Monster Hunter Concepts: Ad Infinitum

Once again doing Monster Hunter concepts as a break between projects. More art is on the way, though, I promise!

Also, because I'm too lazy to go back and edit all of these in the original deviations right now, the following monsters have received "official" names:


The "whisker cave wyvern" is Helagix.

The Tsuchinoko is Harlesqua.

The "sea wyrm" is Telificus.

The "Congadrome" is Nerobongu.

The "klepto monkeys" are the Fusuri.

The "dueling monsters" are Ijuroth (left) and Demeroth (right).

The "roadraptor" is Galetrice.

The "bullybird" is Altrymis.

The "derpsloth" is Kashumu.

The "volcanic snail" is Azumogg.

The "snow spider" is Jurigon.

The "titan wyvern" is Ranshao Shen.

The "beast croc" is Gairoth.

The "killer stout" is Kaimuu.

The "desert wyrm" is Grajah.


Now, for the new guys...


Granthur - A marsh-dwelling Chelonoid* with a very wide, flat shell. It spends most of its time buried in the mud, slowly crawling around in search of food like tubers and worms. It has a symbiotic relationship with the plants around it, as they can easily flourish on the moist, dirt-covered platform that is its back. The plants in turn provide camouflage, letting the Granthur disappear from predators. If covered in plants, a Grathur will never submerge underwater- though it may still swim around at the surface, looking like a small island.

In battle, the Grathur is unpredictable and surprisingly fast for a Chelonoid. Its streamlined shape and large, burrowing paws allow it to slide easily in and out of soft ground, moving around beneath hunters' feet and suddenly attacking from below. It attacks primarily by biting, spitting globs of slime to induce Waterblight, and ramming its massive body into opponents. Because of its disc-shaped shell and muddy habitat it can rapidly spin itself by kicking off on one side and tucking in its extremities. This fearsome signature move can easily strike multiple hunters at once, covering a wide area in a short span of time and dealing heavy damage. Hunters who dodge the attack but stay nearby can still be hit by the spray and suffer the Muddy status. When done it will stop itself by digging in the larger claws on its hind legs.

Over the course of a fight the island on the Grathur's back will gradually fall apart as it takes damage and begins moving more aggressively. This can be observed by leaves and chunks of earth falling from its back whenever it flinches or performs a particularly rigorous attack. The structure can be "broken" twice, first losing a large chunk of mud, then completely falling apart. Both instances are likely to drop shinies. Without its outer covering the Grathur's weakness to fire dramatically increases, but it can also move faster without the additional weight.

Grathur can be caught on a fishing rod like Gobul and Plesioth, but is attracted to worms instead of frogs and can deal damage if it lands on a hunter.

*Since some people have asked about this before: the Chelonoid class I made for this is defined as "Squat, flightless wyverns distantly related to Leviathans. They've taken the natural defenses of their cousins to the next level, fusing together the plates on their back to form a rigid, impregnable shell." So, you know. Turtles.


Yaezumak - This large, colorful invertebrate is a distant relative of Azumogg, but spends all of its time deep underwater and cannot be fought on land. It moves slowly and gracefully, keeping its less-than-friendly face low to the ground and showing off its vibrant skin and flowing tendrils to attract attention. All of its extremities can regenerate (including its eyes, though it will retract them to avoid having to do so), and its flesh is so stupendously poisonous that anything that eats it is doomed to die. Normally a bottom-feeding scavenger, the Yaezumak has adopted this strategy to turn potential predators into future meals.

Though slow moving, it is still a very adaptable monster and cannot be easily escaped. It crawls along the bottom but can also slither up and down walls or hang upside down from the ceilings of caves. If elevated, it can stretch the membranes on its sides and leap at hunters, attacking them in open water and gliding down to the bottom. It is restricted to the water, but can briefly lunge out to grab hunters or prey monsters standing by the shore.

Being spineless, the Yaezumak is very flexible and can twist or stretch its body to attack from unexpected ranges and angles. It can lob poison from its mouth and tails and can generate a huge, toxic cloud that lingers for several seconds. About halfway through the fight (when it has taken a specific amount of damage), the Yaezumak will put on a threat display by changing color and opening the pod on its back to reveal tentacles. These extra appendages increase the monster's range dramatically and are tipped with sharp barbs that inflict paralysis. They also allow it to perform a grab move, pulling hunters into the pod and closing it before spitting them back out in a cloud of poison. The Yaezumak will stay in this state until killed.


