Monday, October 19, 2020

OSR: Faerie Dragons

 

                                                                 by Brian Syme

Bastards.  Invisible, giggling bastards.  Faerie Dragons combine the puckish sense of humor of the Folk, the avarice of Dragons and the intellect of a mad genius.  They are terrors.  Faerie Dragons are known to wreak havoc, largely for their own amusement.  They are the bane of adventurers, nobles and important occasions alike. 

Faerie Dragons love to play "pranks" on people.  But being Folk, their pranks are often cruel or nonsensical by our standards.  For example, turning someone's wife into a sheep then hiding her in the pasture of some other shepherd.  They do enjoy tormenting and harassing people for their own amusement.  However, they are not needlessly cruel.  A Faerie Dragon is fine with causing someone a bit of pain if it's funny, but it won't torment someone who is already suffering or pick on someone who can't at least attempt some resistance.  Their favorite targets are the rich, proud and pompous.  Additionally, another way to earn the ire of a Faerie Dragon is to be rude in it's presence or to violate one of the laws of hospitality.

Faerie Dragons are known to take up residence in distant glades or by sparkling ponds.  They favor virgin wilderness, but they are not above living near civilization, as that means endless entertainment for them.  Regardless of where their territory is, they zealously defend it against invasion, engaging in harassment campaigns against any who dare to enter their territory.  It is possible to cross through a Faerie Dragon's territory if you bribe it with baubles, sweets or liquor, all of which they adore.  Alternatively, you may bring it something it hoards, or simply try to flatter it's ego.  Faerie Dragons are still Dragons, and they think very highly of themselves.     

Faerie Dragon
HD X (see below)
Armor Scaly Body [8 Armor]
Atk Bite (+1, 1d8)
Mor 11
Saves (7+HD)

Cold Iron Weakness: Faerie Dragons take +1 damage per die from all Iron Weapons.

Truth-Teller: Faerie Dragons cannot lie, but they can deceive, manipulate or omit information, just not tell bold-faced lies.

Flyer: Faerie Dragons can fly.  While in flight, they add +4 to their Armor and Initiative.  They cannot hover and must continue moving to stay in the air. 

Invisibility: Faerie Dragons can turn invisible as an action.  The Dragon can stay invisible for as long as it likes, but attacking or casting a spell causes it to turn visible once more.     

Telepathy: Faerie Dragons are telepathic, able to communicate with any creature with a mind within 100'.  If the Faerie Dragon looks, it can also detect the presence of creatures with minds within that area.  The Faerie Dragon cannot read thoughts, but it can sense the thoughts and feelings of those it communicates with, and those it speaks with telepathically can sense the same.   

Innate Spellcasting: Faerie Dragons have a number of Mana Dice equal to their HD.  They can cast the following spells as an action.  These spells do not trigger Chaos or Corruption, but their MD do burn out as normal.  Note that "At-Will" spells can be cast for free as Level 1 spells, or can have their power enhanced by spending more MD.  However, in the latter case, such MD will burn out as normal on a 5 or 6.  To see what spells a Faerie Dragon can cast, see the "Magic of the Faerie Dragon" table.

Breath Weapon: Faerie Dragons have breath weapons like their bigger cousins.  All Faerie Dragon Breath Weapons do 3d6 damage (if they do damage), sometimes permit saving throws (see below) and are only usable every 1d4 turns.  They strike a 30' cone, and have a 30' range.  To determine a Faerie Dragon's breath weapon, consult the Breath Weapon table below.  

Tactics:
- Avoid direct confrontation
- Harass and threaten, use Fabian tactics
- Only attack when victory is certain
- Never be afraid to retreat

To customize a Faerie Dragon, roll on the tables below:
 
The Faerie Dragon is...

1d4

1- Cat sized.  It has 3 HD.
2- Deer sized.  It has 1d4+1 HD.
3- Man sized.  It has 1d6 HD.
4- Elk sized.  It has 1d6+1 HD.

It is...

1d12

1- Red.
2- Orange.
3- Yellow.
4- Green.
5- Blue.
6- Indigo.
7- Violet.
8- Black.
9- White.
10- Metallic colored- 1d4 [1= Gold; 2= Silver; 3= Copper.]
11- Spotted, roll 1d10 twice.
12- Striped, roll 1d10 twice.

The Faerie Dragon also has...

1d6

1- A crest of fur running down it's spine.
2- Claws and teeth of clear crystal.
3- Antlers.
4- A third eye.
5- A tail that instead resembles the tail of a 1d4 [1= Lion; 2= Horse; 3= Monkey; 4= Devil (forked).]
6- Wings like that of a 1d4 [1= Bird; 2= Bat; 3= Butterfly; 4= Dragonfly.]

Magic of the Faerie Dragon:

HD        Spells Known

1        At will: Illusion, Levitate, Light
2        1/Day: Hypnotic Pattern
3        1/Day: Mirror Image
4        1/Day: Geas
5        1/Day: Suggestion
6        1/Day: Perfect Illusion
7        1/Day: Polymorph   

Breath Weapon:

1d6

1- Euphoria Gas.  Anyone who is caught in this breath weapon falls into a state of chemically-induced bliss.  They must succeed a successful COG save to take an action that might harm another creature.  
2- Hallucination Breath.  Anyone who is caught in this breath weapon starts suffering from hallucinations for 1d6 hours.
3- Laughing Gas.  Anyone who is caught in this cloud will find themselves starting to laugh impulsively.  They get a -2 to any complex actions and every round they are in the cloud of smoke produced by the Faerie Dragon, they must save.  On a failed save, they lose their actions and cannot do anything but laugh hysterically.
4- Sleeping Gas.  Anyone who is caught in this breath weapon must save.  On a failed save, the creature falls asleep until they take damage, a loud noise occurs near them, or they naturally awaken after 1d4 hours. 
5- Shrinking Cloud.  Anyone who is caught in this breath weapon must save.  On a successful save, the creature is reduced by 1 size category.  On a failed save, 1d4 size categories.  If this shrinks you enough, you might end up falling into the Microverse.
6- Exhaled Youth.  Anyone who is caught in this breath weapon is reduced in age by 1d20 years.  Any character who is reduced to adolescence or childhood will receive appropriate penalties.  Characters who are de-aged must save.  On a failed save, they forget all memories from before that date.  On a successful save, they retain all memories.

                                                   by Sarah Dalinger

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