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| Keep in mind that all of these are dinosaurs (c)d20 despot |
Cassowary CR 1/2
XP 200
N Medium
Animal
Init +3; Senses Low-Light Vision; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex)
hp 7 (2d8-2)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee 2 kicks +0 (1d4-1)
STATISTICS
Str 8, Dex 17, Con 9, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 5
Base Atk +1; CMB -1; CMD 12
Feats Endurance, RunB
Skills Acrobatics +7, Stealth +7, Swim
+3 Racial Modifiers +4 Perception,
+4 Stealth
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Forest Stride (Ex)
A cassowary
can move normally, run, or charge over difficult terrain while within a forest.
Magically altered terrain affects a cassowary normally.
ECOLOGY
Environment warm forest, jungle
Organization solitary
Treasure none
A cassowary
is a large flightless bird the size of a dwarf, with some individuals even
reaching the height of a man. Its body
is covered with long, hair-like black feathers, but its head and neck are
iridescent blue with a red wattle and a yellow crest which protects its head
while charging through underbrush. The
middle toe on each of its long, stout legs ends in a 5 inch dagger-like claw
which it uses in self-defense. The
cassowary is an excellent sprinter and jumper, and is even a capable
swimmer.
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Crane CR 1/6
XP 65
N Small
animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+1
size, +3 Dex)
hp 3 (1d8-1)
Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +1
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft.; fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee bite +4 (1d4-4 plus grab)
Special Attacks Grab (Diminutive-sized
creatures or smaller), swallow whole (1 acid damage, AC 10, 1 hp)
STATISTICS
Str 3, Dex 16, Con 8, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 15
Base Atk +0; CMB -5; CMD 8
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +5, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
Languages none
ECOLOGY
Environment shore and swamps
Organization solitary, pair, flock
(3-100)
Treasure none
This is a
tall shorebird which stands silently and still above the water, waiting to
ambush its prey.
This can
also represent similar birds, such as herons, egrets, ibises, storks, and
flamingos.
Crane familiars grant their master a +3 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
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Chicken CR 1/8
XP 50
N Tiny
animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +4
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2
size, +2 Dex)
hp 2 (1d8-2)
Fort +0, Ref +4, Will -1
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft.; fly 40 ft. (poor)
Melee bite -2 (1d3-4)
STATISTICS
Str 2, Dex 14, Con 6, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 10
Base Atk +0; CMB -6; CMD 6
Feats Alertness
Skills Fly +2; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
Languages none
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate plains, urban
Organization solitary, pair, brood (3-100)
Treasure chicken
Chicken are
small, plump birds raised as livestock.
A live chicken is worth 2 copper pieces.
Chicken familiars grant their master a +3
bonus on Profession (cook) checks.
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Duck CR 1/8
XP 50
N Tiny
animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+2
size, +3 Dex)
hp 2 (1d8-2)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft.; fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee bite -7 (1d3-4)
STATISTICS
Str 2, Dex 16, Con 6, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 12
Base Atk +0; CMB -6; CMD 7
Feats Alertness
Skills Fly +7, Swim +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Swim
Languages none
ECOLOGY
Environment any ocean, rivers/lakes, swamp/marsh
Organization solitary, pair, raft
(3-20)
Treasure none
Ducks are
small water fowl which often swim on the surface and dive for fish. These statistics can also be used for
gulls, loons, and similar waterfowl.
Duck familiars increase the number of rounds
their master can hold his breath by 4.
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Hummingbird CR 1/8
XP 50
N Fine
animal
Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 23, flat-footed 18 (+5
Dex, +8 size)
hp 1 (1d8–3)
Fort -1, Ref +7, Will +2
OFFENSE
Speed 5 ft., fly 120 ft. (perfect)
Melee bite +3 (1–5)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
STATISTICS
Str 1, Dex 20, Con 4, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 13
Base Atk +0; CMB –13; CMD 2
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Fly +25, Perception +2
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Evasion (Ex)
A
hummingbird can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If
it makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals
half damage on a successful save, it instead takes no damage. Evasion can be
used only if the hummingbird is wearing no armor. A helpless hummingbird does not
gain the benefit of evasion.
ECOLOGY
Environment warm and temperate
forests, jungle
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
Hummingbirds
are the smallest and most agile birds.
They beat their wings faster than the eye can see, and are able to hover
and rotate perfectly in mid-air, and even fly backwards (a feat no other bird
is capable of). To maintain their
energy, they need to feed on the sugary nectar of flowers.
Hummingbird familiars increase their
master's Fly speed by 10 ft. This does
not grant their master the ability to fly.
Cassowaries are totally awesome birds. Contrary to popular belief, the 'helmet' on their head is not hard and bony, and they do not head-butt. They do pack some wicked claws on their crazy dinosaur feet, though. Unfortunately, they are a little too powerful (and large) to be familiars, and not powerful enough to be animal companions, so I present them here simply as animals to populate you campaign.
I had to stat up cranes because I grew up on the beach in the Pacific Northwest, and I was always seeing Great Blue Herons standing around. It is even weirder to see them fly - they look prehistoric, almost like some pterosaur or rhamphorhynchoid. Weirder still is to see about ten of them landing in the same tree. At any rate, cranes are cool, and having them statted up opens the way for giant cranes big enough to swallow a halfling.
Chickens are sort of a weird bird to stat up, but I stand by my decision. What if your party is bringing a live chicken along on their adventure for fresh eggs and (in a pinch) meat? Well, you need to know the chicken's stats in case she gets attacked by hungry dire rats or hit with a fireball. A chicken is an odd choice for a magical familiar, but I can picture a farmboy or farmer's daughter just becoming a wizard and choosing their beloved chicken as a familiar. Or an eccentric wizard who loves cooking and treats it as a form of alchemy, who has a chicken familiar to take advantage of the constant supply of fresh, delicious eggs.
Ducks are really in the same category as chickens in terms of why-would-you-stat-that-up. But I can definitely see a wizard with a duck familiar, and I am proud of the familiar bonus I gave them (+4 rounds of holding breath). Plus, you can use the same stat block for seagulls, in case you need seagulls (maybe the familiar of a salty old wizard who once sailed the open sea in search of new lands, and now resides in a lighthouse/wizard-tower).
Hummingbirds were another common sight in my childhood. I can imagine an unusually large (Diminutive-sized) breed of hummingbird being used as a mount for minuscule fey creatures. I also like the idea that hummingbird familiars increase their master's fly speed, for those wizards who like to employ the fly spell or similar magics.
Here's a table summarizing the new familiars and the abilities they grant their masters:
Well, that concludes this bird-centric Monster Monday post. I hope at least one of these birds comes in handy for you as a GM or as a player.
-your penniform d20 despot
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