You Got Your Dinosaurs in my Medieval Fantasy!

Jurassic World is out, so I’m exploiting that. Deal with it.

The greatest sin of Dungeons & Dragons 5^th Edition is that there is no Velociraptor or Deinonychus in the Monster Manual. Whether you care or not about the actual necessity of differentiating the two, the fact that what is likely the second-most well known dinosaur in the WORLD didn’t make it into the book is a black mark on ALL of the D&D design team. That said, the You have to change nothing to re-skin the lion as a raptor. It’s fast, and it has a bite, claws, and pounce attack.

So, how do you use Dinosaurs in your games? It’s an issue I’ve run into in the past when trying to figure out how to fit what are undoubtedly and irrefutably the MOST AWESOME animals in the history of the world into a traditionally-medieval fantasy game with swords and wizards and shit.

  

Seriously, guys. This is the essence of imagination.

The answer is, of course, that this is Dungeons & Freaking Dragons, yo! You want dinosaurs in your game, then put some dinosaurs in your game, man! There’s wizards and shit! Don’t leave my tyranno-bro out of the game!

So the real salient question is not whether or not you should include dragons, but rather HOW you should include them. I came up with 3.

The Savage Lands

In Marvel Comics, there exists a land known as the Savage Lands. This is a place where, among other things, Dinosaurs still roam the earth. Golarion, the official campaign setting of the Pathfinder RPG, has the Mwangi Expanse: a vast jungle where dinosaurs roam. One of the earliest modules in the history of D&D, The Isle of Dread by David Cook and Tom Moldvay is distinct due to its inhabitants being—you guessed it—dinosaurs. The concept of a long lost land inhabited by ancient monsters—specifically dinosaurs—goes back as far as Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, and likely even further back. Whether it’s an island, an ancient chamber beneath the earth’s crust, or a long-lost valley of ancient wonders, this trope continues to see use. And there’s a good reason for that.

Whatcha lookin' at, buddy? Is it a dinosaur?
I bet it's a dinosaur.

The beauty of a method like this is that it creates a mystique around the idea of dinosaurs and other ancient beings. These are creatures that can only be found in this one place. Perhaps your players hear tall tales of such a land, or maybe they discover it themselves after becoming shipwrecked or while taking a shortcut through an untamed wilderness. Maybe it is well known that this land exists, but none dare travel there due to the dangers of the trip. Whatever you may choose, there’s a reason that the idea of the “savage land” is a classic.

Dem Bones

SPOILER ALERT: Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files, rides a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It’s only for a short time, but it is, without a doubt, one of his more awesome moments in Jim Butcher’s series of books. How does he do it? He re-animates the bones of a T-Rex in a natural history museum.

Awesome.

Sometimes, it’s better to leave dead things dead. And sometimes that’s the case with dinosaurs. If you thought creating a land of lost behemoths makes dinosaurs exotic, just imagine seeing one when they’re supposed to be extinct. That’s the entire point of Jurassic Park. These creatures are long-dead, but now have found new life.

Seriously. How freaking scary would it be to see this thing coming at you?

The same logic can be applied to Dungeons and Dragons. All that’s left of dinosaurs are their bones. That is, until a necromancer decides to raise those bones, creating an army of velociraptor skeletons, with a T-Rex as his primary bodyguard. A cleric obsessed with reviving extinct species decides to cast resurrection spells on the bones his church excavates, releasing them into the wild and leading to all kinds of nonsense.

While the idea of a savage land allows you, as a DM, to place your players in an entirely foreign environment with entirely strange and new monsters, I feel that this method could almost be more jarring. Take the above example of a necromancer with raptor-skeleton minions. Would that not scare the crap out of a character in that world? What the hell are these things? Their bodies are strangely-shaped; completely alien to modern sensibilities. Imagine seeing a deinonychus skeleton for the FIRST time. We have nothing like it in our modern world. Sure, birds are similarly proportioned, but they lack the teeth, claws, and tails that carnivorous dinosaurs had. It would be like confronting a six-foot-tall crocodile on two legs that can run at 40 miles-per-hour.

Terrifying. And awesome.

My Pet Dinosaur

DM: “As you lay your beds down to camp for the night, you hear something off in the distance. It sounds almost like a the rapid, harsh purr of a cat.”

Petey the Player: “Can I roll a Nature check to identify it?”

DM: “Go for it.”

*Petey rolls a 16.*

DM: “You’ve only heard this sound a few times during your life. Every time, it has ended in disaster. You have never forgotten the sound of a Velociraptor.”

This is, without a doubt, my favorite of the three methods. Essentially, dinosaurs just become another piece of your world. Rather than being ancient or exotic, they are simply beasts that inhabit the world alongside other beasts. Instead of running into a pack of wolves, maybe you run into a pack of raptors. Pteranodons and Dimorphodons might lurk in canyon passes and high up on cliffs. Parasaurolophus might be used in lieu of horns during a large battle. Triceratops and other large herbivores might be beasts of burden, pulling massive plows or moving equipment. Massive sauropods could be used as transport, like gigantic greyhound buses. This isn’t Dinotopia, where all animals are replaced with dinosaurs. Rather, the dinosaurs become another part of the world alongside modern animals. A child might ask you to find her lost compsognathus rather than her cat.

