Liliensternus liliensterni, pencil drawing, based on the skeleton replica in ArthurWeasley

Roleplaying

Originally Posted by

Nilbog of the Wizards Community forums.

On this Thread

Halticosaurus (and Liliensternus; the two are very similar, and were once considered the same) is a large coelophysoid of the late Triassic period. It can exceed 16 feet long and 500 pounds, a very large predator for its era.

In a D&D world, halticosaurs are opportunistic pack hunters. While they will eat almost any creature they can kill, packs will often pursue large herbivores. They do not hunt humans for food, but will often attack cattle, and farmers in areas that halticosaurs inhabit fear their depredations.

The greater threat to humanoids are lone individuals or single pairs, which are unfortunately fairly common. A lone halticosaur will not attack a closely grouped, well-armed party, but a sufficiently hungry halticosaur may attack lone, poorly-armored travelers - or those who wander too far from their companions. Halflings and gnomes are more likely to be targeted due to their small size. They also come into conflict with humanoids by targeting goats and sheep.

Pack Attack (Ex): When three or more halticosaurs attack a Large or larger creature in the same round, all of them gain a +1 competence bonus on their attack roll.