Monstrous Monday: Soot Drake

This two-legged dragon* is red with a black underside and is perpetually wreathed in puffs of soot. They are the abominable spawn of a red and a black dragon. They have all of the rage and maliciousness of their parents while lacking in the reason and intelligence of true dragons. They are unsubtle bullies who terrorize all lesser creatures around them.

Because of their temper and lack of intelligence, soot drakes are rarely if ever found in groups larger than two; even two together is unusual and would represent a mated pair. Such pairs will fight with coordinated attacks and will viciously protect their mate.

Soot drakes mate year-round with the females laying clutches of three or four eggs in hidden mountain nests. Parents raise their offspring for only one year before abandoning them. Soot drakes mature in 3 years and can live up to 200 years, although few survive that long. They generally grow to 10 feet long with 7-10 foot long tails, and weigh 1,500 pounds.

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Soot Drake

Large Dragon (fire)
Hit Dice: 6d12 +15 (50 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 Dex, -1 size, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+12
Attack: Bite +10 melee (2d6+5 + 1d6 acid), tail slap +5 (1d6+2)
Full Attack: Bite +10 melee (2d6+5 + 1d6 acid), tail slap +5 (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Stinging soot cloud
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.; low-light vision; scent; spot +10; listen +10; immunity to fire; immunity to acid; immunity to paralysis; vulnerability to cold
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Fly +8, Intimidate +9, Listen +10, Move Silently +6, Spot +10, Survival +10
Feats: Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Power Attack
Environment: Temperate mountains or hills
Organization: Solitary or pair
Level Adjustment –

CR 5

Stinging Soot Cloud (Su): A soot drake may exhale a cloud of stinging, acidic soot as a standard action in either a 30 ft. cone or a 20 ft. radius spread. The cloud persists for 1d4 rounds. Any living creature in the area is blinded by the smoke and takes 1d6 points of acid damage per round of exposure (DC 13 Reflex save negates blindness but not damage). Creatures in the cloud take a -2 penalty on attack rolls and Spot skill checks for as long as they remain inside and for 1 round after exiting the cloud. Anyone in the thick smoky cloud benefits from concealment as well.
A creature who breathes in the smoke must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 15, +1 each additional check) or spend the round choking and coughing. A creature that chokes for two consecutive rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
The stinging soot cloud can also smother unprotected flames and can choke protected flames (50% chance).

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*Yeah, yeah...I know. A "drake" in 3.X is a four-legged creature and a wyvern is two-legged; it's Pathfinder that has the two-legged drakes. I liked the idea in this instance better as a two-legged drake and used the Pathfinder drakes as a model/template for this beastie.