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Axe beaks were tall and aggressive flightless birds.[1]

Description[]

Axe beaks got their name from their sharp wedge-shaped beaks. They had strong necks and powerful legs, which they used to sprint at high speeds.[1][5]

Abilities[]

Axebeaks were faster runners than most horses.[2][note 2]

Behavior[]

Axe beaks were aggressive hunters and usually hunted during daytime. They were always prone to attack any unfamiliar creatures that approached them.[1][5]

Combat[]

The main natural weapon an axe beak used in combat was its heavy and sharp beak.[1][5]

Ecology[]

Axe beaks were most commonly found in hills and grasslands,[6] but they were also common to the jungles of Chult and the Snout of Omgar.[7][8]

Flocks of axe beaks were also believed to be protective of their young, rushing to its aid in case of danger.[9]

The tortles of Ahoyhoy sometimes captured wild axe beaks to sell them to visitors.[10]

Appendix[]

See Also[]

Notes[]

  1. The 2nd edition alignment given in the original source is "Nil", which should be read as Neutral according to this Sage Advice answer by Skip Williams in Dragon Magazine Issue #155: "The nil alignment rating is a holdover from an early draft of the Monstrous Compendium material. Originally, a rating of nil indicated that a creature was not intelligent enough to have an alignment at all. However, the nil rating was dropped during rewriting and should have been replaced with the neutral alignment."
  2. In v.3.5 rules, both axebeaks and horses have the Run feat, which allows them to move five times their normal movement speed over flat, even terrain, but axebeaks have a speed 5 higher than that of a light horse. This calculates to 34 mph (55 km/h) for the horse and 37 mph (60 km/h) for the axebeak. At least five Faerûnian breeds—the Calimite, Chionthar, Dambraii, Lhesperan, and Raurin—could run faster than the axebeak, attaining maximum speeds of 40 mph (64 km/h).
    For comparison, in the real world, some horses can reach speeds of over 50 mph (80 km/h), but v.3.5 consistently gives lower maximum speeds for animals, likely because the Monster Manuals include representatives of average specimens.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 317. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Grant Boucher, Troy Christensen, Jon Pickens, John Terra and Scott Davis (1991). Arms and Equipment Guide. (TSR, Inc.), p. 83. ISBN 1-56076-109-1.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 David Cook, Steve Winter, and Jon Pickens (1989). Monstrous Compendium Volume Three Forgotten Realms Appendix (MC3). (TSR, Inc), p. 50. ISBN 0-88038-769-6.
  4. Skip Williams (March 1990). “Sage Advice”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #155 (TSR, Inc.), p. 86.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 7. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  6. Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls (November 2017). Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Edited by Kim Mohan, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 25–26, 10, 102. ISBN 978-0-7869-6612-7.
  7. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 194, 196. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  8. Christopher Perkins, Jeremy Crawford (September 2017). The Tortle Package. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5.
  9. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  10. Christopher Perkins, Jeremy Crawford (September 2017). The Tortle Package. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10.
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