Giant Crocodile 5e: Stats, the Tail-and-Bite Combo and River Fights

The giant crocodile is a CR 5 Huge Beast with AC 14, 85 hit points, a 50-foot swim speed and a Multiattack of one Bite and one Tail. The bite deals 21 piercing damage and grabs the target (Restrained, escape DC 16 in 2014, 15 in 2024). The tail deals 14 bludgeoning (18 in 2024) at 10-foot reach and knocks the target Prone. Used together on one character, the tail drops them and the bite lands with Advantage. Because it's two sizes larger than a Medium character, it can drag its catch underwater at full speed. The 2024 version hits harder with its tail and knocks targets Prone without a saving throw.

Table of Contents

• •Giant Crocodile Stat Block (2014)
• •The Giant Crocodile in the 2024 Rules
• •How the Giant Crocodile Fights
• •Running a Giant Crocodile Encounter
• •How Players Beat a Giant Crocodile
• •Giant Crocodile Encounter Ideas
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Giant Crocodile Stat Block (2014)

The 2014 giant crocodile from SRD 5.1:

The numbers that drive it:

• •+8 to hit on both attacks. Against AC 18, that's 55% per attack. A round of bite plus tail averages about 19 damage.
• •Escape DC 16. A level 5 fighter with Athletics +7 breaks free on a 9 or better (60%). A wizard with Acrobatics +3 needs a 13 (40%).
• •Tail: DC 16 Strength save or Prone. The tail can't target a creature the crocodile is already grappling, so it's for the second character in reach, or for the bite target before the bite lands.
• •No darkvision. Its only sense is sight (passive Perception 10). In darkness or murky water it's as blind as the party.

The Giant Crocodile in the 2024 Rules

The headline change is the tail. In 2014 a fighter with a good Strength save often stays standing. In 2024 every tail hit on a Large or smaller creature knocks it Prone, so the bite combo is guaranteed whenever the tail lands. Escaping the grapple got slightly easier (DC 15), and Huge creatures (like a druid in a big form or an enlarged ally) can't be grabbed at all.

How the Giant Crocodile Fights

Ambush from the water. Stealth +5 and a 50-foot swim speed let it lie under the surface near a ford, a dock or a riverbank. It needs to surface to see clearly, so the ambush works best in shallow, muddy water where it can lie with only its eyes above the waterline.

Tail first, then bite the same target. The order matters. The tail can't hit a creature the crocodile is already grappling, but it can hit the target before the bite grabs it:

1. •Tail the target: 14 damage (18 in 2024) and Prone (2024: automatically; 2014: on a failed DC 16 Strength save).
2. •Bite the Prone target from 5 feet away with Advantage: about 80% to hit AC 18 instead of 55%. On a hit, 21 damage and the target is grappled and Restrained.

Then keep them down. A grappled creature has speed 0, and standing up from Prone costs half your speed, so a character who is both Prone and grappled can't stand up. Every following round the crocodile bites that character with Advantage (they're Restrained and Prone), around 17 damage per round on average against AC 18, and uses the tail on whoever comes to help.

Drag them under. Moving a grappled creature normally slows the grappler, but not when the target is two or more sizes smaller. A Huge crocodile drags a Medium character at its full 50-foot swim speed. One turn after the grab, the victim can be 50 feet away and well below the surface. The character still has their breath (1 + Con modifier minutes, minimum 30 seconds), so they won't drown that round, but the party has to fight underwater to reach them, where most melee weapons attack with Disadvantage for anyone without a swim speed and fire damage is resisted.

Know when to quit. A wild crocodile isn't fighting for honor. When it's below about 30 HP with no prey in its jaws, it sinks and swims away.

