Jab's Builds: He-Man, Teela, Man-at-Arms, Horde Troops

[Horsenhero]

Only one thing is missing from your review Jab...a final assessment. Better than 2e overall? Worse? About the same? I know when I offered up my opinion on daniel_ream's thread, I punked out and gave it the middle ground rating, but, what can I say? I never had great expectations. I'd be interested to know how you think it all balances out.

And I'm surprised you didn't mention most peoples second favorite gripe after skill points, the new Impervious (which I actually like, because I hate invulnerable characters).

[Jabroniville]

Whoops. I had it written down, but missed it in the paste from Word File to ATT. Also edited in some Impervious stuff. Forgot about that one.

[Captain Obvious]

Great review Jab, very well thought out and presented.

Final Summation:
In the end, I can't give it a massive pass. I don't have the problems others do, and I certainly haven't played the game enough to gain any insight into gameplay-issues that may sprout up (Daniel Realm has a lot more of those). I was hoping for "2nd Edition, plus some better stuff and old problems fixed", and ended up with "2nd Edition, massively shaken-up in some parts and with a bunch left out, with a few minor fixes here and there, but many old problems still around or made worse". I actually really like several changes to Character Creation (the only part I REALLY care about), especially the Fighting/Parry/Dodge thing, but the cost is a bit to get used to. I kinda still haven't decided.

I'm in general agreement with this assessment. Personally, I try not to get too persnickety about RPG rulesets and editions because I strongly feel that the gaming experience is more about a group of friends than the game itself.

However...

I can't help shake the feeling that it has become a standard industry practice for game companies to design a product that is intentionally flawed, thereby creating a need for a future revision of that product. I know this is nothing new, but it seems that in the past decade this trend has become more pronounced. At least it seems that way to me. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

[Jabroniville]

It almost seems crazy that somebody could make something intentionally broken, but there's so much crazy stuff out there that it's almost easy to jump to that conclusion. Look at "Warhammer" in the past decade. Each edition goes like this: 1) Edition comes out, VASTLY shaking up all the rules. 2) Edition proves problematically broken in some cases. 3) Army Books come out, each one proving stronger than the last until they get a handle on things, leaving the game un-balanced for some armies. 4) Edition comes out that fixes the last one (mostly). 6) New Edition comes out- shaking EVERYTHING up again, so things can be re-broken.

Oh, and since the votes for Animals (vs) Spidey builds are tied, I need a tie-breaker. Anyone else want to name their pick for my next set?

[Captain Obvious]

It almost seems crazy that somebody could make something intentionally broken

It seems really, really crazy. That's why the idea bugs me.

Oh, and I vote Spidey.

[Jabroniville]

Whoops. Actually, I missed two votes for the Animal Builds a while back. Murkglow said he'd be more interested in Animal builds, and Eld voted right before I posted the "Goodfellas" builds. So it looks like the Animal Builds take it, 5-4. But have no fear, Spidey fans, because his builds are the ones right after that!

[Jabroniville]

ANIMAL BUILDS:
I make no secret of the fact that I tend to find the "official" builds for animals in most rulebooks well short of my standards, but I don't begrudge most gaming systems for that. The 2nd Edition M&M Rulebook clearly just cut & pasted the HORRIBLE D&D standard builds for animals and threw them into the book to save space, and the 3rd Edition rulebook isn't too much better. There's just not enough room or time to do the research for a small 2-page section of most books. So they leave stuff out, undercut animals' strength to fit them into the PLs they think are accurate, and more. How else could you explain their Strength 16 Horse in 2nd Edition (for the record, a horse at this level would be weaker than Daredevil or Nightwing)?

But really, these tend to be small sections for 'just in case' scenarios, and the game designers often have more important things to worry about than give anything other that weak, baseline versions of what some animals are. So I feel that somebody with nothing better do do (like say, me) can hammer out more accurate builds, given some Wikipedia searching, etc.

