cawatrooper Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 Just picked up the Lost Valley box on today's sale for a campaign set mainly in Chult that I plan on running (my first time DMing, outside of a one shot a few months ago!). It looks like the minis are going to be perfect for me, but I have a few questions about what some of them specifically are. Obviously the raptors, anklyosaurus, and carnotaurus are easy to place (though I'm considering using the carnotaurus as a general non-tyranosaurus big carnivore, like allosaurus). But my childhood days of reading dinosaur books everyday appear to have failed me. What is the "hornslasher" supposed to be. Is there an equivalent in 5E? How about the Axebeak (Phorusrhacos)? I see that it's an ancient bird, but is there a monster equivalent in 5E? I don't mind homebrewing if needed, and these minis are such a perfect match for the vibe I'm going for. Can't wait to get my box! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TaleSpinner Posted June 11, 2019 Moderator Share Posted June 11, 2019 19 minutes ago, cawatrooper said: Just picked up the Lost Valley box on today's sale for a campaign set mainly in Chult that I plan on running (my first time DMing, outside of a one shot a few months ago!). It looks like the minis are going to be perfect for me, but I have a few questions about what some of them specifically are. Obviously the raptors, anklyosaurus, and carnotaurus are easy to place (though I'm considering using the carnotaurus as a general non-tyranosaurus big carnivore, like allosaurus). But my childhood days of reading dinosaur books everyday appear to have failed me. What is the "hornslasher" supposed to be. Is there an equivalent in 5E? How about the Axebeak (Phorusrhacos)? I see that it's an ancient bird, but is there a monster equivalent in 5E? I don't mind homebrewing if needed, and these minis are such a perfect match for the vibe I'm going for. Can't wait to get my box! The Hornslasher is not a dino, but a Giant Lizard I don't know 5E that well. Axe beak was it's name in 1E through 3E. Terror Bird maybe? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cawatrooper Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 2 minutes ago, TaleSpinner said: The Hornslasher is not a dino, but a Giant Lizard I don't know 5E that well. Axe beak was it's name in 1E through 3E. Terror Bird maybe? Ah yeah, I guess I just assumed Reaper didn't use the 5E name, but Axe beak seems to be the fit. I guess I could just go with a regular giant lizard stat for the Hornslasher. Is it based off an actual non-dino ancient lizard? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TaleSpinner Posted June 11, 2019 Moderator Share Posted June 11, 2019 21 minutes ago, cawatrooper said: I guess I could just go with a regular giant lizard stat for the Hornslasher. Is it based off an actual non-dino ancient lizard? None that I have ever studied. I'd bet it is just a fantasy-fication of a monitor. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranky Dog Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 30 minutes ago, TaleSpinner said: None that I have ever studied. I'd bet it is just a fantasy-fication of a monitor. As it is, it looks like a cross between a desert lizard and a monitor lizard/komodo dragon. A dire komodo dragon? 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cawatrooper Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 3 minutes ago, Cranky Dog said: As it is, it looks like a cross between a desert lizard and a monitor lizard/komodo dragon. A dire komodo dragon? I like the way you think. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aard_Rinn Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Sarcosuchus I think. But with some ridiculous 1860s style horns... I kind of hate it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cawatrooper Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 2 hours ago, Aard_Rinn said: But with some ridiculous 1860s style horns... I kind of hate it. I was thinking the same thing, it really has that classic old school dino vibe. Hard to put into words, but I feel like it's basically the same energy as a lot of the older (horribly inaccurate) art in books I probably read as a kid. I don't hate it, but I'm glad the whole set isn't like that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSlayer Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 On 6/11/2019 at 2:28 PM, cawatrooper said: What is the "hornslasher" supposed to be. Is there an equivalent in 5E? This maybe: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YronimosW Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 (edited) It looks to me like one of those monsters from the old cheapo 1940s-1960s B-Movies - the sort where the special effects department glued horns and such onto live geckos, baby alligators, or iguanas, then filmed them in rear-projection behind human actors to make the lizards look dinosaur-sized. Is it biologically accurate? No way. Is it a throw-back to pulpy, goofy, retro fantasy fun, with the bonus of no animals harmed in the making of these miniatures? You bet! Just add in forests of giant mushrooms, gorgeous cave-girl warriors in fur bikinis, psychic dinosaur-gods, a band of evil ape-man