The Drakeling... An unusual pet and custom familiar.

[Jack Haggerty]

Well, I posted this on the temporary boards, but it didn't move on, so...

The idea behind this creature is that I wanted to build a custom Familiar for my Halfling Rogue/Wizard. I wanted something remeniscent of a pseudodragon, but smaller, and without having to spend a feat and wait until caster level 7 to get it.

In the end, I based the creature off of a Hawk and a Lizard, with the "spit" a sort of cross between a dragon's breath weapon (for the delay), and a toned down (both damage and range) Acid Spit attack similar to that of the Spitting Lizard from the FRCS.

Please give me any comments or suggestions you might have for balance.

Drakeling:
Diminutive-sized animal

Hit Dice: 1/2 d8 (2 hp)
Init: +2
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
AC: 16 (+4 size, +2 Dex)
Attacks: +6 melee (1d3-3, bite), +1 melee (1d2-3, claws), +6 ranged
Face/Reach: 1 ft. by 1ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Spit acid
Special Qualities: Low-light Vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2;
Abilities: Str 4, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills: Balance +10, Spot +6, Listen +6, Climb +12, Hide +14
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite, claw)
Climate/Terrain: Warm and temperate forest and marsh
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1/3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: -

This is a small dragon-like lizard, about 6-8 inches in length from nose to the base of its tail, with a tail about twice that length. It sports a pair of leathery bat-like wings, and is covered in iridescent scales. Coloration in the wild can range from tan to brown to green to black, with a wide variety of patterns. Domesticated breeds can boast scales of practically any color of the rainbow.

Drakelings hunt insects and small animals within forests and swamps, typically providing the same role as small birds of prey. Some wizards have become rather fond of the animals for use as familiars. As a result, the nobility have also bred them into fashionable pets.

Combat: Drakelings typically weaken their prey with a spit of acid, before pouncing on them with tooth and claw.

Spit acid (Ex): A drakeling can make a ranged touch attack against a single opponent within 20 ft. to deal 1d3 points of acid damage. Once a drakeling spits, it cannot spit again until 1d4 rounds later.

Skills: Drakelings use their Dexterity modifier for Climb checks and receive a +8 bonus to Balance checks.

 

[Krishnath]

Drop the breathweapon and it would be fit as a familiar at first level, othervise I would not recomend it before third level and with improved familiar. Also if you keep the breathweapon, you should consider changing the creature type to dragon. But it is a very cool concept. I might even use it.

Later,

 

[Jack Haggerty]

Well, it's not a breath weapon, per se... just a mudane acid spit. But I see what you mean. I'd rather not get rid of it, but I'd deal with it, if that's what my DM rules.

And currently, my character is a Rogue 1/Abjurer 3. He's got another two levels before he could pick up the Improved Familiar feat... A feat which I'd rather spend on other things.

Changing the creature type to dragon would seriously unbalance him... HD would soar, AC would soar (natural armor), the breath weapon would increase in both range and damage, and he would gain all sorts of other special abilities which would probably be unsuitable.

I built the drakeling with the idea of building a real non-magical creature that mildly emulates a dragon... It's a reptilian bat that spits acid.

What if I got rid one or both of the melee attacks, instead of the acid attack?

 

[Frog Slime]

Hmmm. Even if it were not a Dragon type, it still wouldn't be an Animal type. Animal types are only creatures that existed at some point in Earth history. So it would be a Beast, or a Magical Beast.

 

[Grazzt]

I'm guessing Beast since its Spit acid ability is Extraordinary.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

Ah... But tressym cats (essentially cats with wings) from the FRCS are listed as "animals".

The point is... Changing its classification would change the basic abilities of the creature... Primarily, if it was a beast or magical beast, it's HD would be d10 instead of d8, it would gain Darkvision 60', and its skills points would change.

 

[Krishnath]

Drop the claw attack, reduce the acid spits range and damage, and change it so it is only useable three times a day, and it *could* work, but the final descision should be with your DM.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

Actually, he's still reviewing the stats, but we've come up with two possible solutions to using it as is...

1. A XP cost for my character... Something along the lines of the XP cost for the Planar Familiar, Elemental Familiar or the Animate Dead Familiar spells in the WotC Spellbook Archive.

2. A sort of Familiar ECL... Essentially, I would subtract one or two spellcaster levels as far as my familiar's abilities are concerned.