Zennabi - A very strange looking monster which appears to be a worm but is in fact a highly specialized Snake Wyvern. It's shed most of its armor plating for a faster, more flexible body and has no eyes to speak of, instead sensing body heat and vibrations. It moves through sand and loose soil as if it were water and is extremely agile. Both ends of its body are equally dangerous.

Zenabbi's large, shearing beak is perfect for shearing through armor and can inflict the Defense Down status with repeated hits. It can also spit streams of adhesive liquid that bind targets in place, trapping them with a status similar to Webbed or Tarred. This can be aimed around like a hose, potentially trapping multiple hunters. Finally, it can raise its tail above the surface and slam it down, hooking the backward-pointing spikes into the earth and yanking the surrounding area underground. This creates a temporary hazard similar to an antlion's hole or a hunter's pitfall trap. Anything that falls in will trigger the Zennabi to zero in on it, dealing a massive amount of damage. Hunters can struggle to dig themselves out and avoid the attack, but will have very little time to do so, especially if hunting alone. Depending on the size of the area, it can have 1-3 traps set up at once.

If extended above the surface, Zennabi can be forced to temporarily retreat underground with a sonic or barrel bomb. This has a cool-down period and cannot be done repeatedly, and has no effect if Zennabi is already underground. It is not effected by flashbombs or pitfall traps.


Shuragath - An exotic, tropical species of Elder Dragon that towers over its enemies by walking upright. It's completely lost its ability to fly, having instead turned its wings into a pair of massive, grasping hands. A rarity among the Elders, it is also not a carnivore. Shuragath uses its long, barbed claws to comb through the leaves of trees and drop fruit to the ground. It can easily strip an entire grove in one sitting and is thus always on the move, migrating from place to place to follow its food and often displacing other herbivores in the process.

While not a predator, Shuragath is no stranger to violence and will defend itself just as ferociously as any other Elder. Its enormous wing-claws can drive away foes of similar sizes and easily snag a flying wyvern out of the sky. They can be used in a myriad of different ways, swiping, raking, and grabbing, and can even make up for its stunted forelegs and allow it to climb. Only the tip of its tail can be cut off, making the thagomizer near the end an ever-present threat as well.

The Shuragath's main defense is its breath, which can be utilized either as a continuous stream or a volley of arcing blasts shot form a distance. The pale, gaseous substance is a potent tranquilizer and will induce Sleep on anything it hits. When warding off predators it uses this in combination with its claws, pinning down opponents and putting them to sleep so it can eat in peace or flee. Hunters need be especially cautious, as the Shuragath's already powerful attacks can often be fatal with the added damage caused by being asleep.


High Tsuriat, Tsuriat, & Tsuriag - Black and white Bird Wyverns that live in extremely cold climates. The most frequently encountered, the Tsuriat, are immature males. Still clumsy and inexperienced, they gang together in packs to hunt small monsters and will eagerly attack hunters with their long, saw-like beaks. Their mature form, the High Tsuriat, is a much larger monster which acts as the Tsuriats' protector. He patrols a set territory on the ground and aggresively guards his offspring both as eggs and juveniles, kicking them out only when they begin to grow large enough to dispute his place as the dominant male. He is the most formidable of the three morphs (though still a low rank monster), and has a long, flexible neck, powerful legs, and the ability to hock up a foul smelling liquid that simultaneously inflicts Soiled and Fatigue. He can also inflate the sac on his chest to make a loud, bellowing call, summoning his companions. Unlikely to respond is the female, called a Tsuriag, which is smaller and weaker but able to fly. She has no real loyalty to her male counterpart, instead using her fully developed wings to travel across vast distances and mate multiple times throughout the year, spreading her genes to as many populations as she can and leaving the males to raise her offspring. She is not guaranteed to appear on a High Tsuriat quest, but if she does she will wander the map on her own and only rarely aid him. She is not difficult to kill (somewhere between a Remobra and a Seltas), but spits the same dual-status bile as the male and will instantly enter rage if a regular Tsuriat is attacked in her presence.


Ayudon - A freshwater Chelonoid whose shells is hinged and adorned with huge, curving spikes. It sleeps with all its extremities retracted, usually underwater or partially buried in mud, perhaps to mimic the appearance of a giant clam or dragon skull. When threatened by an intruder it will rush forward and open its shell, creating the illusion of an enormous, fang-lined mouth. Most enemies are scared away by the act, and those who aren't may find the shell (and the Ayudon's real mouth) clamping down on them anyway. It won't eat the other monster, but may drag it to the depths to drown it in self defense.

