Dum Raptor
Dm Raptors :: Battle Mounts
Serpent-like raptors, ridden by Doom Mages and a few others
NPC Levels: 7 d6, 7 d6 checks
Weapons: Talons+35, Bite+55, Tail Lash+10+Strength, Tail Spikes+45, Wing Strafe+8+Strength.
AC: 9-15-Thick Hide
Checks: Strength: {Level+5} Stamina: {Level+10} Movement: {14-17-Land, 18-21-air} Dexterity: {13-18} Stealth: {14-Land/17-Flight} Willpower: {22+1 per 5 levels} Intelligence: {13-15}
Bonuses: +25-HP, +1-HB, +1 saving throw
Levels: Age 1-3=[1], 4-10-[2], +1 level per five years of age, up to level 40 Bestial and Flight Combat.
Size: Their full length is 20-32 feet long, with a 10-18 foot long tail, a 5-9 foot long body, 3-7 foot long neck, and 1-3 foot long head, 5-9 foot long legs, Wing span is 20-32 feet.
Description
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Each wing is as broad as they are long, and the wrists of the wings branch into large, independent talons with three toes and a dew claw. They have long, very strong rear legs armed with great talons with three toes and a dew claw. They have an eagle-like head with a powerful toothed beak, their rows of teeth needle sharp. These beasts can walk on their powerful rear legs, like a t-rex, or on all four talons using their wings like a bat. They can move quite quickly on all fours, but are very swift running on their hind legs, and even quicker in flight. Their long, flexibly stiff tail has a flat, triangular forked fin at the base of the tail, and dorsal, triangular spikes to aid in making it more aerodynamic, quick to alter its direction, very well balanced, and to arm it for defense. These animals can turn on a dime in flight and standing. Their flesh is smooth and very tough, but covered with a fine pelt of fine, soft velvet fur. Because their body is fairly broad, and their spine slopes to broader shoulders, Dm Raptors make excellent mounts, if someone knows how to train and ride them. Riders tuck their legs beneath the wings. Doom Mages have mastered the skill of capturing the young (which is quite dangerous), training, breeding, and riding these warm blooded, great reptilian-like, featherless birds, which is no easy task.
Habits
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They are feirce predators which feed on large to medium sized animals, like deer, horses, cattle, boar, goats, and rarely, people, and they will also eat smaller animals like rabbits, wambahs, baogahs, valbi and foxes. These animals are also very intelligent. Though they cannot speak, they can learn to understand languages and spoken commands, and conceive of complex hunting or defensive strategies. These unusual, dragon sized birds of prey, inhabit isolated areas, and rarely encounter people unless someone wanders into their territory, or hunts them for food, or to capture their young. The adults cannot be tamed, period. They are very territorial and very protective of their young. They lay eggs in large nests built on high cliffs, the tops of immense dead trees, or in cliffside caves. They choose nesting sites that are hard to access from the ground. The young mature rapidly, and are fully grown in three years. These animals avoid people, but are not afraid of them. They simply distrust people. These animals pair up for life, and if a mate is killed, it may take many years for them to accept another mate. The pair raise their young together, one watching over them, while the other hunts, which they take turns doing. Their lifespan is 1500-3000 years.
Coloration
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Mountain Breed: light blue-gray with dark grey to black dorsal band, white or light gray underbelly, gray wings, and blue eyes. Talons and beak are a gray, and their throat is light gray.
Desert Breed: tan with a dark brown dorsal band, cream underbelly, dark brown tiger striping, and yellow eyes. Talons and beak are yellow, and their throats is cream.
Cliff Cave Breed: They are black with a gray underbelly and throat, their eyes indigo blue.
Forest Breed: They are light green with a dark, pine green dorsal band, dark green tiger stripes, and pale yellow-green underbelly and throat. Their eyes are yellow green.