This elephantine beast has a coat of thick fur and stands longer and lower to the ground than a typical pachyderm. Its tusks are long and curved, providing it with formidable natural weapons.

The great mastodon is a distant relative of the common elephant and is linked to that creature through the woolly mammoth. It is an herbivore and is found primarily in forested areas. Its teeth are rounded and pointed and make excellent "tools" for clipping leaves, branches, and twigs though its diet also includes things such as grasses, fruits, berries, and nuts. A typical mastodon consumes 400 pounds of food and 50 gallons of water each day. Mastodons generally deplete an area of its food supply before moving on, traveling in large herds with the young in the center, surrounded by the adults of the herd.

The mastodon does not have any particular season for reproducing, though most births seem to occur in the winter.

Young are born with short, thick fur and weigh around 240 pounds.

A young mastodon reaches maturity at about age ten.

The mastodon has three naturally occurring predators: the dire wolf, the smilodon, and man. The latter often hunts the great mastodon for its meat, fur, and the ivory of its tusks. Young mastodons are often captured alive and taken into captivity to be trained as mounts or beasts of burden.

The mastodon is a distant relative to the elephant though it is slightly longer and lower to the ground, with shorter and thicker legs than the common elephant. Its head is slightly longer and taller than an elephant's and the mastodon's entire body is covered in thick fur of brown, gray, reddish-brown, yellowish-brown, or black. Its long, upward curving tusks are formed of ivory and are white or yellowish-white in color. Its eyes range from gray to brown to green. An average mastodon stands 20 feet tall.

Mastodons are generally peaceful creatures and avoid combat. They have no natural fear of any creature, so they do not flee. If threatened or if their young are threatened, mastodons fight by goring with their tusks or trampling foes. Mastodons fight to the death to protect their young.

Training a Mastodon

A mastodon must be trained before it can bear a rider in combat. To be trained, a mastodon must have a friendly attitude toward the trainer. (This can be achieved through a successful Animal Handling check.) Training a friendly mastodon requires six weeks of work and another successful Animal Handling check (DC 20). Failure means that the beast is not fully trained and another 2 weeks of effort will be required to try the check again. Riding a mastodon requires an exotic saddle. A mastodon can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she makes a successful Strength (Athletics) check. Mastodon young are worth 16,000 gp each on the open market. Professional trainers charge up to 2,500 gp to rear or train a mastodon.

Carrying Capacity. A mastadon is unencumbered up to 5,592 pounds; a lightly encumbered from 5,593 to 11,184 pounds; and encumbered from 11,185 to 16,800 pounds. A mastadon can drag 84,000 pounds.

Intelligent, aggressive prehistoric relatives of the elephant

Mastodons are a related species found in more temperate climates. These prehistoric relatives of the elephant are intelligent and able to communicate with each other in a rudimentary way. They are more aggressive than the common elephant and will attack any creature they see as a threat. They have the same basic attack modes as mammoths, with the same limitations as given above. A light load for a mastodon is 8,000 pounds; a heavy load, up to 16,000 pounds. A mastodon has no treasure as such, but its tusks are worth 1d10 x 100 gp.

Shaggy elephants with large tusks. Live in icy or Lost World regions.

Intelligent, aggressive prehistoric relatives of the elephant

Mastodons are thought to be the ancestors of the common elephant, the principal difference being their great woolly coats, which make them better suited to subarctic environments. In general, elephants are relatively peaceful creatures, but when roused they can be devastating. The mastodon makes two attacks with their great tusks for 2d8 damage each. They may also attack creatures up to medium size with their trunks for 2d6 damage as well as attempt to crush their foes with their two forelegs, which can each inflict 2d6 damage. However, no single opponent may be subject to more than two attacks at one time, though elephants can simultaneously combat as many enemies as it has attacks. Treasure: Ivory is worth 1d6×100 gp per tusk. An elephant tusk is hugely encumbering.