War Wyvern

Family: Wyverns

This wyvern’s thick armor, jagged claws, and heavy brow belies a pair of intelligent eyes. It looks upon its rider like a hound looks at its master.

Large dragon, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (scale mail)
Hit Points 119 (14d10 + 42)
Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 6 (-3) 14 (+2) 6 (-1)

Saving Throws Wisdom +5
Skills Athletics +8, Perception +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands Common and Draconic, but can’t speak
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

Special Traits

  • Siege Monster. The wyvern deals double damage to objects and structures.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The wyvern makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its stinger. While flying, it can use its claws in place of one other attack.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage.
  • Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) slashing damage and the creature is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the wyvern can’t use its claw on another target.
  • Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage. The target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  • Spit Venom (Recharge 5-6). The wyvern spits venom at a target within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

About

Bred to be fearsome, obedient, and intelligent mounts for elite knights, war wyverns are superior in all ways to their wild cousins. Their natural scales are enhanced with thick steel scale armor, and selective breeding has granted them the ability to spit venom, in addition to delivering it with their scorpion-like tails.

Loyal and Deadly. A war wyvern is unflinchingly loyal and has been taught to unerringly follow verbal commands given by its master. In military situations, a wyvern’s master will often command it to snatch cavalry riders from their horses with its steel-tipped talons, hurling them to their doom, or to use its spiked tail to smash siege weapons or supply wagons. Despite their viciousness on the battlefield, these domesticated wyverns serve their masters out of love, not fear, and act like energetic pit bulls when around those who treat them with kindness.

Two Fight as One. Wyvern knights and their war wyverns act as a single unit in combat. A war wyvern cannot move or take actions independently while it is being used as a mount, but its specialized training gives it the ability to make a single attack when its rider takes the Multiattack 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.