Jab's Dinosaur Builds!: Argentinosaurus! Mokele-Mbembe!

[Jabroniville]

Since I’m near the end of the Mammals, what’s the next group everyone would like to see? Birds, Arthropods, Reptiles, Fish? I’ll do Amphibians next since it’s such a small group, but after that?

[Davies]

Let's stick with our fellow Homeotherms -- Birds, please.

[Jabroniville]

American whalers often referred to these whales as "Finbacks".

RICE'S WHALE (Balaenoptera ricei)
Role: Mid-Sized Plankton-Eater
PL 7 (63)- Minion Rank 5, Sidekick Rank 13
Normal Version: PL 5-6
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+8)
Insight 1 (+3)
Intimidation 4 (+2, +5 Size)
Perception 5 (+7)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Swimming 4 (16 mph) [4]
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [1]
Immunity 2 (Pressure, Cold) [2]

"Natural Size" Growth 6 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]
Protection 3 (Extras: Impervious 5) [8]
Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +12 (+3 Impervious), Fortitude +12, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: 12 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 32 / Defenses: 11 (63)

Era: Modern
Range: The Gulf of Mexico
Stereotypes: Friendly, intelligent, docile creatures.
Colouring: Gray
Size: Up to 41 feet long (Up to 15 tons)
Encounter Groups: Small to huge pods (5-50)
Diet: Mollusks, large fish, dolphins, sea lions
Tactics: Chase down prey with great speed and attack with conical teeth.

-Rice's Whale is an oddly-sized mid-tier baleen whale- larger than the Minke & Pygmy Right Whale, but smaller than the Bryde's, Sei & Omura's Whale. It was thought to be a subpopulation of Bryde's Whale until 2021, and is only barely different. It is one of the most endangered species of cetaceans in the world- so limited, in fact, that the infamous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 single-handedly killed nearly twenty percent of the population of the species. Currently, the best estimate for the total population is only 33 animals! As they do not migrate, and only 16 mature animals are thought to exist, recovery may be impossible.

-Rice's Whales are a mid-tier, PL 7-ish baleen whales- highly durable but not really defensively-capable.

[Jabroniville]

JJ the Gray Whale during his stay in captivity.

GRAY WHALE (Eschrichtius robustus)
Role: Mid-Sized Whale
PL 9 (86)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 18
Normal Version: PL 8-9
STRENGTH 10 STAMINA 10 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+6)
Sea Acrobatics 3 (+2)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 9 (+11 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Diehard, Great Endurance, Power Attack

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Immunity 4 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Swimming 3 (16 mph) [3]

"Natural Size" Growth 10 (Str & Sta +10, +10 Mass, +5 Intimidation, -5 Dodge/Parry, +2 Speed) -- (36 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [21]

"Super-Body Ram" Damage 9 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) [18]

Strength-Damage +1 [1]
Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 7) [9]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Body Ram +9 Area (+9 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +12 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +12, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Gray Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Gray Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: -8 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 56 / Defenses: 21 (86)

Era: Modern
Range: Nearly all world waterways (except North & South)
Stereotypes: Show-Offs.
Colouring: Blue/black with white patches
Size: Up to 49 feet long (17-44 tons)
Encounter Groups: Pods (2-15)
Diet: Plankton, crustaceans
Tactics: Massive gulps of tiny prey, or large bubble-nets to entrap large amounts of fish.

-Gray Whales are a medium-sized baleen whales, and represent the largest animal ever kept in captivity- a young whale named J.J. was kept at SeaWorld San Diego until she hit 31 feet long and was too big for any enclosure to hold her (two previous Gray Whales had also been kept at aquariums, but one died and the other was released again due to size issues)- they're also the species seen in the greatest, weirdest Star Trek movie- "The One With The Whales" to most fans. They can live for up to 80 years, and currently inhabit only the Pacific Ocean- an Atlantic population did exist, but died out centuries ago. Whaling is the likely cause, as the animals are again rare thanks to whaling in general, not to mention other hazards such as ship strikes, Killer Whales (which are adepting at holding smaller whales down and drowning them), and more. However, Grays have been spotted in the Mediterranean and in other locations not native to them, which implies that many could be migrating further than normal.

