Ye Olde Shoppe of Magicks – Monster Manuals – The Saurus (Thesaurus)

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In keeping with the Haunted Mansion our party is currently exploring, I came up with a WHOLE haunted library ala Gomez Addams

Encounter Mechanics

  • The books remain inert until one is pulled from the shelf. When disturbed, all eight awaken.
  • They can hover off the ground, flapping like birds. Some have the ability to run.
  • Their CR can be set between 2–3 each (slightly weaker alone, but dangerous as a group).
  • The fight can escalate as more books fall open—giving your party a frantic “stop pulling tomes!” realization.

Encounter Notes

  • Trigger: The fight begins when one book is pulled from the shelf. The rest join after 1 round, 1d4 books at a time, for rising tension.
  • Tactics: Books hover and swarm. “Art of War” boosts the others, “Odyssey” disrupts positioning, “Dracula” heals mid-fight.
  • Party Balance: Facing all 8 at once could overwhelm — consider staggering their arrival for a cinematic escalation.

The Saurus
(Thesaurus Monster Tome)

Medium Construct, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 15
(reinforced hide-like cover)
Hit Points 85 (10d10+30)
Speed 60 ft., hover 30 ft.

STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3)
INT 12 (+1) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 10 (+0)

Saving Throws Str +6, Con +5
Skills Perception +3, Intimidation +2
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities psychic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned, prone, exhaustion
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages understands all languages, cannot speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Traits

  • Word Substitution. Once per turn when The Saurus misses with an attack, it may immediately attempt the same attack again with advantage, representing it “finding a synonym” for its strike.
  • Predatory Pages. When The Saurus reduces a creature to 0 hit points, it lets out a thunderous raptor-like screech. All hostile creatures within 20 ft. must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
  • Hovering Predator. The Saurus can hover silently; creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect it if it is motionless.

Actions

  • Synonym Jaws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8+4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) psychic damage as the victim’s mind reels with overlapping meanings.
  • Clawing Pages. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10+3) slashing damage as its paper edges slice like talons.
  • Wordstorm (Recharge 5–6). The Saurus flaps violently, spewing a storm of overlapping words in a 20-ft. radius. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence saving throw or take 21 (6d6) psychic damage and be stunned until the start of their next turn. On a success, they take half damage and are not stunned.
  • Biting Words Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
    Hit: 15 (2d10+4) piercing damage as the raptor jaws clamp down. The wound erupts with jagged, glowing letters, dealing an additional 7 (2d6) psychic damage. On a failed DC 14 Wisdom saving throw, the target is rattled by the torrent of overlapping synonyms and suffers disadvantage on its next attack roll.

Design Notes

  • CR 5 makes The Saurus a “mini-boss” of the Haunted Library.
  • “Word Substitution” is a fun, unique trait that reinforces the thesaurus pun.
  • Unlike the Dictionary (which silences casters), The Saurus is a predatory melee monster with terrifying bite and claw attacks.

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