Art by Tacimur & Blacknirrow.
GROVYLE
Role: Tree-Climbing Giant Lizard
PL 8 (95)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -4
Skills:
Athletics 8 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 11 (+7)
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative 2, Startle
Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons (Bite & Tail)" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach) [3]
"Thick Skin" Protection 2 [2]
Movement 4 (Wall-Crawling 2, Sure-Footed, Environmental Adaptation- Arboreal) [8]
"Arboreal Predator" Enhanced Skills 6: Stealth +6 (+11) (Flaws: Limited to While Arboreal) [2]
"Elemental Creature"
"Vine Whip" Blast 5 (Feats: Accurate 4) (14) -- [15]
- AE: "Mega Drain" Weaken Strength 6 Linked to Healing 6 (Flaws: Limited to Self, Limited to Amount of Health Drained) (9)
Unarmed +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Natural Weapons +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Mega Drain +10 (+6 Weaken, DC 16)
Vine Whip +8 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +11
Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +6, Fortitude +7, Will +6
Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Lizards cannot speak to humans, nor use their claws to easily manipulate objects.
Weakness (Cold-Blooded)- Reptiles are cold-blooded- that is, their bodies are the same temperature as the air around them. As such, they are slow & sluggish in cold temperatures, and will die quickly if left in winter-like conditions. They must warm up before they are any good.
Total: Abilities: 26 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 33 / Defenses: 14 (95)
-Among the more powerful predators of Castellia's forests are the Grovyles- as large as Komodo Dragons yet capable of climbing trees and clinging to walls as well as much tinier lizards. This is because they are imbued with magic, which becomes clear as they age and their limbs start to sprout large leaves. With elemental power, they can whiplash out at great length, making them excellent predators. Like most reptiles, they tend to be slow-moving and eager to rest, but will lash out at blinding speed with vine whips coming from beneath their leaves. Their preferred prey is large herbivores, but anyone invading forests should beware- they are not territorial and will only attack if hungry or provoked, but they are more than a match for most solitary adventurers. Their power makes them quite popular guardian animals for Wood Elves and Faeries- though largely impossible to tame, they can be relatively docile if kept happy and well-fed, and can be directed at adversaries by those who can communicate with animals magically.
-Grovyles begin life as tiny gecko-like creatures born in clutches of around a dozen eggs, quickly growing to the size of a housecat. After a few years they reach the size of a grown man, then grow even larger- most adults are over 500 lbs. That such a large predator can hide in the treetops is very unusual, and what makes them so dangerous.
Jab's Notes: The Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile line fills out the remaining Starters in Generation III (Ruby/Sapphire), and I feel this one is perhaps the least original and stand-outish. It just looks like another bipedal lizard but with some leaves attached to it. Grovyle & Sceptile are also barely different (like Ivysaur & Venusaur, who also share this problem). Trying to make it a bit different, I made it an arboreal predator with focus on accuracy over the powerful Venusaur and venom-related creatures. Ash kept his Treecko for a heck of a long time- it spent the most time as Grovyle, the middle evolution- 95 episodes!