The Giant Beaver

Monster and Character Options

Introduction: One of the monsters found in the first pages of the first edition Monster
Manual was the Giant Beaver. The humanoid giant beaver subsequently and sadly
disappeared from later editions. Here is a version for fifth edition along with
suggestions for its use as a character race and an example encounter.

A First Edition Monster Returns for Fifth

by Darren Couillard

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Players Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Masters Guide, D&D
Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All
characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any
reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast.

2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Bochat 31, 2800 Delmont, CH. Represented by
Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Giant Beavers 1
 community. Giant beaver pelts are highly valued in some
quarters and may be worth up to 500 GP apiece. Young
beaver pups may be captured and trained. Beaver
communities will ally with neighbors against a common
threat and are willing trade partners, bartering both their
services (there are few creatures better at dockside
carpentry and construction) and their few trade goods
(primarily wood, fish, and lore) for metal items and tools
they are unable to produce for themselves.

Berserker Beaver
Giant Beaver Medium Humanoid, Neutral

Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor & Unarmored Defense)

Medium Humanoid, Neutral
Hit Points 44 (4d12+12)
Speed 30 ft, Swim 30 ft
Armor Class 12 (Natural Armor - Fur)
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Hit Points 20 (3d8+6)
Speed 30 ft, Swim 30 ft
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
Challenge (100 XP)
14 (+2) 10 16 (+3) 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 8 (-1)

Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +2, Athletics +4
13 (+1) 10 15 (+2) 9 (-1) 12 (+1) 9 (-1)

Languages: Beaver
Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +2
Senses: Passive Perception 13, Keen Smell: The beaver
Languages: Beaver
has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
on smell.
Senses: Passive Perception 13, Keen Smell: The beaver
has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
Hold Breath: The giant beaver can hold its breath
on smell.
underwater for 15 minutes.
Hold Breath: The giant beaver can hold its breath
Rage. 3x per long rest. Gain advantage on Strength
underwater for 15 minutes.
checks and saving throws, gain an extra +2 damage on
melee attacks, and gain resistance to bludgeoning,
Actions: Single attack, by bite or by weapon carried,
piercing, and slashing damage for one minute. Also gain
typically spear.
a bonus melee attack while raging.
Crude Wooden Spear. Melee or ranged weapon attack:
Reckless attack. Can choose to attack recklessly to gain
+3 to hit, reach 5 ft., or range 20/60 ft., 1 target. Hit: 4
advantage on Strength based melee attacks but this gives
(1d4+1) piercing damage or 5 (1d6+1) piercing damage
attack rolls against the berserker have advantage as well.
if used with two hands in melee attack.
Actions: Single attack, by bite or by weapon carried,
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
typically spear.
target. Hit 8 (2d6+1) piercing damage.
Crude Wooden Spear. Melee or ranged weapon attack:
Small communities of up to 40 of these intelligent man
+4 to hit, reach 5 ft., or range 20/60 ft., 1 target. Hit: 5
sized rodents are found in dammed up ponds and small
(1d4+2) piercing damage or 6 (1d6+2) piercing damage
lakes as well as along rivers and streams.
if used with two hands in melee attack.
Technologically primitive, the beavers are nonetheless
excellent builders, using simple materials to build
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
extensive dams and lodges. Typically the whole
target. Hit 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage.
community lives in a giant lodge constructed by the
beavers in the middle of a lake or pond. When beavers
Every beaver clan includes one or two of these berserker
outside the lodge detect a potential threat they use their
champions who serve as their frontline warriors and
tails to slap the water loudly to warn the rest of the

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Giant Beavers 2
defenders of the community. They tend to be even more Hit Points 10 (1d8+2)
bestial than the typical giant beaver but also somewhat Speed 25 ft, Swim 30 ft
tougher. And often angrier as well. Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha

Beaver Chieftain 11 10 14 (+2) 9 (-1) 12 (+1) 9 (-1)

Medium Humanoid, Neutral Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +2

Armor Class 12 (Natural Armor - Fur) Languages: Beaver

Hit Points 31 (5d8+8)
Speed 30 ft, Swim 30 ft Senses: Passive Perception 13, Keen Smell: The beaver
Challenge 2(400 XP) has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
on smell.
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
14 (+2) 10 15 (+2) 10 14 (+2) 10
Hold Breath: The giant beaver can hold its breath
underwater for 15 minutes.
Skills: Perception +5, Stealth +3
Actions: Single attack, by bite or by weapon carried,
Languages: Beaver, Common, Sylvan typically spear.

