Whip Lion
Huge • Beast • Unaligned
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 104 (11d12 + 33)
Speed 50 ft.
Initiative +4 (14)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (+4) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 4 (-3) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Athletics +7, Perception +5, Stealth +7
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages –
CR 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)
Pack Tactics. The lion has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the lion's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the lion can long jump up to 25 feet.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The lion makes one Rend attack and three Tail Whip attacks. The lion can replace the Rend attack with a use of Roar.
Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage. If the lion moved 20+ feet straight toward it immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) slashing damage and is knocked prone.
Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +7, reach 15 ft. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the lion can grapple the target (escape DC 15) and pull up to 10 feet towards it. The lion can grapple up to three creatures that way.
Roar. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 13, each creature in a 15-foot cone. Failure: The target becomes frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Success or Effect Ends: The target becomes immune to this ability for 1 hour.
Whip Lion
Huge • Beast • Unaligned
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 42 (5d12 + 10)
Speed 50 ft.
Initiative +3 (13)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 4 (-3) | 12 (+1) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Athletics +5, Perception +3, Stealth +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages –
CR 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Pack Tactics. The lion has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the lion's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the lion can long jump up to 25 feet.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The lion makes one Rend attack and three Tail Whip attacks. The lion can replace the Rend attack with a use of Roar.
Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage. If the lion moved 20+ feet straight toward it immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 4 (1d8) slashing damage and is knocked prone.
Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 15 ft. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the lion can grapple the target (escape DC 13) and pull up to 10 feet towards it. The lion can grapple up to three creatures that way.
Roar. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 11, each creature in a 15-foot cone. Failure: The target becomes frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Success or Effect Ends: The target becomes immune to this ability for 1 hour.
Whip Lion
Huge • Beast • Unaligned
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 157 (15d12 + 60)
Speed 50 ft.
Initiative +5 (15)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 (+5) | 20 (+5) | 18 (+4) | 4 (-3) | 16 (+3) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Athletics +8, Perception +6, Stealth +8
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages –
CR 8 (XP 3,900; PB +3)
Pack Tactics. The lion has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the lion's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the lion can long jump up to 25 feet.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The lion makes one Rend attack and three Tail Whip attacks. The lion can replace the Rend attack with a use of Roar.
Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: +8, reach 5 ft. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) slashing damage. If the lion moved 20+ feet straight toward it immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) slashing damage and is knocked prone.
Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +8, reach 15 ft. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the lion can grapple the target (escape DC 15) and pull up to 10 feet towards it. The lion can grapple up to three creatures that way.
Roar. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature in a 30-foot cone. Failure: The target becomes frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Success or Effect Ends: The target becomes immune to this ability for 1 hour.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.