Smoke drake

A smoke drake (also known as a fumarandi ) was a careful, sly predator that hunted its prey for miles before attacking with surprise.

Description
A smoke drake's polished, overlapping scales were charcoal gray mixed with the occasional highlight of dark red and a dorsal ridge of ebony. Its eyes glowed red like hot coals, especially when the beast was angry or in battle.

The smoke drake had a tongue the color of charred wood and it had black claws and horns. Its horns curved back from its skull. It emitted heat, and was hot to the touch, but not to the extent it would be impossible for a normal humanoid to sit on it. The creature showed up distinctly to infravision.

Personality
Smoke drakes were very territorial and held grudges against their enemies for years. They were skilled trackers, able to follow their prey over long distances. They were also attracted to shiny objects and tended to collect gemstones from their victims.

Abilities
The smoke drake had two forms of breath weapon: a hazy cloud, and an incendiary cloud. The former emitted a cloud of smoke in a 30-ft (10-m) radius that caused blindness (to which the drake was immune). The latter could only be used once per day and was the same as a hazy cloud but with white-hot embers that burned. These clouds dissipated after a minute or so, or quicker if there was a wind.

Smoke drakes were immune to normal fires and heat, and had a resistance to magical fire.

Combat
Once it hunted down its prey, the smoke drake opened battle with its smoky breath, which caused blindness, and its teeth and claws. It attacked lone or separated targets, focusing on that creature until it was incapacitated. If fighting an opponent it couldn't easily defeat, it would flee to safety, but would return and attack again later.

Society
"Fumarandi are drakes. Their weapon is charcoal smoke, and they make their homes above the trees in mountain forests. They can be claimed as companions..."

- Ansoain, giving lessons to her son and apprentice.

Diet
Smoke drakes were a carnivorous species by nature, but could eat twigs and leaves, which helped to keep their burning-hot stomachs "kindled".

Languages
They typically spoke Draconic and either Auran or Ignan. They rarely raised their voices above a whisper, even when angered.

Relationships
Smoke drakes had a solitary nature although they were known to group in packs of up to six. They could be used as mounts if captured when young and trained to be ridden. Adult smoke drakes valued freedom and suffered from an ill temperament, so they were not suited to domestication. Since smoke drakes were small, they were often used as mounts by goblins.

Reproduction
They mated in the fall. The female laid up to six eggs, usually in a cave. The eggs themselves emitted heat, which tended to lead other creatures to use them for warmth, and when ready to hatch, about six months later, they exploded in a burst of flame.

Usage
The eggs of these drakes were sometimes used in the creation of rings of fire resistance, or powdered and turned to ink for use in endure heat, fire shield, resist fire, and stinking cloud. An egg typically sold for up to 2,000 gp.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Rage • The Rite • The Ruin • The Captive Flame • Whisper of Venom • The Spectral Blaze
 * The Nether Scroll
 * The Nether Scroll