Tarrasque 5e
Gargantuan Monstrosity, Unaligned
The Tarrasque is a gargantuan monstrosity in D&D 5e with a challenge rating of 30 (155,000 XP). It has 25 AC and 676 hit points. This colossal engine of destruction towers above the landscape like a living mountain of horn, scale, and fang, its massive bulk scarred by countless battles. Six legs pound the earth with seismic for...
Armor Class
25
Hit Points
676
Challenge
30
155,000 XP
This colossal engine of destruction towers above the landscape like a living mountain of horn, scale, and fang, its massive bulk scarred by countless battles. Six legs pound the earth with seismic force while a carapace harder than stone deflects all attacks, and its roar alone can shatter stone and stop hearts.
str
30
+10
dex
11
+0
con
30
+10
int
3
-4
wis
11
+0
cha
11
+0
Saving Throws INT +5, WIS +9, CHA +9
Damage Immunities Immune: Fire, Poison, Nonmagical Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages None
Magic Resistance.
Reflective Carapace.
Siege Monster.
DM Notes
Encounter Hooks & Tactics
- A kingdom's last line of defense has fallen. The Tarrasque awakened three days ago and has already leveled two cities. The party isn't being asked to fight it — they're being asked to lure it away from the capital long enough for an evacuation. How do you bait a creature that eats everything?
- An ancient prophecy states the Tarrasque will awaken when a specific artifact is disturbed. The party just disturbed it. They have 48 hours before the creature surfaces — enough time to find the one weapon that can put it back to sleep, hidden in a dungeon beneath the creature's resting place.
- The Tarrasque is already dead — killed centuries ago by a god. Its corpse, miles long, has become a landscape. But something is reanimating it from within. The party must descend into the body and destroy the necromantic engine before the creature rises again.
Combat Tactics
The Tarrasque is the ultimate endgame encounter, not a fair fight. At CR 30 with 676 HP, 25 AC, Reflective Carapace, and Magic Resistance, it invalidates most strategies. It has Frightful Presence (DC 17 WIS save, 120 ft) — trigger this first to scatter the party. Its multiattack (5 attacks per round including a potential Swallow) deals 100+ damage per turn. The key to running a Tarrasque well: don't make it a stand-and-fight. It moves, it destroys terrain, it collapses buildings. The party should be running, planning, and executing a scheme — not trading blows. If they try to fight it straight, they will lose. Reward creative solutions: collapsing it into a prepared pit, luring it into the ocean, using Wish, or a coordinated plan with multiple high-level allies.
Works Well With
A lich awakens the Tarrasque deliberately as a weapon against a rival power. The party must deal with both — the lich controlling the situation from safety while the Tarrasque does the destruction. Defeating the lich might be the only way to stop the beast.
An empyrean ally is one of the few beings powerful enough to help the party survive a Tarrasque encounter. Use one as a quest-giver or battlefield support — their legendary actions and divine magic complement the party's mortal efforts.
Luring the Tarrasque to the coast where a kraken waits is the kind of desperate plan players love. Two CR 23+ creatures fighting each other while the party scrambles to execute a plan in the chaos is unforgettable.
Use Tarrasque in your campaign
Lorekeeper lets you add Tarrasque directly to encounters, track it in live combat with HP and conditions, and share the battle with your players — all free.