Olekotheer (giant war boar) for Peer Review

[Thor]

Concept: Giant Orcish War Boar

Beliefs:
1. Only my master may ride me, and that grudgingly

Instincts:
1. Charge when Surprised
2. Wait for master to mount up
3. Feast on anything available when given rein

Stats: Will B3, Perception B3 (4), Agility B4, Speed B5, Power B8, Forte B7

Attributes: Steel B5, Hesitation 7, Health B5, Reflexes B4, Mortal Wound B14

PTGS: Superficial B4, Light B8, Midi B11, Severe B12, Traumatic B13, Mortal B14

Skills: Rider Training, Mounted Combat Training, Armor Training, Formation Fighting Training, Intimidation B3, Brawling B3, Foraging B3

Traits: Porcine Body, Boar's Head, Boar's Ears (Perception counts as Observation), Boar's Snout (+1D Perception), Quadruped, Razor Tusked (Charges count as a tusk attack: Power 1, Add 2, Va 1, Slow, Short), Berzerker, Brute, Bristly Coat, Massive Stature (Big as a horse, tusk counts as Long weapon), Iron Stomach, Tough, Poor Eyesight (+1 Ob to sight based Perception tests)

IMS--Tusks: I: B5, M: B9, S: B13, VA 1, Add 2, Slow, Long

[Durgil]

I would have made the tusk's WSpd Fast and their Strike Distance Short, but my mental image of them is probably a bit different than yours. Their hearing, I'm sure, is very good, but I think they need it to offset their incredibly bad eyesight. For some reason, most animals that like to charge into potential trouble have pretty crappy vision.

Just some things to think about. Overall, I think it looks good.

[Trismegistus]

The only thing that jumped out at me is that the exponents for Per and Will could probably be switched. Boars are stubborn, savage and unrelenting when riled up, but have terrible eyesight and aren't all that bright.

[Thor]

I would have made the tusk's WSpd Fast and their Strike Distance Short, but my mental image of them is probably a bit different than yours. Their hearing, I'm sure, is very good, but I think they need it to offset their incredibly bad eyesight. For some reason, most animals that like to charge into potential trouble have pretty crappy vision.

Hey Tony,

I made the Weapon Speed slow because although the tusks are thrusting weapons, the boar would have to rear back its entire body to do it again. Also, techically, the tusks are Short. However, the Boar has the Massive Stature trait, which allows me to increase the weapon length by one rank.

As for sight, my research (which consisted of the Wikipedia entries for Boar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar), Razorback (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razorback), and the Erymanthian Boar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erymanthian_Boar)) mentioned acute hearing and smell, but nothing about poor eyesight. I'm definitely down for including a trait for poor eyesight if you're certain though.

[vikingmonkey]

Googled "boar +eyesight" - the first few hits, at least, agree that boars eyesight is not too good.

[Durgil]

As for sight, my research mentioned acute hearing and smell, but nothing about poor eyesight. I'm definitely down for including a trait for poor eyesight if you're certain though.
I'm just going on memory here; research always trumps that. :)

I missed the Massive Stature trait, nor would I have thought of giving it that trait. Orcs in my imagination are only slightly taller than Dwarves; only the biggest stand as tall as a man, and that's only an a man.

[Thor]

I missed the Massive Stature trait, nor would I have thought of giving it that trait. Orcs in my imagination are only slightly taller than Dwarves; only the biggest stand as tall as a man, and that's only an a man.

These things are supposed to be the size of a horse. Think Princess Mononoke. Also, Orcs are about the same size as men -- possibly taller, as they were made from elves, but they stand hunched. Dwarves are Stout (a common trait giving them a 3x Speed modifier, as opposed to the 3.5x modifier that elves, humans and orcs get).

I have edited the original post to give the Olekotheer a poor eyesight trait (+1 Ob to sight-based Perception tests).

[vikingmonkey]

This is very cool Thor, I like a lot! I just have this great image of Orcs with spears riding into battle atop massive war boars, and the kind of fear that would instill in an opponent. Very cool. I may come back with something slightly more intelligent to say after I've slept, but that's it for now.

[Thor]

This is very cool Thor, I like a lot! I just have this great image of Orcs with spears riding into battle atop massive war boars, and the kind of fear that would instill in an opponent. Very cool. I may come back with something slightly more intelligent to say after I've slept, but that's it for now.

Let me edit that image for you slightly. Picture Orcs with LANCES atop massive war boars. :twisted:

[Kublai]

Ooh! Can I do some editing too?

Picture boar charging knight on foot and knight being run over and trampled on!

[Durgil]

I don't wish to start a debate here about the height of orcs, but I think most Tolkienologist would agree with me. They wer created from elves but were in mockery of them. The description I have is that they were "short, squat, and bow-legged, with long arms, dark faces, squinty eyes, and long fangs." I also remember that Worgs were about the size of a pony.

[Merritt Baggett]

I also remember that Worgs were about the size of a pony.
These things are supposed to be the size of a horse. Think Princess Mononoke.

Ponies? Horses? Sh*t, Princess Mononoke boars were the size of elephants.

I think we should rip off the spiders and create different lifepath settings for boars ranging from runty, pony sized desert/mountain boars up to primordial, elephantine sized Ur-ba-boars.

:lol:

[Manicrack]

Ooh! Can I do some editing too?

Picture boar charging knight on foot and knight being run over and trampled on!

Great, now you have that image stuck in my head and I am just itching to play it out.

my future characters will all be orcs with giant boars just waiting for a knight.
Just You Wait!

-Kolja

[Kublai]

The funny part is that just such a thing happened in our last session during which our elf shot the orc off the boar's back, but the boar continued on to charge and trample the knight. He won the Charge Positioning test by something like 4 successes. Ouch! :shock:

I think this boar is a fine addition and DEFINITELY belong in the Mount Burner!

