General Rules: Monsters - Drake, Guardian

Drake, Guardian (from Draconic Lore)
Dragon

Special Attacks: Project Fear, Rake

Special Qualities: Bonded Skill, Fearless, Fury, Future Sense, Immunities, Keen Senses, Mental Bond, Scent, Sense Emotions

Skills: Guardian drakes have (6 + Intelligence modifier) skill points per Hit Die and purchase the following skills at 1 rank per Hit Die: Climb, Jump, Listen, Search, and Spot. Remaining skill points are typically spent on physical skills such as Swim rather than mental or social skills such as Knowledge or Diplomacy.

Feats: Guardian drakes have one feat plus an additional feat per 4 hit dice. Drakes favor Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot), Weapon Focus (Bite), and Weapon Focus (Claw). Drakes can also choose from the following dragon feats: Flyby Attack, Hover, and Wingover.

Environment: Any temperate land

Organization: Solitary, pack (2 - 4), or litter (1 adult plus 2 - 6 hatchlings)

Challenge Rating: Hatchling 3; adult 6; old 8; elder drake 11

Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral

Advancement: Hatchling 6 HD (Small); adult 8 HD (Medium); old 10 HD (Medium); elder drake 12 - 13 HD (Medium) 14 - 15 HD (Large)

Guardian drakes are empathic, wolf-sized dragons often used as guard dogs by the Rhadynnic Great Houses.

Guardian drakes have thick armor plates on their back. These plates are reddish-born, gaining a silver highlight at the edges as the drake ages. It has a silvery mane of hair around its neck and its legs are lean and muscular. In general, the creature has a weird, otherworldly look to it that unnerves those unfamiliar with the species.

When a guardian bonds with another creature, it forms the most intense link with its companion of any species of drake. Indeed, a guardian drake will give its life for its companion without a second thought. Because of this, they are greatly treasured as bodyguards for young or sheltered nobility who lack the skills to defend themselves.

Guardian drakes have a limited form of empathy that they can use to sense when other creatures mean to do harm to their companion. This can be awkward in tense political situations, however, and a mistaken guardian drake attack has led to more than one war. Because of this, most countries ban guardian drakes from critical diplomatic meetings.

In the wild, unbonded guardian drakes form hunting packs, using their empathic abilities to detect enemies that could threaten them or their hatchlings. Often, hunters will attempt to capture such packs, only to find that the drakes sensed them coming and have already left the area.

Combat
A guardian drake always acts to protect its bonded companion in combat, even at the cost of its own life. It usually uses its project fear ability to frighten off weaker foes, then moves to intercept any enemies that have not panicked.

Guardian Drakes by Age

Age	Size	Hit Dice (hp)	Initiative	Speed	Armor Class	Touch	Flat-Footed
Hatchling	S	5d12+5 (37)	+0	30 feet	15 (+1 size, +4 natural)	11	15
Adult	M	7d12+14 (59)	+0	40 feet	17 (+7 natural)	10	17
Old	M	9d12+18 (76)	+0	40 feet	19 (+9 natural)	10	19
Elder Drake	M	11d12+33 (104)	+0	40 feet	21 (+11 natural)	10	21

Age	BAB/Grapple	Bite	2 Claws	2 Rakes	Tail Slap	Telepathy Range	Skill Bonus	Special Abilities
Hatchling	+5/+2	+7 (1d6+1)	+2 (1d4)	+2 (1d6)	-	500 feet	+2	Fearless, Fury, Sense Emotions
Adult	+7/+9	+9 (1d8+2)	+4 (1d6+1)	+4 (1d8+1)	+4 (1d4+3)	1,000 feet	+4	Scent
Old	+9/+11	+11 (1d8+2)	+6 (1d6+1)	+6 (1d8+1)	+6 (1d4+3)	2,000 feet	+6	Project Fear
Elder Drake	+11/+14	+14 (1d8+3)	+9 (1d6+1)	+9 (1d8+1)	+9 (1d4+4)	1 mile	+8	Future Sense

Age	Space/Reach	Fortitude	Reflex	Will	Strength	Intelligence	Wisdom	Dexterity	Constitution	Charisma
Hatchling	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+6	+5	+7	13	5	14	10	13	10
Adult	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+8	+6	+9	14	6	16	10	14	12
Old	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+9	+7	+11	15	7	18	10	15	14
Elder Drake	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+11	+8	+13	16	8	20	10	16	16

Bonded Skill (Ex): Guardian drakes grant a competence bonus to their bonded companion's Sense Motive checks equal to the amount listed on the table above. Guardian drakes also receive this as a racial bonus to their own Sense Motive checks.

Fearless (Ex): A guardian drake is immune to all fear effects, both magical and non-magical.

Fury (Ex): Any enemy that scores a critical hit on a guardian drake's bonded companion immediately finds itself the recipient of the guardian drake's full fury. The drake abandons its current activity to attack that enemy to the exclusion of all else until one or the other is dead. While this ability is active, the guardian drake receives a +2 bonus to attack rolls against the targeted enemy and a -2 penalty to its Armor Class. The drake may only be called off by its bonded companion, and then only if the companion succeeds at a Diplomacy check (DC 18).

Future Sense (Su): Elder guardian drakes have a form of sixth sense that warns them when their companion is about to be placed in danger. This ability works like the foresight spell with the drake's bonded companion as the object of the spell, except that it is always active.

Immunities (Ex): Guardian drakes are immune to sleep and paralysis effects.

Mental Bond (Su): Drakes posses a telepathic bond that lets them communicate with other members of their species. This ability is used to cry for help when in danger or to seek a mate. The maximum range of this ability is determined by its age category.

Occasionally, a drake finds another sentient creature that greatly impresses it in some fashion. When this happens, the drake may extend a mental invitation to that creature to become its companion. If the invitation is accepted, the drake and its companion are linked for life and the drake can use its mental bond to communicate with its new companion. In addition, each type of drake confers certain instincts to its companion through this link that gives the companion a competence bonus in a certain skill. The extent of this bonus is equal to twice the drake's age category and is only granted when the drake and its companion are within telepathic range of one another.

An individual can only bond with one drake of any type at a time.

Project Fear (Su): Once per round, as a free action, a guardian drake can project a strong feeling of terror onto another creature within 30 feet that it can see. The target must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + twice the guardian drake's age category) or become panicked for 3d4 rounds. Whether or not the save succeeds, the target becomes immune to the guardian drake's project fear ability for the next 24 hours.

Rake (Ex): Rake attacks deal the listed damage. Before a drake can use its rake attacks against an opponent, it must first hit that opponent with both its claw attacks that round. If the drake is grappled, a drake can use bite, claw, and rake attacks. The claws do not need to hit for a drake to be able to use its rake attacks if it is grappled.

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