Monster Monday: Koattle

RPG monsters

Today I'm turning my attention to dinosaur-themed monsters.

The koattle is a small, ostrich-like creature that lives in packs of about a dozen adults. Native to plains and lightly forested areas, they are omnivorous, generally killing one small animal every few days and otherwise eating tougher foliage that herbivores can't digest.

Fantasy dinosaur art

Its eggs and feathers are highly prized ingredients in spell potions. Combine this with their predatory instincts and koattle are naturally skittish and aggressive.

I'm basing this creature's stat block on the panther from the Monster Manual. Instead of keen smell and the ability to pounce, let's allow it to do multiple attacks when reduced to half its HP in a bloodied frenzy. Those powerful back legs should do something, too, so we'll saw that a claw attack adds a Strength check or the target is knocked prone.

These things aren't dangerous individually, but the PCs will generally be dealing with them in packs, which should give them plenty of trouble. This is especially true if one koattle can knock a PC prone, then others gang up on him or her.

Okay, let's stat it up!

Stat block

Homebrewery stat block:

Koattle

Medium beast, unaligned

  • Armor Class 12
  • Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
  • Speed 40 ft.
    STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
    14 (+2) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 3 (-4) 14 (+2) 7 (-2)
  • Skills Perception +4
  • Senses passive Perception 14
  • Languages None
  • Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)

Actions

Bloodied Multiattack. When a koattle is reduced to half its Hit Point total (8 HP), it makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claw.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage, and the target must make a DC 12 Strength check or be knocked prone.

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