larger and hairier, but have the same "eusocial" lifestyle (queens & workers).

[Jabroniville]

PORCUPINES:
-Porcupines are represented by two barely-related families within the subgroup "Hystricomorpha"- New World and Old World variants. North American Porcupines, for example, are more closely related to Capybaras and Dassie Rats than they are to a Cape Porcupine from Africa. They vary greatly in size, with some being huge and some barely 2 lbs. Their are about 58 species drawn across the two groups. They can generally live from ten to twenty years- until a Naked Mole-Rat broke the record, the longest-lived rodent in history was a 27-year old Porcupine.

-They are known for a set of quills that are quite notorious, though not really that damage-y- their main advantage is that they hurt like a BITCH, and can eventually become infected. Humans can simply remove the quills, but as most animals do not have opposable thumbs, they can be in VERY serious trouble if struck by too many quills in important places. Similarly, animals have no choice BUT to use melee attacks, making a Disabling Aura effect quite effective against them- many animals will simply avoid Porcupines for this reason.

-So the Quills are actually an Aura or an Attack, resisted first by Parry (as attacking enemies must try to move AROUND the quills), then by Fortitude as time goes on. It's Continuous, a +3 Extra, unless you remove them (which is easy for animals with thumbs, so it's a -2 Flaw; non-Primates are rather screwed, though).

[Jabroniville]

CAPE PORCUPINE (Hystrix africaeaustralis)
Role: Biggie-Sized Porcupine
PL 3 (26)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 5
Normal Version: PL 0-1
STRENGTH -3 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 11 (+8)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 6 (+1 Size)
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 1 (+6 Size)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Quills)

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Tooth & Tail" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Natural Size" Shrinking 4 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
(-1 Strength, +2 Dodge/Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation)

"Quilled Hindquarters" Affliction 2 (Resisted by Parry, then by Fort; Impaired/Disabled) (Extras: Reaction +3, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Limited to if Quills Are Not Removed -2) [8]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (-3 Damage, DC 12)
Quills +4 (+2 Affliction, DC 12)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -1, Fortitude +1, Will +2

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

Total: Abilities: -10 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 22 / Defenses: 3 (26)

Era: Modern Day
Range: North American water-ways.
Stereotypes: Friendly, but dangerous to touch.
Colouring: Yellow/brown, black, brown.
Size: Up to 3 feet long (24-66 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Small groups.
Diet: Grass, bark & vegetation.
Tactics: Strike with quilled tail.

-The Cape Porcupine is the world's largest porcupine, and a VERY cool-looking, distinct animal. Its sharp (hee hee) profile makes it popular in zoos. Their quills are largely on the back half of the body, and are incredibly thick and very prominent- a typical tactic is to rattle them to ward off predators, or simply to turn around and bullrush the threat backwards, pointing the quills directly at them. That they occur in the same territories as Hyenas, Leopards and Lions and are still extremely common is a testament to their toughness- they are much too large and obvious to do much hiding.

-Of the same general size are the African & Asian Crested Porcupines, both of which are 60-ish lbs. and similarly fearsome to all but the largest predators.

-Cape Porcupines are the mightiest of the Porcupine builds, being large animals barely less tough than a normal human, with very dangerous quills.

[Jabroniville]

NORTH AMERICAN PORCUPINE (Erethizon dorsatum)
Role: Mid-Sized Rodent, Thorny Foe
PL 2 (22)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 5
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -4 STAMINA -3 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING -2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

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

Advantages:
Close Attack 5

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Quilled Body" Affliction 2 (Resisted by Parry, then by Fort; Impaired/Disabled) (Extras: Reaction +3, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Limited to if Quills Are Not Removed -2) [8]

"Tiny Size" Shrinking 8 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (1 foot) [17]
(-2 Strength, +4 Defenses, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-4 Damage, DC 11)
Bite +5 (-4 Damage, DC 11)
Quills +2 (+2 Affliction, DC 22)
Initiative +0

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

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

Total: Abilities: -26 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 28 / Defenses: 5 (22)

-North American Porcupine is a MUCH smaller animal than the Cape Porcupine, weighing only 15-40 lbs. However, he's even MORE covered in quills (though they're much smaller). Very well-known, they are demonstrative animals, as like the Wolverine & Skunk, they are among the only North American animals that stand to gain from letting everything around them know what they are, even at night. They often climb trees to get at the tasty buds they like, which often leaves the clumsy animals tumbling to the ground! Because this often sticks them with their own quills (which, like all porcupines, are hardened hairs covered in keratin), they actually have antibiotics on their skin to prevent the resulting infections.