Because the spikes on its shell typically see a lot of use they can often be broken. The Ayudon remedies this by salivating a viscous liquid which quickly dries when exposed to air; it will meticulously lay layer upon layer of this liquid onto its damaged spikes until they are repaired, a process which can take hours. When fighting on land it can use this substance as a weapon, spitting it in globs or salivating when it bites. Hunters struck by the liquid suffer a status called Petrified, which if left untreated will gradually slow down their movements until they stuck in place. Once fully Petrified the hunter cannot move or use items and must wait until the affliction wears off or something hits them. Since the substance must dry before it can harden, hunters can negate it by rolling through wet terrain three times or jumping into the water.

Ayudon is very slow on land due to its heavy shell and paddle-like feet. It should still be treated with respect, however, as the spurs on its front flippers carry a paralyzing venom which can catch hunters unaware.


Yuukama - A large, merciless brute wyvern found only in polar climates. It spends its entire life in zones that would freeze other monsters to death in a matter of minutes. The secret to its success are the blunt, hardened crests running up and down its body. These constantly generate heat, even when the Yuukama is asleep, and warm the surrounding air enough to make it livable. Hunters can stay in the same area as it and not need Hot Drinks, and monsters like Jade Barroth and Glacial Agnaktor will gradually thaw in its presence.

Though sometimes beneficial to hunters, this ambient heat is only the tip of the iceberg. Each of the major crests (head, body, and tail) can function independently and put out a different temperature. All of them can project their heat outward, shooting harmful waves of heat visible only as distortions in the air. These wide, fast-moving attacks can be hard to visualize and take some practice to learn how to dodge. They can also be directed at certain parts of the environment, especially in areas with frozen water, where the Yuukama can create hazards by melting holes in the ice. Even in its presence the water is still cold enough to inflict Iceblight.

Fireblight can also be inflicted by Yuukama, as its crests glow and superheat when it enters rage. When in this state it utilizes its physical attacks even more, scorching everything it touches and making new shortcuts to areas by melting through walls of ice. Heatwave attacks are done only sparingly, though it can perform a greatly upgraded version which sends a massive, full-body blast in one direction, covering a very large area and dealing enough damage to one-shot most hunters. This comes at the cost of a tremendous amount of energy and usually ends its rage mode. Its heat generation is costly in general, though, giving it a tremendous appetite. Instead of feeding constantly like a Deviljho it instead opts to prey on monsters larger than itself, feeding itself fed for a long time and storing food for later. Still, it shares its cousins willingness to fed on dropped meat.

The fur on a Yuukama's underside serves little to no purpose for its own well being and is actually used for parental care. Adults of both sexes will lay on their nest and use the fur to help insulate their eggs, a practice they continue even after they hatch, as young chicks have underdeveloped heat organs and take several months to be able to generate their own protective aura.


Judimono - A nimble Temnoceran whose large, starkly patterned spikes serve as a warning display to other predators. It has rudimentary color changing capabilities and can dim these colors at any time, turning itself dark to blend in with stalagmites and stalactites. It can be found in caves and rocky, high-altitude areas where it can more easily camouflage itself. Unlike its relative Nerscylla, it never builds webs off of the ground, instead covering the floor of its lair with a fine layer of webbing which it can use to pinpoint the exact movements of intruders. As it lies in wait it keeps two strands of webbing wrapped around its forelegs. This helps it sense vibrations through the web, but is also the key to its killing prowess.

Judimono is a thunder element monster, able to channel electricity through its exoskeleton thanks to a series of small organs spread throughout its abdomen. The web it spins is similarly conductive, so when small monsters enter its domain it can easily electrify the entire area and catch them without moving. It has very precise control over its output and can either stun or kill its prey depending on the voltage. During quests hunters must be careful to avoid any dense patches of webbing they see, as standing over them will allow the Judimono to shock them no matter where it's standing. During a fight it will also shoot strands of webbing and anchor them across parts of the area, setting up tripwires which can also be electrified. These can be avoided by crouching or rolling, or burnt away by a torch, but only while not electrified. Attacking with a weapon will trigger them the same as walking into them.

The Judimono can extend its mandibles to attack, but has a much shorter range than Nerscylla, only able to lash out a short distance straight ahead of it. It can strike with blinding speed, however, and its electrified fangs instantly stun whatever they hit. The tall spikes on its back can be broken to reduce the strength of its elemental attacks.


Wagamos - A large, slow-moving Chelanoid that can live for an extremely long time. It sleeps in underground caves, submerging itself in subterranean lakes where it can rest undisturbed. During the day it ventures out into the desert, using the water stored in its skin to keep hydrated and cool as it forages for food. It eats only soft vegetable matter, mostly cacti, and mashes its food into a pulp using hard, bony plates on its tongue and the roof of its mouth. This diet sometimes puts it at the receiving end of Diablos' wrath, as the horned wyvern is not known for its willingness to share resources. Luckily for the Wagamos, it can retract into its shell and endure such attacks.

