Copyright 2008 Wizards of the Coast

This post is part of a series! Go here to see the other entries.

In this post we’ll continue to look at drakes, covering the rest of the ones present in the MM.

Pseudodragon

Ever since Kitty Pride from the X-Men got her pint-sized pet dragon, lots of people have wanted one for their own characters. D&D 3.x finally granted that wish by introducing pseudodragons as a familiar option in one of its early sourcebooks. They return here as a type of drake, being of Small size, and are present in both books.

While needlefang drakes are just “cat-sized”, pseudodragons pretty much are cats, at least personality-wise. Also of note is the fact that they’re really smart! The MM version has Int 6, and the MV equivalent not only has Int 9 but also has two languages listed in its stat block (Common and Draconic). They’re both still classed as Natural Beasts, so you could interpret that as meaning they can understand these languages but aren’t capable of speaking them. According to the MM, they purr, hiss, chirp and growl in the same situations a cat would emit each of these noises.

In the wild, they’re predators and scavengers, but usually stick to small prey and don’t attack animals unless threatened. Their high intelligence makes them highly valued as pets, as well.

MM pseudodragons are Level 3 Lurkers with 40 HP. They walk with speed 4 and fly with speed 8 (hover). They attack with a bite, or with a stinger that does the same amount of damage with some ongoing poison damage on top (save ends) and recharges on 3-6. Both of these count as basic attacks, allowing the pseudodragon to use the stinger when it performs a Flyby Attack. This, as usual, lets them fly their speed without drawing opportunity attacks and make a basic attack at any point.

They also have the ability to turn invisible when they stand still. This is a standard action that recharges whenever the critter is damaged, which makes it useful both for lying in ambush or for escaping an ambush gone wrong.

The MV pseudodragon has the same level, role, HP and speed, but trades Flyby Attack for a less powerful effect on its bite that allows it to fly 4 squares without worrying about opportunity attacks. The stinger remains a basic attack but is also a bit more restricted, as it can only be used on a target that can’t see the pseudodragon. To make up for this, its Invisibility power now allows it to move, and only ends when the pseudodragon makes an attack.

All of this adds up to a more lurkerish monster, which will charge its chosen target with a stinger attack while invisible, then use the bite combined with its high fly speed to get away.

Spitting Drake

Spitting Drakes are Medium, and got their name from their ability to spit gobs of acid. This is their main weapon when hunting, and they’re also easily domesticated to serve as (somewhat messy) guard animals. In the wild, they’ll sometimes join guard drake packs, which I think is an interesting worldbuilding detail. They’re present in both books but their stat block is the same in both cases.

These creatures are Level 3 Artillery with 38 HP, and run with speed 7. Their bite, as standard for artillery, is kinda weak. Their acid spit is a Ranged 10 attack targetting Reflex and doing acid damage.

Rage Drake

When the books say larger drakes are harder to tame, they’re talking about Rage Drakes. Our first Large drake, it also has the Mount keyword. It appears in both the MM and the MV.

Rage Drakes definitly didn’t get this name because they’re gentle! Adult specimens are outright impossible to tame, but a trainer that starts with a hatchling can make it into a combat mount better than any warhorse.

Wild rage drakes are highly territorial hunters. Like other drakes, they’re also social creatures who gather in clutches. In fact, a solitary rage drake will sometimes invite itself into a clutch or guard drakes or other smaller species and become its leader. So yes, it’s possible for your PC party to run into a single drake clutch composed of rage, spitting and guard drakes, all wild and all hungry.

Rage drakes are Level 5 Brutes with 77 HP. They have a single basic attack in the form of a bite, but also have a slightly weaker claw attack. Their Raking Charge ability allows them to charge and make two claw attacks.

When bloodied, Rage Drakes freak out! They become immune to fear, and gain +2 to hit and +5 to damage on all their attacks. If they’re serving as a mount, the rider also gains a +2 to hit on all of their attacks.

The MV version is largely identical, save for the facts that its damage math has been fixed and the damage bonus from being enraged is only a +2. The accuracy bonus for the drake and its rider remains the same.

Sample Encounters

The MM gives us three for the entire “Drake” entry:

  • Level 2: 2 guard drakes, 2 elf archers, 1 elf scout. A patrol and their guard animals.

  • Level 4: 1 pseudodragon, 1 human mage, 2 human guards, and 2 human bandits. Either a bandit squad of bandit-hunting militia, with the mage having brought his familiar along.

  • Level 5: 1 rage drake and a band of assorted lizardfolk protecting their swamp home.

Final Impressions

I really, really like this version of drakes, mainly because of the lore they bring along. Domesticated drakes should be a common sight in any society, which does a lot to make the world feel not only magical but also fresh. I’m actually a bit disappointed that 5th edition seems to have gone back on this and made them related to dragons again.