-Though a nuisance to predators, anything sufficiently large (wolves, cougars, bears) will be able to kill them, and a particularly-dangerous foe is the Fisher, which is quick enough to chase it up trees AND avoid the quills, biting at the animal's face until it weakens, at which point it flips them over and tears open the belly. They love the taste of salt- they are famous among backbackers and outdoor workers for eating roadsalt-covered boots or sweaty gloves left outside.

-I figure their stats for being about the same as the Cape Porcupine, but a notch lower in Strength, Stamina, Fighting & Affliction.

[Jabroniville]

Philippine & Brush-Tailed Porcupines.

TINY PORCUPINES
Role: Little-Known Jungle-Dwellers
PL 2 (19)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 4
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -5 STAMINA -4 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 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Quilled Body" Affliction 1 (Resisted by Parry, then by Fort; Impaired/Disabled) (Extras: Reaction +3, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Limited to if Quills Are Not Removed -2) [4]

"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 10)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 10)
Quills +2 (+1 Affliction, DC 11)
Initiative -2

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

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Rodents cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, these animals 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 Rat effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -32 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 4 (19)

-Most Asian Porcupines are fitting of this type- barely larger than the Arboreal Porcupines, they lack many of their adaptations. They include the Sunda Porcupine (with spines like the Cape Porcupine- mainly along the back end), and Malayan, Brush-Tailed, Phillipine & Sumatran Porcupines, as well as the Brush-Tailed Rat (often included either with porcupines or spiny rats).

[Jabroniville]

ARBOREAL PORCUPINES
Role: Little-Known Jungle-Dwellers
PL 2 (22)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 5
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -5 STAMINA -4 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 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Quilled Body" Affliction 1 (Resisted by Parry, then by Fort; Impaired/Disabled) (Extras: Reaction +3, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Limited to if Quills Are Not Removed -2) [4]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Arboreal) [2]
"Prehensile Tail" Extra Limb 1 [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 10)
Bite +5 (-5 Damage, DC 10)
Quills +2 (+1 Affliction, DC 11)
Initiative -2

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

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Rodents cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Small Size)- At their natural size, these animals 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 Rat effectively strike with Burst Area Damage at their strength rank naturally.

Total: Abilities: -32 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 35 / Defenses: 4 (22)

-Many Porcupines are incredibly tiny. Typically arboreal and with prehensile tails for gripping branches, these usually weigh less than 5 lbs. generally. They include many Dwarf Porcupines, Rothschild's Porcupine, and others. Among the largest is the Brazilian Porcupine, popular in zoos because of its big, bare nose- they weigh about 9 lbs. Most are known in South America, and are so hard to study that most are classified as "Data Deficient" in terms of their numbers- being small, tree-dwelling and diurnal, they are very secretive.

-This build takes the "Brown Rat"-tier of Rodents and modifies it with a +1 Aura and some Arboreal adaptations, making a PL 1.5 creature that's only PL 0 in terms of damage and defense- too small to be a threat to anything man-sized, they are nonetheless a pain if you don't have any weapons.

[Jabroniville]

BEAVER (Castor canadensis)
Role: Builder of the Animal Kingdom
PL 2 (24)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 5
Normal Version: PL 0-1
STRENGTH -3 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 11 (+8)
Expertise (Dam-Builders/River-Blockers) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 6 (+1 Size)
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+7 Size)

Advantages:
Ultimate Dam-Building

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
"Gnawing" Weaken Toughness 2 (Flaws: Limited to Trees) [1]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]

"Natural Size" Shrinking 4 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
(-1 Strength, +2 Dodge/Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (-3 Damage, DC 12)
Bite +2 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Gnaw Trees +2 (+2 Weaken, DC 12)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -1, Fortitude +1, Will +2

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

Total: Abilities: -14 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 17 / Defenses: 5 (24)

Era: Modern Day
Range: North American water-ways.
Stereotypes: Friendly, gregarious builders.
Colouring: Yellow/brown, black, brown.
Size: Up to 3 feet long (24-57 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Small groups.
Diet: Grass, bark & vegetation.
Tactics: Bite savagely with large teeth, "slap" a warning to escape.

