Dragonnel

Dragonnels were a species of lesser dragon that were sometimes trained as mounts.

Description
Dragonnels were graceful, long-legged creatures some tall at the shoulder and  long from nose to tail. They had scales that ranged in color from red-brown to bright gold, and a wingspan.

Behavior
Dragonnels were relatively simple-minded as far as dragons went, but they were loyal by nature. They were willful and playful creatures by nature, although in wild ones this meant they had a tendency to toy with their prey before killing it. In captivity, they were sometimes observed to be almost over-protective of their riders.

Abilities
Like other dragonkind, dragonnels possessed both darkvision and low-light vision, as well as a keen sense of smell. Additionally, they could not be paralyzed or put to sleep by magic. Their sole magical ability was that, once per day, they could unleash a magic-imbued roar that could unnerve any enemies within of them.

Dragonnels were strong fliers, easily capable of carrying up to while flying. On the ground, they could carry as much as, or even with great effort. Dragonnels were variously said to be able to understand Draconic and/or Common, but they themselves could not speak.

Combat
Dragonnels both wild and captive were naturally inclined to use flyby tactics. They would start off in a fight by using their roar, before fearlessly ripping and tearing with both claws and teeth.

Ecology
In the wild, dragonnels lived in temperate hill regions, lairing in hidden caves. Up to four different family groups might live in a given area, sharing hunting territory and protection duties amongst the adults. Dragonnels were mature adults at only 3 years of age.

However, dragonnels were highly valuable as mounts; dragonnel eggs went for 5,000 gp on an open market, and young dragonnels were for 7,500 gp. Training even a friendly dragonnel was difficult, and fighting while riding one required a skilled rider. Dragonnels could be motivated by both food and entertainment, and captive-hatched dragonnels were observed to be both loyal and protective of their riders. However, wild-born dragonnels were significantly harder to train, and were recorded to feign compliance only long enough to throw would-be riders from great heights.

Rarely, paladins were known to call a dragonnel as their mount instead of a horse.

Appearances

 * Video Games