Ecology of the Chimeras

by Fortuan

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Ecology of the Chimera

S ouls twisted and knotted into one, Carnage murder and vengeance until it is done. Three souls but just one vessel to dwell, yet four souls are now bound to hell. - A witch's warning concerning Chimeras

Introduction

Chimeras may be the most dangerous craze amongst the society of Magic users in this era. While there are no regulations as of yet, I would like to propose with this in-depth study of the creatures themselves and their effects on the world around them; we should be regulating the practice of creating them. Chimeras have long been part of wizardry studies and are even used to test one's skill in some organizations. Yet, overall this time, the act of creating such an amalgamation has never been scrutinized. While they are renowned as the ultimate form of creation of a guardian such as a golem, they're wild and at best unreliable.

Physiology of the Chimera

Orgins

While most consider the Chimera to be some wizard creation ages ago, most of my research concludes that it was taught to that unknown wizard instead of his creation. Despite their often incoherent ramblings, chimeras themselves cite Shardigno, a god of Chaos, who seems to be the root of this practice. Shardigno is a manipulator and some amalgamation of life himself who desires more beings like himself to be made. The idea of Chimeras has been encouraged for thousands of years by this time. Agents of Shardigno have likely accelerated it.

What makes a Chimera?

While there are more "traditional" Chimera Recipies, essentially any creature that is a purposeful, living, and functioning combination of other beings is considered a chimera. The most common occurrence is that of 3 beasts, A dragon or snake, a lion, and a goat. There are still many ways to, assemble if you will, the creature, but popularity has changed over time.

The first depictions have the body and head of a lion, then a goat's head and neck coming from the shoulders, and the tail is that of a snake. The more modern practices use a dragon instead of a snake and have the head of all 3 horizontally attached. This orientation is much like the forward-facing heads of a hydra. The dragons are used as now they possess the leathery wings for flight and often use their powerful tails.

Advanced compositions are rare as getting so many different biologies to work together is a challenging and even dangerous task. Chimeras of 4 or more creatures are considered advanced and likely are extremely powerful. The most common modern varieties are almost identical to the 3-headed lion, dragon, and goat combination but replacing the tail with a snake's head.

Capabilities of Chimeras

Often the concept of something being greater of the sum of their parts holds true. With Chimeras, however, they are, let's say, less than their sum. They retain many of the abilities controlled by the parts of the creatures present. However, they often fail to account for the overall design of the animals to facilitate said powers. That being said, a lion can't fly or breathe fire upon their foes.

For example, the common Chimera uses the heads of a lion, goat, and a dragon. Lions are pack hunters, and well, chimeras are not. Dragons have large lungs and systems to create powerful breath weapons. The shorter and cramped way Chimeras are made causes much less powerful breath weapons.

I must state, though, that they are still powerful creatures and not to be taken lightly. Despite their weakened individual abilities, they are still more powerful than any individual used to create them. There are a few exceptions, such as dragons.

Limitations of Design

Chimeras have many combinations possible, and even some have been to experiment with some rather extravagant beasts. However, certain rules have to be followed. Without these considerations, the creation of the Chimera will fail or result in a short-lived disaster.

Always use an Herbivore

First, regardless of the number of creatures used in the composition, herbivores are essential to these monstrosities' psyche. Herbivores, irrespective of what species, act as a balance for often aggressive predators used in creation.

Everything Needs a Head

Parts of animals used in the creation of a Chimera need a head. Even if you use the thagomizers alone of a Stegosaurus, no other animal knows how to control or use those faculties. The heads control their respective parts and can only do so for those respective parts. This rule excludes internal organ usage, such as vascular systems and nervous systems.

Never Use a Mentally Damaged Creature

If the parts are used from a mentally damaged creature, the animal's brain can't handle the new pressures of working with other minds in a combination organism. Using unhealthy brains results in either a failed creation or a severely disabled Chimera.

They Must be Living

Under the technicality, the creatures must not die before becoming a combination organism. While magic, especially necromancy, can bypass this requirement, it then qualifies as a Zombie. This requirement is largely only for definitional purposes, but a Zombie does work in totally different ways and is not autonomous like a Chimera.

