Balaur

## Mod

Additional Creatures 2: Wild ARK

Balaur is a bird in Additional Creatures.

## Synopsis

Despite all its appearances, Balaur is not a dinosaur or raptor. This strange creature is actually a very large bird, and it has evolved on the arks to use its anatomy as a form of mimicry. Combined with its appearance and using pheromones to manipulate senses, Balaur is able to pass itself off to any raptor species it encounters. Austroraptor, Dakotaraptor, Spinoraptor, Troodon, etc- Balaur is capable of silently entering their inner lives despite being an herbivore. Not also does Balaur infiltrate its host's life, but it is capable of using manipulating cries via voice mimicry via complex vocal cords to temporarily bolster its raptor packmates. Of course, despite all of this, Balaur's mimicry is not perfect. If its packmates suddenly become aware of its ruse, Balaur is suddenly capable of uttering a high-pitched squeal in self defense. This is in a special pitch that all kinds of raptor seem to have a natural attenuation for, and as a result, will suddenly cause them to slow and their senses to fail, allowing the Balaur to escape with its life to find new hosts. Tamed, Balaur can be used alone to bolster allied raptors and weaken tamed ones. However, Balaur can also take its raptor mimicry to a different scale, using its natural group mentality to become herbivorous pack attackers! Alone or in a group, balaur's clever adaptations and bulky physiology can make it a versatile and flexible mount, combined with its feathers, which allows it to slow its descent to extend its jump distance!

## Code Information

**Spawn Code -**

balaur\_character\_bp\_c

**Blueprint Path -**

Blueprint'/Game/Mods/AC2/Balaur/Balaur\_Character\_BP.Balaur\_Character\_BP'

## Color Regions

**Color Region 0 -** Scales

**Color Region 1 -** Feathers

**Color Region 3 -** Head Feathers, Neck Pattern, Wings

**Color Region 4 -** Feather Pattern

**Color Region 5 -** Face Undertone, Chest

## Base Stats, Controls, and Abilities

 Stamina
 Oxygen
 Food
 Weight
 Melee Damage
 Movement Speed
 Torpidity

**Left Click -** Bite

25 Base Damage - Gathers Berries, Fiber, and Meat

**Right Click -** Nulling Shriek

Has a cooldown - Cannot Be Used While Moving - Causes the following the following un-allied species nearby to be unable to sprint, have their vision hampered, and have a 50% reduction in defense for a period of time....

* Achillobator
* Arica Monster
* Austroraptor
* Carnoraptor
* Deinonychus
* Microraptor
* Spinoraptor
* Troodon
* Utahraptor

**C -** Raptorian Bolster

Has a cooldown - Cannot Be Used While Moving - Causes allies of the following species to receive a 25% buff in attack and defense for a period of time...

* Achillobator
* Arica Monster
* Austroraptor
* Carnoraptor
* Deinonychus
* Microraptor
* Spinoraptor
* Troodon
* Utahraptor

**Spacebar -** Glide

If a wild Balaur is attacked, any wild members of the following species nearby will come to defend it....

* Achillobator
* Arica Monster
* Austroraptor
* Carnoraptor
* Deinonychus
* Microraptor
* Spinoraptor
* Troodon
* Utahraptor

Tamed Balaur will not be attacked by any wild members of the following unless provoked....

* Achillobator
* Arica Monster
* Austroraptor
* Carnoraptor
* Deinonychus
* Microraptor
* Spinoraptor
* Troodon
* Utahraptor

Balaur have a gang boost ability. A gang of 2 Balaur will recieve a +1 bonus, which will go up to +8 in a group of 9 or more Balaur. The bonus will increase the strength of said Balaur in the gang, and it will continue to increase the higher the number of them goes, until it caps at +8.

## Notes/Trivia

* Balaur was named after the dragon of the same name in Romaniam folklore.
* While initially thought to be a dromaeosaur with two sickle claws on each foot, it is now known to be a large flightless bird. This confusion was implemented into Balaur's ecology.
* Balaur was native to the island of Hatzeg during the Late Cretaceous, 66 million years ago, in what is now Romania. It co-existed alongside Hatzegopteryx.
* Balaur is odd compared to its relatives, being flightless and relatively large, being about the same size as a goose. It's believed that this is a result of island gigantism, or the phenomenon where typically small animals get larger in islandic conditions.
* The design of Balaur was inspired by the Blue Turaco and Great Tit. It's bombastic design was to distinguish it from ARK's raptors, which it artificially resembled.