Dire Tiger

Dire Tiger (CR 10)

Neutral - Large - Animal

Lore:	Know (Nature)
18		33
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

20

Perception:
29	+19
Passive	Active

Ambush:

6+

on a d20

• Ambush Notes: Specialized ambushers, they prefer this attack method.

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Low-Light Vision
• Keen Scent 30 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 60 ft.
• Lesser Climb 30 ft.
• Lesser Swim 20 ft.

Defense

AC

28

Man Def

29

Monster Health
210	105	16
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+8
Refl:	+13
Will:	+8

Strong Against:

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+17

Man Off

+17

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Tiger Bite +17 (3d10+14/19-20 x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus: 1 point Bleed, see Rake, below

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Tiger Bite +17 (2d10+15/19-20 x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus: 1 point Bleed, see Rake, below
• 2x Tiger Claws +17 (2d6+6/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  see Rake, below

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

20

STR

18

DEX

16

CON

2

INT

15

WIS

16

CHA

Skills:

• Acrobatics: 18
• Escape Artist: 16
• Movement: 18
• Perception: 19
• Stealth: 18
• All other skills: 11 (no ranks)

Languages: -

Feats:

Special Abilities

Tiger's Pounce (Ex) Standard Action

Dire tigers may perform a full attack action at the end of a charge maneuver, instead of only a standard attack action.

Play With It (Su) Automatic after movement, with Bleed

If at any time during combat a Dire Tiger takes a move action, or makes a charge maneuver, while moving away from a creature suffering from its Bleed condition, it is Playing With its victim. The victim must make a Will save versus a DC of 20 or suffer the Anxious condition. Victims may roll a save each round at the end of their turn to attempt to remove this condition. If any Dire Tiger then uses Play With It on the victim while they are Anxious and they fail a second DC 20 Will save, they become Startled until the end of the encounter. No ongoing save is allowed against this Startled condition, but it may be removed by spells or abilities as normal.

Rake (Ex) Automatic if two successful attacks

Rake is a triggered free attack action, activated if one Bite and one Claw hit the same enemy during any full attack action. If triggered, Rake rolls 1d20+21 to hit versus AC. If it hits, it does 2d8+10 points of slashing (physical, common) damage and makes the target Flat-Footed.

Dire Tiger

Dire Tigers are massive feline predators best known for their fearless ferocity and truly brilliant coloration.

Seriously. How nasty of a predator do you have to be to be colored bright orange with black stripes and STILL be a successful hunter?

Dire Tigers are dangerous ambush predators who do not require any special terrain to set up their deadly attacks. Dire Tigers can be encountered almost anywhere in the wild, their brilliant coloration never changing. In civilized settings, Dire Tigers are often found as attack pets and showpieces of more civilized creatures.

Dire Tigers can hide in less space than many would believe possible, leap impossible distances so suddenly nobody can react, and their massive fangs are so long some people even call them sabertooths.

Of course, real sabertooths are even meaner....

Dire Tigers congregate in loose social groups called dowts by those who survive. They tend to hunt in pairs and groups, although they have little in the way of pack tactics. Honestly, they don't need any.

Combat Tactics

Dire Tigers are not good tacticians, but they hardly need to be. They hide and attack from surprise, using Tiger's Pounce to get a full attack action after a charge. They can use Tiger's Pounce as often as they want, so they will frequently charge from victim to victim, so they may use Tiger's Pounce on them. When they do so, their Play With It affects anyone they have bitten and is bleeding. If they land a Bite and a Claw in one full attack action, they trigger their Rake, which is a single scooping kick into the guts by both hind claws, anchored by their bite and front claw.

That's really all they do. Charge from foe to foe, making full attacks and possibly Rakes, scaring the pants off everybody who is bleeding. Its a brutally effective combo, and dealing with an attack by a full dowt of Dire Tigers is no laughing matter. The terror of an ambush by tigers is hard to understate.

If the fight is not going well, Dire Tigers will flee in all directions, scattering to the winds. There's always easier prey somewhere...

Out of Combat

Dire Tigers are gorgeous creatures. Their handsome form and brilliant coloration make them a favorite for evil masterminds everywhere. On top of their decorative value, they are pure murder in battle, especially if they manage to get an ambush working.

The downside is that they are very hard to train, and if you keep them docile enough (well-fed) to stop them from picking off your servants, that makes them so docile that they can be hard to get interested in a fight. Of course, the truly evil sorts out there solve this problem by simply hiring more servants....

In the wild, dire tigers serve as alpha predators, ranging widely and laying ambushes on game trails, roads, near salt-licks, watering holes, etc. If a dowt of dire tigers settles near a city or village, they will promptly begin killing and eating the inhabitants, so they are usually killed or driven away as fast as possible. It is not unusual to see entire squads of Town Guard setting out on massive tiger drives, and any adventurers are usually welcomed on such expeditions.

Rewards

XP: 9,600

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 6,875 gp.

Weight: 100 lbs.     Volume: 4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)