Monster Manual - Ape, Carnivorous
It’s amazing to believe people once confused these apes with gorillas. While they are certainly carnivorous, man-eaters are rare. We aren't worth the hassle. Their carnivorous diet makes them easier to spot and follow in the jungles, compared to the shy gorilla. Another way to differentiate them is their coats. Carnivorous apes are a deep russet, shading to red, with a white ruff around the neck cushioned with tough skin. Males possess a mohawk-like ruff of fur that they raise when engaging with competitors for food or mates.
As they cannot climb trees due to their size, they've been known to modify their environment to make temporary "camps". The most dangerous are the loners, males and females with no connection to any social group and thus conditioned to fighting alone, often to the death. I've seen hobgoblins take these individuals, fit them with collars, and loose them upon enemies at war. Almost all of them seemed starved and beaten. -- The Monster Manual says that they're relatives of gorillas, but I also wanted to get in some orangutan for their design. Their mohawk and ruff were originally for a different ape design I had, but thought it would serve to make them look more monstrous and bizarre when compared to gorillas, which we'll be getting next. I'm not quite as happy with Lias here. The idea is that he's hiding behind a cut-out to get close observations without being noticed. Unfortunately it looks a little too thick.
