Velroc

Velrocs were relatively small lesser dragons that had evolved in wild magic zones.^[1]

Description[]

Velrocs were only about 10‒14 ft (3‒4.3 m) tall with a 18‑foot (5.5‑meter) wingspan. Their scales could be any color, and were normally mottled with a pattern that gave the appearance of oil floating on water. Velrocs most closely resembled wyverns, having only two hindlegs and no forelimbs, but with a head that was oddly hawklike.^[1]

Personality[]

Velrocs were chaotic, ill-tempered, and highly territorial, although they were not exactly malicious. They were also solitary and independent, never working with other creatures. Velrocs were known to fly into wild rages at the slightest offenses, and they were just generally impulsive and destructive.^[1]

Abilities[]

Velrocs were not as dangerous as true dragons, but their origins gave them two dangerous gifts: firstly, they radiated a 120‑foot (37‑meter) aura that distorted spells, altering their course to strike targets other than what the spellcaster intended; and secondly, velrocs could hijack a spell directed at them and send it back at the caster.^[1]

Combat[]

Velrocs relied on their aerial mobility and speed while hunting, preferring to swoop down on prey and carry it off, only to kill it by dropping it and letting gravity do the rest, or by dashing the prey against rocks a few times.^[1]

Ecology[]

Velrocs were predators known to carry off large animals such as horses and deer as prey; they would also collect and hoard gems and other shiny treasure. However, they had better hearing than eyesight and accordingly preferred to hunt during the dawn and dusk hours. Velrocs typically lived in mountainous areas where towering hills and mountains shaded the land to give them a longer hunting period, although plains that they could spot prey easily were also an option. Velrocs were rare, but they had been recorded living in the Dalelands and were rumored to live in Anauroch.^[1]

Velrocs were incredibly territorial, but would never challenge true dragons for territory. However, they were also arrogant and viewed other sentient creatures as beasts; many settlements were destroyed by velrocs expanding their territory. Even amongst themselves, velroc could not cooperate, and on the incredibly rare occasions when a group came together to work towards a common goal, it was hampered by duplicity and betrayal, as well as actual in-fighting.^[1]

When velrocs came together to mate and reproduce, the pair only worked together long enough for the eggs to be laid, then they fought, with each wanting to be the sole parent. By the time the eggs hatched, one parent was either dead or driven off. The surviving parent fed the hatchlings and taught them to hunt for a few weeks before growing paranoid and abandoning them.^[1]