Still Not Done With PF1: War Drakon (Paying Members Exclusive) (Patreon)

Drakons

Drakons are a sub-species of dragons, similar in many ways to wyverns and drakes, but generally larger, smarter, and more powerful than other lesser dragons. Unlike true dragons, drakons are not innate spellcasters and are flightless, lacking wings. This often causes them to be called "serpents," such as "Fire Serpents" or "River Serpents." Drakons grow to full size and maturity very quickly, generally within two years, and can live for 2-3 centuries, but never reach the heights of power of true ancient true dragons.

Drakons are closely tied to a specific concept or power, often related to their natural territory. That related power gives drakons revelations similar to those of oracles (and using their HD as their effective oracle level for the power of such revelations). A drakon's stat block lists both the mystery its revelation or revelations come from, and one or more specific revelations. However, like feats, the listed revelations are just typical examples--individual drakons of the same species might well have different revelations from the same mystery.

All drakons written to-date are listed on the Paying-Patron-Exclusive Pathfinder Monster-Article Index.

WAR DRAKON

The war drakon is the most powerful of all known sub-species of drakon, striking fear into the hearts of even the majority of true dragons. A few great wyrms can go toe-to-toe with a war drakon, and numerous flying dragons can escape one, but the number of creatures confidently able to defeat a war drakon is small. Though spectacularly difficult to kill, war drakons are born in bodies already wracked with pain, and live in constant suffering. Only the thrill they feel carrying a military campaign forward can distract them from this endless anguish, even when they are the only combatant on their side of the conflict.

War drakon grow the limbs that become wings in true dragons, and as hatchlings even have very thing wing membranes, though these lack the strength to allow the drakons to fly. Instead as they rapidly age to their full size and terrifying power in just a few years, the war drakon's wing-spars grow powerful claws, allowing them to make additional attacks in melee. These vestigial wings make some scholars of dragonkind theorize the war drakon is the original drakon bloodline, created by some deity or fey archlord to be the ultimate force of battle. This theory suggests those first war drakons could not find true dragon mates, and all other drakon bloodlines grow from interbreeding between the formidable war drakons and mates of lesser dragon species.

It is a concept many drakons are touchy about.

War drakons are unfriendly and solitary, their eggs being laid as singles, and taking years to hatch, by which time the war drakons parents are normally long since gone. Even as a newborn a war drakon is the size of a typical horse, can speak draconic, and has an intuitive understanding of its place in the world and what can (and can't) bring it succor. Luckily for that world, war drakons are not sated by just any conflict or battle. Only meaningful, large-scale struggles the outcome of which impacts entire kingdoms or more can satisfy a war drakon's needs. Once such a conflict is truly won the war drakon loses interest, often returning to its lair to glower and wait for another hostility worthy of its presence.

(Terrifying to behold, War Drakons are not the most noble or aesthetically developed of dragonkind. Of course, war itself is ugly. Art by Петр Костюк.)

Stats for this major threat are Paying Patron Exclusive!

War Drakon CR 20XP 307,200Neutral evil Gargantuan DragonInit +4 (War sight revelation); Senses Blindsight 60, Scent; Perception +41Aura Frightful Presence DC(29)

DEFENSE

AC 42, touch 6, flat-footed 42 (+36 Natural, -4 size); AC 46 vs confirmation rollshp 418 (27d12+243);Fort +24, Ref +15, Will +22 (Battlefield clarity revelation, 3/day)Damage reduction 30/epic, Immunity to paralysis, sleep, Spell Resistance 31

OFFENSE Speed 60ft.Melee Bite Dragon +39 (4d6+22), 2 Claw +38 (2d8+15) , Tail Sweep +38 (2d6+15), Tail +36 (2d8+7), 2 Vestigial Wing Stabs +36 (2d6+7)Ranged Breath Weapon Attack +35 ranged touch attack, 4d6+15 (19-20, x2) (piercing, force)Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (20 feet with bite)Special AttacksFrightful Presence DC (29)

STATISTICSStr 41, Dex 10, Con 29, Int 16, Wis 21, Cha 22Base Atk +27; CMB +46; CMD 56Feats Cleave, Cleaving Finish, Diehard, Furious Focus, Great Cleave, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Cleaving Finish, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (Bite)Skills Appraise +33, Bluff +36, Diplomacy +36, Intimidate +36, Know Arcana +33, Know History +33, Know Local +33, Perception +41, Sense Motive +35, Spellcraft +33, Stealth +18, Use Magic Device +36Languages Common, DraconicSQ Blindsense 60, Damage reduction 30/--, Immunity to paralysis, sleep, Scent, Spell Resistance 31, Revelation (Battle Mystery) battlefield clarity (3/day), resiliency, surprising charge (3/day), war sight, weapon mastery (breath weapon attack), battle mystery final revelationECOLOGYEnvironment Any landOrganization SolitaryTreasure Standard x 3

Breath Weapon Attack (Su): Rather than a massive line or a broad cone of some elemental energy, the war drakon's break weapon is the very concept of an attack distilled down to its pure primal essence. This is a line of pure force that deals damage as a weapon rather than a spell or typical supernatural ability. It has a +6 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls (penetrating DR as a +5 magic weapon, and penetrating DR/epic), and adds the drakon's Constitution modifier to damage. It has a range increment of 200 feet, and can attack up to ten increments away. The breath weapon attack can be used as an attack action, or replace the drakon's bite attack in a full attack action. If used as an attack action the drakon can use their Greater Vital Strike with their breath weapon attack.

Tactics: The war drakon doesn't need complex tactics, it's a killing machine. If the main foe is not close, Greater Vital Strike Breath Weapon Attack. If it is close, Greater Vital Strike Bite if it's one target, full attack routine it it's not.

That's it. Those are its tactics. Since Diehard allows it to keep acting as if at 0 hp when at negative hp, and the final revelation allows it to not be disabled or staggered at 0 hp, not take 1 hp for standard actions, and stay alive until it reaches -58 hp, most war drakon don't even consider retreat until they are in negative hp.

Treasure: Work up a war drakon's treasure in advance. It can easily have 200,000 gp worth of possessions. While coin, gems, jewelry, and trade goods are likely kept in a lair, a war drakon will be prepared to use any items it can. It has 4 useable hands (due to its vestigial wings), and thus can wear 4 rings, or carry something like a wand, rod, or staff in a vestigial wing without sacrificing its main claw attacks. War drakons learn Use Magic Device precisely so they can benefit from the magi items that fall into their possession. Something as minor as a wand of mage armor can make a war drakon far more dangerous in combat, so the GM needs to know what it has available. If their triple treasure value is carefully assigned to boost their power, rather than randomly determined, a war drakon can easily becomes a CR 22 to 24 threat.