Biological Needs

Despite being a construct of sorts, they are still living creatures in essence. Their biological needs are limited to what remains of the beast. They will always need food and water to keep living like any other living beast because they are alive. A living construct if you will. The food they require is dependent on the base creatures. Since most consist of both predators and prey, they are omnivorous. Ones made entirely of herbivores don't need meat.

Mating is a troublesome biological need for Chimeras. Since this is mostly a hormone-driven activity, the Chimera could seek to mate as many times as all combined creatures' mating habits. However, since the faculties to do so are not a requirement, the frustration can turn to violence. This design flaw is rarely addressed and turns most Chimera into mad hormone-driven beasts unable to act on urges. No correct answer to my knowledge has come to fruition.

Habitat and Home

Chimeras are solitary creatures, regardless of composition, and often live in secluded caves or other such shelters. The climates they survive in are mainly depending on what the heads can handle. Unfortunately, this is an extensive range, only excluding extremely arctic regions most times. Their homes are not decorated and are simply a safe place to rest and eat in peace.

They are extremely territorial of their dens and will often kill any creature, even smaller insects that enter their homes. They can be reasoned with, and if the right offerings are made, most creatures can at least get a head start.

Nearly Immortal Constructs

As a result of their unnatural creations, Chimeras have no known ending life-span. While physically from harm or disease, they are not invulnerable; they do not age from the time of creation. Many Chimeras have been found surviving for thousands of years if they aren't in populace areas.

Lazy Killers

While they are dangerous creatures, they only hunt when they need food. They prefer to sleep and rest as merely existing with multiple minds is a tiresome effort. Thus they will do the bare minimum required for a task. They do, however, have an abundance of energy and can explode into action in most scenarios.

Intelligence and Social Behavior

Lowest Common Denominator

The drawback of Chimera intelligence is that they are typically very unintelligent in comparison to sentient creatures. They are mentally as capable of as the lease intelligent brain used. Most commonly, this is a goat. However, they are fully sentient creatures. Full self-aware and even able to communicate vocally. They don't often think or that well.

However, exceptions exist with base animals, all having a fair amount of intelligence. The lowest common denominator rule still applies, but it can result in a very dangerous Chimera if the lowest is still above average in mental faculties.

Near Perfect Memory

Chimeras excel mentally in one aspect, and that is memory. They can recall and repeat nearly all information from every base animal's birth to their present time. While they may not understand all of the information they carry, or how to use it, it is indeed there. Remembering people, animals, places, smells, and sounds are of no trouble to a Chimera.

Language and communication

These creatures, despite their abysmal mental capabilities, can still converse. They can speak any language the heads previously may have known, most commonly found in draconic heads. When speaking, they communicate with all heads simultaneously regardless of the phonetic ability. Their voice may be unusual and hard to understand dialect or animal noises.

Territorial Loners

Aside from their creator's initial task, Chimera will often live alone and keep it that way. They don't desire companionship in any form. They are sterile and unable to reproduce despite sometimes having the faculties to do so. As a result, they hold no biological responsibility to anything but themselves.

Their homes are their place of rest, which is needed. If disturbed unless there is an immediate benefit to not doing so, they will kill any intruders. Often their attitude is sour, to begin with anyway, making negotiations with a Chimera difficult.

Vengeful Nature

Even if they're not the brightest creature around, they are adept at revenge. If Chimeras are cheated, wronged, or even perceive a slight against them, a desire to slay the offender arises. While this can be quelled with a proper tribute, it is a hefty price either way. Most of all, they hate those who hurt them, especially their creators.

Interactions with Other Creatures

Creation and Creator

Chimera recognizes its creator and often despise them. Their past lives as their separate animals are still intact, and while they have no desire to hurt themselves often have little desire to be what they have become. Most often, their whole existence is blamed on those who made them and festered into outright hatred. Creators of Chimera should be careful as success quickly can turn into death. Warding spells and other fail-safes are often used but only last for so long. They will also remember every detail about their creators, making it hard to hide from them.

A Chimera, if made correctly, though, is magically bound to serve and assist the creator. However, it is a dangerous dance to keep a Chimera close as often they seek to find a gap or a loophole in the established rules. Usually, this is why Chimeras are used as guardians as they can be instructed to do something simple and from a safe distance.

Prey

Chimeras prefer to eat sizeable slow-moving herbivores such as cattle. While this isn't always an available food source, they don't enjoy hunting as much as sleeping. They can catch and kill more dangerous or smaller prey but as little effort as possible. This attitude is why tributes of regular food are the most desirable to Chimeras.