-Gray Whales typically feed sideways, often gulping up sand and water alongside coasts, to get their favored prey- crabs and other crustaceans. They even fish for plankton in this manner, though sometimes do that straight-up like other whales do. This makes them much more dependent of coastlines than other whales, and thus more easy prey for whalers, despite their blubber and oil being less worthwhile. They are known to fiercely defend their calves from hunting, giving them the nickname "Devil Fish".

-Gray Whales are similar in size to Humpbacks, but not as athletic. They're easy to hit, but still extremely tough, being +12 Toughness animals.

[Jabroniville]

"When we killed the sei whales, they used to make a noise, like a crying noise. They seemed so friendly, and they'd come round and they'd make a noise, and when you hit them, they cried really. I didn't think it was really nice to do that. Everybody talked about it at the time I suppose, but it was money. At the end of the day that's what counted at the time. That's what we were there for."
-Roddy Morrison, former whaler.

LARGE WHALES
Role: Mid-Sized Baleen Whales
PL 10 (90)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 18
Normal Version: PL 8-9
STRENGTH 11 STAMINA 11 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+6)
Sea Acrobatics 6 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 10 (+12 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Immunity 4 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Swimming 3 (16 mph) [3]

"Natural Size" Growth 10 (Str & Sta +10, +10 Mass, +5 Intimidation, -5 Dodge/Parry, +2 Speed) -- (36 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [21]

"Super-Body Ram" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) [20]

Strength-Damage +1 [1]
Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 7) [9]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Body Ram +10 Area (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +13 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +13, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: -4 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 58 / Defenses: 19 (90)

Era: Modern
Range: Nearly all world waterways (except North & South)
Stereotypes: Show-Offs.
Colouring: Blue/black with white patches
Size: Up to 46 feet long (22-28 tons)
Encounter Groups: Pods (2-15)
Diet: Plankton, krill, small fish
Tactics: Massive gulps of tiny prey, or large bubble-nets to entrap large amounts of fish.

-Three different whales are all around the same size- 20-30 tons. This puts them at around the size of the more acrobatic Humpback Whale, but well below the gigantic Fin & Blue Whales.

Large Whales:
SEI WHALE: The third-largest rorqual after the Blue & Fin Whales, but below the Bowhead & Right Whales in weight- it inhabits most oceans & seas and can live for 70 years, but is Endangered thanks to whaling and the continued issue of "red tides"- toxic algae blooms brought on by pollutants (the largest mass-beaching ever recorded- 337 whales- is suspected to have come from this). The name comes from the Norwegian word for pollock, which arrive on their coasts about the time the Sei Whale does each year. Up to 64 feet long & 22-31 tons.



I feel like they didn't really show what the full inflation of a whale's mouth looked like until very recently.

BRYDE'S WHALE: Named for Johan Bryde (pronounced "Broodah", apparently), Norwegian consul to South Africa, who helped establish the first modern whaling station in the country. 3-4 subspecies exist in a wide strip around the globe, giving them an odd taxonomy (it's also called Eden's Whale for and Englishman who found one in Calcutta). They are the most elongated whales, and very closely related to Sei Whales. Up to 51 feet long & 17-33 tons.



OMURA'S WHALE: Sometimes considered a Dwarf/Pygmy form of Bryde's Whale, and was considered distinct only recently. Little-studied and typically seen around East Asia. 30-40 feet & 22-28 tons.

[Jabroniville]

HUMPBACK WHALE (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Role: Huge Sea-Jumper
PL 10 (97)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 18
Normal Version: PL 8-9
STRENGTH 11 STAMINA 11 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+6)
Sea Acrobatics 6 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 10 (+12 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Diehard, Great Endurance, Power Attack

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Immunity 4 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Swimming 3 (16 mph) [3]

"Natural Size" Growth 10 (Str & Sta +10, +10 Mass, +5 Intimidation, -5 Dodge/Parry, +2 Speed) -- (36 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [21]

"Super-Body Ram" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (20) -- [21]
AE: "Bubble Net" Create Object 10 (Flaws: Instant Duration, No Toughness- Fails All Saves) (3)

Strength-Damage +1 [1]
Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 7) [9]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +13 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +13, Will +6

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Humpback Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Humpback Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: -4 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 59 / Defenses: 23 (97)

Era: Modern
Range: Nearly all world waterways (except North & South)
Stereotypes: Show-Offs.
Colouring: Blue/black with white patches
Size: Up to 46 feet long (27-33 tons)
Encounter Groups: Pods (2-15)
Diet: Plankton, krill, small fish
Tactics: Massive gulps of tiny prey, or large bubble-nets to entrap large amounts of fish.

