Storm drakes, also called cloud dragons, wind dragons and, by some sages, Draco Cumulus Welkin, were a massive species of drake that lived in the clouds.[1][2][4]
Description[]
Storm drakes were massive, being some 66 ft (20 m) long. They were said to change color with age: hatchlings had silver-white scales tinged with red, and as they grew the red lightened through sunset orange, until, as adults, the color deepened to red-gold.[1][2][4]
When they took the form of a cloud, they changed color according to mood: they were dark grey when angry, pearly white when resting or neutral, and golden to rose-colored when satisfied, pleased, and happy.[1][4]
Personality[]
Storm drakes were reclusive, aloof creatures that rarely spoke to other creatures and who disliked intrusions. They had no respect for creatures that could not naturally fly.[1][2][4]
Abilities[]
Among their other abilities, storm drakes flew with ease despite not having wings. Additionally, they could assume a gaseous form at will in which they could be nearly indistinguishable from normal clouds.[1][2][4]
Storm drakes had a breath weapon in the form of an icy, 60‑foot (18‑meter) cone of wind (which could, depending on the environment, include ice crystals). Storm drakes themselves were resistant to damage caused by both cold and lightning and, like other dracoforms, were wholly immune to magically-induced sleep and paralysis.[1][2][4]
Storm drakes, much like true dragons, had a variety of innate spell-like abilities, variously being said to be able to replicate the spells fog cloud at will, call lightning, sleet storm, stinking cloud, cloudburst, precipitation wind wall, create water, obscurement, weather summoning, control weather, control winds, ice storm, shout, and wind walk, though each ability came in as they grew.[1][2][4]
Combat[]
Storm drakes were just as likely to avoid combat (by assuming their cloud form) as they were to fight, but when they did, they used their breath weapon and spell-like abilities to disorient and blind foes, as well as making the terrain rather more favorable to them.[1][2][4]
Ecology[]
Storm drakes were a very solitary species. Whenever they were found in groups, it was always that of a parent and its offspring.[2]
Diet[]
These drakes were a lithovorous species. They primarily subsisted upon rainwater, hailstones, and the occasional piece of silver.[2]
Habitats[]
Storm drakes lived in a wide variety of climates, but laired in magical cloud islands or cloud-shrouded mountain peaks.[2] They could occasionally be found in parts of Kara-Tur.[5]
Languages[]
Storm drakes spoke their own dialect of Draconic, as well as Auran and Common (though haltingly), and sometimes Giant.[1][2]
Relationships[]
Due to their similar habitats, storm drakes sometimes came into conflict with silver dragons, which they normally lost due to silver dragons' secondary breath weapon and ability to muster allies.[2] The cloud giants of Suncatcher Mountain in mid-to-late 14th century DR kept cloud dragons as pets.[6]
History[]
In 2754 NY (−1105 DR), one twilight at the end of the summer, an unidentified cloud dragon attacked Sanctuary. It was driven away, but not before it killed around 200 people and damaged many buildings.[7]
Notable Storm Drakes[]
- Lareth, the self-proclaimed "Master of Air and Sky", a cloud dragon that lived in the sky above the Sea of Fallen Stars in the 14th century DR.[8]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Andy Collins, James Wyatt, and Skip Williams (November 2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 194–195. ISBN 0-7869-2884-0.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 81. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- ↑ Jon Pickens ed. (November 1996). Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 122. ISBN 0786904496.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), pp. 56–57. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ Gary Gygax, David Cook, and François Marcela-Froideval (1985). Oriental Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 115. ISBN 0-8803-8099-3.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 63. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), pp. 85–86. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ Theodore Stadtlander (March 1994). Why Is There Air?: Storm Streak. Living City (RPGA), pp. 6–7.
Connections[]
Chromatic dragons: Black • Blue • Brown • Gray • Green • Orange • Pink • Purple • Red • Salt • White • Yellow
Gem dragons: Amethyst • Beljuril • Crystal • Emerald • Obsidian • Sapphire • Topaz • Ruby
Neutral dragons: Amber • Jacinth • Moonstone • Pearl
Lung dragons: Chiang lung • Li lung • Lung wang • Pan lung • Shen lung • T'ien lung • Tun mi lung • Yu lung
Ferrous dragons: • Cobalt • Iron
Planar dragons: Adamantine • Astral • Battle • Blight • Chaos • Ethereal • Hellfire wyrm • Howling • Mirage • Oceanus • Pyroclastic • Radiant • Rust • Shadow • Styx • Tarterian
Spelljamming dragons: Moon/lunar • Radiant • Sun/solar
Epic dragons: Force • Prismatic • Time
Catastrophic dragons: Blizzard • Earthquake • Volcanic
Miscellaneous dragons: Cobra • Dzalmus • Mist • Rattelyr • Song • Vishap
Linnorms: Corpse tearer • Dread • Stygian
Drakes: Ambush • Black firedrake • Dragonne • Elemental (Earth • Fire • Ice • Magma • Ooze • Smoke • Water) • Felldrake (Crested • Spitting) • Greater • Guard • Mind • Portal • Rage • Space • Storm • Vulture
Dragonbloods: Draconic creature • Dragonborn of Bahamut • Dragonspawn
Drow-dragon (shadow) • Drow-dragon (deep) • Half-dragon • Kobold (Dragonwrought • Urd) • Weredragon • Zar'ithra • Zekyl
Hybrid monsters: Dracimera • Dracolisk • Mantidrake • Wyvern drake