(Ubtao/Eshodow relation (CotG project :-)) |
(other uses) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| + | {{Otheruses4|the giant reptiles|the relative of the [[hippopotamus]]|Behemoth (creature)}} |
||
{{Creature |
{{Creature |
||
| image = Behemoths - Stephen Crowe.jpg |
| image = Behemoths - Stephen Crowe.jpg |
||
| Line 98: | Line 99: | ||
==Appendix== |
==Appendix== |
||
| − | === |
+ | ===Further Reading=== |
* {{cite book/Serpent Kingdoms|62}} |
* {{cite book/Serpent Kingdoms|62}} |
||
===External Links=== |
===External Links=== |
||
Revision as of 21:07, 8 September 2018
Dinosaurs, also known as thunderers[4] or behemoths[2] (pronounced: /biˈhɛmʌθz/ bee-HEM-uthz[5] or: /biˈhimʌθz/ bee-HEE-muthz[5]), were a group of ancient reptilian creatures found on Toril. They were considered agents and children of the Chultan deity Ubtao, though some of them had turned rogue to serve his enemy Eshowdow.[6]
Description
Dinosaurs came in many shapes and sizes, though, as the name "behemoth" implied, the best known were typically very large. They could be either herbivorous or carnivorous, depending on the species. Unlike dragons, dinosaurs were incapable of speech and were non-intelligent by nature.[7]
Dinosaurs came in many varieties, from small to large, but most shared a number of physical features. They were, for instance, all covered in a layer of pebble-like skin. Most also demonstrated a well-developed sense of smell, which predatory behemoths used to hunt. [7] Many were also herbivorous.[2]
Behavior
Like dragons, predatory dinosaurs had a powerful lust to hunt, their razor-sharp teeth suitable for rending prey apart and were also highly territorial. Herbivorous dinosaurs were usually less aggressive, although, when defending their young or wounded or after being startled or irritated, they could be vicious enemies.[7]
Ecology
Habitats
Dinosaurs often lived in areas very much isolated from humanoid habitation. They usually were found in remote mountain valleys, isolated rocky plateaus, dense tropical island forests, or secluded in the deepest and darkest of the jungles.[7]
Location
Dinosaurs were known to exist on Toril in Chult[8] and Malatra.[citation needed] They could also be found on the island of Lurath, by way of time portals into Toril's distant past.[citation needed]
History
It was widely believed by scholars from Candlekeep that dinosaurs existed in Toril since before the time period known as the Days of Thunder.[9] In those ancients times, various species of dinosaur thrived until a cataclysm changed the world so drastically that most of them went extinct.[10]
Sages from Candlekeep didn't have a unified theory about the nature of the catastrophe. The most commonly accepted theory proclaimed this catastrophe was the Tearfall, while detractors of this theory believed that the sun temperatures diminished to a degree that produced a global climatic change so harsh that only the smallest dinosaurs were able to survive. A lunatic sage even proclaimed the cataclysm was actually a war between the gods and their enemies.[11]
Whatever the truth, only a handful of dinosaurs, among them the proto-dragons, were able to survive and evolve into the members of the species that existed in the present age.[11]
Notable Species
There were multiple species of dinosaur, some of which are listed below.
- Allosaurus
- A large, strong, fast predator. It used its claws to pin down its prey.[1]
- Anatotian
- A species of herbivorous dinosaur with a duck-like mouth, they were timid and easily frightened.
- Ankylosaurus
- Also known as macetail behemoths.[2] Armored herbivores that had either knobbed or spiked tail tips that they used to defend from predators. Extremely territorial dinosaurs.[1]
- Brontosaurus
- Massive herbivores that used their tails as whips to defend from predators.[12]
- Stegosaurus
- Also known as bloodspike behemoths.[2] Herbivorous dinosaurs marked by large plates resting along their spine and a notoriously bad temper.
- Ceratosaurus
- A large, carnivorous variety of dinosaur marked by a horn-like ridge along its snout.
- Deinonychus
- Small, predatory dinosaurs roughly the size of humans that were highly social.[12]
- Dimetrodon
- Medium-sized predators with sailed backs.[12]
- Elasmosaurus
- An aquatic species of dinosaur roughly fifty feet in length, much of which was from its extremely long neck and serpentine tail.
- Hadrosaurus
- Herbivores with bony head crests that could walk as quadrupeds or as bipeds. They could be raised to work as mounts.[12]
- Megaraptor
- Superficially similar to deinonychus, though much larger, megaraptors were notable for their large hand claws.
- Plesiosaurus
- Marine carnivorous dinosaurs with compact bodies and long necks.[1]
- Pteranodon
- An enormous flying dinosaur that fed primarily on fish.[1] They were common in Chult.[13]
- Quetzalcoatlus
- Giant flying reptiles, related to the pteranodon.[12]
- Stegosaurus
- Heavily built herbivores with plated backs and spiked tails that traveled in large herds.[12]
- Triceratops
- Short-tempered and aggressive even for a herbivore, triceratops were recognizable by their three horns and armored head.
- Tyrannosaurus Rex
- Among the largest predatory dinosaurs, tyrannosaurus was both a predator and a scavenger.
- Velociraptor
- Small feathered predators that hunted in packs for larger prey.[12]
Appendix
Further Reading
- Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 62. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
External Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 79–80. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 60. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 148. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 81, 90–91. ISBN 978-0786906574.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet and Monte Cook (October 2000). Monster Manual 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 55. ISBN 0-7869-1552-1.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 7. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). Draconomicon. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 8. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 139–140. ISBN 978-0786966011.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 66. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.