Running a Giant Crocodile Encounter

A giant crocodile is 1,800 XP. Using the 2024 budget per character (SRD 5.2.1) for four characters:

The sweet spot is levels 4-6. At level 5, add two crocodiles (100 XP each) to make 2,000 XP (Low on paper but hard in the water), or a giant toad or two for a swamp full of grapplers. At level 6, two giant crocodiles are 3,600 XP, a Moderate encounter (3,600 of the 4,000 Moderate budget). Under the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines, one giant crocodile (1,800 XP) is Hard for four level 4 characters and Easy for four level 5 characters. Run your mix in the encounter calculator.

Whatever the budget says, terrain decides this fight. On dry ground the crocodile is a big, slow brute with AC 14. In a river, where it can grab a character and swim off with them, it plays well above CR 5.

How Players Beat a Giant Crocodile

• •Fight from the bank, not the water. Its walk speed is 30 feet; most of its edge comes from water. Ranged attacks from 15+ feet away keep the party out of tail reach (10 feet).
• •Target Dexterity and Charisma saves. Dex 9 (−1) and Cha 7 (−2) are its weak saves. Lightning Bolt (8d6 on a Dex save) is ideal: lightning damage isn't reduced underwater, and a line can hit it in the river from the bank. Avoid Strength saves (Str 21).
• •Use the dark. It has no darkvision. Characters with darkvision fighting at night see it while it can't see them, which gives them Advantage and it Disadvantage.
• •Free the grabbed character fast. The grapple ends if the crocodile is Incapacitated. Otherwise, the trapped character's own escape check is the best bet. Shoving the crocodile away doesn't work: it's Huge.
• •Beast magic works. Dominate Beast targets it in both editions (Wisdom 10). Animal Friendship works too (Intelligence 2), though one hit from an ally ends it.
• •Polymorph as an answer. A caster with Polymorph can turn an ally of level 5 or higher into a giant crocodile (CR 5) for a fair fight in the water. Under 2014 rules the ally uses its 85 HP; under 2024 rules they gain 85 temporary HP and keep their own.

Giant Crocodile Encounter Ideas

The toll ford. The only ford for twenty miles has a giant crocodile in it, and the local baron has realized he can charge travelers for "safe passage" by feeding it a goat upstream at the right moment. Kill the crocodile and the baron's income disappears, along with his patience for the party.

The temple moat. An old riverside temple has a flooded moat with a giant crocodile that's lived there for decades. The drawbridge is down but rotten, so anyone crossing has a chance to fall in. The tail's 10-foot reach covers the whole bridge.

Low water. A drought has shrunk a river to a chain of muddy pools. A giant crocodile is trapped in the largest pool with nowhere to go, starving, and the village's only well-fed livestock graze 30 feet away. The village wants it dead. A druid wants it moved, alive, 3 miles to the next river.

Frequently Asked Questions

What CR is a giant crocodile in 5e?

CR 5 (1,800 XP) in both the 2014 and 2024 rules. It has AC 14 and 85 hit points.

How much damage does a giant crocodile do?

Its bite deals 21 (3d10 + 5) piercing damage and its tail deals 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning in 2014 or 18 (3d8 + 5) in 2024. If both hit, that's 35 (2014) or 39 (2024) damage in one turn.

Can a giant crocodile bite and tail the same target?

Yes, if it uses the tail first. The tail can't target a creature the crocodile is grappling, but it can hit the target before the bite grabs it, knocking it Prone so the bite has Advantage.

How do you escape a giant crocodile's bite?

Use your action for a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against DC 16 (2014) or DC 15 (2024). The grapple also ends if the crocodile is Incapacitated.

Can a druid turn into a giant crocodile?

Not with SRD Wild Shape, which caps out at CR 1 beasts. Polymorph can turn a creature of level or CR 5 or higher into one.

What's the difference between a crocodile and a giant crocodile?

The regular crocodile is a CR 1/2 Large Beast with 19 HP (13 in 2024) and one bite. The giant crocodile is CR 5, Huge, has 85 HP and adds a tail attack that knocks targets Prone.

Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.