So-ut
Image by Thomas Baxa, © TSR Inc.
[The so-ut is also known as the rampager, which is the name it appears under in 3e and 4e. The 3e version (from Monster Manual II) strips away a lot of its magical defenses, and is an application of the “beast” type that appeared in 3.0 (most “beasts” were things like dinosaurs or rocs, bulettes, purple worms--creatures with the ecological niches of ordinary animals but stranger anatomy or abilities). This is pretty ridiculous--a reptilian bulldog centaur with acid claws and a compulsion to destroy metal objects is much stranger than, say, an owlbear. They’re aberrations, says I.]
So-ut CR 12 CE Aberration This creature vaguely resembles a reptilian centaur, with a distorted humanoid face growing from a muscular torso. Its feet are elephantine, and its arms end in oversized claws, dripping a greenish ichor.
A so-ut is called “rampager” in many languages, because it seems to exist only to destroy. They are artificial lifeforms, created as terror weapons in an ancient war. So-uts hate all man-made structures, and are particularly enraged by the presence of metal items. A so-ut will tear apart a city to smash a few iron nails, and they are seen as anathema by blacksmiths and metalworkers everywhere.
In combat, a so-ut focuses on metal armor and weapons first, people second. Only if reduced to below half of its hit points will it cease making sunder attempts above all other strategies. The acid in their claws can corrode flesh as easily as it does metal, however, and they have a venomous bite that saps the strength from muscle. A so-ut has no ranged capacity, and creatures keeping a safe distance can fight it more easily—but this is easier said than done in combat against a creature as swift as a horse with a hide that repels all but adamantine weapons.
So-uts are nocturnal, burying themselves in the sand to sleep by day. They eat both meat and the corroded shards of metal left behind in their rampages. They carry no treasure and leave little behind, but bold scavengers follow in their wakes to feed on the leftovers or pick off the wounded survivors of a so-ut attack. They have no allies and cannot be controlled, although some evil creatures do attempt to steer them in the direction of their own enemies.