THE WORLD OF KONG

VENATOSAURUS SAEVIDICUS
"Furious Hunter-Lizard"

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
35	STR	25	16-	Lift 3,200 kg; 7d6 HTH Damage [3]
18	DEX	24	13-	OCV:  6/DCV:  6
25	CON	30	14-
25	BODY	30	14-
10	INT	0	11-	PER Roll 13-/14-
5	EGO	-10	10-	ECV:  2
28	PRE	18	15-	PRE Attack:  5 1/2d6
8	COM	-1	11-

13	PD	6		Total:  13 PD (4 rPD)
13	ED	8		Total:  13 ED (4 rED)
4	SPD	12		Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
12	REC	0
50	END	0
56	STUN	0		Total Characteristics Cost:  142

Movement:	Running:	10"/20"
		Leaping:	3.5"/7"
		Swimming:	1"/2"

Cost	Powers & Skills
35	Bite:  HKA 2d6+1 (4 1/2d6 w/STR), END 3
12	Claws:  HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR); Reduced Penetration (-1/4), END 1
45	Toe Claw:  HKA 2d6 (3d6+1 w/STR), Armor Piercing (+1/2), END 4
4	Thick Skin:  Damage Resistance (4 PD/4 ED)
12	Heavy:  Knockback Resistance -6"
8	Long Legs:  Running +4" (10" total), END 1
-1	Poor Swimmer:  Swimming -1"
6	Sharp Senses:  +2 PER with all Sense Groups
2	Keen Eyesight:  +1 PER with Sight Group
5	Tail:  Extra Limb (1), Inherent (+1/4); Limited Manipulation (-1/4)

	Skills
10	+2 with HTH Combat
4	+2 OCV with Toe Claw

5	Concealment 12-
3	Camouflage Coloration:  +4 with Concealment; Only In Specific Environments/Situations (-1), 
	Self Only (-1/2)
3	Stealth 13-
1	Camouflage Coloration:  +1 with Stealth; Only In Specific Environments/Situations (-1)
3	Tactics 11-
3	Teamwork 13-

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  160
Total Cost:  302

75+	Disadvantages
15	Physical Limitation:  Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
10	Physical Limitation:  Enormous (8m, or 4"; -4 DCV, +4 to PER Rolls to perceive) (Frequently, 
	Slightly Impairing)
5	Physical Limitation:  Reduced Leap, can only leap half as far as STR indicates (Infrequently, 
	Slightly Impairing)
10	Physical Limitation:  Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
187	Experience Points

Total Disadvantage Points:  302

Ecology: True to their name, these "furious hunter-lizards" are the most dangerous predators to be found on Skull Island. Pack-hunters, Venatosaurus is a lean, mean, killing machine, a top-tier predator capable of tackling the largest prey items Skull Island has to offer. Highly intelligent and social, Venatosaurus live in packs of six to twelve full-grown adults and assorted young. They prefer the jungles to the open grasslands (although they will hunt in the open at night), as the thick forests provide cover for them and nests for their young.

Venatosaurus nests are dug out amid the roots of giant jungle trees. Any chicks are the responsibility of the entire pack, who will bring back food for the young. While out hunting, a single guard will remain behind, watching over the nest.

Hunting territories are large, and well marked, with a mixture of tree-scrapings, urine, feces, and the like. Other packs may contest territory from time to time, with a lot of posturing, roaring, and noisy displays designed to resolve the dispute before violence would break out.

Personality/Motivation: Typical animal motivations. Venatosaurus is far more intelligent than many of its fellow Skull Island inhabitants, and has a strong social hierarchy. This allows the Venatosaurus to plan and execute complex hunting expeditions with an unexpected level of cunning. Much like wolves, different Venatosaurus have different duties during a hunt, with some startling the prey, others giving chase, while the largest and strongest wait in the killing zone.

Powers/Tactics: Descended from a dromeosaurid ancestor, Venatosaurus has evolved into an predator well-equipped for life on Skull Island. The hips are more mobile, allowing greater agility and flexibility, albeit at a sacrifice of running speed. The hips joints also allow them to crouch down to the ground, giving them the ability to use even the slightest cover if needed. Venatosaurus' eyes are set high on the head, allowing them to peer over cover while remaining hidden. Their eyes are function much like a cat's allowing them to see in dim light. The rib cage is shorter but deeper, giving more flexibility at the waist and hips, without sacrificing lung capacity. The deep ribs also allow for better muscle attachment, meaning the forearms are stronger and more able to hold onto prey.

Venatosaurus tends to strike from ambush, getting as close as possible before bursting out of cover and chasing down its prey. If possible, a bite is used to hold the target, followed by a strike of two from the deadly toe claw. Venatosaurus isn't adverse to using the island's terrain to its advantage and will chase prey into dead end canyons or over low cliffs.

Appearance: A bipedal dinosaur, Venatosaurus appears to be a scaled-up version of a velociraptor, with a large head, long arms, powerful hind legs, and a long tail used for balance. Venatosaurus is pale along the belly with dark reddish back covered with a pattern of black stripes.

Designer's Notes: Venatosaurus was built by taking the Deinonychus character sheet in the HERO System Bestiary and scaling it up to the right size. A whole pack of Venatosaurus appeared in King Kong chasing the Brontosaurus our heroes encountered (as well as eating Herb the cameraman).

Based on the material presented in World of Kong I have made some major modifications to the Venatosaurus character. For starters the animal has a 10 INT and may qualify for a higher EGO. The hands are said to be very dexterous, hence the "Limited Manipulation," and it might be on the verge of qualifying for "Near-Human Intelligence" (on the evolutionary scale of things). Certainly the violent and dangerous ecosystem of Skull Island is conductive for brains as much as brawn (at least in the case of Venatosaurus), and it is possible the Venatosaurus might eventually become a sapient race. In a fantasy setting, this could already have happened—resulting in the PCs having to deal with intelligent 24 foot-long pack-hunting (or, maybe they herd now?) dinosaurs! And let's not even thing about them developing magical skills or the use of tools....

---

Venatosaurus Hero Designer File

---

Return to The World of Kong