minions, and Victorian explorers visiting some land that time forgot using elaborate steampunk-style pseudo-science contraptions (submarines, dirigibles, or engines with drills in front), and you're in the right ballpark.... Edit to add: The Axebeak is an ancient D&D staple going waaaay back, added to D&D in the same retro pulp dinosaur adventure spirit that the "Lost Valley" expansion seems to be aiming for. Edited June 16, 2019 by YronimosW 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cawatrooper Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 14 hours ago, YronimosW said: It looks to me like one of those monsters from the old cheapo 1940s-1960s B-Movies - the sort where the special effects department glued horns and such onto live geckos, baby alligators, or iguanas, then filmed them in rear-projection behind human actors to make the lizards look dinosaur-sized. Is it biologically accurate? No way. Is it a throw-back to pulpy, goofy, retro fantasy fun, with the bonus of no animals harmed in the making of these miniatures? You bet! Just add in forests of giant mushrooms, gorgeous cave-girl warriors in fur bikinis, psychic dinosaur-gods, a band of evil ape-man minions, and Victorian explorers visiting some land that time forgot using elaborate steampunk-style pseudo-science contraptions (submarines, dirigibles, or engines with drills in front), and you're in the right ballpark.... Edit to add: The Axebeak is an ancient D&D staple going waaaay back, added to D&D in the same retro pulp dinosaur adventure spirit that the "Lost Valley" expansion seems to be aiming for. Cool, thanks! Yeah, the more I look into it, the more I'm digging this pulpy vibe. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YronimosW Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 (edited) Same here - I think the set got some puzzled looks from "fantasy purists" on one hand who couldn't think of a way to fit this style of fantasy into their fantasy game, and "dinosaur realists" on the other who weren't sure how to fit the fantasy elements into their historical games, which surprised me on both counts (I didn't know there that many prehistoric wargamers, or that "fantasy purism" was even a "thing"!), but I'm all for the retro-pulp-fantasy thing. I could as easily see these critters on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom, or in a Pellucidar/Hollow Earth or its fantasy equivalent (The Underdark), or in a fantasy jungle setting knocked off of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age, or running amok in a city for a Superheroes game as some masked villain's master-plan (step 1, unleash monsters; step 2, ?; Step 3, PROFIT!), or a Jules Verne style lost world in a steampunk or Eberron game, or flourishing in the sewers of some major city for a modern or fantasy game (everyone knows that lizards grow to colossal size in city sewers!).... These guys also remind me of those old "Chinasaurs" they used to sell in "dime stores" when I was a youngster: these were marketed as "dinosaurs" in the U.S., but apparently originated in Korea or Taiwan as Kaiju-style fantasy monsters; you'll probably recognize some of the original 1960s-1970s era Chinasaurs as the inspiration for some famous D&D monsters: according to RPG legend, in an era where a dedicated market for fantasy gaming miniatures simply didn't exist, one of the guys from Gary Gygax's gaming group bought a package of these monsters at a local dime store, and thus the Rust Monster, Bullette, Umber Hulk, Troglodyte, and Owlbear were all born! So, it's great that there are no known stats for this monster in the D&D books: imagine that you are back in the Wild West days of the 1970s, where a cheap dime-store toy could evolve into the Rust Monster with a little imagination! That's the opportunity you have here... find some stats for a similarly-sized monster to start with (the Giant Lizard stats, as you mentioned, are a great place to start!), then add on a magical ability that amuses you (maybe it breathes lightning bolts?), blame the whole thing on a wizard's experiment, and you're set to go! :) Edited June 20, 2019 by YronimosW 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalibak Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 ^ That was super-interesting. I never knew about that origin for those classic monsters. It’s another example of how natural the development of D&D was, rather than as some horrible corporate, market-tested thing. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitterwolf Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 On 6/12/2019 at 7:34 PM, Aard_Rinn said: Sarcosuchus I think. But with some ridiculous 1860s style horns... I kind of hate it. It's a fantasy lizard, I love the dinos, I also love this one, it will paint up nice but it definitely isn't a real creature. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
criticalhit Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 (edited) The Axe Beak is an Axe Beak in 5e. The Hornslasher is the only reptile-like monster in Bones that is the correct size to be used as a Giant Lizard in 5e. Edited November 15, 2019 by criticalhit 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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