Triceratops
FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: 2-8
ARMOR CLASS: -2 (head)/5 (body
MOVE: 12”
HIT DICE: 12
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-24
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (25’ long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Triceratops’ design promotes
the idea
that the best defense is a good offense.
Its head is up to 7 feet long (comparative-
ly huge for a plant-eater) and covered in
a shell of bone with a solid “frill” over the
neck. Three sharp horns jut forward
from its massive head, a short one from
its nose and two long ones from the bony
ridge above its eyes. Carnosaurs inter-
ested in making a meal of a triceratops
will have a hard time getting past those
deadly horns.
Triceratops is a plains dweller. Each
small herd keeps to its own territory.
Though it generally ambles slowly over
the plains, cropping vegetation, a tricer-
atops can charge like a rhinoceros if
threatened, building up great speed for
short periods. A triceratops which has
had at least 50 yards to build up speed
will do double damage when it hits.
Triceratops is among the largest of the
many species of ceratopsians. Others
include styracosaurus (10HD),
with one
horn (3-18 damage) and a spiked frill,
and monoclonius (8HD), with one horn
(2-16 damage) and a somewhat smaller
frill.
by Lawrence Schick