| Notes |
his housecat-sized miniature dragon has fine scales, sharp horns, wicked little teeth, and a tail tipped with a barbed stinger.
Pseudodragons are tiny cousins of true dragons, and are playful but shy. They often only vocalize in chirps, hisses, growls, and purrs, but can communicate telepathically with any intelligent creature. If approached peacefully and offered food, they are usually willing to share information about what they’ve seen in their territory, but threats or violence make them flee.
Pseudodragons are carnivores, devouring insects, rodents, small birds, and snakes, though they sometimes eat eggs, and most also enjoy butter, cheese, and fish. They either hunt on the ground like lizards or look for prey on the wing like a raptor. As smart as a typical humanoid, they do not enjoy being treated as pets and prefer being treated as friends. They are wary of evil folk but can bond with sorcerers and wizards as familiars, and some have befriended druids and rangers or partnered with good dragons as scouts. Pseudodragons will serve as familiars if they approve of a spellcaster’s personality, but often also bond with those whose company they enjoy or who have proven themselves true friends. A pseudodragon might follow another character in this manner for days, weeks, years, or even a lifetime if the creature is treated well, provided with food, and generally well-loved.
Upon reaching adulthood, a pseudodragon’s body is about 1 foot long with a 2-foot tail, and weighs about 7 pounds. A pseudodragon egg is the size of a chicken egg, but leathery and spotted brown, and a mating female lays 2–5 eggs every spring. A clutch of pseudodragons (the collective noun—not to be confused with pseudodragons from the same brood of eggs) usually consists of a mated pair and several near-adult offspring.
Pseudo-Dragon Venom
Application: Injected
Potency: 65
Resistance: Endurance
Onset time: 1 Round
Duration: 10 minutes
Conditions: A simple cataleptic poison to render prey catatonic for long periods of time. If not resisted the venom acts as a muscle relaxant, immobilising the area struck, and soon spreading to the rest of the body. Once the victim has been rendered catatonic, only a First Aid roll at a difficulty grade of Formidable or Healing roll at standard difficulty will reveal that the subject is still alive. If the resistance roll is a Fumble, the victim will actually die at the end of the duration. In this case, a First Aid or Healing roll at the above noted difficulty grades will detect that the victim is growing worse as the end of the duration nears.
Antidote/Cure: A prophylactic brewed from local herbs is known to tribal shamans, which makes the Endurance roll to resist the venom one step easier. If this is overcome, however, the victim must still wait out the entire duration to recover. Neutralise Poison spells or potions will have their normal effect if given within 1 hour.
Telepathic to 60 feet. 35% spell resistance |
Encounter Generator
