Smoke drake

A Smoke drake (also known as a fumarandi ) is a careful, sly predator that hunts its prey for miles before attacking with surprise.

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

The smoke drake has a tongue the color of charred wood and it has black claws and horns. Its horns curve back from its skull. It emits heat, and is hot to the touch, but not to the extent where it is not possible for a normal humanoid to sit on it, but the creature shows up distinctly to infravision.

Combat
Once it hunts down its prey, the smoke drake opens battle with its smoky breath, which causes blindness, and its teeth and claws. It attacks lone or separated targets, focusing on that creature until it is incapacitated. If fighting an opponent, it cannot easily defeat, it will flee to safety, but will follow and attack again later.

The smoke drake has two forms of breath weapon: a hazy cloud, and an incendiary cloud. The former can be used once every 1-4 minutes (3 minutes in 2nd edition), and is a cloud of smoke in a 30 ft (10 m) radius that causes blindness (to which the drake is immune). The latter can only be used once per day and is the same as a hazy cloud but with white-hot embers that cause fire damage. These clouds dissipate after a minute (1-3 minutes in 2nd edition), or quicker if there is a wind.

Smoke drakes are immune to normal fires and heat damage, and have a resistance to magical fire.

Ecology
Smoke drakes are very territorial, holding grudges against its enemies for years. They are skilled trackers, able to follow their prey over long distances.

The smoke drake is attracted to shiny objects and they tend to collect gemstones from their victims.

Smoke drakes are carnivorous by nature but can eat twigs and leaves which help to keep their burning-hot stomachs "kindled".

Language
A smoke drake speaks Draconic and either Auran or Ignan, rarely rising its voice above a whisper, even when angered.

Society
Smoke drakes have a solitary nature although they have been known to group in packs of up to six. They mate in the fall. The female lays up to six eggs, usually in a cave. The eggs themselves emit heat, which tends to lead other creatures to use them for warmth, and when ready to hatch, about six months later, they explode in a burst of flame.

The eggs are 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 sells for up to 2,000 gp.

Domestication
Smoke drakes can be used as mounts if captured when young and trained to be ridden. Adult smoke drakes value freedom and suffer from an ill temperament, so they are not suited to domestication. Since smoke drakes are small, they are often used as mounts by goblins.