Drake, Pact

Family: Drake

The thief pushed a clinking bag across the desk, but the pact drake hissed and spit, making it clear that the law could not be bent, even for a handsome price.

Small dragon, lawful neutral

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (8d6 + 24)
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
9 (-1) 14 (+2) 17 (+3) 17 (+3) 18 (+4) 20 (+5)

Saving Throws Dexterity +4, Wisdom +6
Skills Insight +8, Investigation +5, Perception +6
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities psychic, radiant
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages all
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Special Traits

  • Binding Witness. Creatures that make a pact or agree to terms while the drake witnesses the agreement are bound by the drake’s magic. They have disadvantage on saving throws against scrying by the drake (simply making a successful save against the drake’s scrying usually is enough to arouse its suspicion), and they become potential targets for the drake’s Punish Transgressor action.
  • Sense Falsehood. The drake knows if it hears a lie.
  • Innate Spellcasting. A pact drake’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). It can cast the following spells, requiring only somatic components:

Actions

  • Multiattack. The pact drake makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claw.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
  • Enforced Diplomacy (Recharge 5-6). The pact drake breathes a calming haze in a 30-foot cone. Creatures in the cone must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. While charmed, a creature also can’t attack up to five creatures of the pact drake’s choice. A charmed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a success.
  • Punish Transgressor. The drake targets a single creature within 60 feet that broke the terms of a pact witnessed by the drake. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be blinded, deafened, and stunned for 1d6 minutes. The conditions can be ended early only with a dispel magic (DC 15) spell or similar magic. When these conditions end, the affected creature has disadvantage on saving throws until it finishes a long rest.

About

The word of law in draconic form, pact drakes make their homes in large cities or other seats of authority. They often appear at major negotiations, as if drawn by an uncanny sense. Sometimes welcomed, sometimes not, the drakes nevertheless assure that all parties honor the contract.

Witnesses for a Price. Some nations or powerful individuals retain the services of a pact drake, usually by providing historical, legal, or religious documents. Some of these creatures also demand trivial payment in gems and jewels; though trivial to the drake could mean up to 10% of the kingdom’s treasure. Delicate negotiations between rival humanoid powers sometimes fall to the pact drakes “employed” by both sides.

Crowns, Seals, and Banners. As the embodiment of law, a pact drake must enforce all deals it brokers. While its 4-foot long body and 1-foot long tail make a pact drake seem insignificant, it carries an unmistakable presence in the halls of power. The creatures sometimes take on affectations to further their image, usually the trappings of authority recognized by the society around them, such as particular flags, rings, seals, or umbrellas carried by servants.

Alternate Traits and Actions

Source ExpCod (Open Design)

The following changes allow GMs to alter a pact drake without modifying its challenge rating.

  • Appoint Notary. As an action, the pact drake designates a willing creature to witness a pact or agreement on the drake’s behalf. The designated creature gains the drake’s Binding Witness trait and Punish Transgressor action for the pact or agreement it witnesses. It also gains the ability to cast scrying three times per day, using its Charisma as its spellcasting ability. The designated creature can only scry on parties involved in the agreement. The drake relinquishes its abilities with respect to the agreement. The drake can revoke this designation as a bonus action. When it does so, it regains the Binding Witness trait and the Punish Transgressor action with respect to the pact or agreement. The pact drake loses its Enforced Diplomacy action.
  • Teleport to Transgressor (Recharges after a Long Rest). The pact drake is psychically linked to each pact and agreement it witnesses. If a creature breaks a drake-brokered contract, the drake can teleport unerringly to the transgressor’s location up to an hour afterward. The teleportation fails if the target creature is no longer on the same plane as the drake. The pact drake loses the ability to cast arcane eye and clairvoyance.
  • Visceral Punisher. As a bonus action, the drake chooses a single creature within 60 feet that broke the terms of a pact witnessed by the drake. Until the target creature is dead or it has offered compensation for breaking the terms of the pact, the drake has advantage on attacks against the target and on saving throws against spells or other magical effects originating from the target. Additionally, the drake’s melee attacks deal double damage to the target. The pact drake loses its Punish Transgressor action.
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.

This is not the complete license attribution - see the full license for this page