In fact very little phases this monster. Patient, slow-moving, and calm, it trudges through wastelands and oasis' undeterred by its surroundings. Its massive, hump-like shell makes it invulnerable to attack, and even its loose, warty skin is harder to pierce than it looks. If set upon by small carnivores like Genprey it will continue to go about its business completely undisturbed, knowing its life is not in danger. Though unaggressive, Wagamos is a very large and inattentive monster and may carelessly trudge through villages, crushing houses and devouring crops.

If confronted by hunters, it can defend itself by making a deafening sound with its shell, the segments of which are hollow with loose bony scales inside. Acting something like a rattle or an enormous bell, it can make an incredible amount of noise and knock back small enemies. Hunters at a distance can negate flinching from the attack by having High-Grade Earplugs, but standing too close to the attack will always result in damage.

As a last resort, Wagamos can expel the water from its body, spitting streams from its mouth or inflicting Waterblight with its physical attacks. Doing so will exhaust it and eventually force it to retreat to a cave area to recover.


Gaderro - An extremely territorial Amphibian that greets intruders with a boisterous display. Inflating its throat and flushing blood into its sail, it makes itself look as large and threatening as it can. Anything that ignores its posturing and comes closer will be met with furious violence. Even members of its same species will be attacked, save for during the breeding season when males and females tolerate each other for a few weeks. It is not uncommon for a Gaderro to have missing spikes or a torn sail, as members of the same sex sex frequently do battle.

When facing hunters, Gaderro defends itself with its clubbed tail, cranial spikes, and large, toothy maw. It can launch its tongue roughly two head-lengths in front of it, striking nearby opponents with blinding speed. Like most Amphibians, it has well developed hind legs that help it climb and leap. It can work itself into quite a frenzy when agitated.

Besides serving as a display, the sail on Gaderro's back also acts as a thermoregulatory device. By turning to face the sun it can absorb large amounts of sunlight, jumpstarting its metabolism and allowing it to move faster. It can use this ability to charge itself up and temporarily become more formidable, similar to a Zinogre. It can also charge to replenish its energy instead of eating. Damaging the sail will greatly hinder its ability to do so, doubling the time it takes to fully charge.


Santirah - A bloodthirsty wyvern closely related to Seregios. Though violent and intimidating, its primarily an insectivore, only sometimes supplementing its diet with meat and preferring to feed mostly on Neopterans. It's body is covered head to toe in spines, armor, and fur, leaving no exposed patches of soft skin for its prey to sting. Like its blade-scaled cousin, Santirah can raise and launch the quills on its body, though they do not rattle. It uses these to deadly effect, able to snipe insects mid-flight from a considerable distance. In a single day it can decimate an entire hive, eating only a fraction of what it kills and storing most of its food for later. With this strategy it can go for weeks without hunting.

The lair of a Santirah is not hard to spot. It uses its projectile spines like a nailgun, pinning victims' corpses to anything solid it can find and creating a grotesque landscape in the process. The lair doubles as a trap, luring in scavengers and other insects which then become prey themselves. For the sake of keeping its food fresh the Santirah sometimes skewers its prey live, dooming them to a slow and painful end.

Hunters struck by these giant quills are inflicted with Defense Down and sent reeling, however there is a potential extra effect: if the hunter collides with a solid surface as they fly back (like a wall or climbable object) then they will be stuck to it, their armor pinned by the quill. If attacked from above, the same affliction is suffered by being stuck to the ground. This Pinned status can be struggled out of, but offers the Santirah an opportunity to attack the helpless, weakened hunter. Hunters who are Pinned are also more likely to be targeted by its grab attack.

Lastly, the marauding wyvern can attack using the long, blade-like spike at the end of its tail. This fiendish weapon is usually reserved for the killing blow on large prey and can inflict the dreaded Bleeding status. Though it may appear to be a single structure it is actually two separate blades that can open and close. The Santirah uses it like a giant pair of scissors, cutting between the armor plates of large Neopterans like the Seltas Queen so that it can disassemble their bodies and carry the smaller, more manageable pieces back to its lair. When enraged Santirah will separate its blade and fight this way, snapping at hunters and inducing both Bleeding and Defense Down simultaneously.

It avoids regions known to inhabit Raizex, probably because the territorial wyvern is too aggressive to compete with.