Notes:
-The Animals as presented will be elite versions that you would be likely to encounter in a Comic Book or Fantasy world, either as a threat, or as a Sidekick. In the comics, Batman being opposed by a single leopard is actually a very dangerous fight if he's not carrying his arsenal of weapons & gases- hardly befitting of something that's weaker than a PL 6 Lion as presented in the game rulebooks compared to a PL 10-12 Dark Knight. So mine are upgraded and inflated by two Power Levels or so, to properly match and challenge the heroes. For the most part, they keep the natural Strength and Damage quotients of the real animals, but are a bit more accurate. So to get the "real life" version of an animal, just knock the Fighting Ability down a bit, and remove a handful of Advantages.

-For a REALLY Elite version of an animal, knock the Fighting Ability UP a bit. For example, if using the hero Red Wolf's Wolf Sidekick, you may want more than a PL 3 or even a PL 5 Wolf- a few more ranks of "Fighting" and he could be anywhere from PL 6 to PL 8, like a super-accurate Ninja Wolf. Note that these are kind of extremely rare and/or unlikely, but these and other animals can be artificially upgraded to make for more powerful threats/allies.

-Animals tend to be much better fighters than they are dodgers. In real life, animals are pretty easy to hit, especially at range (few animals are trained to be able to actually dodge attacks), meaning they're one of the few builds you'll see that will REALLY differ greatly between the Dodge and Parry Defenses. Their Parry tends to be lower than their Accuracy, but not that much- animals move around VERY quickly when attacking, unlike most people, and can be hard to hit 'flush' with a good attack. Even so, most animals will be at least a full PL lower defensively than they are offensively.

-Note that some animals are higher-PL in their Defenses (Fort & Will) than they are in combat. This is a result of sturdy breeds with great willpower such as Canines being rather under-represented in sheer power compared to many other animals species, and it will be noted on the Builds.

-The main DCA rulebook seems to not include a "Strike" to represent most animals' natural weapons, yet includes it for the Shark for some reason. I ignore this, and add "Strength-Based Damage" to most any animal with sharp teeth or powerful horns. Some REALLY strong animals won't have it, because of their natural strength evening-out how much damage they do, regardless of the weapon, but most will.

-Growth in the new edition is tricky- not so much for stats, but for determining what falls where. It can be conjectured from the rules (mentioned only in "Elongation"- this book can be really poorly laid-out at times) that your reach is equal to the rank of your size category (that is, 6 feet at Human size, 10 feet at one higher, etc.). Gaining a new "Size Category" in this edition requires a 12-foot animal, which disqualifies things like Horses & Cattle (the DCA rulebook's Lion is only Growth 2, and that's on an eight-foot, 550 lb. animal). However, their reach is impressive enough that I give most of them the "Reach" Extra anyways.

[Woodclaw]

Good outline of your future work Jab. I agree with many of your points, especially the first note about animals being underpowered in many RPGs. I always thought that was a sort of compensation from the authors, saying that if a monster had to be a credible threat, the old "boring" animals can't be that much of.
Unfortunatly this doesn't take a little factor into consideration, if monsters are so superiors to common wild animals, how can common wild animals still exist.
D&D 3/3.5 is probably the worst case, the monsters are so superior that even the best killers of mother nature seem unable to do a thing about them.

I only have one complaint and it's about your note on defense, true in RL animals are usually hit by ranged weapons, but in RL is almost impossible to avoid a bullet unless it was fired by an extremly long distance (meaning more tha half a mile). Comic books scene, like having Batman or Cap dodging machine gun fire are essentially impossible, since at short range you'll never know that weapon has fire until you see the hole in you body (Daredevil is another story).

So, maybe you should add some sort of modifier for "Superheroic Animals" opposed to "Real World Animals".

[Jabroniville]

Hm, good point. Well, most won't be TOO far down in Dodge compared to Parry, but I can account for some of that. Lord knows it's really hard to hit a moving animal sometimes, especially if they're coming right for you.

[AmericanYeti]

Good Goodfellas builds. I agree, fantastic, almost perfect movie. I like your review, too.

