Hi all,
I was wondering if Rhamphorhynchus, having an "avian" body type, would count as biped or quadruped for purpose of carrying loads:
From this picture, I'd assume quadruped:
https://www.newdinosaurs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1564_rhamphorhynchu s_ariel.jpg
...but in theory they have only 2 wings (and 4 "legs")!
What do you think is proper?
Thanks,
Skarm
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Hi all,
I was wondering if Rhamphorhynchus, having an "avian" body type, would count as biped or quadruped for purpose of carrying loads:From this picture, I'd assume quadruped:
...but in theory they have only 2 wings (and 4 "legs")!
What do you think is proper?
Linkified.
The creature is described as: This creature looks like a cross between a bird and a reptile, sporting leathery wings, a beak filled with needlelike teeth, and a long tail ending in a diamond-shaped vane.
The pic shows it on wings and feet. While there are four limbs, only two count as legs. I would say it is a biped. Also note that it has poor land speed. Most quadrupeds have great land speed.
/cevah
Considering their form, I would think an avian should be effectively worse than bipeds. There legs are only adaquate for walking since there land based locomotion is more hopping than walking, and flight load is an issue. Avians are not really load bearing pet. Pity that, wouldn't everyone want their flying dinosaur to carry crossed bandoleers of bombs?
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Here is a contribution from a nerd who is interested in extinct life. It is actually a genus of real creatures.
Rhamphorhynchus ("beak snout") is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period.
So it is a pterosaur, which in pathfinder means it is a dinosaur, though this is not correct in the real world. It isn't related to the dinosaurs which evolved into birds and is definitely not an avian.
Pterosaurs moved most awkwardly on the ground. The fact long tailed pterosaurs were more awkward on the ground than the short tailed pterosaurs is thought to be the reason the former were eventually replaced by the latter.
Rhamphorhynchus lived near the sea and many think it swam as well.
I don't know where all this leaves the pathfinder RAW, but I would say it qualified as a biped on the ground. It's movement was slow and awkward on the ground, which does not point to being able to carry much. And they had hollow bones to keep weight down for flight, which means the bones might be unable to take heavy weights too.
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"CMD 9"
There's your answer - every leg beyond the second grants a +2 bonus to CMD against trip. No bonus against trip means it's considered biped for mechanics.
Rhamphorhynchus ("beak snout") is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period.
So it is a pterosaur, which in pathfinder means it is a dinosaur, though this is not correct in the real world. It isn't related to the dinosaurs which evolved into birds and is definitely not an avian.
Pterosaur, Rhamphorhynchus
This creature looks like a cross between a bird and a reptile, sporting leathery wings, a beak filled with needlelike teeth, and a long tail ending in a diamond-shaped vane.
...
Although not dinosaurs themselves, these skittish pterosaurs are often found wheeling in the skies above dinosaur hunting grounds.Pterosaur
Pterosaurs are often found in regions where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures are commonly encountered, yet they are not dinosaurs themselves.
/cevah