Ecology: "Terror Bird" is the name given to a variety of large flightless predatory birds found in South America some 62 million years ago in the Cenozoic Era. On Skull Island, the term is used to describe several species of large flightless birds, most of whom are carnivorous, and all of which among some of the largest flightless birds known to exist.
Personality/Motivation: Typical animal motivations.
Powers/Tactics: Lowlands-dwelling Terror Birds are pursuit predators, chasing down small mammals, young dinosaurs, and large invertebrates. Jungle-dwellers tend to eat fruit, insects, and forest-floor centipedes. All of Skull Island's Terror Birds are powerfully built animals, capable of delivering nasty kicks with their clawed feet, while the lowlands species possess huge ax-like beaks.
Appearance: The typical Skull Island Terror Bird looks roughly like an Ostrich, with a heavily built body, hairy feathers, bare legs, and long necks. Carnivorous Terror Birds will have thick, muscular necks, while the insect and fruit eaters will have more sinuous necks.
Designer's Notes: The Terror Bird character sheets were derived from the Ostrich character sheet found in the 4th Edition HERO Bestiary. I modified the character sheet to account for the 5th Edition method for writing up animals, and then modified each one further to account for the differences in size for each Terror Bird. None of the Terror Birds appeared in King Kong.
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 25 STR 15 14- Lift 800.0kg; 5d6 [2] 15 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 20 CON 20 13- 16 BODY 12 12- 8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 13-/14- 5 EGO -10 10- ECV: 2 20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 8 COM -1 11- 8 PD 3 Total: 8 PD (1 rPD) 5 ED 1 Total: 5 ED (1 rED) 3 SPD 5 Phases: 4, 8, 12 9 REC 0 40 END 0 40 STUN 1 Total Characteristics Cost: 69 Movement: Running: 9"/18" Leaping: 3"/6" Swimming: 0" Cost Powers & Skills 15 Beak: HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR), END 1 12 Kick: HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR); Reduced Penetration (-1/4), END 1 1 Thick Feathers And Skin: Damage Resistance (1 PD/1 ED) 4 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -2" 6 Long Legs: Running +3" (9" total), END 1 -2 Can't Swim: SAwimming -2" 6 Sharp Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Groups 2 Sharp Eyes: +1 PER with Sight Group Skills 10 +2 with HTH Combat Total Powers & Skill Cost: 54 Total Cost: 123 75+ Disadvantages 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 5 Physical Limitation: Large (4m, or 2"; -2 DCV, +2 to PER Rolls to perceive) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 5 Physical Limitation: Reduced Leap, can only leap half as far as STR indicates (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 8 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 123
Description: Brutornis is the most massive of the Skull Island Terror Birds. Standing five to six feet tall at the hip, and around nine feet at the top of the skull, Brutornis weighs in at around 500 kg. Equipped with powerful legs and large claws, Brutornis runs down prey in the open grasslands, dispatching its target with a single strike of its massive beak.
Female Brutornis will nest on the edges of the grasslands and are highly protective of their eggs, often forgoing food for a month or so until the chicks hatch. Lycaesaurus will often entice a Brutornis female to leave her nest with other members of the pack dashing in and snatching up eggs. Those chicks who do hatch will follow their mother around until large enough to hunt for themselves.
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 23 STR 13 14- Lift 606.3 kg; 4 1/2d6 [2] 15 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 18 CON 16 13- 15 BODY 10 12- 8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 13-/14- 5 EGO -10 10- ECV: 2 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6 8 COM -1 11- 7 PD 2 Total: 7 PD (1 rPD) 5 ED 1 Total: 5 ED (1 rED) 3 SPD 5 Phases: 4, 8, 12 9 REC 0 36 END 0 36 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 57 Movement: Running: 8"/16" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 0” Cost Powers & Skills 15 Beak: HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR), END 1 12 Kick: HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR); Reduced Penetration (-1/4), END 1 1 Thick Feathers And Skin: Damage Resistance (1 PD/1 ED) 4 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -2" 4 Long Legs: Running +2" (8" total), END 1 -2 Can't Swim: Swimming -2" 6 Sharp Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Groups 2 Sharp Eyes: +1 PER with Sight Group Skills 10 +2 with HTH Combat Total Powers & Skill Cost: 52 Total Cost: 109 75+ Disadvantages 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 5 Physical Limitation: Large (4m, or 2"; -2 DCV, +2 to PER Rolls to perceive) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 5 Physical Limitation: Reduced Leap, can only leap half as far as STR indicates (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) Total Disadvantage Points: 109
Description: Zeropteryx is the second largest of the Skull Island Terror Birds, measuring five to six feet at the hip, and seven to eight feet over all. Weighing around 400 kg, Zeropteryx is a powerful predator, equipped with a lethal beak and large claws on its massive legs.