[Jabroniville]

CANIDAE FAMILY (Order- Carnivora)
-It's hard to get past how important dogs have been to humanity. Probably the earliest domesticated animal, coming from Wolves that realized hanging out with these organized human-things could be profitable for both sides, Dogs aided us in hunts, and grew to be used for any number of purposes. Currently, they are the most loyal of our pets, and the most like us in many ways. Interestingly, they have the greatest amount of variation amongst one simple species known to science- a Dachshund, a Rottweiler and a Great Dane are all the same scientific animal, despite being vastly different in size, appearance and more. Apparently, it's because of some kind of "Variable DNA" that easily mutates over time, allowing the creation of whole new types within a generation or two. Dogs are now used for companionship, play, sport, hunting, rescue, police/army work, etc.

These are entirely derived from the Gray Wolf, the largest of the canine species (before the Molosser breeds were developed- the Mastiffs, Danes, Rottweilers, etc.). Ancient animals like the Pharaoh & Ibizan Hounds, the Tibetan Mastiff and Japanese breeds, etc., are more closely related, but now all dogs are. It leads to some confusion amongst scientists, as the previous lingo for "species" meant that the animals within one couldn't breed properly with another. But all Dogs can breed with Wolves & Coyotes. Nowadays, Dogs are merely recognized as a subspecies of the Gray Wolf.

Dogs are common the entire world over, being mankind's most faithful servant. They're known for unending loyalty, guardianship, and being pretty noisy. Wolves, Foxes & Coyotes are viewed as pests by a lot of the world, and the Wolf especially has been demonized by various stories and myths for centuries, only now being recognized as an animal of some value. Only the intelligent Coyote has avoided the mass extermination brought on by farmers and other people, whereas it's cousins are vastly reduced in range and numbers.



"Fear me! For I am ugly- yet regal, and proud!"

BULLDOG (Canis lupus familiaris)
Role: Family Pet
PL 2 (24), PL 3 (24) Defenses- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 5
Normal Version: PL 1
STRENGTH -2 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 1 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 8 (+6, +2 Size)
Perception 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Hold

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

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

Offense:
Unarmed +1 (-2 Damage, DC 13)
Natural Weapons +1 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +1 (DC 11), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +1, Fortitude +2, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dogs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (Owner)- Domestic dogs are intensely loyal to their masters, and will fight to the death to protect them.
Weakness- Dogs are utterly incapable of lying. Their entire body reflects their current mood. Just watch them if you notice your lamp is broken, and you will know who did it.

Total: Abilities: -6 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 4 (24)

Era: Modern Day
Range: Anywhere there are people
Colouring: White, tan, brown
Size: Up to 3.5 feet long (30-45 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Packs of 2-4
Diet: Dog food
Tactics: Surround and bring down in groups, tripping prey.

-Bulldogs are one of the silliest-looking dog breeds, but still pretty handy in a scrap, given their famous tenacity when holding on to something. They will. not. let. go. Their build is largely based around being weak normally, but having a relatively-strong bite for their size that is really hard to break, given the creature's tiny, but robust size.



GOLDEN RETRIEVER (Canis lupus familiaris)
Role: Family Pet
PL 2 (20) Combat, PL 3 (20) Defenses- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 4
Normal Version: PL 1
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 4 (+2)
Perception 2 (+4)

Advantages:
None

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

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Natural Weapons +3 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +3 (DC 12), Toughness +1, Fortitude +2, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dogs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (Owner)- Domestic dogs are intensely loyal to their masters, and will fight to the death to protect them.
Weakness- Dogs are utterly incapable of lying. Their entire body reflects their current mood. Just watch them if you notice your lamp is broken, and you will know who did it.

Total: Abilities: 4 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 3 (20)

Era: Modern Day
Range: Anywhere there are people
Colouring: Yellow/golden
Size: Up to 4.5 feet long (80-120 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Packs of 2-4
Diet: Dog food
Tactics: Surround and bring down in groups, tripping prey.

