In Monster Manual 2 they included stats for a normal Cat giving it AC 6, 1-5 hit points, a bite attack for 1-2 damage and a claw attack that does 1 point of damage. They can also get all up in your grill with a rear claw attack for an extra 1-2 points of damage. Keep in mind the average person only has AC 9 or 10, 1-4 hit points, and a single attack each round. Simply put it's more dangerous being attacked by a house cat than it is by the local ruffian.
And I think most people would agree those are ridiculous stats. The AC and hit points aren't that bad (fast, agile, 9-lives, whatever) but it's attack should be at most 1 hit point of damage a round. Maybe something like d2-1. Cat's really can hurt people if they want to… but let's not be silly.
However the other over powered animal companion that seems to get less criticism is a dog.
A wild dog is 1+1 hit dice, AC 7 and does 1-4 damage. Okay… I can maybe see that for a large dog. Although it's still sort of crazy powerful when you compare it to the village tough guy. I guess if you want them to be scary it's okay though.
Now a war dog has 2+2 hit dice, AC6 (armour?) and does 2d4 damage. WTF? That's *better* than a soldier wearing leather armour with a sword and shield. Against an unarmed villager or wounded combatant then a war dog is pretty scary stuff… but against someone with a sword & shield? Maybe if it's a mechanical dog or something… but not any sort of non sci-fi / magical dog.
So not surprisingly players wisely bring packs of dogs with them on adventures instead of hiring retainers. They're twice as good and they don't ask for any treasure!
In the same way that cats needed to be seriously scaled down in power I think dogs do as well. I'll be using the wild dog stats for wolves and war dogs and lowering those numbers for smaller less aggressive animals.
11 comments:
Not to be contrary but have you ever been attacked by a cat that was "actually" trying to hurt you? I think in that instance most people just run away. Real life fights with our animal friends seldom really happen but when they do they are nasty (children-getting-their-face-ripped off nasty). I think we forget that our tiny wolf and tiger friends can be dangerous when pushed.
I've had dog bites and my wife has had a cat bite. I've read about cats flipping out and trying to kill people and they can definitely dangerous. In game terms though anything that does *any* hit points in damage could kill you... but you need to compare things. Merchant with a dagger vs his cat. Which is a greater threat? If you had to fight one first and let the other get some free hits on you, which would you choose? You'd be a lunatic to think the Cat was a greater threat. :)
May I just say that that cat picture is one of the very few illustration from MM2 that I *do* like. Keetoom!
Mt group was actually was one of those apocryphal ones that got wiped out by a domestic house-cat. It was either ridiculous or awesome, depending upon your tastes.
Very early on the job i responded to a "rabid feline in an apt". It wasn't rabid, it ate a rock of crack. Shreded the owners arm and face but good and was literally climbing the window curtains. Got the owner out and called in the big guns.
First tranq missed the cat, did a once in a million bounce of the fridge and hit a fellow rookie in the leg - numb leg and he was down ;) second tranq got the cat.
As for dogs - pit bulls are the worst threat I've dealt with - their jaws lock when biting and bullets have been known to bounce off their skulls. They still scare the shit outta me.
My wife's dauchshund couldn't break skin with a bite if she tried. I suspect my cat couldn't either, but we keep controlled substances out of their diets :)
Yeah, I'm in no way saying they aren't scary... but Tough Dude (4hp) with a cheap mall Ninja Sword (d6) or Baseball Bat (d4) will still mess you up way faster than a pit bull could.
Yeah, but if I shoot the Tough Dude he's more likely to go down then the pit bull ;)
Tough Dude has 1-4 hit points... Pit Bull has 2-7 or 2-9 hit points. ;)
Oh, I might be able to outrun the Tough Dude. I'm not outrunning the pitbull... ouch!
I think your modifications are a good call. One has to remember that in a game like OD&D or B/X, getting all scratched up and bruised isn't even really 1hp worth of damage. 1hp is like a knife wound. (speaking relative to your average peasant)
My girlfriend had to go to the ER once because our cat decided to jump on her (from a shelf). She got some cracked ribs out of that. And that was when he was only half the size he is now.
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