Buy me a coffeeSarkastodon: The Bone-Crushing Horror of Prehistoric Plains
Sarkastodon is a Huge, bone-crushing predator of the primeval wilds—an unstoppable living battering ram whose jaws shatter skeletons and whose charge can topple even the mightiest beasts.
Sarkastodon is a prehistoric carnivore that prowls ancient plains and badlands like a walking natural disaster. With a skull the size of a shield and jaws built to crush bone, this monstrous mammal dominates its domain through sheer mass and ferocity. Standing as tall as a warhorse at the shoulder and weighing as much as a small giant, it can bring down enormous prey with brute strength alone. Both hunter and scavenger, a Sarkastodon can pulverize entire skeletons to extract marrow long after other predators have abandoned a carcass. Wherever it roams, the land becomes a graveyard of splintered bones.
Appearance
An an immense quadrupedal predator resembling a hulking cross between a bear and a hyena. Its body is thick-set and muscular with towering shoulders and a heavy, sloping back. The creature’s most striking feature is its enormous skull, supported by a thick, pillar-like neck. Its jaws are lined with heavy, blunt-edged teeth designed not merely to tear flesh but to crush bone with terrifying force. Dense forelimbs tipped with thick claws allow it to grapple prey or tear open carcasses, while its coarse hide is often marked by scars from violent territorial clashes. When it moves, the ground seems to tremble beneath its weight.
Behaviour
Sarkastodons are solitary apex predators with a slow, deliberate demeanor. They roam vast territories guided largely by scent and can detect blood or carrion from great distances. Normally patient and methodical, they become explosively violent when challenged or when food is threatened. A Sarkastodon rarely retreats, instead driving away rivals with thunderous roars, crushing bites, and sudden charges.
Habitat
These predators favour open plains, windswept steppe, rugged badlands, and ancient wilderness regions where large herbivores are plentiful. They commonly establish dens in caves, rocky outcroppings, or eroded ravines that offer shelter and a vantage point over their territory. A single Sarkastodon may control dozens of miles of hunting grounds, often marked by scattered bones and shattered carcasses.
Modus Operandi
They hunt through ambush and overwhelming strength. From concealment in tall grasses or rocky terrain, it bursts forward in a crushing charge that knocks prey off balance. Once within reach, its colossal jaws clamp down on limb, spine, or skull, ending most struggles instantly. Even when a hunt fails, the beast thrives as a scavenger, easily cracking bones that other predators cannot break.
Motivation
Driven by hunger, territorial instinct, and primal dominance, the Sarkastodon seeks only to feed and control its range. It instinctively guards carcasses and hunting grounds from any intruder, whether predator or adventurer. Though lacking malice or cunning strategy, its immense strength and relentless appetite make it one of the most dangerous beasts of the prehistoric wilds.
Sarkastodon 5.5e
Sarkastodon, Pathfinder
Sarkastodon 3.5
Sarkastodon
Huge Beast, Unaligned
Armor Class 15 (Thick Hide)
Hit Points 168 (16d12 + 64)
Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 (+6) | 12 (+1) | 18 (+4) | 3 (−4) | 14 (+2) | 7 (−2) |
Saving Throws Con +8, Wis +5
Skills Perception +5, Survival +5
Senses passive Perception 15
Languages —
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Traits
Bone-Crushing Jaws.
The Sarkastodon deals an extra 9 (2d8) damage when it hits a prone creature with its Bite.
Keen Smell.
The Sarkastodon has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Relentless Feeder.
When the Sarkastodon reduces a creature to 0 hit points, it can move up to half its speed as a reaction without provoking opportunity attacks.
Actions
Multiattack.
The Sarkastodon makes two attacks: one Bite and one Claw.
Bite.
Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 24 (3d10 + 6) piercing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Claw.
Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) slashing damage.
Trampling Charge.
If the Sarkastodon moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and hits it with a Claw attack on the same turn, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the Sarkastodon can make one Bite attack as a bonus action.
Description
The Sarkastodon is a huge prehistoric predator with a massive skull and jaws capable of crushing bone. Larger than most bears and built like a living battering ram, it dominates ancient plains and badlands through sheer size and ferocity.
A Sarkastodon hunts by charging prey with crushing force, knocking victims to the ground before delivering devastating bites. Though a formidable hunter, it is equally infamous as a scavenger, easily pulverizing skeletons to extract marrow long after other predators have abandoned the carcass.
