Buy me a coffee(Dinosaur) Mononykus, Burrow-Claw of the Wastes
“Mononykus — the tiny desert digger with one mighty middle claw built for busting into bug nests!”
A sleek, bird-like theropod no more than a meter long, Mononykus is covered in fine, downy feathers with earth-toned camouflage. Its long legs end in sharp claws built for sprinting over sand, while its arms are comically short but powerfully muscled. Most striking is its single enlarged middle finger, tipped with a blunt, sturdy claw, flanked by two tiny vestigial digits.
Behavior
Solitary and skittish, Mononykus is obsessively focused, darting through scrublands with twitchy, high-alert energy. It spends most of its time scanning for subtle vibrations—signs of insect colonies underground. Once detected, it stops suddenly, lowers its snout to the ground, and begins hammering at the soil with its specialized claw in rapid bursts, prying open tunnels and devouring its prey with a swift flick of its narrow jaws.
Habitat
Native to arid desert basins and ancient floodplains, Mononykus thrives in dry climates with loose, sandy soil and scattered vegetation. Common in badlands and scrub deserts, it nests in shallow burrows, often beneath thorny bushes or rocky overhangs.
Modus Operandi
Though not aggressive, Mononykus is relentless once locked onto prey. It uses its keen hearing and seismic sensitivity to locate insect nests underground. When it strikes, it does so surgically, using its single claw like a digging pick. It can dig through loose soil in seconds and will retreat just as quickly if startled. In combat, it relies on speed, dodging rather than fighting.
Motivation
Driven by an insatiable craving for soft-bodied insects, especially termites and burrowing beetles. Mononykus has no interest in confrontation—only in feasting, fleeing, and foraging. It is a specialist, evolved with one purpose: to dig and devour.
Mononykus 5e
Mononykus, Pathfinder
Mononykus 3.5
Mononykus
Small beast, unaligned
Armor Class: 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 9 (2d6 + 2)
Speed: 40 ft., burrow 5 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 (–1) | 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 2 (–4) | 14 (+2) | 5 (–3) |
Skills: Perception +4, Stealth +5
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 10 ft., passive Perception 14
Challenge: 1/8 (25 XP)
Traits
Specialized Claw. The Mononykus’s claw deals bludgeoning damage instead of slashing, and ignores resistance from natural armor.
Evasive Scrambler. When targeted by a melee attack, if on soft terrain (such as sand or loose dirt), Mononykus can use its reaction to move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
Actions
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Mononykus is a small dinosaur with bird-like features.
Originally Posted by Allenbdinoboy of the Wizards Community forums.
Mononykus has a light skeleton, an elongated tail and slender legs. Most striking of all is its unusually short single-clawed forelimbs. The claw is disproportionately big and robust for that of a sole finger.
Mononykus is 3 feet long.
| Mononykus | |
| Small animal | |
| Hit Dice | 2d8+2 (10 hp) |
| Initiative | +2 (+2 Dexterity) |
| Speed | 50 ft. (10 squares) |
| Armor Class | 15 (+1 Size,+2 Dexterity, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +1/-2 |
| Attack | Claw +1 (1d6) |
| Full Attack | Bite -4 melee (1d3), 2 Claws +1 (1d6) |
| Space/Reach | 2.5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks | – |
| Special Qualities | Low-Light Vision, Scent |
| Saves | Fort +, Ref +, Will + |
| Abilities | Strength 11, Dexterity 15, Constitution 12, Intelligence 2, Wisdom 11, Charisma 13 |
| Skills | Listen +2, Spot +2 |
| Feats | Run |
| Environment | Warm forests |
| Organization | Solitary, Pair, |
| Challenge Rating | 1 |
| Treasure | None |
| Alignment | Always neutral |
| Advancement | Hatchling 1 HP (Dimin), Juvinile 1/4-1 HD (Tiny), Adult 2-6 HD (Small), Matriarch 7+ HD (Medium) |
| Level Adjustment | – |
Combat
Mononykus mainly runs at the sight of a predator. If Forced into a corner it will use it’s claws to slash the opponent then try to escape.
Mononykus
Small animal
CR 1/2
XP 200
N Small animal
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 10 ft.; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 15 (2d8+6)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee 2 claws +4 (1d4+1 bludgeoning)
Special Attacks chitin splitter (1d4 rounds, DC 13)
STATISTICS
Str 12, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 14, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 13
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Perception +6, Stealth +9, Survival +5
SQ evasive scrambler, specialized claw
Environment warm deserts and scrublands
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Chitin Splitter (Su)
Once every 1d4 rounds, a Mononykus can unleash a flurry of precision strikes with its digging claw. All Tiny or smaller creatures within 5 feet must succeed at a DC 13 Reflex save or take 1d6+1 bludgeoning damage (Reflex half). Swarm creatures take double damage. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Evasive Scrambler (Ex)
When standing on soft terrain such as sand, loose dirt, or soil, a Mononykus can move up to 10 feet as an immediate action when targeted by a melee attack. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Specialized Claw (Ex)
Mononykus’s unique forelimb ends in a single strong claw adapted for digging. Its claw attacks deal bludgeoning damage instead of slashing and ignore DR from natural armor (such as DR/piercing or DR/slashing from hide or scales).
ECOLOGY
Mononykus is a small, feathered dinosaur adapted for desert life, recognizable by its short arms and singular functional claw used to dig into insect nests. Despite its size, it is a swift and determined predator of burrowing insects, using its seismic senses to detect prey below the surface.
While not aggressive toward larger creatures, Mononykus is fiercely territorial when guarding a nest site or feeding ground. Druids and desert nomads respect these animals for their pest control and quick reflexes, sometimes bonding with them as companions or familiars.