Intruders

Chimeras are not intelligent, and they know it. Thus they tend to be overly cautious. Any creatures they deem dangerous, ranging from rats to dragons, are dealt with quickly if intruding in their den. Animals unable to speak are violently killed and removed, even if it is suitable prey. Their instinct to live in seclusion is higher than their desire for food.

However, those who can entice a Chimera can walk away. These opportunities often are where Chimeras negotiate for food or other things they desire. They are sticklers to the terms of such deals, though, and if an agreement is broken often, it results in a vengeful Chimera finding the offenders and removing them.

Fearless or Stupid?

Chimeras often are arrogant as well as vicious. They see all creatures as equal, below themselves. This attitude is typically founded for animals, beasts, and even humanoids in many cases. However, more powerful beings such as Dragons, Liches, or anything able to best the Chimera are still treated with the same dis-respect even if they've beaten and spared the Chimera's life. Many Chimeras meet their doom to a Dragon this way; if they don't, it doesn't aid their already inflated egos.

Variations

While I usually have accounted for whole creatures fully adapted to different lifestyles and environments as variations, Chimeras are a distant prospect. Below are the various advantages and disadvantages of using the animals in the making of a Chimera. Since there are so many ways to make a viable Chimera, well over 15,000 known successes would be daunting, let alone possible ones.

Lion

Lions are fierce and strong creatures. They add an air of an intimidating presence to the Chimera. They also make them less likely to be intimidated. They unfortunately, won't back down from a challenge as easily even if overmatched. Their laziness is also increased by using a lion.

Dragon

Dragons are powerful creatures with an often powerful breath weapon. Getting a dragon to agree to such a process willingly is rare but often results in the most powerful Chimeras. They possess a healthy mind and will as long as a breath weapon like the base dragon used. They are also able to fly, although clumsily. Using a dragon will make the Chimera prideful and greedy, though. Dragons instill the desire to hoard treasure, which, over time, will attract dangers.

Goat

As with any herbivore, the goat provides a healthy balance for up to 3 other predatory heads. They also offer increased running speed, climbing ability, and a powerful headbutt. Unfortunately, goats are stubborn and not the most intelligent creatures. The goat makes the Chimera both aggressive and severely hampers their mental capabilities. Even more so, if a fainting goat is used, the Chimera will faint if too wound up.

Snake

Snakes add a powerful venomous bite and infra-red vision. This creature makes them able to operate in lower light to near pitch black. Mostly active at night or underground, snakes also provide a fair amount of stealth and patience. However, they become cold-blooded, losing a fair amount of climate control.

Eagle

Eagles or raptors such as griffons, hippogriffs, falcons, and hawks all give the Chimera incredible flight speed and abilities with feathered wings. They also provide astonishing eyesight and the ability to process visual information. Using raptors gives them a bludgeoning damage vulnerability as their bones become hollow to reduce weight for carrying such a massive creature in the air.

Scorpion and Spiders

Scorpions and Spiders both provide a potent venom either via biting or a tail stinger in the scorpion's case. They also give a fractal vision on their respective head quickly able to discern movement. They can't protect as well against piercing attacks, especially well-placed arrow shots and can't see nearly as far. While this won't negate any other heads' sight abilities, it makes a blindspot only 30 or so feet away from the arachnid head with areas that the other heads can't see.

Mammoths and Elephants

Elephants and Mammoths both provide massive weather resistance, making them able to survive in arctic environments. It's important to note that this well negates the drawbacks of a potential cold-blooded ness. They are also healthy, physically tough, making them much harder to take down with physical harm. Of course, they also have the massive advantages of having a prehensile limb and an intelligent herbivore's steadiness. However, they are massive, negating any possibility of flight, and require nearly triple the amount of food. This drawback also makes any amount of stealth nearly impossible as well.

Catoblepas

Another un-intelligent but utilitarianly useful herbivore is that of the Catoblepas. Providing the ability to turn foes to stone with their gaze is powerful. They aren't the most intelligent. Catablepas also gives them the unfortunate blood rage under a full moon that Catoblepas become carnivorous. This craze turns the Chimera from a dumb yet still sentient creature into a purely instinctual rage-filled beast for hours, putting them on a rampage. While it's hard to quell the beast at this time, the repercussions of such recklessness often catch up to them and target them.

