Tüskéshátú Ragadozó

Description

High up in the mountains a bloodcurdling scream can be heard as a man pierced by spikes and unable to run, is slowly being eaten alive.
The thornback raptors, or tüskéshátú ragadozó in the native tongue, are a carnivorous minor predator within the highlands of the Tukhamu Magas. They are incredibly fast and they have a keen sense of smell and hearing, which allows them to efficiently find and track potential prey. They are not particularly strong however, so they mostly rely on ambush tactics and strength in numbers. They secretly stalk their prey from within the shadows of provided cover, and when the moment comes, they will spring out of hiding to launch an ambush, rushing at their prey as they chase it across the land using quick bursts of speed. Upon catching up, they will latch onto it from all directions, utilizing their teeth and sharp claws to rip into the victim, causing excess bleeding until the prey is brought down. With smaller prey, a lone raptor will pin it's victim to the ground with it's claws, then kill by biting the neck and suffocating it.
If they come upon a stronger foe, they apply one of two tactics. If something is too terrifying to face but relatively slow, or they are out of reach, they will simply run. If they are already caught they curl up and raise their thorns to dissuade the attacker from trying to eat them. If it is a foe that they could take on with a larger group, they will also curl up but instead screech for help, and wait for the pack to arrive and overwhelm the other beast.

Intelligence and Behavior

Many of their tactics mentioned above rely on the strength of the group, and thornback raptors are highly social beasts. They show a fierce intelligence when it comes to setting traps for larger creatures, or luring them into an ambush. They are able to instinctually cooperate with each other making them lethal predators.
They travel in large packs ranging anywhere from half a dozen to two or even three dozen. These packs often split up into smaller groups to forage for food or search for prey. A large group stands out, but in lower numbers they can be quite stealthy. This splitting up also prevents excessive infighting that is sometimes seen in larger groups. Competition for food can be fierce sometimes, so being part of too large a pack is also disadvantageous. Their rapid life cycle ensures that they are not weighed down by useless younglings who cannot fend for themselves and can stay mobile. A thornback raptor matures in roughly 18 months, but is already lethal to a man at a mere 8 months.

Statistics

[5th Edition D&D]

Geographic Distribution

• Tukhamu Magas