Sarkastodon CR 9
XP 6,400
N Huge animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +18
Defense
AC 21, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (+2 Dex, +11 natural, –2 size)
hp 138 (12d10+72)
Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +6
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +18 (2d8+12 plus bone-crush),
2 claws +18 (1d8+12)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks bone-crush, powerful charge
Statistics
Str 27, Dex 15, Con 23, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 7
Base Atk +9; CMB +19; CMD 31 (35 vs. trip)
Feats Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Iron Will, Power Attack, Run
Skills Perception +18, Survival +14, Swim +14
Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Survival when tracking by scent
Ecology
Environment temperate plains, badlands, and steppe
Organization solitary, pair, or mated pair with young
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Bone-Crush (Ex)
A Sarkastodon’s bite is capable of shattering bone. When it hits with a bite attack, the target takes an additional 1d6 damage. If the target is prone or grappled, the bite instead deals +2d6 damage.
Powerful Charge (Ex)
When a Sarkastodon charges, its bite attack deals 4d8+18 damage.
Scent (Ex)
A Sarkastodon can detect opponents by smell within 30 feet (60 feet if upwind, 15 feet if downwind).
Description
The Sarkastodon is a hulking prehistoric predator resembling a monstrous cross between a bear and a hyena. Its enormous skull houses thick jaws and broad teeth capable of crushing bone with terrifying ease. Typically they measure 10 feet long and can weigh well over a ton, with towering shoulders and powerful forelimbs built for grappling prey and tearing apart carcasses.
Though formidable hunters, Sarkastodons are also infamous scavengers, capable of pulverizing skeletons to reach marrow long after other predators have abandoned a kill. These solitary beasts roam vast territories across plains and badlands, leaving behind fields of shattered bones that mark the borders of their domain.
Sarkastodon
This brown-furred predatory beast is nearly the size of a rhinoceros. It resembles a melding of bear and cat, with a leonine face and a bear-like body terminating in a long, furry tail.
Originally Posted by Shade of the En World forums.
Although it superficially resembles a bear or cat, Sarkastodon is a creodont, a separate lineage of carnivorous mammal. One of the largest carnivorous mammals ever
to live, Sarkastodon specializes on hunting enormous prey, such as brontotheres and Indricotherium. Its bite can crush bone and its stomach is acidic enough
to digest it, leaving little left for the scavengers.
A sarkastodon is 10 feet long (excluding the tail, which is about one-half to two-thirds as long as the body) and 6 feet tall at the shoulder, weighing around 1-½ tons.
| Sarkastodon | |
| Large animal | |
| Hit Dice | 15d8+75 (142 hp) |
| Initiative | +5 |
| Speed | 40 ft. (8 squares) |
| Armor Class | 17 (-1 size, +1 Dexterity, +7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +11/+26 |
| Attack | Bite +22 melee (1d12+16/19-20) |
| Full Attack | Bite +22 melee (1d12+16/19-20) |
| Space/Reach | 10 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Bonecrushing bite, trip |
| Special Qualities | Dire, Low-Light Vision, Scent |
| Saves | Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +10 |
| Abilities | Strength 33, Dexterity 13, Constitution 21, Intelligence 2, Wisdom 12, Charisma 10 |
| Skills | Hide +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +11, Spot +6 |
| Feats | Alertness, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (bite) |
| Environment | Temperate plains |
| Organization | Solitary or pair |
| Challenge Rating | 8 |
| Treasure | None |
| Alignment | Always neutral |
| Advancement | 16-18 HD (Large); 19-30 HD (Huge) |
| Level Adjustment | — |
COMBAT
A sarkastodon begins combat from ambush, pulling prey to the ground with trip and beginning to eat while its prey still lives.
Bonecrushing Bite (Ex): Sarkastodon’s jaws are immensely powerful, and can crush bone to pulp. On a successful critical hit, a Sarkastodon also deals 1d4 points of Strength damage.
Dire (Ex): Sarkastodon is considered to be a dire animal for the purposes of saving throws.
Trip (Ex): A sarkastodon that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent (+16 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the sarkastodon.)
Skills: A sarkastodon has a +4 racial bonus on all Hide and Move Silently checks.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #167 (1991).