Giant Space Hamster in Pathfinder 2E

The second edition of Pathfinder has been out for a while now. Those of us who can cope with online gaming have had ample opportunity to get to know it – seriously, I got in around 60 sessons last year. It plays a bit different from the first edition, but under the hood it is very different. Pathfinder 1E was descended from D&D 3E, and the core conceit was that the PCs and monsters run under the same rules. This made designing for it easy (not simple, that’s different). The underlying logic of the system was clearly visible. In 2E, conversely, monsters and NPCs run under their own system. There is less complexity but it’s more of an art than a science. It can still be learned and understood, but it takes practice.

So here’s a giant space hamster.

GIANT SPACE HAMSTER————————–CREATURE 3
N—-LARGE—-ANIMAL
Perception +9; low-light vision, scent (imprecise)
Skills Acrobatics +9, Athletics +10, Stealth +7
Str +4, Dex +1, Con +3, Int –4, Wis +1, Cha –1
——————————————————————————-
AC 18; Fort +12; Ref +9; Will +6
HP 55; Immunities disease
——————————————————————————-
Speed 20 feet, burrow 10 feet
Melee ◆ jaws +10, Damage 1d10+6 piercing
Melee ◆ claw +10 (agile), Damage 1d8+6
Swallow Whole ◆ (attack); Medium, slowed 1 and grabbed, Rupture 8

Return of the Mythic Giant Space Hamster

Now that Mythic Adventures is out, I thought I’d revisit this wee fella I wrote up in April, based on the playtest document, and retool him to correspond to the final ruleset.

First, here’s your ordinary giant hamster with the savage simple template, like my original creation. The simple template doesn’t grant the mythic subtype, as you can see, and is not very exciting.

Savage Giant Hamster                               CR 4/MR 1
XP 1,200
N Large animal
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
–———–
AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 38 (4d8+20)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5; Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +6 (1d8+6 plus grab plus bleed 1)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch, feral savagery (full attack)
–———–
Str 19, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +3; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 19 (23 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +9, Perception +9
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 16 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Large hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Small, 2 Tiny, or 8 Diminutive or smaller opponents. The check DC is Strength-based.

Now, if we delve deeply into the mythic monster rules, we can really make this a beast of legend.

Giant Hamster of Legend                               CR 5
XP 1,600
N Large outsider (fire)
Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Perception +10
–———–
AC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (+4 Dex, +10 natural, -1 size)
hp 50 (4d8+32)
Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +3
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +11 (2d6+13 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon (15-ft. cone, DC 20, 3d6 fire), cheek pouch
–———–
Str 29, Dex 19, Con 26, Int 3, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +13 (+17 grapple); CMD 27 (31 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, Improved Initiative^B, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +14, Perception +10
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 21 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Large hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Small, 2 Tiny, or 8 Diminutive or smaller opponents. The check DC is Strength-based.

No, wait, what? Erm, sorry. That’s… something completely different. Now, here is the proper mythic giant hamster!

Mythic Giant Hamster                              CR 4/MR 2
XP 1,200
N Large animal (mythic)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
–———–
AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 46 (4d8+28)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.; sand glide
Melee bite +6 (1d8+6 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks always a chance, cheek pouch, feral savagery (full attack), mythic power (2/day, surge +1d6)
–———–
Str 19, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +3; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 20 (24 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance^M, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +9, Perception +9
–———–
Always a Chance (Ex) A giant hamster does not automatically miss when it rolls a 1 on an attack roll.
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 16 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Large hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Small, 2 Tiny, or 8 Diminutive or smaller opponents. The check DC is Strength-based.

Here you go, a fully mythified giant space hamster!

Mythic Giant Hamster

I dabbled around with the mythic rules playtest document for Pathfinder RPG, and the imp of the perverse took hold of me. So now, at four in the morning, I give you…

Hamster, Savage Giant                               CR 5/MR 2
XP 800
N Large animal (mythic)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
–———–
AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 46 (4d8+28)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5; Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d8+7 plus bleed 1 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch
–———–
Str 21, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +3; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 19 (23 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, Mythic Paragon^M, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +10, Perception +9
SQ always a chance, to the death
–———–
Always a Chance (Ex) Whenever the savage giant hamster makes an attack roll that results in a natural 1 on the die, the attack is not automatically a miss.
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 16 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Large hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Small, 2 Tiny, or 8 Diminutive or smaller opponents. The check DC is Strength-based.
To the Death (Ex) When below 0 hit points, the savage giant hamster does not fall unconscious or take damage from acting normally. It does not die until its negative hit points are equal to or greater than three times its Constitution score.

