Guard drake

Guard drakes were large reptiles that were created by a magical ritual involving dragon scales. They were loyal allies to their masters and could be quickly trained to follow simple commands.

Description
Guard drakes resembled the type of dragon they were created from in appearance, except stunted and wingless, with a squat and muscular build. Drakes were incapable of reproducing.

Behavior
These creatures were territorial and obedient. They could be trained to perform tasks typically associated with watchdogs.

Combat
In combat, the main weapons employed by a guard drake were its bite and strong tail. It also shared some of the traits of the original dragon, such as a natural resistance to acid if created from black dragon scales, lightning if coming from blue dragon scales, poison if coming from a green dragon, fire if coming from a red dragon, and cold if coming from a white dragon.

Ecology
The scales necessary to create guard drakes needed to be given freely by the original dragon. This usually meant that a dragon could choose to bestow its allies or subordinates with such a servant if they had the ability to create it.

In addition to the 10 lb (4.5 kg) of scales, the ritual also required fresh meat to be included in an iron cauldron in order to be conducted. After several days, the ritual yielded an egg approximately the size of a halfling, which hatched within hours. The new guard drake bonded with whoever fed it first and reached maturity within three weeks.

History
The ritual associated with the creation of guard drakes was developed by the cult of Tiamat, but it was also commonly found among other groups.

In the late 15 century DR, the reformed Cult of the Dragon made extensive use of guard drakes among its members.

Appearances

 * Hoard of the Dragon Queen
 * The Rise of Tiamat