Saurians are lizard-like creatures from the amazing game Dragon’s Dogma (or Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen for the later editions). I have three copies of this game and I even played the Japanese MMO for a little while. Dragon’s Dogma does something very few other games do by combining elements in interesting ways and innovating some. Much like monsters from The Witcher, their monsters also have specific behaviors and weaknesses. For one session, I decided to use the saurian as a source of inspiration.

D&D Monster Lore: saurian
The river that runs through and past the city is a great source for trade. But travelers from upstream have told stories about small “water dragons” residing in the river banks. These fierce, scaly creatures rarely roam alone, and they never come in peace. Saurians hunt in packs and they’re not afraid to attack a group of humans on a boat. Though they’ll always look for a way to ambush their targets, using the water and its rocks to their advantage.
Those who have heard the tales find it hard to believe that these big lizards are actually cunning. But those who encountered them never fail to mention it. Saurians are devious, striking from the shadows behind the tree line, or diving up from the water. And no matter what: if there is treasure to be found, they’ll find it, no matter the cost.
Saurian: Stat block
CR | 3 |
AC | 16 |
HP | 45 |
Speed | 30 ft, swim 30 ft |
Size | Medium |
Spell Attack | N/A |
Actions | – Spear (melee attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target, 6 (1d6+3) slashing damage) – Bite (melee attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target, 6 (1d6+3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage.) – Tail (melee attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target, 7 (1d8+3) bludgeoning damage.) – Spit (+3, (2d4+1) acid, 25ft range) |
Features | Detachable Tail (When the Saurian is reduced to half its maximum hit points, its tail detaches. When this happens, it loses its resistances and gains vulnerability to all damage types except psychic. After the tail detaches, the Saurian enters a frenzy, gaining an extra melee attack during its turn until the end of the combat.) |
Bonus Action | Frenzy Attack (Available only after its tail detaches. The Saurian makes one additional melee attack.) |
Reaction | Dive (When targeted by an attack, the Saurian can dive underwater, gaining half cover until the start of its next turn.) |
Villain Action 1 | Frenzy: the Saurian can make a bite attack against a random creature within 5 ft. This attack is made with advantage.) |
Villain Action 2 | Slippery Escape: the Saurian can disengage and move its entire movement, leaving a slick trail behind that is difficult terrain for 1 minute. |
Villain Action 3 | Terrifying Roar: the Saurian unleashes a fearsome roar. All creatures within 60 feet that can hear it must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn. |
Resistances | – Bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks (with tail attached) – None (without tail) |
Immunity | Poison |
Condition Immunity | N/A |
Vulnerability | – With tail attached: cold, psychic – Without tail: all except psychic |
Weaknesses | Tail: if a creature specifically targets the tail, the attack has disadvantage but, if successful, the tail detaches. Hitting the saurian’s tail does regular damage. |
Lure | Saurians are known to hoard shiny objects, making baits with such objects an effective way to attract their attention. |
Saurian: running the monster
Saurians are pack monsters. Depending on the size of the player party, a group of five to ten. The leader saurian should be the only one with villain actions (and perhaps a little bit of extra health), the rest function the same but simply without the villain actions. They are easy to adapt to party size and strength by simply changing HP (and AC, if the players severely out level them) since their attacks are straightforward.
Saurian: main tactics
Usually, saurians will climb aboard a boat to ambush the sailors in melee range. Then the remaining saurians will hit their targets from a distance, now with flanking advantage because of their boarding brethren. The danger in the encounter ratchets up as the combat goes on, since they will frenzy once they hit half health/are bloodied.

Depending on the speed of the boat or the situation, saurians might also dive into the water (using their reaction). They swim as fast as they can walk, so they can hop in and out of the water to force the players to switch targets. This is their main way of splitting up the damage. You don’t want the players to focus on one single target. The pack is as strong as its size.
Villain Actions
The saurian boss should be in the middle of the action at the start of the encounter. By attacking and using his villain action in the first round, he can deal some damage. In the second round he should use his escape. Not only to get away, but also to lock the players (as much as he can) in with the slimy trail. In the third round he should move back into the fray to do damage and frighten the players. We want utter chaos, as the tails of the saurians start coming off and the number of attacks increases.
What the players should do
Thin out the herd. Players should try to focus on singular enemies and nuke them, not giving them the chance to frenzy, if possible. Ideally they should use cold damage and aim it at the tail. Once that’s done, a saurian can be taken out fairly easily. The party should always try to focus on one enemy at a time and not allow them to escape.
In an encounter with a ‘boss saurian’, it would actually be a distraction if the players focused on the boss. Due to the villain action of the second round, it can disengage and use its reaction to get away, nullifying all the progress the players made. This is why the boss should be very confrontational, to lure out the attack from the players. Once they make that mistake, they’ll pay dearly for it!