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.

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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).