The beloved prehistoric sourcebook from real life palaeontologists has arrived on D&D Beyond, and it brings along with it 57 creatures and six new species.
If you’ve ever wanted to replace your dungeon’s kobolds with a pack of feathered raptors, this is the book for you. Dr Dhrolin’s Dictionary of Dinosaurs, co-written by palaeontologist Dr Nathan Barling and his colleague Michael, is now available on D&D Beyond as part of the platform’s partnered content programme.
The original book has been out in print for some time and built a strong following among players who backed it via Kickstarter, but its arrival on D&D Beyond opens it up to a bigger audience, with full integration into the character builder and the virtual tabletop as well as updating the book for D&D 5.5e.
What’s Inside?
An expansive bestiary
The core of the book is a bestiary of 57 prehistoric creatures, spanning dinosaurs, pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and other ancient animals. Each creature comes with detailed anatomy and behaviour notes, not just stat blocks, along with optional magical variants that can be used to create ‘champion’ versions within a pack.
Six new playable species
Six new dinofolk species are available for players and DMs to use. These include the Pluvenn, described as rural raptor-folk with a love for feasting festivals, the Manyhorn, a guild based society of ceratopsian-folk and the Jeholrak, small neornithischian-folk who rely on pheromonal influence.
Three New Subclasses
Players can also choose from three prehistoric-themed subclasses: the Big Game Hunter Ranger, focused on ranged combat and specialist ammunition, the Bonesmith Fighter, a combat blacksmith who makes weapons and armour from fallen foes; and the Circle of Cycles Druid, who draws on time and evolution to manipulate creatures and see the future.
Backgrounds, feats, and magic items
Rounding out the player options are backgrounds like the Time-Lost and the Palaeontologist, 8 themed feats, and around 30 unique palaeontology themed magic items.
Varied settings
For DMs looking to run full prehistoric campaigns, the book includes four real-world fossil sites reconstructed for D&D play. Each comes with historically accurate flora, fauna and environmental hazards. All four environments have battle maps built directly into D&D Beyond’s virtual tabletop.
Fully integrated on D&D Beyond
Dr Dhrolin’s Dictionary of Dinosaurs is available now on D&D Beyond’s marketplace. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to introduce dinosaurs to your table, this book is ideal for you.