[A companion piece to the crocophant. Includes a bonus template!]
Iguanoceros This
lumbering creature is a reptilian quadruped with a short tail and a ramrod
straight posture. Its whole body is covered with interlocking scales, and a
single horn grows from its nose.
The iguanoceros is another attempt to
recreate the majesty of dinosaurs by magically hybridizing several types of
more common animals. An iguanoceros is created by a fusion of rhinoceros and
lizard, and they combine aspects of both species in their appearance and
behavior. They are belligerent herbivores that are easily startled, making them
a difficult creature to work with. Unlike the more social crocophants,
iguanoceroses are solitary beasts, although a mated pair may tolerate each
other’s presence for some time.
Most iguanoceroses are kept in
captivity as trophies of magical might, but they make poor guard animals. Iguanoceroses
have poor vision, and their reaction to being startled is typically to charge
or trample the offending creature. Scavengers typically follow in an
iguanoceros’ wake feeding on its inadvertent victims—but they tend to keep
their distance. An iguanoceros is a voracious grazer capable of consuming a
wide variety of grasses, shrubs and bushes. Iguanoceroses retain an instinctual
preference for high places from their iguana brethren—although they cannot
climb trees, they are fond of boulders and promontories as nesting sites and
places to bask in the sun.
An iguanoceros grows about 11 feet
high at the shoulder and is about 25 feet long.
Woolly
Simple Template (CR +1) Whether due to their unstable magical
nature or further tampering by transmuters, some monsters, such as crocophants
and iguanoceroses develop special adaptations to cold environments. The woolly
variants of these monsters resemble their basic form, but are slightly larger
and covered in a coat of thick hair. A woolly monster has +4 Str, +4 Con, +4
natural armor and cold resistance 10. The woolly template can be added to any
animal or magical beast.
Iguanoceroses were bred in Koll as an attempt to create guard beasts similar to the crocophant, but better adapted to the savanna. The result was a resounding failure, as these temperamental creatures are practically impossible to tame. They bred true and now roam the wilds.
Shores of Swords 