Skip to content
CharGen Icon
CreatePricing
Cloud-Snatcher Quetzalcoatlus - AI-generated fantasy Monster

Cloud-Snatcher Quetzalcoatlus

Mountain folk tell of the 'Shadow in the Mist,' a spirit that carries the sinful away to the heavens. Scholars know them as relic pterosaurs that survived the great extinction by retreating to the thinnest air where no other predator could reach them.

Monsters
Huge beast · Significant · Rare

Cloud-Snatcher Quetzalcoatlus

A massive, sky-dwelling apex predator that treats gravity as its primary hunting tool. These prehistoric terrors hunt in mated pairs, coordinating their dives to pluck land-dwellers from the ground before dropping them onto the serrated peaks of their mountain homes.
AC15
HP115/115
CRSignificant
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 15 · HP 115 · Significant

Cloud-Snatcher Quetzalcoatlus

Huge beast (dinosaur), unaligned
Armor Class15 (natural armor)
Hit Points115 (11d12 + 44)
Speed
10 ft. walk,
80 ft. fly
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsStrengthConstitution
SkillsPerceptionAthletics
Damage Resistances
Cold
Immunities
None
Weaknesses
None
Senses
Passive Perception 15,
Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages
None
ChallengeSignificant
Flyby. The Cloud-Snatcher doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach.
Dive Attack. If the Cloud-Snatcher is flying and dives at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a melee weapon attack, the attack deals an extra 10 () damage to the target.
Apex Grip. The Cloud-Snatcher has advantage on Athletics checks to initiate or maintain a grapple. It can fly at its full speed while carrying a creature of Medium size or smaller.
Cloud Camouflage. The Cloud-Snatcher has advantage on Stealth checks while in clouds, fog, or heavy precipitation.

Actions

Multiattack. The Cloud-Snatcher makes two attacks: one with its Beak and one with its Talons.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 () piercing damage.
Talons (Snatch). Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 () slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape ). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the Cloud-Snatcher can't use its talons on another target.
The Long Drop. If the Cloud-Snatcher is at least 60 feet in the air and holding a grappled creature, it can use its action to release the creature. The creature falls, taking bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet fallen and landing prone.

Reactions

Wing Buffet. When a creature the Cloud-Snatcher can see targets it with a ranged weapon attack, the Cloud-Snatcher can use its wings to create a blast of air. The attacker has disadvantage on the attack roll.
Role
Aerial Skirmisher
Built for
Level 7 (Pair vs. 4-5 players)

Feats

Grappler

Notes for the game master

Focus on using movement to drag players away from the group.
Use falling damage as the primary threat.
The pair works together: one baits out reactions while the other snatches.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    The pair orbits high above, out of standard darkvision range. One performs a 'Screening Pass,' flying close to the party to draw opportunity attacks and reactions like Shield or Counterspell.

  2. Mid-fight

    Once reactions are spent, the second Snatcher dives. It uses Snatch on the least armored target (or the healer) and immediately uses its movement to fly vertically 80 feet up. On the next turn, it continues flying up or releases the target if it takes heavy damage.

  3. End of the fight

    If a target is dropped and survives, the Snatchers circle back to finish them off while they are prone and isolated from the party.

  4. Retreat

    If one Cloud-Snatcher is reduced to below 30 HP, it emits a piercing shriek. Both will attempt to flee to their nest, using Dash actions to outpace any pursuers.

How it fights

Stay out of melee range of ground-based fighters.
Target characters with low Athletics/Acrobatics (wizards, sorcerers).
Drop targets onto jagged rocks for an extra 1d6 piercing damage.

Who it attacks first

Healers and support casters (to prevent them from slowing the fall)
Small or Lightly armored targets
Archers

Works well with

High winds or storms (which give them advantage on stealth and hinder ranged attacks)
Steep cliffs where a 30-foot movement becomes a 200-foot drop

How to beat it

Spells like Earthbind or Hold Monster
Feather Fall is their direct counter
Sentinel feat to stop them in their tracks

Ways to avoid a fight

Distract them with a large carcass (an elk or mountain goat)
Perform a DC 18 Animal Handling check if the player has food and is not threatening the nest
Use illusory magic to hide the party's presence

Ecology

A nightmare of leathery skin and hollow bone, the Cloud-Snatcher possesses a wingspan of nearly forty feet. Its body is covered in a fine, downy fuzz the color of storm clouds, making it nearly invisible when viewed from below against a grey sky. Its head is dominated by a massive, spear-like beak and a vibrant crest of crimson and gold used for mating displays. Its feet end in surprisingly dexterous, hooked talons designed for gripping heavy weight.

Behavior

Unlike common beasts, Cloud-Snatchers hunt with cold, mechanical efficiency. They do not fight on the ground. If forced to land, they are awkward and defensive, but in the air, they are masters of momentum. They hunt in pairs: one to distract or break formations with a low pass, the other to dive from the vertical sun or clouds to seize a target.

How it lives

Cloud-Snatchers are the undisputed masters of the high altitudes. They feed primarily on mountain megafauna, though they have learned that 'soft-skins' (humanoids) are easy to carry and often carry shiny objects. They require vast territories and will fiercely defend their airspace from dragons or griffons.

Lair

The Sky-Shatter Peaks. Their nests are shallow depressions filled with the polished, gear-like stones of mountain goats and the sun-bleached gear of unlucky adventurers. There is no easy access to these nests except by flight.

Habitat
High Mountains, Floating Islands, Tundra

Signs that it is near

Huge, three-toed tracks on high ledges
Piles of shattered bones at the base of cliffs
Occasional 'sky-screams' that sound like tearing metal
Massive shadows moving rapidly across the terrain even on cloudless days

Tags

Pterosaur,
Apex Predator,
Aerial

Lore

Mountain folk tell of the 'Shadow in the Mist,' a spirit that carries the sinful away to the heavens. Scholars know them as relic pterosaurs that survived the great extinction by retreating to the thinnest air where no other predator could reach them.

What drives it

Hunger and the protection of their clutch of 1 to 2 eggs located on the highest, most inaccessible spire.

After the fight

If the Cloud-Snatchers are slain, the local ecosystem shifts. Smaller mountain predators like griffons may move back into the territory, potentially causing new problems for the locals.

Variants

Thunder-Crested: Deals extra lightning damage on talon hits.
Ancient Matriarch: CR 10 version with Legendary Actions.

Hooks

Plot hooks

The party must recover a lost signet ring from a Cloud-Snatcher nest atop the Needle Spire.
A local village's livestock is being decimated, and the players are hired to 'clear the sky.'
A noble's son was snatched during a hunting trip; the party has only hours before he is fed to the hatchlings.

How to use it

Ambush during a mountain climb
Guardians of a high-altitude dragon hoard
Aerial obstacle during a flight-based mission

Treasure

Shiny coins and gems worth 500gp scattered in the nest
A Ring of Feather Falling (ironically found on a previous victim)
Pristine Quetzalcoatlus feathers (valuable for crafting Cloaks of Manta Ray or similar aerial items)

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn Cloud-Snatcher Quetzalcoatlus into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.