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Dracomander, Lightning

Armor Class: 0 [19] (m)
Hit Dice: 8–10
Attacks: Bite (1d6+2)
Special: lightning breath, lightning aura (1d8/round), electricity immunity, magic weapons to hit
Move: 12/24 (when flying)
HDE/XP: 10/1,400; 11/1,700; 12/2,000

Description

A lightning dracomander resembles a giant snake more than 12 feet long with two dragon-like heads, long serpentine necks, and a pair of dragon wings. Its scales flash white, blue, purple, and yellow.

All creatures within 20 feet that are not protected from lightning suffer 1d8 damage per round from stray bolts. It is immune to electricity and lightning. Its breath weapon is a lightning line, 5 feet wide and about 65 feet long for a typical adult. The breath weapon is usable three times per day; the dracomander may breathe from either head or both, but overlapping breaths never damage the same victim twice in the same round. A successful saving throw halves the damage.

Despite its two heads, a lightning dracomander has only one mind. Older dracomanders may speak or cast spells at the Referee’s discretion, and no separate spell table is needed.

Dracomanders

Dracomanders are strange monsters combining the shape and greed of dragons with the elemental nature of salamanders.

Use the dragon age category rule for hit points and breath-weapon damage. A dracomander may use its breath weapon up to three times per day and can be harmed only by magical weapons.

Each type radiates a 20-foot elemental hazard, is immune to its own element, and has a distinct breath weapon: flame dracomanders breathe fire, frost dracomanders breathe freezing air, and lightning dracomanders breathe a lightning line. A successful saving throw halves breath damage. The lightning dracomander has two heads but only one mind; if both heads breathe in the same round, overlapping breaths do not damage the same victim twice.

Older dracomanders may speak or cast spells at the Referee's discretion; no separate spell table is needed. Exact breath dimensions, aura types, and attack routines are given on the individual pages.

Dragons

All dragons have a breath weapon of some kind, which can be used up to three times in a day. The Referee chooses when a dragon will use the breath weapon or may roll for it (50% chance) in any given round.

Referees should not roll for a dragon’s hit points, like one would for other monsters. Instead, determine the age category of the dragon—this will give both the dragon’s hit points per hit dice and how many points of breath weapon damage per hit dice the dragon inflicts.

For example, an “Adult” dragon has both 4 hit points and 4 points of breath weapon damage per hit dice. So an “Adult” black dragon with 6 HD would have 24 HP and deal 24 points of acid damage when using its breath weapon.

Table 41: Dragon Age Category

Table 41: Dragon Age Category
Roll	Age	Hit Points/Hit Dice	Damage/Hit Dice
1	Very Young	1	1
2	Young	2	2
3	Immature	3	3
4	Adult	4	4
5	Old	5	5
6	Very Old (100 years)	6	6
7	Aged (100–400)	7	7
8	Ancient (400+)	8	8

Table 42: Dragon Breath Weapons

Table 42: Dragon Breath Weapons
Shape*	Type
Cloud	Gaseous
Cone	Fiery/Frosty
Line	Spitting

* The dimensions of a dragon’s breath differ according to the dragon’s type.

Note that dragons, while dangerous opponents, are not by any means invincible. In a medieval-type fantasy world, dragons are a common problem rather than a godlike creature of legend—so the statistics for dragons reflect a deadly but not mythical foe. The Referee is, of course, free to create stats for a more “mythical” conception of dragons. Since dice aren’t rolled for dragon hit points, it is possible for a truly mythical dragon to have more “numbers” per die than it’s actually possible to roll on a hit dice.