Dinosaur VIII

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 	Plateosaurus 	Plesiosaurus 	Podokesaurus	Pteranodon 	Pterosaurus
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: 	Any land 	Any ocean 	Any land 	Any 	Any
FREQUENCY 	Common 	Common 	Uncommon 	Common 	Rare
ORGANIZATION: 	Herd 	Solitary 	Pack 	Flock 	Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: 	Day 	Day 	Day 	Day 	Day
DIET: 	Herbivore 	Carnivore 	Carnivore 	Carnivore 	Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: 	Non- (0) 	Non- (0) 	Non- (0) 	Non- (0) 	Non- (0)
TREASURE: 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil
ALIGNMENT: 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil
NO. APPEARING: 	5-20 	1-3 	3-12 	3-18 	1-8
ARMOR CLASS: 	5 	7 	4 	7 	5
MOVEMENT: 	12 	15 	21 	3, Fl 15 	3, Fl 12 (D)
HIT DICE: 	8 	20 	2+2 	3+3 	6+6
THAC0: 	13 	5 	19 	17 	13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 	Nil 	1 	3 	1 	1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 	Nil 	3-12 	1/1/2-5 	2-8 	3-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: 	Nil 	See below 	Nil 	Nil 	See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES:	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE:	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil 	Nil
SIZE: 	H (20'+ long)	L (8' + long)	L (10' long)	G (30' wingspan)	G (50' wingspan)
MORALE: 	Average (10) 	Average (10) 	Average (10)	Average (9) 	Average (10)
XP VALUE: 	650 	120 	35 	65 	420
==Plateosaurus==
The plateosaurus is related to the massospondylus and the smaller anchisaurus. Like these relatives, the plateosaurus usually moves about on all fours. When it wants to watch for enemies or to reach the leafy crowns of ferns, palms, or other trees, it travels slowly in a bipedal manner, using its tail as a balance. These plant-eaters are fairly heavy (about eight to ten tons on the average) and panicky.
==Plesiosaurus==
The plesiosaurus strongly resembles a snake wearing a turtle's body (sans shell). It tends to be very aggressive, attacking anything it notices. While not as long overall as its relative, the elasmosaurus , the plesiosaurus has a neck that is about one-third of its total length. The creature is strong and fast, and highly maneuverable in the water—it can "turn on a silver piece" to lunge at its prey. In a marine battle it can strike with its powerful fore flippers, inflicting 2d6 points of damage with each.
==Podokesaurus==
This swift carnivore, a relative of the compsognathus, hunts in packs across grassy plains and in forests. It flees larger predators, but ruthlessly pursues any creature it perceives as potential prey. Although ten feet long from snout to tail, a podokesaur is thin and light, weighing only about 50 pounds. Thus these creatures are very fast and usually attack first. Their speed also accounts for their fine Armor Class.
Podokesaurus doesn't worry excessively if appropriate prey cannot be found—this dinosaur will as soon strike one of its fellows if driven by hunger.
==Pteranodon==
Although this flying reptile typically dives for marine prey, it attacks any creature that appears to be vulnerable. The pteranodon has no teeth, but spears victims with its beak if they are too large to swallow at a gulp.
The beak of a typical pteranodon is about four feet long. The creature weighs only 40 to 50 pounds, but it can carry off prey four times its own weight.
==Pterosaurus==
This ghastly looking creature has a ten-foot-long snake-like neck and long jaws—truly a nightmare to behold. Even though its lower jaw has no teeth, it can inflict great wounds when swooping upon prey. The size of this dinosaur's shadow approaches that of the roc, which has a slightly larger wingspan of 60 feet.
The pterosaurus swoops down on prey from high in the sky, thus causing a -3 penalty to opponents' surprise roll. If the pterosaurus surprises an opponent, it has swooped down at double speed to attack (with a +4 bonus to its attack roll), and any damage thus inflicted is doubled. Although a pterosaurus weighs only about 75 pounds, it can carry prey of three or four times that weight.
The pterosaurus is the dinosaur soulmate of the vulture; the giant flyer will eat carrion if nothing else suitable presents itself.
Category:Creatures
Category:Forgotten Realms Appendix I Creatures