Dinosaur, Plateosaurus
Dinosaur, Plateosaurus CR 4 N Animal
This large biped has a small head atop a long neck and muscular, clawed arms. About half of its length is tail.
Plateosauruses are relatives of the massive sauropods, but they are still relatively close in body plan to the ancestral dinosaurs. Like their colossal relatives, plateosauruses are herbivorous, using their leaf-shaped, scalloped teeth to tear apart plant matter. They use their strong arms to burrow, digging up roots and tubers and scratching out dens in which to avoid the heat of the desert day.
Plateosauruses are solitary creatures, as the deserts in which they dwell lack the resources to support large family groups. Female plateosauruses bury and then abandon their eggs, and the juveniles are able to fend for themselves immediately upon being born. Due to their ability to eke out a living on meager food and little water, they are among the largest natural animals of the desert, and humanoids that live in deserts where plateosauruses dwell use them as beasts of burden. Plateosauruses grow throughout their lifetime and their size is linked to the amount of resources available to them. Most plateosauruses top out between twenty and twenty-five feet long, but thirty-five foot specimens are not unheard of in areas where food is plentiful (or provided by a humanoid handler).
Plateosaurus as Animal Companions
Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 40 ft..; AC +2 natural armor; Attack 2 claws (1d3), tail slap (1d6); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 5; Special Qualities low-light vision, healthy
7th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +3 natural armor; Attack 2 claws (1d4), tail slap (1d8); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex -2, Con +4
Plateosaurus CR 4
XP 1,200
N Large animal
Init +1; Senses low-light vision, Perception +9
Defense
AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 42 (4d8+24)
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3; +4 vs. ingested poisons and diseases
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 claws +6 (1d4+4), tail slap +4 (1d8+2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (5 ft. with claws)
Statistics
Str 19, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 5
Base Atk +3; CMB +8; CMD 19
Feats Endurance (B),Multiattack,Toughness
Skills Perception +9
SQ hearty
Ecology
Environment warm deserts and plains
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Hearty (Ex) A plateosaurus gains Endurance as a bonus feat, and may apply the benefits of its Endurance feat to any saves against ingested poisons or diseases. It also heals hit points from resting at twice the normal rate.