Article:
D&D 4th ed: The Stump Jumper

Written By: AJ Pickett
Date: 24 Apr 2010

Drawing on the tables from the Creature Feature, I am going completely random on the monster creation today.. so, what can I come up with for a bunch of level three player characters?

Ok, here are my random D100 rolls.. 58, 23, 63, 71, 02, 49, 47... what have we got?

Lets select two options from the Creature Type table

58 : Amphipod - Species similar to a crustacean.
23 : Mammalian - Warm blooded species which bears live young and nourishes them with milk secretion.

Ok, so some sort of mammal with a heavy shell, like a cross between an Armadillo and a Land Crab.

Next, I'll select from the Randomize That Critter table

63 : Sharp Teeth; (basic bite attack)
71 : Spines; like a porcupine. Length, shape, color, hardness and function (possibly venomous) is left up to the DM.

Now, Eating Habits
02 : Carnivore
49 : Pouncer- Kill prey by attacking from hiding or by stalking and springing, will flee if surprised.

and finally, how big is it?

47 : Medium

Right, so a spined and armored mammal with sharp teeth, which hunts by stalking and pouncing on its prey...probably heavy and not very fast, so it will need camoflage and a good leap attack.

This is unique enough to give me some funny ideas. Ok, how about a creature that disguises itself as a tree stump?

The adventurers are making their way through a small clearing and some felled trees when out leaps a...

 

The Stump Jumper is a nasty creature that inhabits wooded areas, particularly bogs and flooded swamp forests. They are slow to grow to maturity, and the average adult specimen is at least 30-40 years old. Mated pairs are rarely found together outside of a brief mating season, though a female is often encountered near a nesting site, where a few young may be found. Domestication of the territorial and vicious Stump Jumper is impossible, but they tend to adapt well to a role as guard animal, as long as they have a small, steady supply of food. They are adept ambush hunters of small and medium sized prey, but can subsist easily on carrion, fish, insects and, occasionally, a diet of fungus and foraged roots or tubers.

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