Drake

Aggressive and short-tempered, Drakes are an imposing sight to stumble upon by accident. They are not unlike bipedal dragons without wings, standing on powerful hind legs, and with the reach of their long necks managing to top out at some fifteen feet in height. Their bodies are extremely well armored and muscled, giving them heavyset bodies where an average weight of six tons is not unheard of. Nimble for their size, they catch many an adventurer unwary whom expects the large creatures to be slow and dimwitted, when in fact they are quite crafty and agile.

Not quite full dragons, not quite wyverns, drakes are a species caught somewhere in between. Their true origins are a mystery, but it is known that they have almost always been around, as either a nuisance or problem to civilization, or even serving as forced labor/beasts of war for those willing to invest the time and effort into capturing and training them. The appearance of a drake is imposing. On average, Drakes weigh anywhere from six to eight tons, and they stand fully bipedal on powerful hind legs, balancing on the 'toes' of thick clawed feet that hints at a startling agility for their size. Drakes have lightning fast reflexes, and often snap to attack before their opponent even has a chance to realize what has happened. They reach an average height of fifteen feet, with their tails stretching along the ground behind them some additional twelve feet, serving as an additional support for balance and stability. They have serpentine necks much like a dragon's, and their heads are clearly draconic in appearance, with pronounced snout, protruding teeth and a pair of horns that trail backwards, rimmed by a thick, bony crest that provides both ornamentation and protection to the back of the drake's head. Rather than front legs, they have pronounced arms and 'hands' that have three fingers and a semi-opposable thumb ending in wicked talons. This allows the drake to manipulate objects to a degree, though mostly this is in the form of removing obstacles or grasping prey. Drakes never use weapons or armor due to both their lack of intelligence and their instincts.

Drakes can understand Draconic, but never speak, save for the roars, snarls and growls of their own species, which is not so much a language in itself as a way to convey their feelings and intentions to one another, and to those who have learned to interpret their signs. Drakes are more often than not driven by instinct, which usually involves finding prey to eat and territory to claim, but when the situation calls for it they are capable of cunning tricks and ambushes. A drake's large body is difficult to hide from view, but they show considerable skill at keeping themselves quiet when stalking prey, and as such they typically keep their hunting activities to night time, or within good cover. They prefer to ambush prey in a quick, surprise charge, using their claws and teeth to subdue their chosen food, while using their breath weapon to attempt to kill/scare off any other potential opponents nearby.

Breeding pairs of drakes typically produce one to two eggs that will hatch within several week's time. They mate often, and as a result reproduce quickly. This lends reason as to why drakes are beginning to become more and more common as of late. Though they are unsuitable as true mounts, they are popular as beasts of war for those forces willing to train and subdue them. As a result they have seen heavy usage in more than a few wars in the past, which helped to control their numbers for awhile. Lately however, they have begun to resurface again, and are becoming more and more of a common sight in the wild once more, more often than not much to the chagrin of those that encounter them.

Summary

CR 4

N Huge Dragon (Chaos drakes are NE, Divine are NG)

Init +5; Senses Darkvision 60', low-light vision, scent; Perception +15

Defense

AC 18, touch 9, flat-footed 18 (+1 Dex, +9 natural, -2 size)

hp 52 (5d12+20)

Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +5

Offense

Speed 40 feet

Melee bite +7 (2d6+4), 2 claws +7 (1d8+4), tail slap +2 (2d6+2) (secondary attack)

Space 15 feet; Reach 15 feet

Special Attacks Breath weapon (by type)

Special Qualities Scent, Element type, SR 15 (10+HD)

Statistics

Str 19, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 9

Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 20

Feats Improved Initiative, Skill focus (Perception), Toughness

Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 Jumping), Climb +10, Intimidate +6, Perception +15, Stealth +14 (+6 after size penalty), Survival +8, Swim +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth

Environment Varies

Organization Single or mated pair

Treasure Double

Element Type (Ex): While all Drakes are physically identical in their size, appearance and basic makeup, their coloration varies according to what element they are born into. Generally the surroundings in which they are hatched determines upon birth as to what sort of element the drake will be. Once born, the new coloration and abilities gained are permanent until death. All drakes can interbreed freely with one another as well, and the heritage of the parents does not determine what offspring will hatch. Only the circumstances during their development and finally their birth, (thus two Divine drakes could mate and produce a Chaos Drake if the egg found itself in suitable surroundings before hatching, or vice versa as circumstances permit). As a result of this, drakes tend to be murderously protective of their eggs to ensure they hatch under their own element.

A drake has a Resistance of 30 to its base element instead of total immunity. As a result of this, they do not take double damage from an opposing element. The following is a list of the different drake types, their corresponding elements and the color to correspond to it.

Breath Weapon (Su): Breath weapon corresponding to type. Reflex DC is 18 (10 + 1/2 HD + Con) Using a breath weapon is a standard action, and it may use the weapon once every 1d6 rounds.

Drake Breath Weapons

Drake	Color	Element	Breath shape	Damage
Fire	Red	Fire	30' Cone	4d10
Thunder	Blue	Electricity	60' Line	4d8
Frost	White	Cold	30' Cone	4d4
Chaos	Black	Acid	60' Line	4d6
Divine	Gold	Fire	30' Cone	4d10

 

Simple Advancement

+1 CR: +1 HD (+13.5 HP); Breath weapon reflex DC +1; +1 attacks/CMB/CMD

+2 CR: +2 HD (+27 HP); Breath weapon reflex DC +1; +2 attacks/CMB/CMD; +1 skills; +1 feat

Extra ability points in Str, Con, alternating. This should work up until 12 or 14 HD.