4 Giant-Size Dinosaurs to Tower Above Your Game

Tags Running Monsters author-riley-silverman giants

If the ripples in our water glass are any indication, something big is on the way. Something that is known for instilling a sense of wonder, awe, and childlike glee. That’s right, today we’re talking about dinosaurs. And you’re in luck, because you won’t even need a goat to lure out this new pack of primeval dinos from Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants.

Join us on a tour to meet these new dinosaurs and see how to use them in your games.

Leveling Up Beloved Monsters

Most longtime D&D players have likely had some experience with dinosaurs in their games. After all, what is an 8th-level conjure fey spell if not really a “conjure tyrannosaurus rex” spell? And who among us hasn’t tried to befriend a velociraptor in the jungles of Chult? I know I’ll never forget when our wizard polymorphed into a big toothy boy in order to face off against a dragon in its lair. 

Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants takes the footprint that dinos already have in D&D and combines them with the same primeval forces that make the land of the giants so wondrous and exciting. These dinosaurs push past the realm of beasts to become true monstrosities. These are the dinosaurs that other dinosaurs look up at in awe.

More Dinosaurs to Discover

While this article highlights the new primeval dinosaurs you’ll find in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, you can also find updated stat blocks for many of the more classic varieties in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. Plus, stats for two of the most popular dinosaurs of all time can be found right here for free on D&D Beyond in the Basic Rules, the triceratops and the tyrannosaurus rex.

The Dinosaurs of Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

Concept art of four behemoth dinosaurs

Concept art by April Prime

Aerosaur

Crackling with lightning-like energy, aerosaurs are behemoths that tear through the sky. By sight alone, their 200-feet wingspans are intense. But if you find yourself on opposing sides of a battle with them, you may just find yourself unable to stand up to the thunderous forces of their wingspan.

As fearsome as just one of these monstrosities can be, imagine seeing a whole squadron of them, each being ridden by a giant directing them into battle.

Altisaur

Imagine you’re trekking across a distant, unfamiliar landscape and think to yourself, maybe you’ll take a shortcut across that rocky hillscape. It does look like some lava is flowing through some of the cracks, so you just need to watch your step. Just as you crest the summit, the ground starts to shake. You’re not climbing rocks at all, you’ve wandered onto the back of an altisaur. It stands and raises its head, its long neck reaching 150 feet up into the sky. Better hold on for dear life! Wherever it’s heading, is where you’re going now, too.

Ceratops

You absolutely do not want to be in the charging path of one of these behemoths. Glowing with green elemental energy, these behemoth boys can trample across even the ancient forests that line the lands of the giants. Even a single horn from a ceratops is larger than a giant, allowing them to easily fling pests, like adventuring parties, away from them. 

Regisaur

The true "ruler of the dinosaurs" is what giants fear the way we might fear a T-rex, and with good reason. Regisaurs are predators massive enough to swallow a full giant without even chewing. If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself on the bad side of one of these towering terrors, you may just want to plan for an "inside the belly" strategy. 

How to Use These Dinosaurs in Your Game

I think the more honest question is, “How wouldn’t you use a mountain-sized dinosaur in your game?” But there are definitely a few fun possibilities. Here are some that came to mind for me:

Land of the Lost

Your adventuring party has to cross a massive ancient valley that is simply crawling with gargantuan dinosaurs, constantly on guard to not run afoul of creatures that could stomp them without a thought. Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants contains a table to help you with random encounters in a dinosaur world.

Primeval Pets

These dinosaurs are among the many giant creatures the players might encounter within a giant enclave. Whether they’re being used as mounts for giants to ride into battle, or serving as the most overkill of sentries, a wise adventuring party would be wise not to underestimate their masters.

The Big Enemy of My Big Enemy Is my Big Friend?

The primeval dinosaurs boast sizes that rival even that of ancient dragons. Which could come in pretty handy if you have to fight an ancient dragon. Tracking down, befriending, and training an aerosaur or ceratops could be a pretty epic quest to undergo before heading off to battle.

Hit the Road

If you’re playing a game set in the more familiar regions of the Material Plane, a primeval dinosaur accidentally finding its way into a populated region is what we’d call a problem. A pretty exciting adventure hook could be having to redirect a creature this massive back to its rightful home. 

Follow These Footprints

There’s no reason to dig up amber to find out more about these dinos. If you’re excited to check out their full stat blocks as well as the expanded roster of gargantuan creatures from all parts of the giants’ realms, be sure to check out Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants.

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Riley Silverman (@rileyjsilverman) is a contributing writer to D&D Beyond, Nerdist, and SYFY Wire. She DMs the Theros-set Dice Ex Machina for the Saving Throw Show, and has been a player on the Wizards of the Coast-sponsored The Broken Pact. Riley also played as Braga in the official tabletop adaptation of the Rat Queens comic for HyperRPG, and currently plays as The Doctor on the Doctor Who RPG podcast The Game of Rassilon. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

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