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Ankylosaurus 5e: Stats, Tail Club and Keeping the Party Down
The ankylosaurus is a CR 3 Huge beast (700 XP) with AC 15, 68 hit points, a 30-foot speed and two tail attacks a turn. Each tail hits at +6 with 10-foot reach for 9 bludgeoning damage, and every hit knocks a Huge or smaller target prone, with no save. It doesn't charge or chase. It plants itself and keeps the people around it on the ground. This stat block comes from the 2024 rules (SRD 5.2.1). The 2014 Monster Manual has an ankylosaurus, but it isn't in SRD 5.1.
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Ankylosaurus Stat Block (2024)
Ankylosaurus
Huge Beast (Dinosaur), Unaligned
Armor Class 15
Initiative +0 (10)
Hit Points 68 (8d12 + 16)
Speed 30 ft.
STR
19 (+4)save +6
DEX
11 (+0)save +0
CON
15 (+2)save +2
INT
2 (−4)save −4
WIS
12 (+1)save +1
CHA
5 (−3)save −3
Senses Passive Perception 11
Languages None
Challenge 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack.The ankylosaurus makes two Tail attacks.
Tail.Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 10 ft. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) Bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Huge or smaller creature, it has the Prone condition.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
It's built to be hard to move and hard to hurt. AC 15 is high for a beast, and its +6 Strength save shrugs off most Strength-save effects. Its damage is low for CR 3. The prone effect is what makes it dangerous.
How the Ankylosaurus Fights
Prone and reach interfere with each other. A prone creature gives advantage to attackers within 5 feet and disadvantage to attackers farther away. The ankylosaurus attacks from 10 feet. So when its first tail drops a character standing 10 feet away, its second tail against that character has disadvantage.
Against AC 16, a +6 tail hits on 10 or better (55%):
Two tails at one target...
Expected damage
...standing 10 feet away
about 8.7 (second tail at disadvantage after a hit)
...standing 5 feet away
about 11.1 (second tail at advantage after a hit)
Split between two targets
about 9.9 (about 5 each, and up to two characters knocked prone)
Splitting is usually the best play: nearly the damage of the 5-foot row, and it can put two characters on the ground each round. Each one spends half its speed standing up, and a prone archer has disadvantage on attacks until it stands.
Fight next to a striker. The ankylosaurus does more for its allies than for itself. Everyone it knocks prone is open to advantage from any creature within 5 feet. Pair it with an allosaurus whose bite then has advantage, or with spear-wielding hunters who use it as a living wall.
Hold ground. Thirty feet of speed and no charge trait means the ankylosaurus defends a spot. It's a herbivore. It guards a nest, a waterhole or a pass, and stops when the threat leaves.
Does it knock creatures back? Not in the SRD. The 2024 tail knocks targets prone. It doesn't push them.
How Many Ankylosaurs for a Level 4 Party?
An ankylosaurus is 700 XP. For four characters:
Party level
Encounter
2024 budget result
2014 guidelines
2
1 ankylosaurus
High
Hard
3
1 ankylosaurus
Moderate
Medium
4
1 ankylosaurus
Low
Easy
5
1 ankylosaurus + 2 allosauruses
Low
Hard
The 2014 column applies the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator) to the 2024 stat block. Notice the last row: the 2024 budget calls an ankylosaurus with two allosauruses Low for level 5, but the prone-plus-advantage combination plays harder than the XP suggests. The 2014 multiplier rates it Hard.
How Players Beat an Ankylosaurus
•Ranged attacks from beyond 10 feet. It has no ranged attack and only 30 feet of speed. A character at 15 feet can't be hit unless the ankylosaurus moves, and plenty of characters outrun it.
•Use reach weapons from 10 feet. If a tail knocks you prone at 10 feet, the follow-up tail has disadvantage. At 5 feet, it has advantage. A glaive or halberd is the right tool here.
•Stand up before attacking. A prone character's attacks have disadvantage. Spend the movement.
•Avoid Strength saves. Its Strength save is +6. Intelligence (-4), Charisma (-3) and Dexterity (+0) are its weak saves.
•Leave it alone. It doesn't pursue. If the goal isn't to kill it, walking around it is often the right call.
Turning Into an Ankylosaurus
Polymorph can turn a level 3 or higher creature into an ankylosaurus (the beast's CR can't exceed the target's level). In 2024 the target keeps its own hit points and gains 68 temporary hit points, plus AC 15 and two prone-on-hit tail attacks. It makes a strong defensive form for a low-level ally holding a doorway.
Animal Shapes can't use it, because it's Huge and that spell only allows Large or smaller. Wild Shape can't either: the SRD druid caps at CR 1.
Ankylosaurus Encounter Ideas
The waterhole. The only water for a day in any direction is guarded by an ankylosaurus that drinks there at dusk. The party can wait, fight, or try to share.
The living gate. Hunters have chained an ankylosaurus across a canyon trail. It knocks over anything that tries to pass, and archers on the walls above shoot whoever ends up on the ground.
The nesting ground. Two triceratops and an ankylosaurus guard a nesting ground. The triceratops charge. The ankylosaurus holds the middle and knocks down whoever gets past them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is an ankylosaurus in 5e?
The ankylosaurus is CR 3 and worth 700 XP.
Is the ankylosaurus in the 2014 SRD?
No. SRD 5.1 (2014) only includes the plesiosaurus, triceratops and tyrannosaurus rex. The ankylosaurus on this page is from SRD 5.2.1 (2024).
How does the ankylosaurus tail work?
It makes two Tail attacks a turn at +6 with 10-foot reach. Each hit deals 9 (1d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage and knocks a Huge or smaller target prone, with no saving throw.
What is the ankylosaurus's AC?
AC 15, the highest of the SRD dinosaurs, with 68 hit points.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.