The Lost World [Monster Thursday]

It seems like every kid loves dinosaurs, at least, only the cool kids like myself. Dinosaurs just have this strange excitement around them, maybe it's imagining having a pet t-rex to rip apart your enemies (OK, that might just be me). Dinosaurs, and a lot of beasts, often don't feel quite as exciting as they should within Dungeons & Dragons. They are often rather weak, appearing only in Tier 1 & Tier 2 of play, and are simple sacks of hit points. They don't DO anything exciting and aren't really notable as threats, even though they are MASSIVE.

For this monster thursday, I'm looking at a wide variety of prehistoric creatures, some from the mesozoic, some from before, and some after. They have all a basis in fact, but I have taken creative license where appropriate to help flesh out their abilities. Each creature in this supplement is more than a sack of hit points that just bites and claws. They all have unique ways of attacking to help make a fight with them more memorable than if you fought other dinosaurs.

Brontoscorpio (CR 2) Alright, I talked about ferocious monsters at high levels, but a few are going to be weaker than others. The brontoscorpio is the smallest of the creatures in this one at only 3 feet in length. These guys like to grab on to creatures with their claws, and then they start stabbing with their tail, envenomating (I learned a new word!) their prey. These guys are more like pests in my mind, hunting through weeds and mud, ambushing anything that gets too close.

Cameroceras (CR 4) Have you ever wanted to fight a mollusk? What about a mollusk with a face only Cthulu could love? Well, that's the cameroceras who can get incredibly large at over 25 feet long. It must have been amazing to see them in action, but frankly, I'm glad I never lived back then, feel like I would've been eaten within an hour. These are inspired by the ropers and attack by reeling in caught prey so that they can gobble them up.

Duriatitan (CR 9) The largest creature in this post, the duriatitan weighs around 30 tons and is over 80 feet long. These are massive creatures, and I can only assume would be incredibly dangerous to hunt, because if you did kill it, you'd then have to worry about it falling on you and ending your meal rather quick. Due to their immense size, I thought it was only appropriate if they could rear up and land on their front legs, causing the ground to shake and the booming sound of thunder to damage anyone near them.

Glyptodon (CR 5) This might be my favorite in this post, mostly because of how ridiculous they are. They are dire armadillos, heavily armored, and probably don't care about anything since they are so heavily protected. While they are slow, I thought it'd be hilarious if their special way of attacking was to charge forward, using their weight and thick armor to knock creatures around.

Megalosaurus (CR 13) It's a T-Rex, but slightly bigger. I gave them what, to me, feels like a more appropriate CR for such a horrific dire lizard. They are savage hunters and I thought it'd be a fun ability if they could attack creatures the same way a chicken does. By standing on them, and then pecking them to death. Well, replace pecking with biting you with two dozen, razor-sharp teeth that are half a foot in length. They pin their prey down with their talons and then rip and tear chunks of meat off the victim.

Phorusrhacidae (CR 3) Award for the most complicated name to speak and type goes to.... the Terror Birds! These oversized, flightless birds are a bit more ferocious than an ostrich, and are great at running huge distances. To make them (a bit) more interesting to fight, they have an ability to attack all creatures within 5 feet of them in a quick stocatto of beak attacks, making everyone have to back off from them as they peck in rapid succession.

Shonisaurus (CR 8) Known as the dolphin of the sea (that doesn't make any sense, but I'm keeping it in) these gargantuan fish are just terrifying. They shoot through the water, striking at creatures as they pass them. They specialize in quick strikes and rapid movement, relying on their superior speed to avoid being hurt in a fight. They'll even leap out of the water to grab unsuspecting prey from the ocean waves they inhabit.

Spinosaurus (CR 16) Our final beast is what happens when I grow mad with power. While the Spinosaurus isn't, probably, a CR 16 beast in real life, it is fun to imagine what a beast of such caliber would be capable of. They reside along rivers and lakeshores, hunting through the reeds, snapping at anything that moves. They are incredibly powerful and deadly, so I'd avoid them where ever possible. Their favored form of attack, once they have a creature in their jaws, is to shake them so violently that limbs are torn off and flung in every direction.