[Kudzu]

Ooh! Can I do some editing too?

Picture boar charging knight on foot and knight being run over and trampled on!

I have to declare a DOGPILE on the visual image editing:

Take Kublai's post above, add in Thor's Instinct "Feast on anything available when given rein", mix in a little Deadwood flava, and get:

Picture boar charging knight on foot and knight being run over and trampled on! When the fighting stops, the rider looses the reins, and the warboar rips under the knight's chainmail, plunging his snout into the knight's entrails, chomping and slurping and gnashing, its frenzied squeals echoing off the canyon walls. The orc astride the boar just grunts an evil laugh and says, "Eat up! There's more where that came from!"

:twisted:

I knew I'd get to use my "College Boy (University of Arkansas - Home of the Razorbacks)" lifepath eventually!

Steven

[Kudzu]

Could the "bristly coat" provide the warboar with some natural armor? I know there's the Armor Training which implies that one would wear barding, but I mean for an unarmored warboar. I don't have my books with me, so I can't look it up right now. I just thought I'd toss it out there.

Otherwise, it looks awesome to me, and I can't wait to encounter/deploy one in a game!

Steven

[Kublai]

I wouldn't give that to any ol' warboar. That sounds more like a trait reserved for the ultra-special ones.

[TimP]

Formation Fighting Training? :?

Doesn't really fit with the rampaging berserker pig image the rest of this monster evokes.

[AndyAction]

Ha! My Finnick rode that fucker and put him in a choke hold!
yah!
-=A

[Durgil]

For my own world designs, I would prefer to create things a little more in perspective and let the legends blow things out of proportion. Sort of like those dinosaur-sized mûmak of PJ's The Return of the King. Bigger than modern elephants ≠ Brachiosaurus. :roll:

[Trismegistus]

For my own world designs, I would prefer to create things a little more in perspective and let the legends blow things out of proportion. Sort of like those dinosaur-sized mûmak of PJ's The Return of the King. Bigger than modern elephants ≠ Brachiosaurus. :roll:

I second that :roll:.

[vikingmonkey]

Hey Thor, take this with a grain of salt, as I have done absolutely zip Monster Burning, but I'll throw it out there. As I was looking for info on Boars' eyesight, I came across a BBC article about this town outside London dealing with the local boar population. A local farmer brought the interviewer into the woods where most of the boars live and was discussing boars in detail. He said that boars are incredibly agile, able to turn on a dime. I wonder if you can fit a trait in there to deal with that (if you wanted) - something like a C-O for your Power test when Charging?

[Thor]

Formation Fighting Training? :?

Doesn't really fit with the rampaging berserker pig image the rest of this monster evokes.

The idea is that the orcs use these things as heavy shock cavalry. And believe me, against my players, I need every bit of help I can get in Range and Cover :roll:

But that's just the training. It holds only until the boar gets wounded. Once it fails a Steel test, it goes utterly berzerk. Check the entry for the berzerker trait in the MonBu if you haven't already.

[Thor]

Hey Thor, take this with a grain of salt, as I have done absolutely zip Monster Burning, but I'll throw it out there. As I was looking for info on Boars' eyesight, I came across a BBC article about this town outside London dealing with the local boar population. A local farmer brought the interviewer into the woods where most of the boars live and was discussing boars in detail. He said that boars are incredibly agile, able to turn on a dime. I wonder if you can fit a trait in there to deal with that (if you wanted) - something like a C-O for your Power test when Charging?

That's cool man! Now, the only thing I fear is that these things will be rolling 9D on a Charge as it is. Much as I enjoy maiming and killing players' favorite characters, I wonder if a C-O for that might not be overkill.

What do you guys think?

[Trismegistus]

Hey Thor, take this with a grain of salt, as I have done absolutely zip Monster Burning, but I'll throw it out there. As I was looking for info on Boars' eyesight, I came across a BBC article about this town outside London dealing with the local boar population. A local farmer brought the interviewer into the woods where most of the boars live and was discussing boars in detail. He said that boars are incredibly agile, able to turn on a dime. I wonder if you can fit a trait in there to deal with that (if you wanted) - something like a C-O for your Power test when Charging?

That's cool man! Now, the only thing I fear is that these things will be rolling 9D on a Charge as it is. Much as I enjoy maiming and killing players' favorite characters, I wonder if a C-O for that might not be overkill.

What do you guys think?

Yeah, I feel like that's double-weighting them. As they are, any orc astride one is going to most likely be tearing up whatever is in its path.

[Anteruo]

Thor, this is just what I've been looking for. Muahahahaha

[Durgil]

The 9D Charge probably covers the high agility in battle well enough.

[vikingmonkey]

Color me Newb. :oops: In my excitement for having something to bring to the table I didn't even stop to look at the stats closely. Yeah, 9D Charge is way more than enough.

[khelek]

Pfa! Double Weighting?! 9D is enough? For the Wheel's Sake it can't even breath Fire!

j/k

So are you going to add any new Orc LPs for these guys, or just renaming "Asride the Black Beast" to: "Astride the Tusked Killer" ?

[Thor]

Pfa! Double Weighting?! 9D is enough? For the Wheel's Sake it can't even breath Fire!

j/k

So are you going to add any new Orc LPs for these guys, or just renaming "Asride the Black Beast" to: "Astride the Tusked Killer" ?

I think Astride the Beast and Black Destroyer are fine for Boar riders. At most, I would swap out Great Wolf Husbandry for Olekotheer Husbandry. I'll continue to use Master of Eight for my spider riders though. ;)