-Golden Retrievers are about as "generic" a dog breed as you can get. Their size, speed, strength and even appearance are kind of a medium score between all the weird dog breeds in the world. Their intelligence and physicality make them among the most popular breeds on Earth as well, so there's certainly plenty of them. This PL 1 combat, PL 2 save-based animal isn't really worth being a PC hero's sidekick or anything, but they're perfectly acceptable pets. Similar stats work equally well for breeds like the Labrador




NOT PHOTOSHOPPED

ENGLISH MASTIFF (Canis lupus familiaris)
Role: Family Pet, Guard Dog
PL 3 (27) Combat, PL 5 (27) Defenses- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 6
Normal Version: PL 2
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 8 (+6)
Perception 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Trip

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [5]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+3 Damage, DC 17)
Natural Weapons +2 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +1 (DC 11), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +3

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dogs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (Owner)- Domestic dogs are intensely loyal to their masters, and will fight to the death to protect them.
Weakness- Dogs are utterly incapable of lying. Their entire body reflects their current mood. Just watch them if you notice your lamp is broken, and you will know who did it.

Total: Abilities: 8 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 6 / Defenses: 4 (27)

Era: Modern Day
Range: Anywhere there are people
Colouring: Brown, tan
Size: Up to 5 feet long (100-250 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Packs of 2-4
Diet: Dog food, Burglars
Tactics: Surround and bring down in groups, tripping prey using sheer strength.

-Mastiffs are the largest, most robust breeds of dog, weighing in excess of 200 lbs., and generally getting their way through sheer size. However, they're lazy breeds by and large, requiring a ton of food and not getting that much exercise as a general rule. They are descended from the Molosser-type dogs that came about in Europe & Asia centuries ago, and bred for size and strength (these are the "Dogs of War" spoken of in Roman history). Like most dogs with such size, their life spans are brutally short (might not make a good family dog unless you want to traumatize your children at age 12). They're PL 4 through sheer size and weight, though those same qualities, with their relative timidity, actually hold them back a bit at fighting- they're the least-accurate canine breeds.



ROTTWEILER (Canis lupus familiaris)
Role: Family Pet, Guard Dog
PL 4 (37) Combat, PL 5 (37) Defenses- Minion Rank 3, Sidekick Rank 8
Normal Version: PL 2
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Insight 2 (+3)
Intimidation 8 (+6)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Fast Grab, Improved Trip

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [5]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 1 [1]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Natural Weapons +4 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Dogs cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (Owner)- Domestic dogs are intensely loyal to their masters, and will fight to the death to protect them.
Weakness- Dogs are utterly incapable of lying. Their entire body reflects their current mood. Just watch them if you notice your lamp is broken, and you will know who did it.

Total: Abilities: 12 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 7 / Defenses: 5 (37)

Era: Modern Day
Range: Anywhere there are people
Colouring: Black, brown
Size: Up to 4.5 feet long (80-130 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Packs of 2-4
Diet: Dog food, Burglars
Tactics: Surround and bring down in groups, tripping prey using sheer strength.

-Rottweilers are an iconic example of a big, tough "Fighting Breed" kind of dog, and they have a pretty bad reputation, thanks to the fact that every hopped-up douchebag with something to prove buys one of these as a tough-guy status symbol. Realistically, they can be made to be as good a family pet as any other type of dog. They're a powerful PL 4 fighting breed, stronger than some people, and with a really powerful bite, but are a bit on the slower side. They make PL 5 with their powerful Fortitude & Will saves.

[Jabroniville]

WILD DOGS:

Wild Dogs are closely related to the domesticated types (Coyotes & Wolves can even breed easily with them), but are, of course, wild animals, and thus tend to be much better fighters. It's the tenacity- domesticated dogs, no matter how vicious, tend to look to their owner for guidance and reassurance, and will give up the chase pretty easily. A WILD dog will simply redouble it's efforts and tear into something.



