The creature that stood in the gate was like the embodiment of nightmare legend. Its color was of a curious pale quality which made it seem ghostly and unreal in the dim light. But there was nothing unreal about the low-hung savage head, and the great curved fangs that glistened in the firelight. On noiseless padded feet it approached like a phantom out of the past. It was a survival of an older, grimmer age, the ogre of many an ancient legend—a saber-tooth tiger. No Hyborian hunter had looked upon one of those primordial brutes for centuries. Immemorial myths lent the creatures a supernatural quality, induced by their ghostly color and their fiendish ferocity.
The beast that glided toward the men on the stakes was longer and heavier than a common, striped tiger, almost as bulky as a bear. Its shoulders and forelegs were so massive and mightily muscled as to give it a curiously top-heavy look, though its hind-quarters were more powerful than that of a lion. Its jaws were massive, but its head was brutishly shaped. Its brain capacity was small. It had room for no instincts except those of destruction. It was a freak of carnivorous development, evolution run amuck in a horror of fangs and talons.
Robert E. Howard, Beyond the Black River
Paleontologist P. W. Lund originally named Smilodon (‘double-edged-knife-tooth’) after the shape of its incisors, being unaware of the huge canine fangs of the upper jaw. These fangs are the most iconic feature of the cat, and have a flattened knife-like profile for slicing into flesh. It is believed that they were not used during the initial attack, but instead delivered the killing blow after the prey was immobilized with claws. The force of their bite was considerably less than that of a lion or tiger, but precision and deep penetration apparently allowed them to dispatch their victims quickly.
Aside from the teeth, they were distinguished from other cats by a heavy build, large size, short tail, and relatively massive front limbs. They seem to have been specialized in taking large prey from ambush, lacking the speed and endurance for pursuits over long distance. Fur length, coloration, and pattern are unknown, but some degree of camouflage seems likely. Although it isn’t clear what they sounded like, the bones related to vocalization don’t seem especially similar to those of any of their modern relatives, but are a bit closer to the big cats. They couldn’t purr, but may have been able to roar. Sexual dimorphism in skull shape, healed injuries, and several finds of multiple individuals suggest that they were at least somewhat social and may have hunted in packs.
Three species are known. The earliest and smallest was the North S. gracilis, which seems to have been a bit more of a generalist predator rather than a big-game specialist. S. fatalis was larger and more specialized. After spreading into South America it evolved into the even larger S. populator.
Smilodon gracilis
ST 11; DX 12; IQ 4; HT 12.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 6.00; Dodge 10; Move 10.
SM 0, 180 lbs.
Traits: Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Born Biter 1; Combat Reflexes; Discriminatory Smell; DR 1; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 20; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/second); Limited Camouflage; Night Vision 3; Parabolic Hearing 1; Quadruped; Silence 1; Ultrahearing; Vibration Sense (Air; Short Range 1); Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-14; Survival (Plains)-14; Wrestling-14.
Techniques: Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Neck)-12.
Smilodon fatalis
ST 16; DX 11; IQ 4; HT 13.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 6.00; Dodge 10; Move 9.
SM +1 (2 hexes), 480 lbs.
Traits: Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Born Biter 1; Combat Reflexes; Discriminatory Smell; DR 1; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 18; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/second); Limited Camouflage; Night Vision 3; Parabolic Hearing 1; Quadruped; Silence 1; Ultrahearing; Vibration Sense (Air; Short Range 1); Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-14; Survival (Woodlands)-14; Wrestling-14.
Techniques: Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Neck)-12.
Smilodon populator
ST 18; DX 11; IQ 4; HT 13.
Will 11; Per 12; Speed 6.00; Dodge 10; Move 8.
SM +1 (2 hexes), 700 lbs.
Traits: Bad Sight (Low Resolution); Born Biter 1; Combat Reflexes; Discriminatory Smell; DR 1; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 16; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/second); Limited Camouflage; Night Vision 3; Parabolic Hearing 1; Quadruped; Silence 1; Ultrahearing; Vibration Sense (Air; Short Range 1); Wild Animal.
Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-14; Survival (Plains)-14; Wrestling-14.
Techniques: Targeted Attack (Brawling Bite/Neck)-12.