Riding Deer «Stagon»

Reported By: Bruce Nesmith and James M. Ward
Source: 4th Edition

Role: Mount
Base Stock: Whitetail Deer

MCC Stat Block: Stagon 'Riding Deer' (2d6 (7)): Init +3; atk 2 x horns melee +2 (1d12) and 2 x hooves melee +2 (1d4); AC 16; HD 6D7 hp 24 each; MV 45' ; 1d20; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0

Mutations: Size Increase; Immunity from Disease/Poison

Number Appearing: 2d6
Morale: 7
Hit Dice: HD 6D7
Armor: 6 (AC 16)
Size: Large 3m Long

Movement: MV 45'

Attack: 2 x Horns melee +2 (1d12)
2 x Hooves melee +2 (1d4)

MS:

10

PS:

9

IN:

3

DX:

10

CH:

3

CN:

10

Frequency: Common
Organization: Herd
Activity Cycle: Early Morning, Late Evening
Diet: Herbivore
Habitat: Plains & Woodlands
Tech Level: 0 - 0
Artifacts: None if wild

Reactions: No known interactions

Behavior: Behavior modeling incomplete

Repair and Healing: Behavior not recorded

Society: Females rut, in the autumn, normally in late October or early November, triggered mainly by the declining amount of light in the day. Males compete for the opportunity of breeding females. Sparring among males determines a dominance hierarchy. Bucks attempt to copulate with as many females as possible, losing physical condition, since they rarely eat or rest during the rut. If numerous males are in a particular area, then they compete more for the females. If fewer males or more females are present, then the selection process will not need to be as competitive. Young females often flee from an area heavily populated with males. Females give birth to one to three spotted young, known as fawns, in mid-to-late spring, generally in May or June. Fawns lose their spots during the first summer. Male fawns tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females. For the first four weeks, fawns are hidden in vegetation by their mothers, who nurse them four to five times a day. This strategy keeps scent levels low to avoid predators. After about a month, the fawns are then able to follow their mothers on foraging trips. They are usually weaned after 810 weeks, but cases have been seen where mothers have continued to allow nursing long after the fawns have lost their spots (for several months, or until the end of fall) as seen by rehabilitators and other studies. Males leave their mothers after a year and females leave after two. Stagon have many forms of communication involving sounds, scent, body language, and marking. In addition to the aforementioned blowing in the presence of danger, all Stagon are capable of producing audible noises unique to each animal. Fawns release a high-pitched squeal, known as a bleat, to call out to their mothers. This bleat deepens as the fawn grows until it becomes the grunt of the mature deer, a guttural sound that attracts the attention of any other deer in the area. A doe makes maternal grunts when searching for her bedded fawns. Bucks also grunt, at a pitch lower than that of the doe; this grunt deepens as the buck matures. In addition to grunting, both does and bucks also snort, a sound that often signals an imminent threat. Mature bucks also produce a grunt-snort-wheeze pattern, unique to each animal, that asserts its dominance, aggression, and hostility. Another way Stagon communicate is through the use of their white tail. When spooked, it will raise its tail to warn the other deer in the immediate area. Stagon possess many glands that allow them to produce scents, some of which are so potent they can be detected by the human nose. Sign-post marking (scrapes and rubs) is a very obvious way Stagon communicate. Although bucks do most of the marking, does visit these locations often. To make a rub, a buck uses his antlers to strip the bark off small-diameter trees, helping to mark his territory and polish his antlers. To mark areas they regularly pass through, bucks make scrapes. Often occurring in patterns known as scrape lines, scrapes are areas where a buck has used his front hooves to expose bare earth.