Giant Moa — New Zealand Flightless Bird & RPG Stats
Giant Moa · Large flightless animal · Aotearoa / New Zealand
The branches shake, and a head rises above the scrub. A tall brown bird steps into the clearing, plucking leaves from a shrub. Its long neck bends to the ground again; the great feet hardly disturb the ferns. Then a chick cries behind it. The adult bird wheels on powerful legs and drives forward, kicking to keep intruders away from its young.
At a Glance
| Creature | Giant moa, a large browsing flightless bird, not a predatory raptor |
|---|---|
| Game challenge | 2024 D&D CR 1* · 2014 D&D CR 1* · Pathfinder 1e CR 2 · D&D 3.5e CR 2* |
| Temperament | Wary and inclined to retreat; may kick when cornered or when young are threatened |
| Range | The wooded valleys, fern-covered slopes and scrubland margins of Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waipounamu |
| Signs | Great three-toed prints, browsed branches, large droppings, disturbed low vegetation |
| Role | Wildlife encounter, dangerous animal rescue, trail obstacle or protected survivor of an ancient fauna |
Giant Moa Rules by Edition
Choose your game’s rules. Pathfinder 1e reproduces the published CR 2 creature mechanics. The other three are separately calibrated, original conversions; an asterisk denotes a provisional challenge rating.
Giant Moa — D&D 2024
Original 2024-compatible conversion · Large Beast, Unaligned · CR 1* (200 XP; PB +2)
AC 13 (natural armour) · Initiative +1 (11) · HP 37 (5d10 + 10) · Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 2 (−4) | 12 (+1) | 6 (−2) |
Skills Perception +3 · Senses Passive Perception 13 · Languages None
Traits
Skittish. The moa has Advantage on ability checks it makes to escape a grapple. It generally retreats from creatures it can avoid.
Actions
Multiattack. The moa makes two Kick attacks.
Kick. Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) Bludgeoning damage.
Using the Moa
It turns away from distant intruders, then kicks at enemies blocking its chicks’ retreat. A clear escape route usually ends the encounter. A cornered moa can make two kicks on its turn, not two free attacks against every passer-by.
Giant Moa — D&D 2014
Original 2014-compatible conversion · Large beast, unaligned · Challenge 1* (200 XP)
Armor Class 13 (natural armor) · Hit Points 37 (5d10 + 10) · Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 2 (−4) | 12 (+1) | 6 (−2) |
Skills Perception +3 · Senses passive Perception 13 · Languages —
Actions
Multiattack. The moa makes two kick attacks.
Kick. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Using the Moa
It prefers a way out. Pursuit, a blocked trail or a threat to its young may provoke a defensive volley of kicks before it retreats.
Moa — Pathfinder 1e
Published Pathfinder Bestiary 5 creature, CR 2 (XP 600) · N Large animal
Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
Defense
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +3 natural, −1 size)
hp 19 (3d8 + 6)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 talons +4 (1d6+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Statistics
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 2 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 9 (−1) |
Base Atk +2; CMB +6; CMD 19
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Perception +9
Ecology
Environment warm plains; Organization solitary, pair, group (3–5), or colony (6–100); Treasure none
The published creature often flees rather than attacks, but may close on a perceived threat to its chicks and strike with both talons. The edition’s listed environment is a broad rules habitat, not a claim that real New Zealand moa occupied warm tropical plains.
Giant Moa — D&D 3.5e
Original D&D 3.5e conversion adapted from the Pathfinder animal · N Large Animal, CR 2*; XP depends on party level.
Hit Dice 3d8 + 6 (19 hp); Initiative +7; Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Defense
Armor Class 15 (−1 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple +2/+9
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1
Attack
Attack talon +4 melee (1d6+3)
Full Attack 2 talons +4 melee (1d6+3 each)
Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.
Statistics
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 2 (−4) | 11 (+0) | 9 (−1) |
Skills Listen +3, Spot +6; Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Spot)
Senses low-light vision; Languages —
Environment temperate grassland and forest margin; Organization solitary, pair or family group; Treasure none; Advancement by Hit Dice.
Tactics
A single bird seldom pursues. Two adults defending chicks may use separate full attacks while remaining beside their young. A party with room to retreat can usually avoid fighting.
Tracks, Behaviour and Encounters
Moa browse the lower branches of shrubs and trees; their enormous feet leave three-toed tracks in soft ground, and a flock may strip the leaves along a familiar trail. They have no wings to fly or batter enemies with, and they do not ambush prey. A moa normally tries to escape when it notices danger. It becomes dangerous when people block its way, rush its chicks or drive it towards a steep fall.
Across the stream. Two chicks have wandered into rising water. An adult kicks at everyone approaching from the bank. A fisherman knows a shallow ford upstream. Rescuing the chicks from the far bank avoids the bird’s defensive rush.
Fresh tracks at the garden. Someone has seen three-toed prints beside stripped shrubs and blamed an unnatural predator. Following the bird’s feeding route reveals an isolated living population; the household must decide whether to fence its young plants or drive the animals into a neighbouring settlement’s ground.
Counterplay: make room for a retreat, keep clear of the chicks, cross a fence or small stream the large bird cannot negotiate quickly, and avoid cornering it in a blind ravine.
The giant moa browse deep valleys and sheltered clearings across the islands. Old hunting stories name them as formidable birds; their surviving flocks need quiet feeding grounds away from busy village paths. The moa’s lineage is distinct from Dromornis, an unrelated Australian giant bird.
For the islands’ communities, trails and specific sacred landscapes, continue to Nova Zeelandia and Oceania.
Further Viewing
The two original videos remain here for readers interested in moa biology and extinction.
Sources and Credits
Rules and Natural History
The Pathfinder 1e moa statistics are from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5. The 2024, 2014 and 3.5e versions are original conversions, not official moa stat blocks. Their challenge ratings remain provisional pending playtest.
Read more about the moa’s history and extinction at Auckland Museum, and about the unrelated Australian Dromornis at the Australian Museum.
Original Moa Illustration
Rules Licences and Attribution
The 2024 SRD 5.2.1 and 2014 SRD 5.1 provide the general D&D rules framework for the original conversions. The Pathfinder source attribution is retained below.
Pathfinder Bestiary 5 — Section 15 copyright notice
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.
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