Elephant
Huge Beast · · CR 4
- Beast
- Huge
- Tier 1
As a huge beast (unaligned), Elephant carries CR 4. Common in grassland environments. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 4
- Type
- Beast
- Size
- Huge
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Grassland
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Elephants roam grasslands, savannas, and open forests in tight matriarchal herds. They feed on grasses, leaves, and bark, consuming hundreds of pounds daily. They drink at communal watering holes, where herds gather to socialize and bathe. They live up to seventy years, with elders leading migrations along ancestral routes. Predators rarely target adults; lions and hyenas pick off calves and old or sick individuals. Their dung supports entire dung-beetle ecosystems.
Behaviour
Elephants are intelligent, social, and emotionally complex. They mourn dead herd-members, returning to bones for years. They communicate via low-frequency rumbles audible miles away. Bulls in musth become aggressive, charging anything that moves. Cows protect calves with terrifying violence. They recognize individual humans, holding grudges for decades. War-elephants trained for combat retain personality; many panic at fire or loud noise, undoing their handlers' work. They are revered in many cultures.
Origin
Elephants are simply elephants in most settings, ancient mammals descended from prehistoric forms. In some campaigns, they share heritage with mammoths and mastodons, surviving from earlier ages. War-elephants often appear in caravans from southern empires, where they serve as cavalry. Some druidic orders revere elephants as wise spirit-allies, communing with them for ancestral knowledge. Their ivory tusks are valuable and morally fraught, often the source of elephant-poaching plot hooks.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Elephant
- What is the challenge rating of Elephant?
- Elephant's challenge rating is 4. A party in this band works against tier-1 parties.
- What type of creature is Elephant?
- Elephant is classified as a beast in D&D 5e, huge size.
- Where does Elephant live?
- Elephant is typically encountered in Grassland.