Cliff Raptor

[CaseyReeseKunst]

Cliff Raptor

Medium animal, neutral

Armor Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural).

Hit Points: 30; Hit Dice: 4d8+12.

Speed: 60 ft., climb 60 ft.; Initiative: +3.

Attributes: Str 13 (+1), Dex 17 (+3), Con 16 (+3), Int 2 (-4), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 11 (+0).

Saving Throws: Dexterity 15, Constitution 15, Wisdom 14.

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12.

Proficiencies: Acrobatics +8.

Special Traits: Agile Strength: The cliff raptor uses its Acrobatics proficiency for jumping and climbing. Pack Tactics: A cliff raptor has an Advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the raptor's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. Surefooted: The cliff raptor is especially surefooted, and it always lands upright and on its feet after taking a fall. It also has an Advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks when moving across rocky terrain. Additionally, cliff raptors treat any fall as being 20 feet shorter than the actual height fallen for the purposes of determining falling damage. A cliff raptor gains a +4 racial bonus to resist a charge.

Actions: Cliff Leap: A cliff raptor that drops at least 10 feet before making an attack against a target gains an Advantage on attack rolls with its talons. If it hits, it deals an additional 2d6 points of damage; Multiattack: A cliff raptor makes a bite attack, a claw attack, and a talon attack; Bite: +5 melee attack, 5 ft. reach, 1d6+3 piercing damage; Claw: +5 melee attack, 5 ft. reach, 1d4+3 slashing damage; Talon: +5 melee attack, 5 ft. reach, 1d6+3 slashing damage.

Challenge: 2; XP: 450.

Description: The creature looks like a long-legged lizard, save that it sports fairly brilliant plumage on its back and a long thin tail. Each of its two hind feet are armed with a prodigiously oversized talon that almost overshadows its sharp teeth and razor-sharp claws in terms of intimidating natural weapons.

Cliff raptors prefer to begin combat with their leap, and they jump down upon their prey from above. If the victim of such a leap survives the next few rounds of combat, the raptor usually tries to clamber up above and leap down again to finish the prey off.

A cliff raptor has adapted to a life on the sheer mountain faces of rugged badlands and cliffs. They skitter along the faces of these cliffs with shocking and almost terrifying ease. Cliff raptors hunt in packs, like wolves, and have little fear of humanoids.

A cliff raptor makes an excellent animal companion for characters from mountainous regions. A druid of 7th level or higher can take a cliff raptor as an animal companion.

(Converted to 5e from the 3e column "Far Corners of the World," by James Jacobs, D&D Archives, May 9th, 2004.)

 

[Cleon]

Welcome aboard!

First off, assuming this is a Fifth Edition conversion there's a few problems with the numbers.

If it has +2 natural armor and +3 DEX its Armor Class would be 15 (natural armor) not 12.

Constitution 16 (+3) and Wisdom 14 (+2) and a +2 Proficiency Bonus gives it Saves DEX +5, CON +5, WIS +4 rather than DEX +5, CON +4, WIS +3 listed.

If its melee attacks are Dexterity-based, the bite, claw and talons should all be +5 to hit and have a (# + 3) in the damage formula, but they're +4 to hit *except the +6 to hit talons) and either have a +0 or +1 in the damage.

Finally, Challenge 3 is 700 XP not 240 XP. Also, its numbers are WAY too low for the Cliff Raptor to be CR 3.

Did a quick run through the CR Calculator on 5e.tools with the listed stats (AC 12, 30 hp, +4 to hit, DPR 17 [1d6 + 2d4 + 1d6+1 plus half of a 2d6 leap] et cetera) and it comes out to Challenge 1 (200 XP).

If it had the higher numbers mentioned above (AC 15, +5 to hit, DPR 28 [1d6+3 + 2d4+6 + 1d6+2 plus half of a 2d6 leap]) and the CR Calculator says it would still be Challenge 2 (450 XP).

If you want it CR 3, I'd slap on some more Hit Dice to increase the Defensive CR but I think it works better with a lower CR.