-I just had to stat Canada's national symbol, the Beaver. Gotta love a country that would pick THIS silly little industrious fellow as their icon, while their neighbor to the south picked the majestic (but lazy and fish-eating) Bald Eagle. Though ours actually has a recorded fatality of a human being: an adult beaver once bit through an artery on a man's ankle, resulting in fatal blood loss!

-Beavers are famously destructive to their environment, but help it in many other ways, damming dangerous rivers and preventing floods. Their teeth are capable of cutting down entire trees with shocking ease (so much that I added a Power for it), they're highly-aquatic, and they're the best dam & lodge-builders in the entire animal kingdom (not that there's a large pool of nominees), building them carefully enough that there's only underwater entrances (so no land-based predator has a hope of getting in- and there's no aquatic predators that could fit AND challenge the Beaver). There's also a Eurasian variety that is usually bigger, but it's far less common and successful.

-The Eurasian Beaver is a much rarer cousin, hailing mostly from Northern Europe. It was once reduced to a mere 1,200 animals, but has bounced back considerably and has been introduced elsewhere. Weighing between 24-66 lbs., they are the second-largest of the rodents, and a bit bigger than the North American variety. They have a different number of chromosomes than the North American Beaver, meaning they cannot interbreed properly.

-Surprsingly pricey thanks to all its Skills, but for stats, they're not so impressive, packing PL 0.5 offensive capabilities (unless you're a tree- so Druids & Treants may want to avoid these guys like the plague) and PL 1.5 defensive ones. But they're SKILLED little buggers, and are as good a swimmer as you'll find among the rodentia order.

[Davies]

And it is a truly proud and noble animal.

[catsi563]

they also hold i believe the record for the largest naturally occurring structure visible from space, A beaver dam a half mile long

[Jabroniville]

SO DAPPER!!

CAPYBARA (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris)
Role: Dapper Giant Rodent
PL 2 (9)- Minion Rank 1, Sidekick Rank 2
Normal Version: PL 0-1
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+4)
Intimidation 5 (+2)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+0 Damage, DC 10)
Bite +2 (+2 Damage, DC 12)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +1

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

Total: Abilities: -8 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 5 / Defenses: 6 (9)

Era: Modern Day
Range: South American aquatic areas.
Stereotypes: None (too little-known).
Colouring: Tan/brown
Size: Up to 4.5 feet long (77-145 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Various, from solitary to herds
Diet: Grass & vegetation.
Tactics: Bite savagely with large teeth.

-Gotta love the damn Capybara. A huge-ass rodent that equals some PEOPLE in size, yet looks not like the Nightmare Fuel you'd expect from a man-sized rat, but a rather dignified chap who you'd expect would look rather dapper in a top hat and monocle. Capybaras are numerous, semi-aquatic creatures, good at swimming, yet are preyed upon by numerous animals because they're big, fat bags of meat. Capybaras are common in South America, and have become fairly popular in zoos, as they are pretty docile and easy to feed. However, they are highly prone to dying from eating the wrong thing or catching something, meaning they have a pretty high turnaround in captivity. One website I visited was "narrated" by its Capybara star, a pet of the site's creator, but it soon died after catching some random bacteria. This is probably why they're such fussy eaters in the wild, often consuming only one particular type of vegetation for months at a time, until the seasons change.

-PL 2 is pretty funny for what is essentially a Dire Guinea Pig, but man, I saw some National Geographic thing where a male exterminated a bunch of baby Cavys (typical "kill the babies so the moms want to get their freak on" mammalian tactics, unfortunately), and I would NOT want to mess with one of these suckers if it was mad. Typical members are PL 0-1.