Roc (/rɒk/)
A gargantuan bird of prey. From the head to the base of the tail, the creature is about 50 feet long, with a 200-foot wingspan. It has a very large hooked beak and strong, muscular legs, and powerful talons.
At first sight, a roc's silhouette looks much like any other bird of prey. As it descends, however, its unearthly size becomes terrifyingly clear. In flight, a roc's wingspan spreads two hundred feet or more. At rest, perched upon the mountain peaks that are its home, this monstrous bird rivals the oldest dragons in size.
Sky Titans. In the ancient days when giants battled dragons for control of the world, Annam, the father of the giant gods, created the rocs so that his worshipers might challenge the dragons' dominance of the air.
When the war ended, the rocs were freed from giant domination and spread throughout the world.
Though cloud giants and storm giants sometimes tame these great birds, rocs treat even giants as potential prey. They fly great distances in search of food, soaring high above the clouds to reach their favored hunting grounds. A roc seldom hunts swift or small creatures, and it ignores towns and forests where prey can easily take cover. When it locates a large and slow-moving target such as a giant, a whale, or an elephant, a roc dives down to snatch its prey in its massive talons.
Remote and Alone. Rocs are solitary creatures that can live for centuries. They lair in nests made from trees, tents, broken ships, and the remains of caravans they carry off, placing these massive tangles in mountain clefts out of the reach of lesser creatures.
Sometimes a roc's nest contains treasures from the caravans or ships they raid, but these creatures are heedless of such baubles. More rarely, a nest holds eggs that are taller than a human, produced by the rocs' infrequent mating.
The Mighty Menagerie fought one on their way back to Skola Vale, and later turned one into a chicken.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Rocs were gargantuan birds of prey that inhabited the highest mountains in warm and subtropical regions.
As large as these great birds were, they paled in both size and ferocity to the mighty Zakharan rocs of the Land of Fate.
Description
Rocs were massive avians with feathers that were normally either dark brown or golden in color, although rare black, red, or white rocs were sometimes reported. From the head to the base of the tail, rocs were a minimum of 30 ft (9.1 m) long, and as much as 60 ft (18 m). Their wingspans were a staggering 80‒120 ft (24‒37 m), and rocs weighed some 8,000 lb (3,600 kg).Ecology and Habitats
Ecology
Rocs were massive birds of prey that were known to carry off very large prey, including cattle and horses, and even elephants. They typically lived in warmer, mountainous regions, and dwelled far apart from each to avoid straining the supply of prey. Rocs hunted in a territory of about 10 mi (16,000 m) around their nest. The lair of a roc was a vast nest of trees, branches, and the like. Its treasure was strewn about, for the creature did not place any value upon it. The egg was large, green, and spotted. Rocs were usually solitary, but sometimes found in mated pairs. Rocs often guarded the nests of simurghs until they were mature.Behaviour
Combat
Rocs hunted, and attacked, by swooping down from the sky with talons outstretched to snatch and carry off prey. A single roc would be hunting, and therefore willing to try and take any suitably sized creature, but a pair of rocs would act in concert and fight to the death to defend the nest and eggs or hatchlings.Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Uses
Rocs were occasionally tamed and used by giants. Roc feathers were commonly used in manufacturing Quaal's feather tokens and brooms of flying.Harvesting
Instructions
Instructions: Because this creature is an Monstrosity, the player should roll a Nature Check using the DCs in the table below. On a success, the player is able to harvest the item. On a failure, the item cannot be harvested (either because the character is not skilled enough, or because the item is ruined). The DM should note that many of the items have an expiration, and can not be sold or used after the expiration has passed.
Harvesting Note: A roc is a gargantuan beast that takes time to harvest.
| DC | Item | Description | Value | Weight | Expiration | Crafting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Roc Blood (9 vials) | Rocs tend to be large, ancient creatures with dark red blood. The blood is often used in rituals and spells, but can also an ingredient in some sauces and stews. | 4 gp | 1 lb. | 7 Days | - |
| 10 | Roc Feathers (5 large pouches) | A rock has a large collection of feathers of a variety of colors. While the feathers appear too large for common crafting, the soft bristles of the feathers can be removed and used in most items. | 30 gp | 3 lb. | ∞ | - |
| 20 | Roc Liver | A roc's liver is a dark red, rubbery organ, about three feet long, that has many alchemical properties. It helps with bile production, synthesizing proteins, and has many other functions. In addition, the liver also has use in various arcane rituals, or can be used as a food item. | 400 gp | 20 lb. | 2 days | - |
| 25 | Roc Talon (x6) | A roc has six large, sharp, iron-hard talons, each several feet long. Expert weaponsmiths can shape and carve the talons into weapons and tools of all shapes and sizes. | 500 gp | 25 lb. | ∞ | Any melee weapon +1 |
| 25 | Roc Heart Piece | Small bits of stone often get caught in the creature's digestive tract, and are covered in a thick mucus that quickly hardens. Over time, the object is coated again and again, forming a glistening white pearl with a purple sheen. | 2300 gp | 15 lb. | 15 days | Ring of Storm Giant Growth |
This kind of creature does not normally carry treasure. This kind of creature does not normally have or collect treasure. However, the creature may have a lair full of bodies, or reside somewhere that treasure already exists.
This creature produces 8-160 pieces of Harvested Meat, weight of 4 lb each. DC: 5, Expire: 1 day, Value: 2 sp each.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Homelands
The egg of a roc and the most dangerous omelette ever. Rocs were found in the Utter East, making their nests in the Serpent Valley, Web Mountains, and even underground in the Realm of Fire. Their nests could hold treasure from past victims, if one dared brave the parent and hatchling.Civilization and Culture
History
Lord Charles Frederik LaVerne Blacktree IV was known for wearing a roc feather in his hat.
Sources
Source(s):
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 260. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 220. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 215. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 303. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 82. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Monster Sheets). (TSR, Inc). ISBN 978-1560763291.
- Tachyon Studios (November 1996). Designed by Brian Fargo. Blood & Magic. Interplay.
- Wolfgang Baur, Steve Kurtz (1992). Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix. (TSR, Inc). ISBN l-56076-370-1.
- Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 82. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- Jean Rabe, Skip Williams and Ed Sollers (1989). Gateway to Ravens Bluff, the Living City. (TSR, Inc), p. 11.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Animalia, Monstra, Bestial, Bird (Roc)
Origin/Ancestry
Monstrosity (Beast Bird | Roc)
Lifespan
Centuries
Conservation Status
There is no protection for such creatures, and are often hunted when discovered as they will kill humans, demi-humans, and cattle indiscriminately. Giants were known to tame and domesticate them.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
5E Statistics
Roc
| Size | Gargantuan |
| Type | Monstrosity |
| Alignment | Unaligned |
| Challenge Rating | 11 |
General Information
| Movement | Flying |
| Vision | Low-light vision |
| Activity cycle | Diurnal |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Intelligence | Animal |
| Subraces | Zakharan roc |
| Favored Climate | Warm, Subtropical, Subtropical Dry |
| Favored Terrain | Mountains |
Appearance
| Average Length | 30‒60 ft (9.1‒18 m) |
| Average Wingspan | 80‒120 ft (24‒37 m) |
| Average Weight | 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) |
| Feather color(s) | Dark brown to golden |
| Skin color(s) | Avian |
History
| First Appearance | Monster Manual |
See Also: Roc on Forgotten Realms Wiki