Senses: Passive Perception 15, Keen Smell: The beaver
has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
on smell.
Hold Breath: The giant beaver can hold its breath
underwater for 15 minutes.
Spellcasting. The chieftain is a 2nd level spellcaster. Its
spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save 13, +5 to hit
with spell attacks).
Cantrips (at will): Thorn whip, Guidance
1st level (3 slots): Animal Friendship, Cure Wounds,
Speak with Animals
Actions: Single attack, by bite or by weapon carried,
typically spear.
Crude Wooden Spear. Melee or ranged weapon attack:
+3 to hit, reach 5 ft., or range 20/60 ft., 1 target. Hit: 3
(1d4) piercing damage or 4 (1d6) piercing damage if
used with two hands in melee attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit 4 (1d6) piercing damage.
The offspring of giant beavers are sometimes valued as
exotic slaves and as gladiators, which is one reason the
giant beavers often avoid contact with civilization.
Beaver (Common)
Tiny Beast, Unaligned

Crude Wooden Spear. Melee or ranged weapon attack: Armor Class 11

+5 to hit, reach 5 ft., or range 20/60 ft., 1 target. Hit: 5 Hit Points 4 (1d4+1)
(1d4+2) piercing damage or 6 (1d6+2) piercing damage Speed 20 ft, Swim 30 ft
if used with two hands in melee attack. Challenge 0 (10 XP)

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
target. Hit 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage. 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 2 (-4) 12 (+1) 6 (-2)

The chieftains of the giant beaver clans are often older Senses: Passive Perception 11, Keen Smell: The beaver
and wilier than the typical specimen, and have often has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
studied a bit of druidic magic as well that aides their clan on smell.
in coexisting with the local wildlife.
Hold Breath: The beaver can hold its breath underwater
for 15 minutes.
Giant Beaver Pup Actions: Single attack by bite.
Small Humanoid, Neutral
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft, one
Armor Class 12 (Natural Armor - Fur) target. Hit 4 (1d4+1) piercing damage.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Giant Beavers 3

The common beaver is found in and near lakes, ponds,
and streams in temperate climates. They are noted for
building dams and lodge homes out of trees and
branches. Adult pelts are worth 2 GP.
A Giant Beaver Encounter
While traveling through a mountainous or hilly
countryside, the party comes across a human village by a
river that looks like it was recently much reduced in
volume, to judge from the docks and nets now 100 away
from where the stream now trickles by. The people are
somewhat agitated, and the village headman comes forth
to petition the PCs for assistance.
He describes the recent drying up of the river as being a
sudden and unexpected hardship, with the village now
unable to send the lumber they harvest down river and no
longer being able to supplement their diets with fish from
the river. He describes an expedition that recently
traveled upriver being chased away by large furry
monsters, and asks the adventurers to investigate. If they
can restore the river to the point where lumber can be
floated downstream again, the villagers are willing to
give the adventurers the proceeds of the next lumber
shipment, worth perhaps 100 GP.
If the PCs make the journey upstream, it could be a
good time to throw some wandering monsters unrelated
to the beavers into the mix. Or it could be a good chance
to be intentional, and perhaps the characters experience
the local goblin/orc/kobold problem first hand. The
journey should take about a day and a half to get a little
over 12 miles through terrain that becomes increasingly
challenging as they ascend the stream valley. Eventually
they come upon a gigantic crude wooden dam. If they
immediately start investigating ways to break it, they are
interrupted by a small mob of a dozen angry giant
beavers who seek to drive them away. If they investigate
what is on the other side of the dam, they find a recently
created reservoir with a castle like beaver lodge being
constructed in the middle of it.
A full community of 30 or so giant beavers should give
1st to 4th level adventurers pause for making an
immediate attack, especially if there is a berserker beaver
present. And they may have good reason to have created
their defensive reservoir and castle like dwelling.
Perhaps the aforementioned goblins/orcs/kobolds have
driven them here. Perhaps there is a trading opportunity
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
or mutual defensive pact to be found between the
humans and the giant beavers. There may be an effective
role playing solution here for the PCs to negotiate an
occasional draw down of the water level in the reservoir.
As a Playable Race
When giant beavers find their way to more civilized
lands, their animalistic appearance and behavior clearly
distinguish them from other races. Their innate caution
and the typical self-sufficiency of the beavers lodge
communities typically will ensure that these excursions
away from their wilderness homes are somewhat rare.
However, they are social creatures and can often become
integral members of organizations dominated by others.
The rare giant beaver adventurer is most typically a
barbarian or druid, but those who have greater exposure
to a more advanced civilization have been known to
explore other paths as well.
Giant Beaver Traits
Giant beavers are typically strong and hardy wilderness
natives.
Ability score increase. Giant beavers have a +2 bonus to
Constitution and a +1 bonus to Strength.
Age. Giant beavers mature rapidly and typically live
shorter lives compared to humans, reaching physical
maturity by the age of 10 and rarely living past the age
of 50.
Alignment. Often focused on survival in a sometimes
harsh and dangerous environment, the typical giant
beaver is neutral in alignment, although their focus on
the success of the community as a whole makes good
alignments more common than evil.
Size. Giant beavers are approximately human-sized in
height, though their fur gives them a bulkier appearance.
Their size is medium.
Speed. Giant beavers have a base movement speed on
both land and while swimming of 30 feet.
Keen Smell. The giant beaver has advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on their sense of smell.
Hold Breath. Giant beavers can hold their breath
underwater for 15 minutes.
Bite attack. Giant beavers are proficient in making a bite
attack that does 2d6 + strength modifier piercing damage
on successful hit.
Natural armor. Giant beavers have a base AC of 12 due
to their thick fur and hides.
Giant Beavers 4