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Triceratops 5e: Stats, Trampling Charge and the Stomp
The triceratops is a CR 5 Huge beast (1,800 XP) with AC 13, 95 hit points, a 50-foot speed and a +9 gore that hits for 24. Everything it does depends on Trampling Charge: run 20 feet straight at a creature, gore it, and if the target fails a DC 13 Strength save it's knocked prone and stomped as a bonus action for another 22. That's 46 damage in one turn from a creature with one attack. The 2024 triceratops trades the stomp for two gores a turn, gets AC 14 and 114 HP, and knocks the target prone with no save.
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Triceratops Stat Block (2014)
Triceratops
Huge beast, unaligned
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 95 (10d12+30)
Speed 50 ft.
STR
22 (+6)
DEX
9 (−1)
CON
17 (+3)
INT
2 (−4)
WIS
11 (+0)
CHA
5 (−3)
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages —
Challenge 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)
Traits
Trampling Charge.If the triceratops moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a creature and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the triceratops can make one stomp attack against it as a bonus action.
Actions
Gore.Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (4d8 + 6) piercing damage.
Stomp.Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one prone creature. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
No Multiattack. A 2014 triceratops standing still in melee gores once for 24 and that's all. Trampling Charge is the only way it gets a second attack, so it lives or dies on getting a straight 20-foot run.
The 2024 Triceratops
Triceratops
Huge Beast (Dinosaur), Unaligned
Armor Class 14
Initiative −1 (9)
Hit Points 114 (12d12 + 36)
Speed 50 ft.
STR
22 (+6)save +6
DEX
9 (−1)save −1
CON
17 (+3)save +3
INT
2 (−4)save −4
WIS
11 (+0)save +0
CHA
5 (−3)save −3
Senses Passive Perception 10
Languages None
Challenge 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)
Actions
Multiattack.The triceratops makes two Gore attacks.
Gore.Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 19 (2d12 + 6) Piercing damage. If the target is Huge or smaller and the triceratops moved 20+ feet straight toward it immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) Piercing damage and 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.
2014 Triceratops
2024 Triceratops
AC / HP
13 / 95
14 / 114
Attacks
One Gore, 24 (4d8 + 6)
Two Gores, 19 (2d12 + 6) each
Charge
20 ft. run, DC 13 Str save or prone, then bonus-action Stomp 22 (3d10 + 6)
20 ft. run, +9 (2d8) piercing and prone, no save, Huge or smaller
Stomp
Bonus action against a prone target
Removed
The 2024 triceratops is better standing still (two gores for 38 instead of one for 24) and more reliable on the charge, since nobody gets a save against the prone.
How the Triceratops Fights
The 2014 charge, by the numbers. Against AC 16, its +9 gore hits on a 7 or better, 70% of the time. A wizard with Strength -1 fails the DC 13 save 65% of the time. A fighter with +7 fails it only 25% of the time. The stomp against a prone target within 5 feet has advantage, so it hits 91% of the time. A charge at the wizard averages about 26 damage. A charge at the fighter averages about 20. The triceratops should charge whoever has the weakest Strength.
The 2024 charge. The first gore after a 20-foot run deals 28 (19 + 9) and knocks the target prone. The second gore then attacks a prone target with advantage. Against AC 16 that turn averages about 36 damage. Without the run-up it's about 27.
DM ruling, not rules text: the extra 2d8 only applies to the gore made "immediately" after the movement, so only the first gore of the turn gets it, not both.
Back off and run again. With 50 feet of speed, the triceratops can step back 25 feet and charge in. Leaving reach provokes opportunity attacks. A beast with 95 or 114 HP can afford a couple of them for another charge.
Herd behavior. A triceratops is an Intelligence 2 herbivore, not a predator. It charges what threatens it, its herd or its young. A party that backs away and stops being a threat may end the fight without a kill.
How Many Triceratops for a Level 6 Party?
A triceratops is 1,800 XP. For four characters:
Party level
Encounter
2024 budget result
2014 guidelines
4
1 triceratops
High
Hard
5
1 triceratops
Low
Easy
5
2 triceratops
High
Deadly
7
2 triceratops
Moderate
Hard
The 2014 column follows the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator). Note the jump at level 5: one is Low, two is High. Two triceratops charging in from opposite sides flip a fight fast.
How Players Beat a Triceratops
•Take away the 20 feet. Fight in trees, rubble, a ravine or a doorway. A triceratops that can't move straight at you for 20 feet has one gore (2014) or two plain gores (2024).
•Stand next to it. Characters already in melee can't be charged without the triceratops backing off first, which costs it opportunity attacks.
•Get up on your turn. The stomp (2014) and the second gore (2024) land in the same turn as the charge, so there's no avoiding those. But standing up costs only half your speed, and a character who stays prone gives the triceratops advantage on every gore next round too.
•Use its Dexterity. Its Dexterity save is -1 and its Intelligence -4. Dexterity-save area spells land on it reliably.
•Charm it instead.Animal Friendship or Dominate Beast can turn a frightened herbivore around, though it has advantage on the Dominate Beast save while you're fighting it. Polymorph can also turn a level 5 or higher ally into a triceratops, which is a fun answer to a herd stampede.
Triceratops Encounter Ideas
The stampede gap. A herd of six triceratops is migrating through a pass, and the caravan has to cross before nightfall. Two bulls break off to charge whatever comes too close. The goal is crossing, not killing.
The plow beast. A frontier farm uses a triceratops to clear land. Someone fed it something that drove it wild, and now it's charging through the village. Killing it is easy for a level 7 party. Calming it, so the family doesn't lose its livelihood, is the real challenge.
The nesting ground. A wounded triceratops guards a clutch of eggs in a clearing the party has to pass through. It won't follow them past the tree line, but the tyrannosaurus rex that wounded it might.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a triceratops in 5e?
The triceratops is CR 5 and worth 1,800 XP in both the 2014 and 2024 rules.
How does Trampling Charge work?
In 2014, if the triceratops moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and hits it with a gore on the same turn, the target makes a DC 13 Strength save or is knocked prone, and the triceratops can stomp it as a bonus action for 22 (3d10 + 6). In 2024 the charge is built into the gore: 20 feet of straight movement adds 9 (2d8) piercing and knocks the target prone with no save.
Can a druid Wild Shape into a triceratops?
Not with the SRD druid, whose Wild Shape tops out at CR 1 in both editions. A Polymorph cast on a level 5 or higher creature can turn it into one.
What's the difference between a triceratops and an ankylosaurus?
The triceratops is a CR 5 charger that wants a run-up. The ankylosaurus (2024, CR 3) is a slower defensive tank with AC 15 and a 10-foot tail that knocks targets prone without needing to move.
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.
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.