RED FOX (Vulpes vulpes)
Role: Solitary Hunter
PL 1 (28) Combat, PL 2 (28) Defenses- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 6
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -3 STAMINA -3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+2)
Expertise (Hunter) 3 (+5)
Insight 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+4, +8 Size)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 [2]

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

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (-3 Damage, DC 13)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness -3, Fortitude +1, Will +2

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

Total: Abilities: -2 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 13 / Defenses: 6 (28)

Era: Modern Day
Range: North America, Europe & Australia (introduced species)
Colouring: Red/orange or Gray and white
Size: Up to 4 feet long (6.5-24 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary or small family groups (2 adults with kits or helper females)
Diet: Rodents, lagomorphs, small prey
Tactics: Large pounce with both front feet.

-Foxes are tiny, rather insignificant predators in the grand scheme of things, but their outstanding appearance and sneaky, stealthy ways has led to great fame as a mystical, wise trickster (much like the Coyote). They're nothing in terms of combat, but are fast, hard to hit, and bright, making them PL 2 creatures with their other stats.



"Hello, my name is Wile E. Coyote- SUPER Genius."

COYOTE (Canis latrans)
Role: Solitary Hunter, Great Adapter
PL 2 (31)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 7
Normal Version: PL 1
STRENGTH -1 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+2)
Expertise (Hunter) 4 (+6)
Insight 3 (+5)
Perception 5 (+7)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +1 [1]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 [2]

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

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Teeth +3 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness -1, Fortitude +2, Will +2

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

Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 3 (31)

Era: Modern Day
Range: North America, Europe & Australia (introduced species)
Colouring: Browns & Grays
Size: Up to 4 feet long (20-35 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Solitary or small family groups (2 adults with kits or helper females)
Diet: Rodents, lagomorphs, small prey
Tactics: Bring down in groups or pounce on small animals.

-I respect the hell out of the Coyote. While every other wild dog species on Earth is dying a slow, hard death due to human encroachment and hunting, these suckers are THRIVING despite 90,000 being killed annually by hunters, just because they're one of the few species that latched onto us as a constant source of food and shelter. Funny how only the "pests" are the ones smart enough to figure us out and match us at our own game, huh- Rats, mice, pigeons, coyotes, etc. Their genius at such things gave them permanent respect as the Trickster God of many a Native's mythology, and gave rise to one of the greatest cartoon characters of all time. Now if only people could settle on how you pronounce it ("KYE-oat" vs. "KYE-oat-ee").



GRAY WOLF (Canis lupus)- Common Version
Role: Apex Predator, Pack Hunter
PL 3 (35)- Minion Rank 3, Sidekick Rank 7
[b]STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+4)
Expertise (Hunters) 2 (+4)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 4 (+2)
Perception 3 (+5)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Fast Grab, Improved Trip, Teamwork

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 [2]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Natural Weapons +3 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +2

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Wolves cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (The Pack)- Wolves are known by a strict pecking order in the pack, with the Alphas getting first choice in any matter, and Omegas at the bottom.

Total: Abilities: 12 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 1 (35)

Era: Modern Day
Range: Anywhere above the equator
Colouring: Gray, white, brown, black
Size: Up to 4.5 feet long (80-170 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Packs of 2-12 (PL 4s) led by adult mating pair.
Diet: Cervides (deer, elk & moose), rabbits
Tactics: Surround and bring down in groups, tripping prey.

-This is just an example as to what my "typical" Animals would look like. Much weaker, especially in accuracy & defense.



GRAY WOLF (Canis lupus)- Elite Version
Role: Apex Predator, Pack Hunter
PL 5 (55)- Minion Rank 4, Sidekick Rank 11
Normal Version: PL 3
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+4)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 1 (+6)
Expertise (Hunters) 4 (+6)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+4)
Perception 6 (+8)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Fast Grab, Improved Trip, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 [2]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Natural Weapons +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Wolves cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (The Pack)- Wolves are known by a strict pecking order in the pack, with the Alphas getting first choice in any matter, and Omegas at the bottom. The pack fights as one, and moves as one.