It's roughly equivalent to a Panther or Lion, and those have much lower Challenge Ratings in 5E than 3E (Panther/Leopards go from to CR 2 to CR 1/4), Lions from CR 3 to CR 1).

 

[aco175]

@CaseyReeseKunst welcome to the boards.

I might change a few things on the writeup, but they are more nitpicking or just my thoughts. You can skip the talon finesse trait. 5e monsters can just use DEX with claws and such. I would not give it 4 attacks, not many creatures have that. I would likely give it a bite attack and a talon attack. Maybe give it another talon attack with advantage if the first one hits. A lot of 5e monsters has just one claws attack instead of claw/claw like older editions. This is just a bigger damage like (2d6+3).

The cliff leap ability feels off. Generally 5e has advantage to hit for using special maneuvers like this instead of a +2. I might give it a rend ability if it jumps down, giving it (+2d6) on talon damage.

Acrobatics should change to Athletics for climbing and jumping, but a special ability could just make them use Acrobatics (or DEX) for jumping and climbing.

Finally, if you want to boost them a bit, give them pack tactics where they gain advantage to attacks if another one is within 5ft of the target. This seems to fit with their tactics.

 

[CaseyReeseKunst]

Thanks for your feedback @Cleon and @aco175. I've made some adjustments to the cliff raptor.

 

[Cleon]

@CaseyReeseKunst welcome to the boards.

I might change a few things on the writeup, but they are more nitpicking or just my thoughts. You can skip the talon finesse trait. 5e monsters can just use DEX with claws and such. I would not give it 4 attacks, not many creatures have that. I would likely give it a bite attack and a talon attack. Maybe give it another talon attack with advantage if the first one hits. A lot of 5e monsters has just one claws attack instead of claw/claw like older editions. This is just a bigger damage like (2d6+3).

The cliff leap ability feels off. Generally 5e has advantage to hit for using special maneuvers like this instead of a +2. I might give it a rend ability if it jumps down, giving it (+2d6) on talon damage.

Acrobatics should change to Athletics for climbing and jumping, but a special ability could just make them use Acrobatics (or DEX) for jumping and climbing.

Finally, if you want to boost them a bit, give them pack tactics where they gain advantage to attacks if another one is within 5ft of the target. This seems to fit with their tactics.

I was going to suggest something similar in my next post, but didn't have time after finishing post #2.

Fifth Edition generally uses the Advantage mechanism instead of +X bonuses, although there are a few exceptions like Proficiency Bonuses, magic weapons bonuses, the various abilities that give "bonus dice" on rolls and so forth.

For a fairly close interpretation in 5E terms, I'd go for something like:

Death from Above. If the cliff raptor drops at least 20 feet while moving straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC ## Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the raptor can make one talons attack against it as a bonus action.​

If you prefer the "do more damage" approach as per your original post, that's doable too.

Death from Above #2. If the cliff raptor drops at least 20 feet while moving straight toward a creature and then hits it with a talons attack on the same turn, it deals an additional #d# points of damage and that target must succeed on a DC ## Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.​

For the Surefooted, I'd have gone for something like:

Surefooted. A cliff raptor has advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks when moving across rocky terrain.​

​

Catfall. If a cliff raptor falls and is able to take reactions, it can land on its feet as a free action and reduce any falling damage it takes by ## [points of damage? random roll? lower effective fall distance?].​

Agree that four attacks is too many. Would go for two as a Multiattack. First thought was:

Multiattack. The cliff raptor makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its bite or talons.​

But I would be tempted to give it a more complicated Multiattack that allows for two claw attacks rather than a single claws attack, like so:

Multiattack #2. The cliff raptor makes two attacks: one with a claw or its bite and one with a claw or its talons.​

Then I would have the Claw attack allow the raptor to grab an opponent and have its Talons attack get Advantage against a target it's grappling.

Would also consider tweaking some of the ability scores down a bit, since those tend to be lower in 5E than 3E.

