Dinosaur (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
In numerous campaign setting
s of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, dinosaurs, based upon the actual-life extinct reptiles of prehistoric ages, are present. Some of the dinosaur
s used in D&D, such as Triceratops
, Tyrannosaurus rex
, and Ankylosaurus
, are real ones which used to exist on earth. Others, such as the Bloodstriker, Fleshraker and Swindlespitter from the Monster Manual III, though labeled as dinosaurs, are made up, and as such are likely better regarded as monsters. Most D&D settings have a location where dinosaurs are known to dwell, and seeing as they coexist with intelligent races, they are sometimes depicted as tamed, with such things as armored T. rexes being used in battle and Velociraptors used as mounts.
,
and have played a significant role in Dungeons and Dragons since nearly the very beginning. In the 1981 dinosaurs were a major antagonist in the module the Isle of Dread
(which was exceptionally widely distributed as it was included with the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
). Also in the The Bane of Llywelyn
, an early first edition Dungeons and Dragon's module featured amazons on Pterosaur
-like dinosaurs.
In 1990, the Hollow World Campaign Set
for the Hollow World campaign setting
was introduced. It "... takes all the best elements of the fantastic adventure fiction of the '30s and '40s (dinosaurs, savage men, lost empires) and marries them to the tropes of Dungeons & Dragons (elves, dwarves, Vance-style magic)".
Dinosaurs continue to play a major role in a number of more recent published adventures and campaign settings. In the 2002 Eberron
campaign setting dinosaurs play a major role, and are the primary food source, work animal and mount of the Talenta Halflings.
In 2006, the first part of the Savage Tide
Adventure Path
was published. These adventures return to the "dinosaur-ridden" Isle of Dread.
In the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons dinosaurs are referred to as behemoths and given alternate names.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, dinosaurs, based upon the actual-life extinct reptiles of prehistoric ages, are present. Some of the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s used in D&D, such as Triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
, Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
, and Ankylosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Ankylosaurus is a genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur, containing one species, A. magniventris...
, are real ones which used to exist on earth. Others, such as the Bloodstriker, Fleshraker and Swindlespitter from the Monster Manual III, though labeled as dinosaurs, are made up, and as such are likely better regarded as monsters. Most D&D settings have a location where dinosaurs are known to dwell, and seeing as they coexist with intelligent races, they are sometimes depicted as tamed, with such things as armored T. rexes being used in battle and Velociraptors used as mounts.
Publication history in Dungeons & Dragons
Dinosaurs have existed in each edition of the Monster manualMonster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
,
and have played a significant role in Dungeons and Dragons since nearly the very beginning. In the 1981 dinosaurs were a major antagonist in the module the Isle of Dread
Isle of Dread
The Isle of Dread is an adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventure, module code X1, was originally published in 1981. Written by David "Zeb" Cook, and Tom Moldvay, it is among the most widely circulated of all Dungeons & Dragons adventures due to its inclusion as part of...
(which was exceptionally widely distributed as it was included with the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...
). Also in the The Bane of Llywelyn
The Bane of Llywelyn
The Bane of Llywelyn is a first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventure module.-Plot summary:In this scenario, the player characters must find where the King of Pellham is buried....
, an early first edition Dungeons and Dragon's module featured amazons on Pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
-like dinosaurs.
In 1990, the Hollow World Campaign Set
Hollow World Campaign Set
The Hollow World Campaign Set is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Hollow World is a campaign setting boxed set describing a vast new territory, the hollow inside of the Known World, mapped on four large sheets...
for the Hollow World campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
was introduced. It "... takes all the best elements of the fantastic adventure fiction of the '30s and '40s (dinosaurs, savage men, lost empires) and marries them to the tropes of Dungeons & Dragons (elves, dwarves, Vance-style magic)".
Dinosaurs continue to play a major role in a number of more recent published adventures and campaign settings. In the 2002 Eberron
Eberron
Eberron is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of Khorvaire...
campaign setting dinosaurs play a major role, and are the primary food source, work animal and mount of the Talenta Halflings.
In 2006, the first part of the Savage Tide
Savage Tide
The Savage Tide Adventure Path is the third and final Adventure Path for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game published in Dungeon Adventures...
Adventure Path
Adventure Path
Adventure Paths are serial adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Though originally applied to the series of Third Edition modules beginning with The Sunless Citadel, the phrase has more recently come to apply nearly exclusively to several lengthy series, each consisting of...
was published. These adventures return to the "dinosaur-ridden" Isle of Dread.
In the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons dinosaurs are referred to as behemoths and given alternate names.