Skarthrax
Large • Dragon • Unaligned
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 119 (14d10 + 42)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
Initiative +1 (11)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 13 (+1) | 17 (+3) | 5 (-3) | 10 (+0) | 6 (-2) |
Skills Athletics +7, Perception +3
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages –
CR 6 (XP 2,300; PB +3)
Bloodied – Reckless Fury. The skarthrax has advantage on melee attack rolls while it is bloodied. Additionally, attack rolls made against the skarthrax have advantage.
Savage Reposition. The skarthrax can move together with a grappled creature without expending extra movement to do so, provided it is grappling only one Medium or smaller creature and moves toward a hostile creature.
Standing Leap. The skarthrax's long jump is up to 20 feet, and its high jump is up to 10 feet with or without a running start.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The skarthrax makes four Claw attacks, it can replace two of these attacks with a use of Shred.
Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 15). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.
Shred. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 15, each creature grappled by the skarthrax. Failure: 14 (4d6) slashing damage, and the target is knocked prone. Success: Half damage.
Skarthrax
Large • Dragon • Unaligned
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 67 (9d10 + 18)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
Initiative +1 (11)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 5 (-3) | 10 (+0) | 6 (-2) |
Skills Athletics +5, Perception +2
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages –
CR 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Bloodied – Reckless Fury. The skarthrax has advantage on melee attack rolls while it is bloodied. Additionally, attack rolls made against the skarthrax have advantage.
Savage Reposition. The skarthrax can move together with a grappled creature without expending extra movement to do so, provided it is grappling only one Medium or smaller creature and moves toward a hostile creature.
Standing Leap. The skarthrax's long jump is up to 20 feet, and its high jump is up to 10 feet with or without a running start.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The skarthrax makes four Claw attacks, it can replace two of these attacks with a use of Shred.
Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 13). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.
Shred. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 13, each creature grappled by the skarthrax. Failure: 10 (3d6) slashing damage, and the target is knocked prone. Success: Half damage.
Skarthrax
Large • Dragon • Unaligned
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 180 (19d10 + 76)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
Initiative +2 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 19 (+4) | 5 (-3) | 10 (+0) | 6 (-2) |
Skills Athletics +9, Perception +4
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages –
CR 9 (XP 5,000; PB +4)
Bloodied – Reckless Fury. The skarthrax has advantage on melee attack rolls while it is bloodied. Additionally, attack rolls made against the skarthrax have advantage.
Savage Reposition. The hoskarthrax arfang can move together with a grappled creature without expending extra movement to do so, provided it is grappling only one Medium or smaller creature and moves toward a hostile creature.
Standing Leap. The skarthrax's long jump is up to 20 feet, and its high jump is up to 10 feet with or without a running start.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The skarthrax makes four Claw attacks, it can replace two of these attacks with a use of Shred.
Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) slashing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 17). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.
Shred. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 17, each creature grappled by the skarthrax. Failure: 21 (6d6) slashing damage, and the target is knocked prone. Success: Half damage.
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.