General Rules: Monsters - Hookwing

Hookwing (adapted from the Creature Collection)
Tiny Animal

Hit Dice: 2d8-4 (5 hit points)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 10 feet, fly 120 feet (good)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 size, +4 Dexterity, +2 natural); touch 16, flat-footed 14
BAB/Grapple: +1/-11

Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6-4, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) or flyby strike +7 melee (1d12-4, slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6-4, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) and 2 claws +0 melee (1d4-4, slashing, 20 x2) or flyby strike +7 melee (1d12-4, slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 2½ feet by 2½ feet/0 feet
Special Attacks: Flyby strike
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fortitude +1, Reflex +4, Will +0
Abilities: Str 3, Int 2, Wis 10, Dex 19, Con 6, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: Improved Initiative, Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot), Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate forest
Organization: Solitary or communal nesting group (10 - 20)
Challenge Rating: ¼
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 2 - 4 Hit Dice (Tiny)

The hookwing is a sleek, muscular flying lizard, measuring up to four feet in length from nose to tail and covered in hard, glossy scales that range from a lustrous greenish-black to an iridescent emerald hue. Sharp flanges and hooks grow from the center of each scale, providing the hookwing with a powerful natural defense against predators as well as an effective weapon in killing its prey. The hookwing's four slim legs have four toes configured much like a bird's talon, tipped with long, curved nails used for gripping and tearing apart its meals.

Hookwings are usually solitary hunters that roost in tall trees or the ruined spires of castle keeps. In the late summer, after mating, groups of females come together to make large communal nests where the mothers take turns incubating eggs and hunting for the group as a whole. Females guard these nests very aggressively, swarming over large animals - or people - who stray too near.

These reptiles are very cunning and strong for their size, and they can be trained to hunt on command much like a falcon or hawk. Females can also be trained to guard homes or large, mobile possessions sch as trunks or chests. Coupled with their bird-like fascination for colorful shiny objects, hookwings are valued by jewelers and other artificers as watch-animals.

Combat
Whether hunting or defending its nest, a hookwing attacks its victim by flying high into the air, folding its wings tightly against its body and diving at its prey like an arrow, using its sharp-edges scales like a sword blade as it slashes past a target.

Flyby Strike (Ex): The hookwing can attack its opponent at the beginning, middle, or end of its move, and it does damage equivalent to the flyby strike listed above.

Hookwings as Familiars
Hookwings can serve as familiars for characters eligible to obtain familiars including arcane engineers, hexblades, mind weavers, shadowsworn, sorcerers, and wizards. Arcane casters with hookwing familiars gain a +2 bonus to Reflex saving throws.

Notes: As presented in the Creature Collection, the hookwing had no skills. I gave the creature skill points to bring it into line with the rules for animals. In addition, I switched the creature's Dodge feat for the Weapon Finesse feat.

Home     Three Worlds     Monsters