General Rules: Monsters - Dire Ostrich (Axebeak)

Dire Ostrich (Axebeak) (from Wrath & Rage: A Guidebook to Orcs and Half-Orcs))
Large Animal

Hit Dice: 9d8+36 (76 hit points)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 feet
Armor Class: 12 (-1 size, +3 natural); touch 9, flat-footed 12
BAB/Grapple: +6/+16
Attack: Bite +11 melee (2d8+6, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: Bite +11 melee (2d8+6, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) and 2 kicks +6 melee (1d6+3, piercing and slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/10 feet
Special Attacks: Pounce, improved grab, rake 1d6+3
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fortitude +10, Reflex +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 22, Int 2, Wis 14, Dex 11, Con 18, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +10 (+18 when running), Listen +11, Spot +11
Feats: Run, Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot), Skill Focus (Jump)
Environment: Warm forests, hills, or plains
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 10 - 18 Hit Dice (Large); 19 -27 Hit Dice (Huge)

The axebeak, or dire ostrich, is a towering flightless bird, a solidly built predator designed to run its prey to ground.

An adult axebeak stands 10 feet high, with strong, clawed legs and a powerful beak. It is covered with dense feathers , with plumage that changes from shadow gray to marsh brown in appearance in response to the seasons. Axebeaks are fiercely territorial animals and mark the boundaries of their land by scarring trees and even rocks with their massive beaks. These characteristic marks, which resemble axe gashes, are what give the creatures their common name.

Savage humanoids often put these creatures to work as guards, counting on their natural instincts to keep intruders away from tribal territory.

Combat
Axebeaks attack when hungry, or when any creature larger than a small dog enters their territory. they love to leap onto their enemies after charging at a dead run, then seizing them in their beaks and kicking them to death with their daggerlike talons.

Pounce (Ex): if an axebeak leaps upon a foe in the first round of combat, it can make a full attack even if it has already moved.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an axebeak must hit with its bite attack, allowing it to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it gets hold, it can rake.

Rake (Ex): An axebeak can make two rake attacks with its talons at a +11 melee attack bonus against a held creature, dealing 1d6+3 points of damage each. If an axebeak pounces on an opponent, it can also rake.

Skills: Axebeaks gain a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks made while running.

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