Animal

Animals are creatures with four limbs of some kind and sometimes a tail. They employ natural weaponry and usually walk on four legs, fly, or swim. An animal’s size has no effect on its type.

Avian

The creature has two forelimbs adapted for flying (sometimes for swimming) and two hind limbs for walking or roosting: birds, bats, rocs, and perytons are examples of avian type creatures.

Critical Hits: Use the animal charts; treat foreleg hits as wing hits.

Combat: Avians tend to swoop to the attack, then break away, just as humanoid flyers do. Avians attacking from a dive are considered to be charging and inflict double damage with their claws.

Quadruped

This is the most common animal type; examples range from house cats to elephants.

Critical Hits: Use the animal charts. If the animal has no tail, reroll any tail hit.

Combat: Large quadrupeds frequently charge and overrun their opponents. Smaller quadrupeds prefer to attack from surprise.

Serpent

The creature has a head and a long, legless body. Snakes, nagas, and eels are examples of serpent type creatures.

Critical Hits: Use the animal chart; most leg hits are treated as tail hits.

Combat: Many serpents can employ a constriction attack. Treat constriction attacks as wrestling attacks, except that there is no attack of opportunity and the attack must hit the opponent’s normal Armor Class. A creature trapped in the serpent’s coils is considered grappled and locked (see Chapter Five) and can use the normal wrestling procedure to get free.

Fish/Whale

The creature has a long, streamlined body with flippers or fins for direction control.

Critical Hits: Use the animal charts. Foreleg hits (location rolls of 1 or 2) can affect pectoral fins or flippers. Rolls of 3–5 affect the tail. Movement penalties from fin or flipper hits apply only if the animal changes direction or makes a melee attack during the round. The animal relies on its tail for movement and suffers movement penalties from tail criticals with severities of 9 or more.

Combat: These creatures often employ avian tactics, using their superior swimming speed to deliver quick attacks and then move out of reach.

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