Tigers
The largest and deadliest of all cats,
tigers are the kings of their domain.
Their power and beauty elevate
them to an almost mythical status
amongst many humanoids. Some
view them as the wrath of the gods
made flesh, while others see them
as the ultimate predators against which one can
truly test their metal.
Predators Supreme. Tigers can reach over 10
feet in length, and their intensely muscular bodies
can weigh nearly 700 pounds. Due to their sheer
mass and power, few creatures are safe from a
tiger's predation. Thanks to the tiger's striped
camouflage and long pouncing distances, even animals
large and powerful enough to pose a threat to a tiger rarely notice it in time to mount an effective defense. Thanks to their deadly ambush abilities, tigers can hunt down larger creatures as dangerous as mountain gorillas and even brown bears.
Once a tiger surprises its prey with a pounce, it will knock its victim prone and use its claws and teeth to lock down and quickly finish the kill. A prone victim has little chance of fighting back and is rapidly ripped apart before being dragged off by the tiger to be consumed.
Maneaters. While tigers primarily hunt animals living across jungles, forests, and occasionally mountains, they often take the opportunity to hunt stray humanoids when the opportunity presents itself. A lone traveling humanoid will usually be seen as an easy meal to a tiger, and some may even be bold enough to attempt to pick off a humanoid traveling with a group.
Some notorious tigers take a personal liking towards hunting humanoids. A tiger that has been "wronged" by someone will often make a point of hunting down and exacting vengeance upon the offender. These offenders are usually individuals who injured the tiger in a previous encounter or stole one of its kills. Other tigers will simply decide to make humanoids their primary prey. These tigers will stalk the outskirts of isolated villages and pick off stray inhabitants, leaving the population terror-stricken.
Tiger
Large beast, unaligned
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points 67 (9d10+18)
- Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 19 (+4) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 4 (-3) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
- Skills Intimidation +4, Perception +4, Stealth +5
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
- Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Keen Sight. The tiger has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Pounce. If the tiger jumps at least 10 feet straight towards a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Mask of the Jungle. The tiger has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide using foliage and may do so even if it is only lightly obscured while hiding this way.
Standing Leap. The tiger's maximum long jump is 30 feet, and its maximum high jump is 12 feet.
Actions
Multiattack. The tiger makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. If both attacks hit the same target, the target is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the tiger can't attack another target.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is prone, it deals 23 (4d8+5) piercing damage instead.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Dire Tigers. These primeval terrors represent the dangerous aspects of the tiger amplified to a greater level of deadliness. They are larger and more muscular than other tigers, reaching nearly 900 pounds. They are bolder than other tigers and attack humanoids without hesitation, even those traveling in groups. They are more resilient than other tigers, and even groups of veteran hunters often fail to slay these mighty beasts.
Many believe dire tigers to be the ancient cousins of "modern tigers" and remnants from a long-lost age. Whatever their origin, they are often put to use by other beings who wish to punish or test the metal of humanoid adventurers. Druids enlist the aid of dire tigers to protect their realms from unwanted incursions, and divine forces may unleash dire tigers upon mortals as a form of deadly punishment for their transgressions.
Dire Tiger
Large beast, unaligned
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points 76 (9d10+27)
- Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 21 (+5) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 4 (-3) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
- Skills Intimidation +4, Perception +4, Stealth +5
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
- Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Keen Sight. The tiger has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Pounce. If the tiger jumps at least 10 feet straight towards a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Mask of the Jungle. The tiger has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide using foliage and may do so even if it is only lightly obscured while hiding this way.
Standing Leap The tiger's maximum long jump is 30 feet, and its maximum high jump is 12 feet.
Actions
Multiattack. The tiger makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. If both attacks hit the same target, the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the tiger can't attack another target.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d12 + 5) piercing damage. If the target is prone, it deals 31 (4d12 +5) piercing damage instead.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) slashing damage.
Weretigers
These lycanthropes blend the hunting
prowess of a tiger with the intelligence
and versatility of a humanoid, creating
proud individuals who view themselves
as apex hunters.
While not evil by nature, weretigers often have a
superiority complex that drives them to hunt all
manner of a dangerous game to demonstrate
their place at the top of the food chain. This
hunting is done with a detached refinement, and
weretigers will rarely revert to their bestial forms
if they can help it, preferring to remain calm and in control.
Though weretigers become frustrated when pushed to the point of losing their cool and transforming into their bestial forms, deep down, they crave the challenge. While a weretiger may take smug satisfaction from easily dispatching dangerous prey, a true challenge that pushes the limits of its abilities will be a treasured victory.
Weretigers are also very careful about who they pass their lycanthropy to, as they view it as a privilege and a burden. Weretigers have an exclusivist attitude, and they are loath to introduce unnecessary and unworthy competition.
