Drake (Mystara), Mandrake [122]

Climat/Terrain	Any
Organisation	Cells
Fréquence	Rare
Diète	Omnivore
Cycle d'activité	Day
Intelligence	13-14 - Hautement intelligent
Trésor	R (E)
Alignement	Any Chaotic
Nombres	1-4
Classe d'armure	0
Mouvement	Au sol : 12'' Vol : 3'' - Classe de vol : D Nage : Enfouissement : Web :
Dés de vie	3
Thac0	17
Nbre d'attaques	3
Dommage / attaques	1-2/1-2/1-6
Attaques spéciales	Nil
Défenses spéciales	Spell immunity
Résistance à la magie	Nil
Taille	M - man-size ( 4+' to 7' ) (6’ long)
Morale	11-12 - Stable
Valeur en XP	270 xp

Commentaires : The drakes of Mystara are divided into two groups: chaotic and elemental. How closely related these groups are is a matter of disagreement among sages. In both cases, however, the drake is a man-sized creature. In its true form, a drake resembles a small dragon with tiny wings and without front legs. The wings can support only slow flight for up to an hour at a time. However, drakes are most often encountered in a human or demihuman form; each of the four varieties can assume the form of one or two particular races (see details below). All drakes can use this polymorph power as often they desire, changing back and forth from draconian to nondraconian guise. Drakes have no breath weapons or spellcasting abilities, but they can speak the language(s) befitting their polymorphed guise. They may be evil or good (50% chance of each) but, except for elemental drakes, are always chaotic. Mandrake These tan drakes can change into human form, and they enjoy the company of men. They often hold minor jobs in stables and taverns in towns (never in positions of importance or power), and may pretend to be adventurers. They steal food from town storehouses, and valuables from wandering townsfolk. Some mandrakes may actually join thieves’ guilds and improve their abilities, though most avoid such lawfulness.

Combat : Drakes are extremely intelligent and clever; they tell lies as needed, and surrender rather than fight to the death. In human or demihuman form, a drake can use any weapon permitted to thieves. The attack and damage information given above applies to dragon-kin form only. All drakes are immune to spells of 4th level or less. They can cancel this immunity for one round by concentrating – to receive a cure wounds spell, for example. They make saving throws as wizards of a level equal to their Hit Dice. A protecrion from evil (or good, as appropriate) spell holds drakes at bay. All drakes are thieves, having all the class abilities of a 5th-level thief (PP 50%, OL 42%, F/RT 40%, MS 40%, HS 31%, HN 20%, CW 90%, RL 25%; backstab ×3). This can be a weakness as well as a virtue. For many drakes, theft is an obsession, like the disorder of kleptomania among humans. (The difficulty of a theft, not the value of the goods stolen, is what interests a drake. Thus, nearly worthless trinkets kept under lock, key, and burly guard would be far more desirable to a drake than a jewel-encrusted golden crown lying beside a road.) Given their thief abihaes, it is natural that drakes prefer to attack by stealth whenever possible, and to take their enermes by surpnse and from a posiaon of advantage.

Habitat / Société : The drakes have long been considered a branch of the draconian family, which includes dragons and wyverns, because the drakes’ true form closely resembles a dragon. Their shapechanging ability is simdar to that of Mystara’s gold dragons as well. However, a hsiao scholar has demonstrated convincingly that the mandrakes, wooddrakes, and colddrakes are in fact related to Mystara’s puckish fairykind. Long ago, drakes devoted themselves to the cause of chaos. Their aim was to keep the world unstable – just unstable enough so it wouldn’t progress to the point at which it could destroy itself. These drakes recalled a time when human technology almost destroyed Mystara, and they did not wish to see such events repeated. The ideology of chaos is no longer such a conscious concern of drakes, rather, it has become an integral part of their nature, attitudes, and tendencies. Chaotic evil drakes act in any way they wish and see no need to justify their behavior to anyone. These drakes revel in the company of other chaotic evil beings, and enjoy corrupting people into selfishness and wanton destruction. Chaotic neutral drakes have the same disregard for the opimons of others, but they are not actively malicious. Chaotic good drakes, however, still seek a good end through chaos, and are not simply self-serving. They may take it upon themselves to pursue good chaos through adventuring; they seek out places where corrupt order has taken a firm hold (lawful evil philosophy is their nemesis), and try to overthrow it. They believe that all order is inherently corrupt, and only in anarchy can nature properly assert itself. The task of destroying all order is simply too vast, however. Therefore, they reason, it is best to concentrate on tyranny and the like – places where law has obviously gone bad. In fighting evil law, good drakes may be temporary allies with lawful good or even lawful neutral beings. Drakes are found singly or in small groups, usually among humanoids who are unaware of their true nature. These “cells” of drakes have contact with other cells, creating a network of contacts that may span continents. These contacts are very useful for travel, to establish a new identity if a drake’s true nature is uncovered, and for less respectable ends such as fencing stolen goods. (Some chaotic evil drakes use their contacts to help human thieves unload “hot” goods to distant huyen – for a generous cut in the profits, naturally.) Both alignments of chaotic drakes are very fond of pranks and tricks, and have an acute sense of humor.

Ecologie : To promote their chaotic goals, the drakes infiltrated the societies of men, elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes. There they subtly promoted their philosophy of chaos, nudging their neighbors into strife and disarray. Drakes are omnivores. They eat balanced diets much like those of humans and demihumans. They do enjoy raw meat much more than most humans do, however.