Tarrasque: D&D’s Ultimate Monstrosity

Yeah, baby! I’ve been waiting for this one! Let’s see what D&D Godzilla has got going for it!

Lore: Calamity Incarnate

This legendary monster is the most terrible of all beasts residing on the Material Plane. Stories say that there is only one in existence, but no one can tell when or where that one may be. A more deadly predator, there is not.

So great is the tarrasque’s powers of destruction that it is the center of several religious doctrines, appearing as a symbol of divine wrath and judgement. Some say it resides deep in the earth, sleeping in wait for some cosmic signal to awaken and destroy.

On the surface, this lore seems pretty barren and shallow. And it kind of is; you can’t use a tarrasque for much more than a world-ending final boss. But as set up for said calamitous finale, it works perfectly!

Design: The Perfect Killer

Keep in mind that this thing is as large as a castle.

This is such a cool design! It’s creative, it’s weird, and it’s intimidating as all hell! Just looking at it gives you the sense that you are, without a doubt, one hundred percent screwed!

Honestly, I don’t really have much to say about it. It’s a great design! When it comes to city-sized monsters of death and destruction, you couldn’t ask for a better look!

Stats: King of the Monsters

There is no monster as durable as a tarrasque. Its AC is monstrous, and its HP is the highest out of any monster in the book. On top of that, it’s immune to fire and poison damage, as well as all non-magical melee. Plus, you cannot charm, frighten, paralyze, or poison it.

Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. Thanks to its Legendary Resistance, it can choose to succeed three saving throws a day, even if it rolled a failing number. It’s also got Magic Resistance, because why not?

On top of that, it’s got the Reflective Carapace ability. When its hit by magic such as Magic Missile or Fireball, you roll a d6. 1-5 means the spell does nothing. But on a 6, the spell is reflected back onto the caster. Magic simply does not work on this monster.

It’s also got the Siege Monster ability. This means it does double damage to objects and structures. Again: this monster is literally just Godzilla.

In terms of actions, the tarrasque is fairly simple. It can attack with a Bite, its Claw, its Horns, and its Tail. These all do insanely high damage, and the tail can knock you prone. Also, with Multiattack, the tarrasque can use all of its melee options in one turn, as well as its Frightful Presence action. This dude makes a point of scaring you before it slaughters you and everyone you love.

Swallow is its final action. If you get swallowed by this monstrosity, you’ll take an absolutely massive amount of acid damage every turn. You’d best hope your party members can do a lot of damage to this thing in one turn, or you’re character is never going to see the light of day again.

Finally, we have the Legendary Actions. Which are honestly kind of disappointing. It can make an attack, move, or make a bite/Swallow action. Dull though they may be, they’re still more than capable of ending your party.

If you want a final boss that will push your players to their limits, there is no better monster in the entire game than the tarrasque. Even preparing for the battle is an event! This ain’t the kind of beast the players sneak up on and kill in a few rounds. An encounter with this is a city-annihilating event, the perfect grand finale for a long-running campaign. It’s the ultimate final challenge.

Well, except for maybe Tiamat. But she ain’t in the the Monster Manual, so we don’t have to worry about her.

Placement

When it comes to striking fear into the players, few monsters are as good as a tarrasque. It lives up to its reputation as a campaign ender marvelously. Its lore, design, and stats all make for an incredible entry!

But the question remains: can it compare to the beasties in the top of the list? The tarrasque is amazing, but compared to monsters like the beholder or the mind flayer, it’s fairly simple. As much as I love it, I don’t think I could put it at #1.

With all that in mind, the Tarrasque is going to #5 on the Best of the Bestiary!

Beholder
Death Tyrant
Mind Flayer
Dragon Turtle
Tarrasque <—————
Mummy/Mummy Lord
Nagas (all three of ’em)
Green Dragons
Red Dragons
Blue Dragons
Black Dragons
White Dragons
Silver Dragons
Couatl
Behir
Aboleth
Sea Hag
Slaadi (all six of ’em)
Lamia
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Chuul
Kuo-Toa
Gibbering Mouther
Kraken
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Shadow
Chimera
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Death Knight
Fomorian
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Gelatinous Cube
Lich
Peryton
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Magmin
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Kobold
Kenku
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Night Hag
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Ankheg
Hook Horror
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Oni
Purple Worm
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Grimlock
Minotaur
Dao
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Manticore
Scarecrow
Drow (all four of ’em)
Shadow Demon
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Marilith
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Azer
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Spectator
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Ochre Jelly
Hydra
Rakshasa
Marid
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Satyr
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Nothic
Pixie
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Roper
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Yochlol
Bulette
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Darkmantle
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Revenant
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Sahuagin (all three)
Ettin
Sprite
Medusa
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Erinyes
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Ice Devil
Mimic
Djinni
Merrow
Nalfeshnee
Glabrezu
Chasme
Grell
Barlgura
Horned Devil
Balor
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Shadow Dragon
Myconids (all four of ’em)
Piercer
Werebear
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Vrock
Dretch
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Goristro
Hezrou
Manes
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Weretiger
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Flumph
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Nightmare
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Wereboar
Wererat
Githyanki
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Planetar
Imp
Ogres/Half-ogres
Roc
Clay Golem
Flameskull
Displacer Beast
Carrion Crawler
Githzerai
Grick
Invisible Stalker
Rug of Smothering
Bugbear Chief
Bugbear
Flesh Golem
Vine Blight
Twig Blight
Needle Blight
Mephits (all six of ’em)
Bullywug
Hellhound
Ettercap
Gas Spore
Cockatrice
Lemure
Homonculus
Merfolk
Solar
Deva
Gorgon
Hippogriff
Griffon
Cyclops
Centaur
Ghost
Pegasus
Fire Elemental
Water Elemental
Air Elemental
Stone Giant
Deep Gnome
Dinosaurs (All six of them)
Stirge
Specter
Iron Golem
Stone Golem
Earth Elemental
Galeb Duhr
Helmed Horror
Flying Sword
Crawling Claw
Violet Fungus
Shrieker
Gargoyle