However, when weretigers find exceptional hunters or even humanoid prey that exceeded their expectations, they may choose to pass their lycanthropy onto such individuals, thereby creating worthy rivals for future competitions.
Weretiger
Medium humanoid (human, shapechanger) , neutral
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points 60 (8d8+24)
- Speed 30, (40 ft., climb 30 ft. in tiger form)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 20 (+5) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
- Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing From nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons
- Skills Intimidation +3, Perception +4, Stealth +5
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
- Challenge 4 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Keen Sight. The weretiger has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Pounce. (Tiger or Hybrid Form Only) If the weretiger jumps at least 10 feet straight towards a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Mask of the Jungle. (Tiger or Hybrid Form Only) The weretiger has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide using foliage and may do so even if it is only lightly obscured while hiding this way.
Standing Leap. (Tiger or Hybrid Form Only) The weretiger's maximum long jump is 30 fee, and its maximum high jump is 12 feet.
Bonus Actions
Shapechanger. The weretiger can polymorph into a tiger-humanoid hybrid or into a tiger, or back into its true form, which is humanoid. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Actions
Multiattack. In humanoid form, the weretiger makes two scimitar attacks or two longbow attacks. In hybrid form, it can attack like a humanoid or make two claw attacks. In tiger form, it can make one attack with its bite and one with its claw. If both attacks hit the same target while in tiger form, the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the weretiger can't attack another target.
Bite. (Tiger or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage. If the target is prone, it deals 23 (4d8+5) piercing damage instead. If the target is a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with weretiger lycanthropy
Claw. (Tiger or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d12 + 5) slashing damage.
Scimitar. (Humanoid or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Longbow. (Humanoid or Hybrid Form Only). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.
Tigers in Your Adventures
The following tables provide you with some ways you can incorporate tigers and weretigers into your adventures.
Tiger Adventures
| d8 | Plot Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | A party of fledgling adventurers unwittingly travels through a tiger's territory. After killing their travel guide, the tiger begins hunting the group in a deadly game of cat and mouse. |
| 2 | The party finds a wounded hunter who claims a tiger is hunting him after he denied it a kill. |
| 3 | An eccentric dwarf maintains an exotic tiger zoo with questionable safety measures and offers the players a tour of his exhibits. |
| 4 | A transmutation experiment on several feral cats goes awry, causing them to expand in size and gain the statistics of tigers. The giant cats now terrorize the local alleyways. |
| 5 | Every year a town sends humanoid sacrifices to meet their end at the claws of a dire tiger which represents their god's will. Sacrifices are chosen from local criminals, dissidents, or travelers. Failure to provide sufficient sacrifice provokes the dire tiger's wrath. |
| 6 | A rakshasa has taken on the guise of a local noble, climbing her way up the political power system. Those who stand in her way tend to find themselves mauled to death by her pet dire tiger while on their travels. |
| 7 | The players find themselves in a city that blends criminal punishment and entertainment by offering prisoners the chance at freedom if they can survive a dangerous gauntlet populated with dire tigers, all for public spectacle. |
| 8 | The players find an isolated jungle outpost with its structures broken into and its inhabitants dragged off into the wilderness by dire tigers, leaving behind only broken debris and bloody trails. |
Weretiger Adventures
| d8 | Plot Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | The players face a seemingly inexplicable series of deadly traps and encounters. Unbeknownst to them, these challenges are orchestrated by a weretiger who wishes to find a worthy candidate to receive the privilege of lycanthropy. |
| 2 | A group of weretigers has deemed the players as worthy prey, and they work to hunt the players across a hostile wilderness. |
| 3 | While the players are hunting a dangerous beast with a bounty on its head, they find themselves in competition with a weretiger. |
| 4 | A weretiger comes to the players for help in stopping a psychotic hunter who she accidentally infected with lycanthropy. |
| 5 | A weretiger seeks revenge on the players for slaying a monster he had been hunting for weeks, thereby "stealing his kill." |
| 6 | A weretiger nearly killed by a monster he is hunting swallows his pride and asks the players for their aid. |
| 7 | All the members of a local hunting lodge are slowly being picked off by a weretiger who considers them territorial rivals. |
| 8 | A corrupt group of nobles has been infected with lycanthropy, turning them into weretigers. They now regularly hunt commoners for sport. |
Art Credit
- Stalking Tiger - Terese Nielsen, Wizards of the Coast
- Sabertooth Mauler - Randy Vargas, Wizards of the Coast
- Jedit Ojanen of Efrava - Carl Critchlow, Wizards of the Coast
- Manchurian Tiger - Kuhnert, Wilhelm
