This great cat's muscles flex visibly under its skin as it bares its fangs and shakes its thick mane of hair.
Lion CR 3
XP 800
N Large Animal
Init +7; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +9
Defense
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +3 natural, –1 size)
hp 32 (5d8+10)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d8+5 plus grab), 2 claws +7 (1d4+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +7, 1d4+5)
Statistics
Str 21, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +3; CMB +9 (+13 grapple); CMD 22 (26 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Run, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +11, Perception +9, Stealth +8 (+12 in undergrowth); Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Stealth (+8 in undergrowth)
Ecology
Environment warm plains
Organization solitary, pair, or pride (3–10)
Treasure none
Male lions are 5 to 8 feet long and weigh 330 to 550 pounds. Females are slightly smaller but use the same statistics.
Lions are usually the top animal predators in their territories, though they resort to scavenging if convenient or necessary. They may kill other predators (such as leopards and hyenas) that encroach upon their haunts, but rarely eat these kills unless game is scarce. Most lions do not selectively hunt humanoids, but occasionally one learns what easy kills they are and becomes a man-eater.
Lions prefer plains but can adapt to living in shallow caves as long as there's a large and stable supply of prey to keep them fed.
This immense spotted lion stands as tall as a man at the shoulder, its fur matted with the blood of its victims.
Dire Lion (Spotted Lion) CR 5
XP 1,600
N Large Animal
Init +6; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +11
Defense
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +4 natural, –1 size)
hp 60 (8d8+24)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +3
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +12 (1d8+7 plus grab), 2 claws +13 (1d6+7)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +13, 1d6+7)
Statistics
Str 25, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +14 (+18 grapple); CMD 26 (30 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Run, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (claw)
Skills Acrobatics +11, Perception +11, Stealth +7 (+11 in undergrowth); Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Stealth (+8 in undergrowth)
Ecology
Environment warm plains or hills
Organization solitary, pair, or pride (3–8)
Treasure incidental
Dire lions, known locally as spotted lions or cave lions, are immense predators that can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh up to 3,500 pounds. Although they are merely animals, these large creatures seem to take an almost sadistic glee in playing with and tormenting their prey before eventually devouring it. As a result, many tribes view dire lions as the spawn of evil gods, and hunt them down as soon as their presence in a region becomes obvious.
