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[WertyMiniBot]

          What if there was a sentient megabeast that showed more signs of sentience than saying fe-fi-fo-fum before crushing your new adventurer's overconfident brain. What if the sentient megabeasts made weapons, like giant sized hammers capable of obliterating an entire party? Axes capable of hoeing down trees in one swipe? Armor capable of stopping steel arrows without being fully pierced? Bows capable of devastating a village plaza from afar? Or how about tools to help make even more frightening weapons? Perhaps even the semi-megabeasts could get in on this, as they never seemed to be a real challenge to any of my adventurers that fought them. This lesser known dwarven nightmare come true would start by certain sentient megabeasts recognizing the damaging force of boulders.  (Perhaps even animal megabeasts could do this, like rocs dropping boulders with talons, although they probably couldn't get much further than that.) Some would pulverize your dwarves with melee use, others would put some holes in your walls by throwing them. Maybe they'd learn about making the rocks into edges, making the first giant ax, and alliowing them to chop trees into usable wood. This would turn possible stubbing of a megabeasts fingers into severing of a megabeasts fingers, so ideally for them they will discover a handle sooner or later to increase the force of the attack and prevent accidently stubbing their fingers with the rock. (Did you know that in real history, the first axes had no handles?) Perhaps a fight with a small goblin bowman would cause one to realize that rocks could cover them from arrows, forming the ideas for the first giant shields. Perhaps a select few ranged megabeasts would be interested in making a more lethal throwing weapon, and after trial and error, and discovering stuff like string, manage to make a crude bow (provided they are patient, which fortunately for the small people can be rare). (Imagine stumbling upon a megabeast testing his weapon. Perhaps he could use you as the test target; a massive beyond-ballista-bolt sized arrow could easily separate your torso from your legs, provided that at this point the arrow isn't just a stick of wood, and the bow is designed well.) Some megabeasts could carve stones to fit on them, creating basic armor. A megabeast could invent things according to it's surroundings; a megabeast living in a cave of lava might have an off chance of discovering forging, provided he was very patient and had all the prerequisites. Could a megabeast, after looting a town, perhaps try to recreate the very things that it's opponents were using? Maybe. It would be very unlikely, but there would be a possiblility of giants learning ironcrafting, or the art of clothes making. It would make these megabeasts dangerous, and deserving of that adjective, whereas the minotaur was just given his masterwork steel ax. Could your fortress kill this megabeast? Maybe, but I wouldn't say it would be hard for them to destroy your it.
          Next up, on to territorial affairs of megabeasts. Normal megabeasts including animals would start claiming an area around the lair it made, expanding it further and further. It would go exploring the turf, hunting animals, or perhaps getting a drink of water. It would also try to kill any it would deem a threat on it's territory: dwarves unfortunate enough to have accidentally settled near the lair, a cocky adventurer, or other megabeasts. If two territories collide, the beasts could either fight it out, or agree on a boundary, perhaps depending on each side's power (A weaponless beast would rather agree on territory than almost certainly lose to a beast with an axe.) Perhaps a beast could ally with another to bring down something that threatens them both. Of course, a family could form with a male and female. The 2 could help in defending territory and claiming it from others. If the kids were of sufficent age, they would be taught how to hunt (including normal megabeasts) and would soon move on to form a new territory. If a beast manages to defeat another beast, they could take their technology and combine it with their own, potentially making them even more dangerous. The dynamic setting and use of territories by megabeasts as well as potential alliances would make them seem more active, and add danger to being even near a lair.
          These two changes would greatly improve megabeasts, especially any potential sentient ones, not only by making them more dangerous, but also more lively, active, and realistic. (No sentient creature would prefer to do things with just their fists.)

[CaptainLambcake]

i agree that orange juice should be added

[red_kangaroo]

I think semi-megabeasts should create and use weapons, armor and maybe even other items (furniture in their lairs?). While megabests are really just bests (or huge bronze golems), all semi guys are humanoid and thus quite likely to be at least slightly intelligent, plus it would boost poor battle performance of some of them.

Depending on what mythology we take from, giants may be either intelligent warrior race (and then they should be more or less fully armor clad and armed), or simple man-eating brutes, but still capable of at least creating basic clubs and mauls, and using any weapon they happen to find.

Cyclopi from Greek mythology were actually craftsman, they forged many legendary items, including Zeus' Lightning which he used in war against his father. I would really appreciate to see this part of their mythos kept, maybe even having some forges in their lairs and at least iron equipment for most of cyclopi.

While minotaurs are not necessarily all that bright, they are the keepers of the labyrinths and I would find it quite nice if they were actually prepared to guard their labyrinth.

So, please let semi-megabests have arms and armor!

[Vattic]

I made a suggestion not unlike this one.