Sorry for the thread necromancy, but in Saga this NPC has returned, newly initiated.
Unfortunately I have misplaced my notes on which inner Mystery he was going for. I suspect probably Chimaera, because he indicated he was dissatisfied with himselh/his heartbeast.
I imagine that chimaera with a bat or bird might give him wings and fly like a dragon, except that doesn't quite feel right.
Group think requests:
a) what sort of viable crocodile chimaeras are there?
b) how do I roleplay such a Chimaera? Would his personality traits have changed?
Let's not forget that a (Bjornaer) Chimaera is the union of exactly two mundane beasts, with a size equal to the larger of the two (or slightly larger than both if they are the same size). Incidentally, this disqualifies the "classical" chimaera.
I have to agree with Troy: crocodile+bat = dragon is actually a great chimaera (in fact, it's probably the most viable path to chimaeric dragonhood). Why doesn't it feel "quite right" to you? And even with bird wings it's documented in medieval bestiaries!
An alternative is crocodile + turtle for something like a D&Dish dragon turtle.
Body of a crocodile, with legs and stinger tail of a scorpion, for a poisonous scorpiodile that can climb walls. Or combine with a spider instead, trading poison for web-weaving.
Head, tail and paws of a crocodile, body of a whale for something truly gigantic vaguely resembling an aquatic dinosaur. Then refine size even further!
Mixing a rooster and a crocodile will produce something resembling the medieval cockatrice/basilisk; of course, the poison/petrification abilities will have to be developed separately.
The head, tail and claws of a crocodile combined with the body and limbs of a monkey might yield a humanoid creature much resembling the ancient crocodile god of Egypt.
A combination of the head and tail of a crocodile, front legs of a lion, and the rear legs of a hippo, would fit the image of Ammit, the Devourer of the Dead. (The tail is iffy, but the Rite of the Chimera requires half of the resulting beast to be made of of the original, so the tail is likely necessary.)
I was of the understanding that the Inner Mystery of the Chimaera (may have the name slightly off) can only be initiated once, and only one other animal may be selected.
Am I wrong?
Oh good, I was remembering Chimaera mystery rules correctly.
By "quite right" I meant it didn't resonate as if I had been planning it in the missing plot notes.
Struggling to remember, I have the vague recollection of "herbivore". Possibly "legs", but "fur" might have been for another Bjornaer idea.
Oddly enough, the troupe is being faced with a cockatrice hunt in the near future. Various omens appeared due to a story event, and one of the coven-folk saw a snake mate with a rooster.
If someone in my troupe had suggested this, I would call it a "Rule One" violation.
And the background for this Gifted NPC was that he was taken by a Seeker from near the city of Crocodopolis in the Lands of the Nile, then being sold to a Bjornaer to become an apprentice (or it could be that the Bjornaer parens asked the Seeker to keep a watch for potential apprentices).
As a kid, this Bjornaer NPC is quite likely to have been familiar with baboons...
You are not wrong. The mysteries of the inner heartbeast can be done once. See however, refining the inner heartbeast. Having gone through the mystery of the Chimera, you get +3 to initiate further animal qualities and increase size. This further warps your form and makes it more chimerical. Because somehow, if you're a human-horse centaur hybrid, and you take accomplished flyer, then you've obviously added a pair of wings from a third animal at a minimum and if you later add large claws, there's likely part of a fourth one as well. The mystery of the Chimera is the first step... Not the last one.
Maybe itâs not Mythic enough - but recently I saw alligators in high 20s temperatures and that were extremely sluggish to the point of fully passive. They hadnât eaten in 3 weeks, and didnât need to, because they were so inactive .
Even summers in the south of England wouldnât be warm enough.