Yes. Just...just, all of the yes.

The idea has already been used, to an extent, in the past. Eberron has several countries that have dinosaurs as a common animal. There is even a group of halflings that have a culture surrounding the local dinosaur population; using them as beasts of burden and mounts.

Yeah. That's right. It's gettin' all Dinotopia up in here.

There is, unfortunately, a certain level of mysticism that is lost with this method. But I think that, sprung on unwary players, this could really make for an intriguing game. The very fact that it’s velociraptors that are killing livestock, rather than wolves, or that it’s a rabid ceratosaurus that’s attacking travelers in the pass, rather than a bear, can add a level of depth in a player’s mind that would not be achieved otherwise. Everyone’s tired of all the played-out, generic low-level quest ideas and random overworld encounters. Sometimes, though, throwing a fresh coat of paint on an old idea can make it feel new again. I feel that this—making dinosaurs a normal part of your world—can be that coat of paint.

For added fun, I suggest checking out Goblin Punch's Mutant Dinosaur Generator. Just to pull the rug out from under your players' feet.

BONUS: The Saurian Race

I decided that, rather than just throw together a bunch of ideas for dinos in your campaign and call it a day, I’d actually design something for today’s blog post. In a game with dinosaurs, one of the things I would also want to include is an evolved, humanoid race of sauroid beings. Thus, the saurian. I know that saurials already exist in The Realms. But I was thinking less…this.

And more…this.

Yeah. I’m going for more of a Reptoid/Visitors from V approach. Include them how you like in your game, but I’ll provide game statistics and some basic ideas on how they might interact with the rest of the world.

This is my ideal version of the saurian.
But I didn't want to deal with the logistics of a huge-sized player race.

Ancient Monarchs

The saurians ruled when the world was young. And while they have fallen from grace, there are still places that fall under saurian rule. They are haughty beings that often think themselves above the common rabble of the world. In order to express this, saurian adventurers often pride themselves on keeping several servants in constant employ to do their bidding. The servants will help with transport, grooming (saurians love their scales to glitter in the sunlight), and even combat, dependent on their skill set.

True Objectivists

While saurians think themselves above everyone else, they also believe in absolute freedom. They believe that they should be above the rest simply because they are, by definition, the best and brightest the world has to offer. Saurians will never keep slaves, and will only employ servants that are willing and recognize the saurian’s greatness for themselves. Law and order under saurian rule is often a democratic affair, where laws are decided upon by the people themselves. Therefore, other than a few universal laws against things like murder, assault, and rape, saurian kingdoms often have laws that vary wildly based upon the people that inhabit the land and the land itself.

Saurians are actually nazis that are part of the Illuminati.
True story, bro. My brother told me so.

Warriors By Necessity

Most saurians consider themselves pacifists in at least some respect. Violence and war is something that is conducted by those whose minds are unoccupied by the grander questions of the world. However, with their numbers dwindling, saurians more and more often have been forced to pick up the blade in order to defend themselves. Still, those that do so insist on practicing combat and war as a discipline and an art. The world is a dangerous place, but that is no excuse to lower yourself to common barbarism.

Preoccupied by Greatness

Saurians are natural scholars. Their centuries-long lives allow them to take a longer look at history than other races. This leads many toward lives of research and discovery, seeking answers to some of the world’s greatest questions. Who are we? Why are we here? What are the secrets of the stars, the gods, and that which exists beyond our comprehension? These are the questions which saurians seek to answer.

Saurian Names

Saurians’ names are often long and complex. When a saurian reaches the age of 50, they take five years to venture throughout the world and seek the truth of themselves, whereupon they return and pronounce their name to their society, using the name to describe them as thoroughly as they possibly can. They are strings of words, crafting sentences or even poems within the Saurian language, rather than traditional names, and pay no heed toward clan or parentage. Saurians on their journey are usually given nicknames by companions or people they meet along the way. These nicknames often find their way into a saurian’s final chosen name.

Saurian Traits

Saurians are slim and lithe, with large skulls that carry large, thoughtful brains within them. Their eyes are large and telescopic, while their mouths are small. While some appear bulkier and more muscular than others, most saurians are not built for physical tasks or combat.

Originally, saurians were going to gain firearm proficiency.
It's one of many things that ended up on the cutting room floor.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Intelligence score increases by 2.

Age. Saurians reach physical adulthood at age 50. They are not considered adults in their society until they name themselves at age 55, however. They normally live up to 400 years, though some elders boast being over the age of 700, and stories tell of saurians that lived for over a millennium.

Alignment. Saurians are objectivists who believe that people should make their own way in life, irrespective of the law of the land. Therefore, they gravitate toward chaos and neutrality.

Size. Saurians stand between 5 and 6 feet tall, with females generally being taller and more slender than males. They weigh an average of 120 pounds. Your size is medium.

Telescopic Vision. You gain advantage on all perception checks involving your vision.

Natural Leader. You may, as a reaction, add 1d4 to any single d20 roll of an ally or follower. You must complete a short or long rest before you can do this again.

Seeker of Knowledge. You gain proficiency in either Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion. If you already have proficiency in that skill, you instead gain expertise (2x proficiency bonus) in it.

Languages. You can read, speak, and write common and saurian.