-Humpback Whales are pretty sweet, and the iconic "breaching" whale of the world. Their titanic leaps allow them to go clear of the water (no small feat when you weight thirty frickin' tons), and some have even jumped constantly for over an hour! As a Baleen Whale, it's no ass-kicker despite it's size, but they have some brilliant hunting mehtods- forming "Bubble Nets" or other shapes from blown air bubbles, trapping terrified fish in these circles while their allies scoop up the helpless tiny animals. Yes, a thirty-ton animal that uses teamwork and tools to kill. It's all for the best that they only eat small things.

-Humpbacks are the start of my Baleen Whale builds, and it differs heavily from the "official" builds, which fail to showcase Area Damage (+10 in this instance, it's PL 9 normally) or much of their capabilities. I threw in the "Bubble Net" for the hell of it- it's only a point- as well as higher Dodge & Parry than the negative range- it's still easy as hell to hit (I can't imagine ANY character missing- you'd have to literally roll a one to three unless you went REALLY power-heavy), but it's an athletic super-animal.

-A few Whales are of similar size and scope for this Sub-order. the Sei Whale (27.5 tons), and the Grey Whale (made famous by "that Star Trek with the whales" is 38.5 tons. The Bryde's is very much a generic Baleen Whale in miniature, lacking stuff like barnacles everywhere. For stats, they're much the same, but lose the Sea Acrobatics, as well as the full-on breaching ability (probably only PL 8 or so).

[Ken]

I feel like they didn't really show what the full inflation of a whale's mouth looked like until very recently.

I concur. I've been studying whales (in a dilettante kind of way) for 45 years. It's only been in the past couple of years I've seen pictures of a baleen whale's swollen underside from feeding.

[Hoid]

I find it strangely poetic the biggest animals on earth solely eat some of the very smallest animals.

[Thorpocalypse]

I love this animal run! Great pics and informative data.

Thanks ! It's part of my mission to teach Thorpocalypse things, no matter how much he hates it, lol!

I KNEW IT!!!

Fine. I'll keep learning, but I will NOT be happy about it!

[Jabroniville]

BOWHEAD WHALE (Balaena mysticetus)
Role: Titanic Frickin' Gentle Giant, Weird-Looking Whale
PL 8 (91)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 19
Normal Version: PL 9
STRENGTH 10 STAMINA 10 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING 1 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+2)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 9 (+12 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Diehard, Withstand Damage

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Immunity 4 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Swimming 2 (4 mph) [2]

"Natural Size" Growth 13 (Str & Sta +13, +13 Mass, +6 Intimidation, -6 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -13 Stealth) -- (75 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [27]

"Super-Body Ram" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) [20]

Strength-Damage +3 [3]
Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 15) [20]

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +15 (+8 Impervious), Fortitude +15, Will +8

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Bowhead Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: -24 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 77 / Defenses: 27 (91)

Era: Modern
Range: Arctic Waters
Stereotypes: None (too unknown).
Colouring: Black/grey with lighter patches.
Size: Up to 60 feet long (48-66 tons)
Encounter Groups: Usually solitary, sometimes small groups (1-6)
Diet: Plankton, krill, small fish
Tactics: Massive gulps of tiny prey.

-Bowhead Whales are known for their very strange mouth- huge arches when visible from the side, they have the largest mouths of any animal. They are the only baleen whales native to the Arctic, and were once an ideal source for whalers. They were thought to be synonymous with Right Whales until relatively recently- they look incredibly alike. Their enormous heads are used to break through sea ice. Incredibly, they are the world's longest-living mammals, recorded at living for over 200 years! From Wikipedia: "In May 2007, a 49 ft specimen caught off the Alaskan coast was discovered with the 3.5 inch head of an explosive harpoon of a model manufactured between 1879 and 1885, so the whale was probably harpooned sometime between those years, and its age at the time of death was estimated at between 115 and 130 years". The population fell during the whaling era, but has now recovered more than almost any other cetacean species- it's likely helped out alot by how remove their habitat is.