Total: Abilities: 20 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 7 (55)

Era: Modern Day
Range: Anywhere above the equator
Colouring: Gray, white, brown, black
Size: Up to 4.5 feet long (80-170 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Packs of 2-12 (PL 4s) led by adult mating pair.
Diet: Cervides (deer, elk & moose), rabbits
Tactics: Surround and bring down in groups, tripping prey.

-The common Wolf is among the most famous predators of all, legendary in myth as a figure of pure evil or terror, since the early days when they actually preyed upon humans. Fears about them in Europe led to massive culls, and they suffered similar fates all over the world. However, their history is linked forever to us, as large groups of them slowly adapted to meet the needs of the nearby humans, and became the common canine, one of the most important animals relative to humans that ever lived (among the cow, rat/mouse, chicken and horse).

-Countless films and shows have been about wolves or dogs (Balto, White Fang, Mowgli in the Jungle Book was raised by them, etc.), and they fit perfectly into any campaign. A few old-school Golden Age heroes had dogs for sidekicks, but that's seen as kind of goofy these days. It COULD work if you made it a bad-ass wolf or Rottweiler these days, though. Their packs make great temporary threats or something to throw against a villain or two.

-PL 5 is kind of a lot for a Wolf, but remember that this is a powerful Sidekick or Minion-type. Most are rarely this accurate in combat, and in real life, an adult wolf would rarely take on a full-grown man in single combat and win. Their lack of power (or Power Attack, as many predators have) forces them to be reliant on teamwork and chasing down the enemy with dozens of nips and bites. And yeah, an entire group of PL 5 attackers is actually a tough prospect for a single hero sometimes, especially if they're not counted as "Minions".



DIRE WOLF (Canis dirus)
Role: Apex Predator, Pack Hunter
PL 6 (62)- Minion Rank 5, Sidekick Rank 13
Normal Version: PL 4
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+6)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 1 (+7)
Expertise (Hunters) 4 (+6)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 8 (+6)
Perception 6 (+8)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Diehard, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Fast Grab, Improved Trip, Set-Up, Startle, Teamwork

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 [2]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Natural Weapons +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Wolves cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Relationship (The Pack)- Wolves are known by a strict pecking order in the pack, with the Alphas getting first choice in any matter, and Omegas at the bottom. The pack fights as one, and moves as one.

Total: Abilities: 26 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 5 (62)

Era: Pleistocene Epoch
Range: North & South America
Colouring: Gray, white, brown, black
Size: Up to 5 feet long (130-190 lbs.)
Encounter Groups: Packs of 3-12 led by adult mating pair.
Diet: Large herbivores
Tactics: Surround and bring down in groups, tripping prey.

-The Dire Wolf (yes, it's a real animal) is an extinct relative (not ancestor- they evolved off the same branch) of the modern wolf, being a bigger, tougher variant, heavier than some people and nearly all Dog breeds (190 pounds at maximum estimated size), and quite a bit more bad-ass in all likelihood. The animal presented here is the most bad-ass any animal from the Canine family could become, a PL 6 beast that could bring down your average man easily, and even take a bullet or two before dropping dead. They're only a match for super-heroes and the like if they attack in groups, but they will ALWAYS attack in groups.

[Horsenhero]

Love the animal builds Jab! Now I'm going to clear up some wow-oh-f#!^, that probably went with that picture of the English Mastiff with the horse. It's true, that Mastiff is one Ginormous puppy, but, the horse in the photo was an Arabian (you can tell by the dished head and delicate features) and only stands about 12-13 hands tall, or about the top end for a pony breed. Kind of small for a horse. Still...that's one big-ass pooch.

And if you didn't know that Ponies and Horses were two separate sub-species...I'm sure Jab will illuminate you when he gets to equines.

[FuzzyBoots]

FWIW, one of the main reasons why wolves were domesticated is that they're one of the few species that can keep up with human beings for long-distance running. Most animals will collapse after several hours of a run during the middle of the day. Dogs and humans can run for a day at a time. It's a hunting technique even today for some tribes in Africa, running after an animal until it keels over from exhaustion.

[Xarathos]

These are some really great animal builds, Jab - keep up the good work.