I took some liberties tinkering with the rules. For instance, the savage template would give our adorable little ball of epic violence the vicious assault special attack, which it would not actually benefit from. I substituted the to the death special quality instead. Also, the Mythic Paragon feat doesn’t benefit it in any way either, but it’s the only mythic feat the damn thing meets the prerequisites for. Oh well.

Valley of Eternity Extra: The Polar Bear and the Giant Space Hamster

I’d originally promised that my review of Valley of Eternity would include stats for a polar bear.

I leave it up to the reader to figure out why this amuses me.

Unfortunately, I forgot them and only now realized I’d done so. However, here they are. As a bonus, and because I’m bored, I also threw together some stats for a giant space hamster. I do not actually have access to the English-language version and the translations of game terms are my own best guesses.

Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)

The polar bear is a fierce hunter at the top of the food chain, the largest land-dwelling carnivore in the world. Generally, this is not an issue for penguins, but stranger things have happened.

Attributes:
Dexterity: 4
Strength: 8
Philosophy: –
Survival: 3
Defence: 4
Willpower: 3
Warmth: 80
Fat: 10 (max. 20)
Attack: The polar bear attacks by swiping with its left paw. Its damage bonus is +8.

Giant Space Hamster (Cricetus gigantus)

There are many strange things in the Antarctic, and the giant space hamster is probably the strangest. This white-furred rodent is the size of an elephant seal, but much quicker in its movements. Nobody is entirely certain where they come from or what these allegedly herbivorous creatures eat on the glacier. They are not very bright, but they are very active. Fortunately, they are not predatory, have no interest in the penguins’ eggs and do not even compete for the same resources, though they often seem to have mystical agendas which bring them in contact with penguin colonies.

Attributes:
Dexterity: 3
Strength: 6
Philosophy: –
Survival: 3
Defence: 3
Willpower: 2
Warmth: 80
Fat: 10 (max. 20)
Attack: The giant space hamster attacks with its vicious bite, which has a damage bonus of +4. If the attack reduces the target’s Warmth to 0, it stuffs them in its cheek pouch (assuming they are penguin-sized). A giant space hamster can hold two penguins in its cheek pouches at a time.

Giant, Advanced, and Advanced Giant Giant Hamsters

Yes. This is what I do with my life. I stat up giant hamsters in Pathfinder RPG with simple templates.

Giant Giant Hamster                                  CR 4
XP 1,200
N Huge animal
Init +0; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
–———–
AC 16, touch 8, flat-footed 17 (+8 natural, -2 size)
hp 38 (4d8+20)
Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +2
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d10+9 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch
–———–
Str 23, Dex 11, Con 20, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +3; CMB +11 (+15 grapple); CMD 21 (25 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +11, Perception +9
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 24 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 14 points of damage to the cheek (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Huge hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Medium, 2 Small, 4 Tiny, or 16 Diminutive or smaller opponents. The check DC is Strength-based.

Advanced Giant Hamster                           CR 4
XP 1,200
N Large animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +11
–———–
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 38 (4d8+30)
Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +4
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +8 (1d8+9 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch
–———–
Str 23, Dex 17, Con 20, Int 5, Wis 16, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +10 (+14 grapple); CMD 23 (27 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +11, Perception +11
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 18 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Large hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Small, 2 Tiny, or 8 Diminutive or smaller opponents. The check DC is Strength-based.

Advanced Giant Giant Hamster                 CR 5
XP 1,600
N Huge animal
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +11
–———–
AC 19, touch 10, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +10 natural, -2 size)
hp 46 (4d8+28)
Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +4
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d10+12 plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch
–———–
Str 27, Dex 15, Con 24, Int 5, Wis 16, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +13 (+17 grapple); CMD 25 (29 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Climb +13, Perception +11
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 26 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 18 points of damage to the cheek (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Huge hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Medium, 2 Small, 4 Tiny, or 16 Diminutive or smaller opponents. The check DC is Strength-based.

Undead Hamsters!

I couldn’t get sleep, alright? The giant hamster is from Tome of Horrors Complete. The skeleton and zombie templates come from Pathfinder RPG Bestiary.

