Dire Chicken (3.5e Monster)
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Low - Moderate - Note[edit]
This monster is balanced to fit in a high level of balance game. I have taken the liberty of not using the standard D&D rules for determining various statistics for this monster. As a result, it may seem a bit stronger (or weaker) than some SRD monsters of the same CR and that is fine. I think it will pose an appropriate challenge for characters of its CR.
Dire Chicken[edit]
| N Medium Animal | |
| Init/Senses | +4/Listen +4, Spot +4 |
| AC | 16, touch 15, flat-footed 14 |
| hp | 20 (1 HD); Like a chicken with its head cut off |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +4/+5/+3 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Melee | +7 bite (1d6) +5/+5 claws (1d4) |
| Space/Reach | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Base Atk/Grp | +0/+3 |
| Abilities | Str 12, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 7 |
| Skills | Jump +5 |
| Advancement | — |
| Like a chicken with its head cut off (Ex) | Dire chickens, like most dire animals, have stronger versions of natural abilities that their more normal cousins (regular chickens) possess. While dire bears have the ability to grapple better, dire tigers the ability to pounce better, the dire chicken has the ability to continue acting even after its "death", much like a normal chicken with its head cut off, but to a much greater effect.
If a dire chicken is killed from an attack when it is at a positive amount of hitpoints (that is, it is not dying), instead of just being dead, it may continue to act. Usually its death is just the loss of its head, but whether that is the case or not, it becomes blinded. It just continues on instinct attacking the nearest creature. It flies into a frenzy, gaining 6 extra claw attacks with a +4 bonus to hit, but the loss of its head causes it lose its bite attack. Note that the +4 bonus to hit is cancelled out by the -4 penalty to hit for being blind and furthermore each claw attack suffers a 50% miss chance. During these extra rounds of its death frenzy, remove all negative effects on it. It is also immune to snaring/slowing. This frenzy lasts 2 rounds before the chicken finally falls over and is actually, for real, dead. |
| Cock-A-Doodle-Doo (Ex) | Male dire chickens (dire roosters in this case) can let out such a loud crowing that every creature within a mile is awakened from any magical or non-magical sleep. Any adjacent foes in combat must make a Fortitude save DC 16 or be deafened for 1 hour. This is a swift action usable once per minute. |
Don't piss off a dire chicken. They are very territorial and will attack mercilessly. It's like that time when you thought it would be a good idea to smack that defenseless chicken with your master sword and then a flock of them came at you and killed you. Like that only there is one of them and it is even angrier.
Strategies and Tactics[edit]
If you do piss one off, you can expect it to come at you clawing and pecking. Then when you do kill it, it will just keep coming at you with the talons. That's about all there is to it.
For Player Characters[edit]
Druids and Rangers may take a dire chicken as an animal companion with an effective level adjustment of -2.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Sourcebooks → Dire Petting Zoo → Bestiary
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Monsters
| Article Balance | High + |
| Author | Aarnott + |
| Challenge Rating | 2 + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Monster + |
| Name | Dire Chicken + |
| Rated By | balmz + |
| Rating | Rating Pending + |
| Size | Medium + |
| Summary | You know how they say "running around like a chicken with it's head cut off? Don't cut this one's head off. + |
| Title | Dire Chicken + |
| Type | Animal + |
