Drake, Moon

Family: Drake

A pale drake drifts through the air like a leaf on the surface of a pond, barely moving its billowing, cloak-like wings. Its large, jet-black eyes stare skyward but reflect no light.

Medium dragon, neutral

Armor Class 15
Hit Points 76 (9d8 + 36)
Speed 25 ft., fly 100 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 20 (+5) 19 (+4) 13 (+1) 18 (+4) 14 (+2)

Skills Arcana +4, Insight +7
Damage Resistances varies (see Moonbound)
Damage Vulnerabilities varies (see Moonbound)
Condition Immunities paralyzed, unconscious
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Special Traits

  • Curative Saliva. The moon drake’s saliva can be bottled, distilled, and used in 1-ounce doses. An afflicted lycanthrope that drinks this concoction is instantly cured of lycanthropy, requiring no saving throw. This draught can’t cure a natural-born lycanthrope of the curse of lycanthropy.
  • Moonbound. A moon drake’s power waxes and wanes with the moon. Under a full moon, it has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks and its weapon attacks deal an additional 3 (1d6) radiant damage. Under a new moon, it has vulnerability to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Under any other moon, it gains no extra traits.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The moon drake makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) radiant damage. A shapechanger that takes radiant damage from this attack instantly reverts to its true form and can’t assume a different form for 1d4 rounds.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) slashing damage.
  • Moonlight Nip. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature afflicted with lycanthropy. Hit: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be cured of lycanthropy (it can willingly fail this save). This attack can’t cure a natural born lycanthrope of the curse of lycanthropy.
  • Lunarbeam (Recharge 5-6). The drake exhales searing moonlight in a 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 33 (6d10) radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A shapechanger makes its saving throw with disadvantage. If it fails, it also instantly reverts to its true form and can’t assume a different form for 1d4 rounds.

Reactions

  • Form of Moonlight. When the moon drake takes damage or is restrained, it can transmute its physical form into an incorporeal form of pure moonlight until the end of its next turn. While in this form, it has resistance to cold, fire, and lightning damage and immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. While in this form, the drake can pass through openings at least 1 inch wide and through transparent objects. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

About

Impalpable as the night and ephemeral as the moon, the pale-winged moon drakes are mysterious creatures. Monster hunters have long struggled to capture a specimen and study the alien form, but the drakes are all but impossible to catch.

Whenever a hunter tries to snare one, the moon drake’s ethereal body turns into a beam of pure moonlight and flies away at impossible speeds.

Power over Lycanthropes. The only thing that is known for certain about these drakes is that their connection with the moon gives them some power over lycanthropy. A moon drake’s saliva is liquid moonlight, and it uses this against lycanthropes it encounters.

Timid but Loyal. Moon drakes are flighty creatures and are frightened of most humanoid creatures. Moon drakes are often only able to overcome their fear of others when innocent people are in danger, and the drakes are the only ones able to save them.

The people of countless countryside villages have stories of being nearly eviscerated by a rampaging werewolf, only to be saved by a strange creature with wings of moonlight hurtling from the heavens. These people say their rescuer cured the werebeast in a flash of pearlescent light then disappeared into the sky as quickly as it arrived.

Alternate Traits and Actions

Source ExpCod (Open Design)

The following changes allow GMs to alter moon drakes without modifying its challenge rating.

  • Mooncurse Slash (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become cursed with lycanthropy (the moon drake chooses the type of lycanthrope). A creature that previously suffered from lycanthropy (even if it was cured) makes its saving throw with disadvantage. A lycanthrope has advantage on its saving throw. If a lycanthrope fails, it changes to the type chosen by the drake. This attack can’t affect a natural-born lycanthrope. A GM who wishes to randomize the type of lycanthrope can do so as follows, on a roll of a d10: 1: werebear, 2: wereboar, 3: weretiger, 4-6: wererat, 7-10: werewolf. The moon drake replaces the Moonlight Nip action with Mooncurse Slash.
  • Shiftersense. The moon drake can sense the presence of shapeshifters within 30 feet. The moon drake’s darkvision is reduced to 60 ft.
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Codex. © 2018 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Chris Lockey, Shawn Merwin, and Jon Sawatsky.

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