Dragonfly, Black [835]

Climat/Terrain Varies; see below
Organisation Solitary
Fréquence Très rare
Diète Carnivore
Cycle d'activité Day
Intelligence 1 - Intelligence animale
Trésor Nil
Alignement Neutre Absolu
Nombres 3-18
Classe d'armure 1
Mouvement Au sol : 6''
Vol : 24" - Classe de vol : A
Nage :
Enfouissement :
Web :
Dés de vie 3+2
Thac0 17
Nbre d'attaques 1
Dommage / attaques 1-6 (bite)
Attaques spéciales Breath weapon
Défenses spéciales Nil
Résistance à la magie Nil
Taille S - smaller than a typical human ( 2+' to 4' )
(3-4’ long)
Morale 8-10 - Moyen
Valeur en XP 175 xp

Commentaires : This creature is a magical crossbreed between the comparatively tiny, benign insect by the same name and an actual dragon. Often called a giant dragonfly, the crossbreed measures 3 to 4 feet long and has a subtly draconian head. Otherwise it looks like the insect; it has two pairs of wings, an the front pair is smaller than the rear. The wings never fold back; even when the creature has landed and is resting, they remain outstretched.
Five distinctive types of dragonfly inhabit Mystara: white, black, green, blue, and red. The color receals which species of dragon a creature takes after – that is, it defines the dragonfly’s breath weapon (red, fire; blue, lightning; and so forth).
Note that immature dragonflies, or nymphs, are practically a separate monster in appearanc and behaviour.
Dragonflies have only animal intelligence, and they never talk or use spells.
Combat : Dragonflies dart around very quickly (even normal insect dragonflies are capable of darting at speeds up to 60 miles per hour!), and they are hard to hit. They also can stop instantly and hover in midair before darting off in another direction.
A dragonfly can breathe and bite each round of combat. Its breath weapon inflicts 1 point of damage per Hit Die of the dragonfly. The area affected is only 3 feet long and 1 foot wide; each breath normally affects only one creature. A saving throw vs. breath weapon is allowed only if the victim is not fighting the dragonfly in melee; those in hand-to-hand combat get no saving throw against the breath. Characters who successfully make their saving throws take half damage from the breath weapon. There is no limit to the number of times a dragonfly can breathe.
Habitat / Société : Dragonflies roam nearly anywhere except in cool or cold mountains. Most of the five types prefer warm climates that offer plenty of water. For more information, see individual descriptions below.
Ecologie : The relatively tiny insects called dragonflies are insectivores; they feed on smaller insects like mosquitoes. The giant dragonflies of Mystara eagerly devour small rodents, birds, birdsized insects, worms, and slugs. (See individual entries for further detail.)
All dragonflies need standing water to reproduce. For some, this means a journey far from their preferred habitat for the mating season. The female dragonfly lays her eggs under water, attaching the eggs to plants. If she can find a plant large enough for the purpose, she sometimes cuts a slit in the stem or trunk and places the eggs inside. Dragonfly eggs are quite small; half an inch in diameter is typical.
Three to eight weeks after eggs are laid, they hatch. Young dragodies emerge as dragonfly nymphs (see “Nymph” below).

Black Dragonfly
The black dragonfly lives in dank swamps and temperate bogs. It enjoys climates from the tropics to middle latitudes.
Black dragonfiies do not grow very large because there are so many of them; individuals compete intensely to survive within their crowded habitat.
The black dragonfly’s breath weapon is a stream of caustic acid, distilled from unpleasant chemicals natural to the insect’s decomposing home.