Tidepool Dragonet
Level 3Attacks
Abilities
Trigger A creature Grabbed by the dragonet's jaws fails a check to Escape Effect The dragonet's jaws deals (1d12+3) bludgeoning damage to the triggering creature.
The dragonet breathes a 15-foot line of superheated gas. The dragonet can use this ability underwater even though it has the fire trait. If it does, the activity gains the water trait and emerges as a 20-foot cone of boiling water. Each creature in the area must succeed at a DC 20 reflex save or take 4d6 fire damage. The dragonet can't use Boiling Breath again for 1d4 rounds.
Requirements The monster's last action was a successful Strike that lists Grab in its damage entry, or the monster has a creature Grabbed or Restrained Effect If used after a Strike, the monster attempts to Grapple the creature using the body part it attacked with. This attempt neither applies nor counts toward the creature's multiple attack penalty. The monster can instead use Grab and choose one creature it's grabbing or restraining with an appendage that has Grab to automatically extend that condition to the end of the monster's next turn.
Description
Tidepool dragonets are lithe, eel-like sovereigns of their miniature tidal territories. Found in the marine environments that their name suggests, tidepool dragonets have strong jaws adapted to cracking open shells. While shellfish are their main food source, they are adaptive foragers. They'll happily catch and eat octopuses, tidal fish, starfish, sea anemones, and seabirds if the opportunity arises. Their long, webbed claws make them nimble hunters and allow them to reach into rocky recesses. They have muscular wings that work well both above and below water.
Tidepool dragonets are proud bullies who habitually harass wildlife and fishers. They frequently steal brightly painted floats, flags, and shiny hooks to decorate their tidal caves. Prized pieces are reserved for ornamenting themselves, and they cover their scales with shards of glass, necklaces of coral, or crowns of silverware retrieved from wrecks.
Though dragonets are smaller and lacking the raw power of great dragons, they are every bit as varied and fascinating as their larger relatives. Like dragons, dragonets have strong ties to magic. These ties influence the contrasting natures exhibited by different dragonet types. For example, Fey Dragonets and House Drakes make fascinating pets and companions, and thus are a popular familiar for spellcasters. Tidepool dragonets, on the other hand, are arrogant and untamable.
Assuming dragonets are harmless due to their size, or the fact that they often live near people, is dangerous. Pest drakes, for instance, are weak and shy individually but are inclined to form dangerous swarms when unsettled. By contrast, pearl dragonets are gentle oddities that seem naturally friendly.
Dragonets range in size from little bigger than songbirds to no larger than house cats. Unlike most great dragons, they stop growing after reaching maturity. They vary greatly in intelligence; fey dragonets are known for their tricks and wit, while feral racing drakes have the average problem solving capacity of a pigeon. Each type of dragonet has its own lairing and hoarding habits, and they have unique abilities that reveal their magical nature.