PSEUDO-DRAGON

Chameleon Power. [complex] Pseudo-dragons can become nearly undetectable by changing their coloration and remaining motionless.

Familiar Powers. A pseudo-dragon in contact with its master will confer it's magic resistance. A pseudo-dragon can also transmit what it is seeing and hearing back to it's master (who must be immobile and concentrating, with eyes shut) up to 240 ft. away (see the spell, Find Familiar).

Poison. [sleep] Creatures struck by the pseudo-dragon's stinger must save vs. Poison or become comatose for 1d6 days (save negates). During this time, the creature appears dead and may (25% chance) actually die.

Weapon Bonus. A pseudo-dragon gains a +4 bonus to attack rolls with it's stinger.

Pseudo-dragons are tiny cousins of true dragons, and are playful but shy. They often only vocalize in chirps, hisses, growls, and purrs, but can communicate telepathically with any intelligent creature. If approached peacefully and offered food, they are usually willing to share information about what they’ve seen in their territory, but threats or violence make them flee. Pseudo-dragons are carnivores, devouring insects, rodents, small birds, and snakes, though they sometimes eat eggs, and most also enjoy butter, cheese, and fish. They either hunt on the ground like lizards or look for prey on the wing like a raptor. As smart as a typical humanoid, they do not enjoy being treated as pets and prefer being treated as friends. They are wary of evil folk but can bond with sorcerers and wizards as familiars, and some have befriended druids and rangers or partnered with good dragons as scouts. Pseudo-dragons will serve as familiars if they approve of a spell caster’s personality, but often also bond with those whose company they enjoy or who have proven themselves true friends. A pseudo-dragon might follow another character in this manner for days, weeks, years, or even a lifetime if the creature is treated well, provided with food, and generally well-loved. Upon reaching adulthood, a pseudo-dragon’s body is about a foot and a half long with a 2-foot tail, and weighs about 7 pounds. Coloring is red to red-brown and features are as a miniature red dragon. A pseudo-dragon egg is the size of a chicken egg, but leathery and spotted brown, and a mating female lays 2–5 eggs every spring.

Environment. Temperate/sub-tropical, uninhabited/wilderness areas (scrub, forest)