Great Gastodon

Great Gastodon is a large Herbivore that can be found in volcanoes. He is the alpha male of a herd of Gastodon, leading his smaller kin into battle and protecting them from predators.

Physiology
Great Gasstodon greatly resembles his smaller kin, but has some differences to set himself apart from them. He is both larger and bulkier than them, and barbs reaching the size of Great Jaggi's can be found on the sides of his tail. His back ridges, limb/side spikes, and three horns are larger, and the hair found on his tail is longer. His mane and beard are greater in length, and various black spikes like the kind found on his legs can be found on the top and sides of his mane. Glowing, red-hot spots will also appear along his body when he gets enraged.

Ecology
Similar to its close relative Great Kestodon, Great Gastodon is the dominant form of male Gastodon, becoming the leader of a herd of them after fully maturing and asserting dominance over other males of his species. His spikes and horns are notably larger in size, increasing the lethality of his attacks, and his longer mane and beard signify his status as their leader. Due to having a thicker skull and greater muscle mass than his smaller kin, he can recover from getting his charges blocked more effectively, leaving less openings available. Unlike them, he has a specialized sac in his throat that allows him to weaponized his high body heat, releasing it in the form of fireballs, and it developed during his development as leader. Because of this, it is theorized that his smaller kin also have flame sacs, albeit inactive ones, and that they don't activate until growth hormones only present in dominant males are secreted. However, despite these advantages, he is preyed on by many larger monsters, such as Lavasioth, Rathalos, Azure Rathalos, Barghest Odogaron, Bazelgeuse, Deviljho, Kushala Daora, Teostra, and Nergigante, and faces competition for food and territory from others on or above his threat level, such as Dodogama, Uragaan, Cragdaran, Gemcutter Gammoth, and Metalworker Barroth. On some occasions, it gets preyed on by Dodogama, but is able to fight back against it more easily than the other large predators found within the Elder's Recess, seriously wounding or killing it at times.

Behavior
Great Gastodon is highly aggressive and territorial, attacking anything that spots him or intrudes on his domain on sight, and is especially hostile towards anything that would threaten his herd. Even if outmatched, he will not stop attacking until either he or his enemy die, and will hound them if they try to escape.

Abilities
Great Gastodon has longer horns, a thicker skull, and greater muscle mass than his smaller kin, allowing him to dish out and take more punishment, and he can knock out foes with a single head-butt. He also has the ability to spit fire at foes, giving him a long-ranged attack.

Habitat
Great Gastodon can be found in the same habitats as his smaller kin.

HP and Damage
HP:


 * Base HP: 3,700 HP


 * High-Rank (0.70x): 2,590 HP


 * G-Rank (1.30x): 4,810 HP

Physical/Elemental Damage Taken:


 * Head: 15 (Cut), 15 (Impact), 15 (Shot), 5 (Fire), 10 (Water), 15 (Thunder), 10 (Ice), 5 (Dragon), 10 (Earth), 10 (Wind)


 * Body: 45 (Cut), 45 (Impact), 45 (Shot), 5 (Fire), 20 (Water), 35 (Thunder), 20 (Ice), 10 (Dragon), 20 (Earth), 20 (Wind)

Element/Status Effectiveness
 * Fire = ★
 * Water = ★★
 * Thunder = ★★★
 * Ice = ★★
 * Dragon = ★
 * Earth = ★★
 * Wind = ★★
 * Poison = ★★
 * Sleep = ★★
 * Paralysis = ★★
 * Blast = ★
 * Stun = ★

Attacks
Great Gastodon has the same attacks as Great Kestodon, except its attacks do more damage, and its spit attack inflicts Fire damage and Fireblight instead of Earth damage and Earthblight.

Great Sword
Tormentor's Broadsword --> Devil's Broadsword

Long Sword
Bison Longsword --> Brute's Longsword

Sword and Shield
Tormentor's Club --> Devil's Club

Dual Blades
Gasto Clubs --> Ogre's Clubs

Hammer
Bison Mace --> Brute's Mace

Hunting Horn
Tormentor's Horn --> Devil's Horn

Lance
Gasto Lance --> Ogre's Lance

Switch Axe
Bison Axe --> Brute's Axe

Charge Blade
Tormentor's Sword --> Devil's Sword

Heavy Bowgun
Gasto Gun --> Ogre's Gun

Bow
Tormentor's Bow --> Devil's Bow

High-Rank
Defense: 220-595

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire +10
 * Water 0
 * Thunder -15
 * Ice 0
 * Dragon +10
 * Earth 0
 * Wind 0

Skills: Blast Res, Detect, Attack Tremor, Stam Recov Down

G-Rank
Defense: 400-675

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire +10
 * Water 0
 * Thunder -15
 * Ice 0
 * Dragon +10
 * Earth 0
 * Wind 0

Skills: Blast Res, Detect, Attack Tremor, Stam Recov Down

High-Rank
Defense: 110-390

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire +15
 * Water +5
 * Thunder -10
 * Ice +5
 * Dragon +15
 * Earth +5
 * Wind +5

Skills: Blast Res, Detect, Attack Tremor, Stam Recov Down

G-Rank
Defense: 215-440

Elemental Resistances:
 * Fire +15
 * Water +5
 * Thunder -10
 * Ice +5
 * Dragon +15
 * Earth +5
 * Wind +5

Skills: Blast Res, Detect, Attack Tremor, Stam Recov Down

Breakable Parts
Head- The horns will break off, and the mane will lose some hair.

Trivia

 * Nin10DillN64 created Great Gastodon to balance out the many high-level boss monsters encountered in the Elder's Recess.
 * When exhausted, Great Gastodon's charge attack will be notably slower, and it will fail to spit dirt at hunters. It can recover stamina by feeding on seeds.