Leucrotta

A carnivorous and intelligent creature that survives on wits is always an advantage. Leucrotta significantly increases Chimera's intelligence and is seemingly the one exception to the "Lowest Common Denominator." This ability makes them a highly sought after creature for Chimera creation. They also retain the Leucrotta's ability to mimic any voice they've heard perfectly, making them excellent deceivers and viscous mockers. Unfortunately, this makes the beast much more challenging to create as the Leucrotta are also nearly always bloodthirsty killers. Thus their aggression is overpowering and often on constant rampages. Creatures that cause too many waves don't survive long.

Wolf-Kin and Dogs

Wolves and Dogs are pack predators and are among the only predators that serve as a balancing animal in a concoction. Worgs will also drive this benefit. Unfortunately, you'll be trading out this feature for an icy breath weapon if you use a Winter Wolf or its variations. They all also provide a keen sense of smell. Since they excel at tracking down prey, unfortunately, not one documented creator of a Chimera that uses such a creature has been found. The cost of using a canine? Your life, it seems.

Bovine

Cows, oxen, and bison are not known for their intelligence and thus fall into the same pitfalls of using many herbivores as the balancing animal. They make up for this pitfall, making sturdy bodied and incredibly powerful Chimeras. They get confused quickly, though, and have reduced eyesight as far as distance goes creating another potential blindspot.

Dinosaurs

While dinosaurs are a broad group, they offer many advantages as they are some of the rarest and most potent naturally occurring creatures in nature. Herbivores with highly offensive abilities and defensive, massively over-bearing offense with carnivores, it seems that they would be the most popular choices without rarity in consideration. Alas, if it wasn't for the multitude of drawbacks. Dinosaurs have some of the lowest intelligence that we know of and hinder mental abilities greatly. On top of that, they are only viable in exclusively reptilian combinations.

Fish

Sharks and predatory fish may seem like an excellent way to make a Chimera adaptable to water or wet environments. With their features uniquely able to support many kinds of adaptations fish bodied Chimera hold the record for most animals and abilities used, 20. They are also very unintelligent, though, and hinder problem-solving greatly. They also demand a water environment and must stay submerged.

Amphibians

Like fish, amphibians allow for excellent aquatic adaptations and can support a larger number of creatures. Amphibians can support up to 10 animals but require wet environments to survive. It may seem like an advantage to support that many creatures, but it often brings in more complications than one can handle.

Humanoids

Humanoids are the most dangerous and highly immoral animals used in Chimeras. Most often, they can only support 1 or 2 other creatures and end up being handicapped. Many issues lie within using Humanoids outside of the moral implications but also come with significant advantages. First is that humanoids retain any skills, knowledge, and training they once possessed. Unfortunately, most realize the "monstrosity" they've become, leading to some severe mental trauma. We also assume that no trauma was sustained during the creation process. Instead of leaving the intelligence at the lowest bar, humanoids average out on the intellect, and since they are more mentally versatile, they act as herbivores in mental balance. While theoretically, some minds may be strong enough to avoid this fate, all humanoid Chimeras eventually go entirely insane, often losing any advantages they once held. It's also important to note that nearly all societies treat this act as murder or, in some cases, worse like a war crime. There have also been task forces sent after those who have created such a Chimera.

DM's Notes

Chimeras are a classic fantasy monster that falls within the easy to understand, let's glue some animals together. They are powerful foes but often, how or why they exist overlooked as some wizard did it. I encourage you as a DM to consider what animals are being used and why. As always, this is only my take on the creature with my own twists.

Chimera Hooks

  • A Chimera is guarding an artifact it took a shinning to that the party is seeking.

  • Unable to sate their revenge, a Chimera is seeking the party who unfortunately has a descendant of the fowl creator.

  • Rumors of animals being gathered by a local mad man are being slaughtered for his experiments. When confronted, you find that you are too late; the Chimera has been created.

  • Sources say that a Chimera of "illegal" composition has been created, you are tasked with finding that creation, and its creator then "handling" the issue.

  • A friendly Chimera is seeking help, but no one believes it to be friendly, or frankly, sane.

Thanks for Reading!

Thank you for taking the time to read my 66th Ecology!

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