#fire drake

[smol-firelizard]

Dragon/drake doodles from today based on some salamanders :)

[dwollsadventures]

Drake (Medieval)

While not the largest, certainly the most impressive-looking of the monsters labeled dragons. Almost all drakes possess two uniting factors: wings with which to fly and a strong hoarding instinct. From birth they develop a compulsion to collect and secret away gold, silver, and precious stones. Unlike drakons, they are not appointed to this task by a divine patron, quite the opposite in fact. Drakes are associated with unholy powers and the dead. While they can reproduce naturally, some drakes are born inorganically, rising from the fallen dead during war, or are a product of metamorphosis. Whatever their origin, drakes guard their treasures with their very lives. Barrow tombs, natural caves, and dungeons are common spots for drakes to hide their hoards. At rest they will drape themselves over the metallic hoard. Talking drakes report that the feeling is similar to sun-bathing in lesser reptiles. When the drake needs to hunt, defend its territory, or add to its hoard, it flies through the sky in a golden splendor. Firedrakes cover themselves in flames as a sign to rivals to back off. Unfortunately, this flaming banner is also a signal to treasure hunters. Keen eyes can spot where a drake has hidden its hoard by watching where the fiery beast enters the sky. Drakes protect their unguarded hoards in a few ways. Some hide them in dangerous or forsaken areas, like dungeons and tombs. Others press lesser monsters into their service as guardians. And still others will use enchantments to ruin a treasure hunter’s luck. Each one is different, but here are a few documented cases: treasure sinking into the ground if the thief laughs, treasure sinking the more it’s pulled from the ground, glamor to disguise common rocks as the hoard, and a tracking charm to let the drake know where exactly the thief has gone off to. 

-Habitat: Moors, barrows, caves, dungeons

-Slayer Tips: Dragon fire is hot, but still fire. Insulation or suffocation can nullify their flames. Nothing can nullify their great strength, however. 

--

The last monster of the dungeon habitat! The drake is an amalgamation of medieval dragon legends and folklore from Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia. It's the first but certainly not the last dragon we'll be documenting. Before next week's entry I'll reveal the next habitat.

[dragonsilike]

AnJon Series 1 Princess Daphne with Fire Drake

[theworldsoftolkein]

Smug - by Cryptid-Creations

[dailycharacteroption]

Retrograde Revision 4: Bandit

(art by dusint on DeviantArt)

Highwaymen, hijackers, muggers, brigands, bandits. If there’s any iconic antagonistic role for humanoids in fantasy games and fiction, it’s hard to go wrong with some bandits if you want a travel encounter that uses more advanced tactics than animal instinct.

Of course, being a bandit is hardly fun and games. Choosing that life or having it thrust on you by circumstance means forgoing many of the benefits of civilization while ultimately still relying on it by way of raiding for supplies and sellable plunder.

However, not every fictional bandit is a villain. After all, Robin Hood was by all accounts a highwayman, even though he was typically more heroic, using his talents and those of his followers to undermine the power of a corrupt ruler (at least once the figure became associated with that story. Turns out Robin Hood is much, much older).

Also, remember that not everyone who is a bandit professionally is going to have this archetype, or even be a rogue. I’m sure by this point most Pathfinder fans recognize the difference between class and profession, even when they share a name.

In any case, we’ll soon see that this particular flavor of rogue is a master of coercion and ambush, very important skills when you strike at foes from the wild, where the comforts of civilization have been stripped away and failing to comply with an armed stranger could mean being stranded even if one is not slain.

These bandits are the masters of surprise attacks, and are able to perform several actions at once within those first few critical moments to gain the upper hand.

Fear is a useful tool, and all the better utilized when they manage to get in an especially grievous blow against a foe they already have gotten past the guard of.

This archetype recommends talents that utilize the terrain, help coordinate with allies, improve combat prowess, striking suddenly and without warning, and even combining their efforts with traps they set up as well.

This archetype is fairly simple, but effective, and can easily be combined with other archetypes for greater effect. As a general rule, the ability to get a full suite of actions in the surprise round can be quite useful in a proper ambush, and their ability to inflict fear on critical sneak attacks is a bit niche, but lends itself well to a critical focus build. Whatever your build is, it probably will include feats that let you work well with others, including teamwork feats, as well as ways to keep up in protracted fights, such as improved feint to make sure you keep having ways to sneak attack once the battle is joined.

Like I said, there’s plenty of precedent for these sorts of characters to not be evil, whether they are noble rebels, anarchist misanthropes with their own code, or maybe even former traditional bandits that abandoned that life but retain the skills. Either way, they likely still understand that strength and cunning have the power to rule just as easily as rules and law. How exactly they feel about that, however, is up to them.

Skvad Irontusk, a powerful orc bandit, has recently acquired the dubious title of King of the Gnolls after defeating their chieftain in mortal combat. He is an unpopular leader, however, and unless he can lead them to further and further glory, he will soon find himself with a spear in his back, or worse, shackled in the slave pens.

Trade routes between Kyonen and Kanei have recently come under attack, merchant trains slaughtered, their goods plundered. At first, local samurai believed it was the work of greedy bandits or rebels. However, they soon discovered that the plunder has been given away to peasants who could never fully utilize the magic items and jewelry they contained, leading others to believe that whoever is doing this is not interested in any agenda, not even altruism.

When a convoy devoted to the fire god goes missing, the party is contracted to recover the artifact it was transporting. Their only clue? A rash of incidents involving burning caravans on nearby trade routes. However, when the fires are traced back to a fire drake from the mountains, the heroes will have to look deeper to recover the missing artifact.

[pulpsandcomics2]

The Fire Drake

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"WELL, WELL, WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? A TINY CREATURE DARING TO ADDRESS THE MIGHTY SMAUG. THE MIGHTIEST IN MIDDLE-EARTH."

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a piece titled "A Conversation with Smaug," Bilbo Baggins in Smaug's treasure hoard under the Lonely Mountain, from the fantasy/adventure/children's book "The Hobbit" (or "There and Back Again”), artwork by Ted Nasmith. Color sketch/gouache on illustration board.

PIC #2: Finished painting of "A Conversation with Smaug."

"Bilbo Baggins cautiously entered the dark and treacherous lair of the fearsome dragon, Smaug. The air was thick with tension as he hesitantly made his way towards the immense creature, whose body was adorned with glittering gold and jewels. "Smaug," Bilbo called out, his voice trembling slightly. "I have come to speak with you." The dragon's eyes flickered with curiosity as it turned towards the hobbit. Its deep, rumbling voice filled the chamber, resonating with power. "Well, well, what do we have here? A tiny creature daring to address the mighty Smaug. The mightiest in Middle-Earth. What brings you to my domain, little hobbit?""

-- A CONVERSATION WITH SMAUG, from "The Hobbit" (1937), written by J.R.R. Tolkien

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/3191630386592751836 & www.tednasmith.com/tolkien/a-conversation-with-smaug.

[auroran-rpg]

Getting more progress on this fire boi!