-Bowheads are among the second-biggest of the whales, hitting 66 tons at their peak. They are slow swimmers, hitting only 6 miles when fleeing from danger. They appear to not fight very much, but are extremely massive, pushing their PL up regardless.

[Ken]

American whalers often referred to these whales as "Finbacks".

RICE'S WHALE (Balaenoptera ricei)

I always thought it was the Fin Whale that was also called the Finback Whale. In fact, I bet I could find books where they did.

[Davies]

Always in motion is the terminology.

[Jabroniville]

I always thought it was the Fin Whale that was also called the Finback Whale. In fact, I bet I could find books where they did.

Per Wikipedia:

The Rice's whale was likely first documented by the Yankee whaling ship Keziah in 1790, which reported the chasing of a "finback" in the Bay of Campeche. At least 49 additional encounters of "finbacks" were reported throughout the Gulf of Mexico during the 18th and 19th centuries.[2] Scientists generally agree that the "finbacks" were most likely Rice's whales, as the species is the only baleen whale that resides in the Gulf year-round.[2][3] While fin whales (of which the name "finback" applies to today), blue whales, sei whales, and common minke whales have been sighted in the Gulf of Mexico, their presence are extralimital and they only appear in the area as occasional wanderers.[4]

So yeah, apparently.

[Jabroniville]

RIGHT WHALE (Eubalaena class)
Role: Titanic Frickin' Gentle Giant, Weird-Looking Whale
PL 8 (91)- Minion Rank 6, Sidekick Rank 19
Normal Version: PL 9
STRENGTH 10 STAMINA 10 AGILITY -2
FIGHTING 1 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+2)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Intimidation 9 (+12 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Diehard, Withstand Damage

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Hearing, Extended & Low-Light Vision) [3]

"Sea Creature"
Immunity 4 (Drowning, Pressure, Cold, Suffocation) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Swimming 2 (4 mph) [2]

"Natural Size" Growth 13 (Str & Sta +13, +13 Mass, +6 Intimidation, -6 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -13 Stealth) -- (75 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [27]

"Super-Body Ram" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) [20]

Strength-Damage +3 [3]
Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 15) [20]

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative -2

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +15 (+8 Impervious), Fortitude +15, Will +8

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Whales cannot speak to humans, nor use their flippers to easily manipulate objects.
Disabled (Scent)- Whales are thought to have either no sense of smell at all, or only tiny amounts of scent capability. Their blowholes are closed when underwater, and useless in open air.

Total: Abilities: -24 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 77 / Defenses: 27 (91)

Era: Modern
Range: Arctic Waters
Stereotypes: None (too unknown).
Colouring: Black/grey with lighter patches.
Size: Up to 65 feet long (33-88 tons)
Encounter Groups: Usually solitary, sometimes small groups (1-6)
Diet: Plankton, krill, small fish
Tactics: Massive gulps of tiny prey.

-Right Whales are recognizable for their distinctive triangular heads, and were so lucrative for whalers that it gave them their name, according to legend- they were said to be the "right" whales to kill. This was because they were docile, stayed close to the coasts, and were so full of blubber that they floated after being killed (many whales sank). The distinctive white patches on their heads are from whale lice (most cetaceans are victimized by some kind of parasite or another). Their immense bulk compared to other whales of comparable length (Humpbacks, Grays, Sperms & even Fins) makes them among the heaviest, pushing the limits at 88 tons.

-Two of the three species of Right Whale are heavily endangered, even after whaling mostly stopped- the three species have 50, 411 & 1300 individuals remaining, with the Southern Right Whale being the most populous. The Northern Pacific & Atlantic Right Whales are much worse off, inhabiting waters near Europe & Japan. They are often entangled in fishing lines & nets, struck by ships, or choked to death by swallowing great deals of plastic. On the plus side, they have nine-foot wangs, and testicles that weight more than 1,000 lbs. each- by far the largest in the entire animal kingdom.

-Right Whales are similar to Bowheads, obviously. They can even hybridize!

[Ken]

-Right Whales are similar to Bowheads, obviously. They can even hybridize!

That would be the Wrong Whale.