For comparison, the two SRD big cats are roughly equivalent to a man-sized dromaeosaurid dinosaur. Unfortunately there isn't a "raptor" dinosaur in the 5E SRD. I believe the best non-SRD model is the Deinonychus in Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) and Monsters of the Multiverse (2022). Tome of Annihilation.

Just for funsies I'll include the two dinosaurs that are in both edition's SRDs:

Animal	3E	5E
Deinonychus	Str 19, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10	Str 15, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 6
Leopard (Panther)	Str 16, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6	Str 14, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 7
Lion	Str 21, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6	Str 17, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 8
Triceratops	Str 30, Dex 9, Con 25, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 7	Str 22, Dex 9, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 5
Tyrannosaurus	Str 28, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10	Str 25, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 9

Incidentally, the official 5E Deinonychus has Pounce plus a triple attack Multiattack, as follows:

Pounce. If the deinonychus moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a Claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the deinonychus can make one Bite attack against it as a bonus action

Multiattack. The deinonychus makes one bite attack and two claw attacks.​

 

[Cleon]

Felt at a loose end this morning, so whipped up my own version.

Feel free to steal/borrow/adopt any parts of it that take your fancy.

 

[Cleon]

Cliff Raptor
Medium beast, unaligned
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR​	DEX​	CON​	INT​	WIS​	CHA​
14 (+2)​	16 (+3)​	13 (+1)​	4 (–3)​	12 (+1)​	6 (–2)​

Skills Perception +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Death from Above. If the cliff raptor drops at least 10 feet while moving straight toward a creature and then hits it with a talons attack on the same turn, it deals an additional 7 (2d6) points of damage and that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Surefooted. A cliff raptor has advantage on Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks when moving across rocky terrain.

Actions

Multiattack. The cliff raptor makes two attacks: one with its bite or a claw and one with a claw or its talons.

Razor Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed at a DC 13 Dexterity (Athletics) or Strength (Acrobatics) check (target's choice) or be grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the cliff raptor gains advantage on attack rolls with its talons against the target.

Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Reactions

Catfall. If the cliff raptor falls from a height of 10 feet or more, it can use a reaction to land on its feet and reduce any falling damage it takes by 15 points.

Description

A brightly feathered creature that looks like a two-legged lizard crossed with a rapacious bird of prey. Its arms are edged with feathers, making them half-wings, but end in four-fingered hands armed with meathook claws. Each foot is armed with an even more formidable claw, a single prodigious talon on the innermost toe that it holds above the ground so its stabbing point does not blunt. The creature's head has a crest of feathers, large eyes, and long jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth.
 Mountain Predators. A cliff raptor is a relative of the Deinonychus that lives in rocky badlands and rugged mountains, where they run across sheer cliffs with casual ease. Cliff raptors hunt in wolf-like packs and will attack humanoids with little sign of fear.
 Pack Partnerships. In special circumstances, a cliff raptor can accept another creature as a member of its pack and treat them as a hunting ally. They can become surprisingly friendly pets and faithful companions, but if mistreated or underfed by a cruel or careless master they may turn extravagantly savage in the blink of an eye.

(Originally created by James Jacobs; appeared on Wizard of the Coast's website in the Far Corners of the World (9th April 2004) series of articles as part of "Foundations of Stone: Monster of the Mountains.")

 

[Cleon]

I'm pretty happy with how the above came out and have added it to my Index of 5th Edition Conversions of 3E Monsters.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Heh, I can DnDbeyond it posthaste...should the 'bite' be slashing or piercing damage? And the claw damage - "6 (1d4 + 3)" --> "5 (1d4 + 3)"?

 

[aco175]

Heh, I can DnDbeyond it posthaste...should the 'bite' be slashing or piercing damage? And the claw damage - "6 (1d4 + 3)" --> "5 (1d4 + 3)"?

Bite should be piercing damage and the damage average should be 6. 1d4 averages to 2.5 but rounds to 3, then add the 3 from DEX.