Utahraptor

This oversized cousin of the deinonychus is 20 feet long, 15 feet tall and about 1,500 pounds. It runs on two thick legs with tail held rigid for balance, its strong arms end in 10-inch claws, and each foot bears a 12-inch hooked claw for slashing open big prey. Its green and brown hide blends into woodland.

It first rakes with both arms to get a grip. If both hit, its two sickle-claw kicks gain +2 to hit, and a bite follows. Every attack must go to the same target. Concealed in foliage, it has a 75% chance to remain unseen, effectively invisible, detectable only by magic. A leap from ambush counts as a charge, giving +2 to hit in the opening round. It can spring 15 feet straight up from a standstill, 40 feet or more on the run, or 25 feet up and 50 forward, and can drop 25 feet unharmed. Dim even by dinosaur standards, it knows no fear: adults never check morale unless all the pack's adults are dead (the listed morale is for juveniles and hatchlings), magical fear fails against them, and instinct urges them to tackle far larger creatures. Adults guarding young or eggs grow frenzied, adding +1 to hit and damage against the intruders.

Packs resemble lion prides but follow the largest female. They hunt as a team, setting clever ambushes in dense forest and brush, and expand their range as the pack grows. Males and females are roughly equal in number. Juveniles, as strong as a deinonychus, equal 150% of the adults, and hatchlings, 200%; hatchlings have 1-4 hp and deal 1 per claw, 1-2 per kick and 1-4 with the bite.

Pure carnivores atop the food chain, they will hunt anything, and only rival packs threaten them. The real species was unearthed in eastern Utah and named in 1992.