Giant Hamster Skeleton                            CR 2
XP 600
NE Large undead
Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5
–———–
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 18 (4d8)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2
DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune cold, undead immunities
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +6 (1d8+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
–———–
Str 19, Dex 15, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +8; CMD 19 (23 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative^B

Giant Hamster Zombie                              CR 1
XP 400
NE Large undead
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
–———–
AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +8 natural, -1 size)
hp 33 (6d8+6)
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +2
DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d8+5) or slam +7 (1d8+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
–———–
Str 21, Dex 11, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +9; CMD 19 (23 vs. trip)
Feats Toughness^B
SQ staggered

More Hamsters

Because, well, why not?

Here are the base Diminutive hamster stats and the awakened version of the same that I used as a base for Boo, two weeks back. I also cleaned up the writing on the cheek pouch ability to better fit a creature of such size.

If anyone does anything with them, let me know. They’re based on the giant hamster from Tome of Horrors Complete, slightly adapted.

No, I have no idea why I do this stuff.

Hamster, Miniature Giant                          CR 1/3
N Diminutive animal
Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +4
–———–
AC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 14 (+5 Dex, +4 size)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +1
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d2-5 plus grab)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch
–———–
Str 1, Dex 21, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +0; CMB -2 (+3 grapple); CMD 8 (12 vs. trip)
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +8, Perception +4, Stealth +18
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a Fine-sized grabbed opponent into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 5 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 1 point of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Diminutive hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Fine opponent. The check DC is Strength-based.

Hamster, Miniature Giant, Awakened        CR 1/3
N Diminutive magical beast (augmented animal)
Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
–———–
AC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 14 (+5 Dex, +4 size)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +1
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d2-5 plus grab)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch
–———–
Str 1, Dex 21, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB -2 (+3 grapple); CMD 8 (12 vs. trip)
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +10, Perception +6, Stealth +18
Languages Common
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a Fine-sized grabbed opponent into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 5 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 1 point of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Diminutive hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Fine opponent. The check DC is Strength-based.

Boo!

So, I was bored, and I had this Tome of Horrors Complete and a strange desire to fiddle with some stats… So I took the giant hamster, changed it to Diminutive size, awakened it, and slapped 12 levels of barbarian on top. The challenge rating was eyeballed and may be off.

I am struck by the staggering stupidity and pointlessness of what I have just done.

Also, I know you don’t get iterative attacks for natural attacks (nor have I found a way to acquire them) but I figured that since the poor guy doesn’t wield a weapon, it’s not gonna break the game.

Boo                                                            CR 5
Male awakened miniature giant hamster barbarian 12
N Diminutive magical beast (augmented animal)
Init +10; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
–———–
AC 30, touch 21, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +1 deflection, +6 Dex, +4 size)
hp 113 (1d8+12d12+26)
Fort +14, Ref +11, Will +8; +4 vs. traps
Special Defense improved uncanny dodge, trap sense +4; DR 2/–
Immune disease
–———–
Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +26/+21/+16 (1d3+4 plus grab/19-20)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks cheek pouch
–———–
When raging, Boo’s statistics change as follows: AC 31, touch 21, flat-footed 25; hp 152; Fort +15; Will +9; Melee +26/+21/+16 (1d3+8 plus grab/19-20) and 2 claws +25 (1d3+7/x3); Str 18, Con 24; CMB +21 (+25 grapple); CMD 32 (36 vs. trip); SQ pounce
–———–
Str 12, Dex 23, Con 18, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 7
Base Atk +12; CMB +18 (+22 grapple); CMD 29 (33 vs. trip)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Iron Will, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Acrobatics +22, Climb +10, Intimidate +14, Perception +5, Stealth +19, Survival +18
SQ greater rage (28 rounds/day), rage powers (beast totem, greater beast totem, intimidating glare, knockdown, lesser beast totem, strength surge)
Languages Common
Combat Gear potion of cure serious wounds; Gear +3 mithral breastplate, amulet of mighty fists +3, belt of physical might +4 (Str and Con), ring of protection +1, 50 gp
–———–
Cheek Pouch (Ex) A giant hamster can try to stuff a grabbed opponent of two sizes smaller than itself into its cheek pouch by making a successful grapple check. A creature stuffed into the giant hamster’s cheek pouch takes no damage, and can escape by making a successful DC 5 Strength check or can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the cheek (AC 11). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must cut its own way out.
A Diminutive hamster’s cheek can hold 1 Fine opponent. The check DC is Strength-based.

The giant hamster is from Tome of Horrors Complete from Necromancer & Frog God Games, designed by Scott Greene and based on the giant space hamster in MC7 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix from TSR. The rest of the stuff is from Paizo’s Pathfinder RPG stuff. The beast totem rage powers are from Advanced Player’s Guide.