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 18 STR 8 13- Lift 303.1 kg; 3 1/2d6 HTH Damage [2] 16 DEX 18 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 15 CON 10 12- 13 BODY 6 12- 8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 13-/14- 5 EGO -10 10- ECV: 2 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 8 COM -1 11- 6 PD 2 Total: 6 PD (0 rPD) 4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 4 Phases: 4, 8, 12 7 REC 0 30 END 0 30 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 41 Movement: Running: 7"/14" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 0” Cost Powers & Skills 12 Saw-Toothed Beak: HKA 1/2d6 (1d6+1 w/STR), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), END 1 8 Kick: HKA 1/2d6 (1d6+1 w/STR); Reduced Penetration (-1/4), END 1 2 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -1" 2 Long Legs: Running +1" (7" total), END 1 -2 Can't Swim: Swimming -2" 6 Sharp Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Groups 2 Sharp Eyes: +1 PER with Sight Group 5 Nocturnal: Nightvision Skills 10 +2 with HTH Combat Total Powers & Skill Cost: 45 Total Cost: 86 75+ Disadvantages 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 5 Physical Limitation: Human-sized, But Heavy (2m tall, 200 kg) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 5 Physical Limitation: Reduced Leap, can only leap half as far as STR indicates (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) Total Disadvantage Points: 86
Description: A nocturnal predator of ground-dwelling centipedes, Noctupervagus stands around five to six feet at the shoulder, making it around seven feet tall in total. Weighing roughly 200 kg, Noctupervagus appears as a massively built emu or cassowary, with dark reddish-brown plumage. Noctupervagus lay their eggs on the forest floor, amid the roots of trees, where they are quickly covered with a layer of small plants and mosses. This serves to hide the eggs, although it does make it difficult for chicks to hatch—in many cases the mother will assist in breaking the shell open.
Noctupervagus Hero Designer File
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 18 STR 8 13- Lift 303.1 kg; 3 1/2d6 HTH Damage [2] 15 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 14 CON 8 12- 13 BODY 6 12- 8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 13- 5 EGO -10 10- ECV: 2 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 8 COM -1 11- 5 PD 1 Total: 5 PD (0 rPD) 4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 5 Phases: 4, 8, 12 7 REC 0 28 END 0 29 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 36 Movement: Running: 7"/14" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 0” Cost Powers & Skills 23 Acidic Pulp: Sight Group Flash 8d6; 4 Charges (-1), Must Target Unprotected Face And Eyes (-1/2), Limited Range (2"; -1/4) plus EB 3d6, NND (defense is Life Support [Self-Contained Breathing]; +1); 4 Charges (-1), Must Target Unprotected Face And Eyes (-1/2), Linked (Flash; -1/2), Limited Range (2"; -1/4), [4] 10 Beak: HKA 1/2d6 (1d6+1 w/STR), END 1 8 Kick: HKA 1/2d6 (1d6+1 w/STR); Reduced Penetration (-1/4), END 1 2 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -1" 2 Long Legs: Running +1" (7" total), END 1 -2 Can't Swim: Swimming -2" 6 Sharp Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Groups Skills 5 +1 with HTH Combat 4 +2 OCV with Acidic Pulp Total Powers & Skill Cost: 58 Total Cost: 94 75+ Disadvantages 15 Distinctive Features: Foul Stink (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 0 Physical Limitation: Human-sized 5 Physical Limitation: Reduced Leap, can only leap half as far as STR indicates (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) Total Disadvantage Points: 94
Description: Roughly the same size as Noctupervagus, Pinnatono has a pale-skinned featherless neck and head, and a body covered in blackish feathers with a reddish under body and tail. An eater of fruit, Pinnatono as the only animal to feed up on a certain highly-acidic berry, leading to the animal excreting a noxious stink from its pores, dung, and breath. These berries also tended to ferment into nearly toxic soup in Pinnatono's gullet, allowing the bird to vomit forth a mass of acidic pulp on attackers. This pulp can both blind a potential attacker, as well as cause extreme discomfort to the eyes, nose, and other areas of the face.
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH Damage [1] 16 DEX 18 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 12 CON 4 11- 10 BODY 0 11- 8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 13- 5 EGO -10 10- ECV: 2 10 PRE 0 11- PRE Attack: 2d6 8 COM -1 11- 4 PD 2 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD) 3 ED 1 Total: 3 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 4 Phases: 4, 8, 12 4 REC 0 24 END 0 21 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 16 Movement: Running: 8"/16" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 0” Cost Powers & Skills 5 Beak: HKA 1 point (1/2d6 w/STR), END 1 8 Kick: HKA 1/2d6 (1d6+1 w/STR); Reduced Penetration (-1/4), END 1 4 Long Legs: Running +2" (8" total), END 1 -2 Can't Swim: Swimming -2" 6 Sharp Senses: +2 PER with all Sense Groups Skills 2 +1 OCV with Kick Total Powers & Skill Cost: 23 Total Cost: 39 75+ Disadvantages 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 0 Physical Limitation: Human-sized 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) Total Disadvantage Points: 39
Description: Standing four to five feet tall at the shoulder, Hylaeornis stands maybe six feet tall total, and masses around 130 to 150 pounds, making it roughly the size of a cassowary or an emu. Forest and jungle-dwelling birds, Hylaeornis eats a mixture of fruit, nuts, and small insects and the like. They nest between the roots of giant trees and tend to run from attacks, although they can and will deliver a nasty kick if cornered.
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