D&D 4E 4e dinosaurs?

[Maggan]

Hey guys! Thanks for all the answers!

Here's some more background in the setup,

What kind of T-rex do you want, standard, elite, or solo? What role? What level? Probably easier/faster to create one that will fit your needs than to fish for one. You can look at a few behemoths and drakes for inspiration.

The party is level 14. I want the T-Rex to show up at the end of a standard encounter ... sort of like "wew, we're done ... wait, what's that!!!" for the players.

So maybe a solo or an elite with some smaller critter running around.

I'll take a look at the drakes, and behemoths as a starting point! The setup Redshirt is talking about sounds like somewhat what I'm looking for, albeit a bit more dangerous than I'm aiming for.

Thanks again for the help.

Cheers

/Maggan

 

[BendBars/LiftGates]

D&D in 4th Edition does not feel the need to create paleontologically-faithful representations of dinosaurs, as previous editions did. In the past, the design's stance lent itself to situations of "Well it's all well and good that the MM provides stats for the Tyrannosaurus rex, but my PCs are going to be fighting Tarbosaurus bataar, so that simply won't do at all. When will someone publish Tarbosaurus stats?"

In 4E, there have been a few monsters published that are clearly dinosaurs, but that have been given a fantasy makeover. Some, like the macetail behemoth, are fairly literal translations, but I think even the later MMs of 3rd Edition included some kind of acid-spitting quadrupedal theropod, which is clearly the equivalent of statting illithids as a subtype of octopus. 4E dinosaurs aren't supposed to be just for "Isle of Dread" or valley-lost-in-time adventures. For that, see Goodman Games' "Prehistoric Beasts." In 4E, dinosaurs are what the troll king rides into battle.

Take it or leave it, this is how 4E does dinosaurs.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page




That being said, the Fang Titan Drake is a perfect stand-in for a T. rex. A giant bipedal saurian predator that stomps and roars and bites. I just had to fight one in an Eberron campaign and I was the first to make "Its vision is based on movement" jokes.

Fang Titan Drake: Tyrannosaurus
Macetail Behemoth: Ankylosaurus or related Thyreophora
Bloodspike Behemoth: Stegosaurus or related Thyreophora
Trihorn Behemoth: Triceratops or related ceratopsid
Needlefang Drake Swarm: Compsognathus, clearly inspired by the Procompsognathus from "Jurassic Park."
Spitting Drake: someone was probably thinking of the fictionalized adaptation of Dilophosaurus from "Jurassic Park." Again with the acid. See also this re-skinning of a drow sniper.
Rage Drake: Likely a Utahraptor based on size
Scytheclaw Drake: Deinonychus or Hollywood Velociraptor. Strangely, smaller in size but five levels higher.

See also: Stock Dinosaurs.

 

[frankthedm]

Yep the 4E MM2 Fang Titan Drake is supposed to be the T. rex. It even looks a good deal like the Giants of Legend huge uncommon Fiendish T. rex.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

If you google search for 4e dinosaur or behemoth stats you can find some workable ones. I was particularly fond of the velociraptor swarm I used for a gameday. I think it came from here:

[4e] Dinosaur Conversions - RPGnet Forums

That thead aside, as others have suggested, reskinning other monsters just isn't that difficult in 4e, so that's certainly an option as well. I just love the idea of a swarm of velociraptors.

 

[renau1g]

Swarms of raptors are awesome!