Dinosaurs are the dominant form of animal life in Ixa - lan—the absolute rulers of the coastal lands held by the Sun Empire, and a force to be reckoned with in the inte - rior jungles. A number of dinosaurs appear in the Mon - ster Manual, with even more to be found in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, making that a particularly worthwhile re - source for an Ixalan campaign. (Many of the dinosaurs in Volo’s Guide also appear in Tomb of Annihilation.)
The Rumbling Herds
The largest of the dinosaurs are huge, long-necked herbivores that feed on the leaves of tall trees. The enormous size of these dinosaurs means that a single beast—often a young, old, or injured one that becomes separated from the herd—can feed a whole pack of smaller preda - tors. The magnificent altisaurs wander across the plains and through the sparse forests of the Sun Coast, grazing on the tops of trees. Brontodons travel in herds, causing the ground to thunder beneath their tremendous weight when they build up speed. Use brontosaurus stats from Volo’s Guide to Monsters for these beasts.
Horned Herbivores
Many smaller herbivores are found on the plains of Ixalan. Rather than depending on size for defense, these dinosaurs are protected by plated scales, sharp horns, or spiked tails. Most are aggressively proactive in chas - ing off predators even before they are attacked, and the people of the Sun Empire find these creatures among the hardest dinosaurs to control.
Ceratopses sport enormous horns on and around the large, feathered frills that protect their necks. The related snubhorns lack the sharp pointed horns of their cousins. Despite their surly temper, ceratopses make excellent mounts. The triceratops in the Monster Man - ual can represent all of these dinosaurs.
Scales, Spikes, and Hammers
For dinosaurs without the prominent horns of the cera - topses, armored plating and deadly tails are an effective defense against predators.
An aegisaur’s back is covered with thick, armored scales that resemble a turtle’s shell, while its tail is tipped with a massive bony club that can smash an ag - gressor’s skull. Use the ankylosaurus in the Monster Manual for these creatures.
Armasaurs also have plates on their backs, but these rise up like spikes along their spines. Their whiplike tails bear sharp spikes for protection. Use the stegosaurus in Volo’s Guide to Monsters for the armasaur.
Even lacking horns or spikes, hammerskulls can protect themselves with their thickly plated heads. The giant goat statistics in the Monster Manual can represent a hammerskull.
Other herbivores rely on speed, stealth, or numbers to aid their chances of survival. The hadrosaurus in Volo’s Guide to Monsters is a good example of such creatures.
Soaring Flocks
Aerosaurs include several varieties of large reptiles with leathery wings, including pterodons and sunwings. Though they are generally clumsy fliers, better at gliding from high perches or riding coastal updrafts than at lifting themselves from the ground, aerosaurs are sometimes used as mounts by knights of the Sun Empire. Smaller aerosaurs can be represented by the pteranodon in the Monster Manual, while larger ones are more like the quetzalcoatlus in Volo’s Guide to Monsters.
The Flesh-Eaters
The most feared dinosaurs are the aggressive bipedal predators that hunt other dinosaurs—none of which are averse to feeding on humanoids when they can. Despite their ferocity, flesh-eaters make excellent mounts, since they do not balk or shy away from combat. These dinosaurs include a huge variety of raptors, ranging from dog-sized creatures that hunt in packs to monsters large enough to carry an armored knight into battle. Volo’s Guide to Monsters includes the deinonychus and the velociraptor to represent these dinosaurs.
Teeth and Frills
Ferocidons are particularly vicious relatives of raptors, specialized to take down much larger prey. Use the allosaurus statistics in the Monster Manual for these creatures. Sailbacks are predators that lurk in lakes and rivers to ambush unwary prey. Their statistics are equivalent to those of the giant crocodile in the Monster Manual. The dinosaurs aptly known as deathspitters can spit venom to blind their prey before closing in for the kill.
Dinosaur Tyrants
Ixalan’s largest predators comprise a family of dinosaurs with large heads, blade-like teeth, and short, almost vestigial front legs. These terrifying creatures bear names like monstrosaurs, dreadmaws, swordtooths, regisaurs, and tyrants, and their roars inspire terror in those who hear them. Most of these dinosaurs are solitary hunters, but regisaurs in particular are known for hunting in small packs. Use the tyrannosaurus rex statistics in the Monster Manual for all these giant predators.
Elder Dinosaurs of Orazca
The opening of Orazca, the golden city—which marks the turn between the Ixalan set and Rivals of Ixalan— reveals the existence of six huge and ancient elder dinosaurs, apparently preserved for centuries. Compared to their smaller cousins, they have less brightly-colored plumage and more grayish scales, but their feathers are a bright gold that matches the city around them. They are strong-willed and ferocious, and thus are hard to control. But the power of the Immortal Sun gives the Sun Empire warriors who wield it the ability to bring these elder dinosaurs under their command.