Saber-Toothed Tiger
Large Beast · · CR 2
- Beast
- Large
- Tier 1
CR 2 large beast, unaligned — that's Saber-Toothed Tiger. Native to arctic and mountain. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 2
- Type
- Beast
- Size
- Large
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Arctic, Mountain
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Saber-toothed tigers (smilodons) survive in mountain valleys, glacial forelands, and arctic forests where megafauna prey persists in sufficient numbers. They hunt mammoth calves, bison, giant elk, ground sloths, and sometimes humanoids who venture beyond the treeline. Their oversized canines are weapons of finishing strikes, not initial bites; they pin prey first with claws and weight, then plunge the fangs into the throat or belly. Solitary hunters except for mothers raising large cubs through their first winter.
Behaviour
Saber-tooths are ambush predators reliant on a single decisive pounce. They lurk in scree, cliffs, and brush above game trails. Wounded canines mean starvation, so they avoid fights with armored prey unless desperate. They are silent in stalking, vocal in threat-display: a roar carries for miles across snowfields. Cubs are taught hunting on injured prey, with the mother delivering the killing blow as a teaching moment.
Origin
Saber-tooths persist in lost-world enclaves and arctic refugia. Ancient barbarian tribes of the steppe revere them as ancestors and sacred kin; chieftains wear smilodon-tooth necklaces. Druids of the wild may take saber-tooth Wild Shape forms. A few lines are cursed with intelligence by an ancient lich's experiment, producing 'wise saber-tooths' that serve no master and hunt strategically.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Saber-Toothed Tiger
- What is the challenge rating of Saber-Toothed Tiger?
- Listed CR for Saber-Toothed Tiger: 2. Match it to a party that fits parties at the start of their adventuring careers.
- What type of creature is Saber-Toothed Tiger?
- By creature type, Saber-Toothed Tiger is a beast, large size.
- Where does Saber-Toothed Tiger live?
- Saber-Toothed Tiger is at home in Arctic, Mountain.