Forest drake

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Forest drake

(Creature)

Type

Dragon
(earth)

CR

4

Environment

Any forests

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Source: Bestiary 2, pg(s). 107

Forest drakes are a primitive, degenerate cousin of the green dragon. Forest drakes the intelligence of green dragons, and are little more than especially cunning predators. In Darkmoon Vale, forest drakes are known as caustic drakes.

Appearance

Forest drakes resemble green dragons in many ways. They have similar large leathery wings, with their wingspan normally being at least thirty feet across. Their heads have large emerald green eyes and a long snout filled with razor-sharp teeth. They have a long tail topped with a sharp bony spike. The biggest difference between forest drakes and their green dragon cousins is their lack of forearms. Their wings are positioned roughly where their arms would be, and they move bipedally. The layout of their body resembles that of a wyvern more than that of a dragon.

Habitat and ecology

Forest drakes can live in any forest environment but tend to prefer temperate forests. They normally live and hunt in small groups with the siblings they hatched with; these groups normally consist of one gender. The only time these groups split up is during mating season. They generally lair as far away from civilisation as possible. Their lairs also tend to be inaccessible by land, and are often in secluded clearings or in the depths of impassable thickets.

Unlike other dragons, forest drakes don't take care of their young after they hatch. As soon as forest drakes hatch they form small, vicious hunting packs. By the time they reach the age of five, forest drakes are fully grown and their juvenile packs split into two separate packs based on gender. Despite their bestial nature, forest drakes can live up to two hundred years if not killed. Long lifespans are not the only feature the forest drake gained from its green dragon heritage: due to their convoluted heritage, some forest drakes show more signs of their heritage than others. These signs include larger more efficient wings, harder scales and better senses, and some even posses the ferocious roar of a true dragon.

Abilities

Forest drakes possess the ability to spit balls of acid that burst into clouds of caustic mist on impact, eating away at victims' flesh and obscuring their vision. Like all drakes, forest drakes can draw on their draconic heritage to grant a brief boost of speed and strength. They are immune to the effects of acid, and can breathe air and water with equal ease.

On Golarion

In the depths of the Maharev Jungle in the Qadiran province of Maharev, a tribe of particularly vicious jungle giants keeps and trains forest drakes as their guardian beasts.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.