Dragons: All you need to know...

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Dragons


Dragons are incredibly ancient reptiles and existed in the forests and mountains even before the Elves came to the Old World. Some Teratologists believe that Dragons evolved many millennia ago from small reptiles; some High Elf scholars believe that they were brought to the planet by the Old Ones or that they even pre-date the coming to the world of those mighty beings. Some say that all the Dragon race was spawned by Kalgalanos the Black, Father of all Dragons, and it is said that Graug the Terrible spawned many of the beasts who inhabit the Old World. Whatever the case not even the wisest High Elves know the true origins of the Dragon because they have always lived, in great numbers in elder days, in the Annuli Mountains of Ulthuan and especially in the realm known as Caledor.

In the elder days, which can be measured from the reign of Aenarion the first Phoenix King of Ulthuan to Tethlis the sixth Phoenix King (a span of four-thousand years and one-thousand years before the foundation of the Empire), the vast majority of Dragons lived in Ulthuan, with others inhabiting the World's Edge Mountains and the Mountains of Mourn, and most were highly intelligent and kindly creatures. The Dwarfs in their strongholds in the World's Edge Mountains learned to respect them even though they often devoured whole veins of precious minerals. But since the end of the very first Incursion of Chaos, which precipitated the catastrophic destruction of the polar gateways, the Dragons started to be more docile and were roused less from their slumbers. This came to a head roughly a thousand years before Sigmar when these mighty beasts truly began their long sleep and their numbers declined dramatically. Even the High Elves of Caledor, who frequently used Dragons as beasts of war, found it increasingly difficult to rouse them and some were becoming more disobedient.

Today, the race of Dragons continues to decline and the majority, save perhaps for those inhabiting the Dragon Spine Mountains of Caledor, are only roused through anger, when they are famished, or when they are caring for young - few hatchlings have appeared over the last thousand years. As Dragons sleep for centuries or even thousands of years the chances are that at some point they will be disturbed and should this happen they arise in wrath and are slow to calm. Just as Dragons may sleep for many centuries a roused creature may be active for almost as long because the passing of years means little to this long-lived race whom many believe to be immortal. When this happens brave or foolish souls seek to test their worth to stand against the Dragon. But history has told that very few heroes have bested a Dragon in combat because it often takes more than an army to destroy one. Indeed, only Greater Daemons can match the greatest of Dragons in cunning and might of arms.

Few people alive today have ever seen a Dragon and in many cultures they are objects of worship, representing such virtues as strength, might and power, and in some cultures they are even revered as gods. In the Far East Dragons are often represented as good, intelligent creatures and in Cathay, where Dragons are known as Lung, they are linked to the weather and the natural world in some way. For example, the Celestial Dragon is supposed to guard the places of the gods; the Underworld Dragon guards precious metals and gems; the Spiritual Dragon is said to control the wind and the rain; and the Earth Dragon controls the rivers and water of the world. It is even rumoured that there is a law in Cathay which bans anyone from wearing clothes bearing the emblem of the five-toed Celestial Dragon, as only the Emperor is allowed to bear these devices. Failure to comply with the law invites death, so it is said. In the Old World some people believe that by eating a Dragon's heart they will have the ability to understand the language of birds and beasts, and similarly eating a Dragon's brain is supposed to grant mystical powers and rubbing Dragon blood on a human's skin is supposed to grant a measure of protection against mortal weapons.

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DRAGON ATTRIBUTES


The abilities are Dragons are myriad to say the least. Going by what it says in books of legend Dragons could only breathe fire and beat their massive leathery, bat-like wings to make them fly. However, Dragons are capable of much more than that although some Dragons have no abilities whatsoever other than being gigantic reptiles, equipped with rending claws and talons. While it is the case that a lot possess the ability to breathe a plethora of noxious or flammable substances from their mouths, some also possess the ability to transfix a prey causing it to even lose its mind or be under the sway of the Dragon.

BREATH ATTACKS


Dragons are most famous for their ability to breathe hellish gouts of fire. But certain Dragons have also been known to breathe a freezing chill wind, as well as acrid clouds of corrosive green fumes, oily black smoke, acid, and even lightning.

ACID: This attack is cone-shaped as per the standard breath attack in the bestiary. A Dragon with this attack can breathe a highly potent acid. The initial attack has a Strength of 3. Non-magical metallic weapons that hit a character have a 25% chance of being destroyed by the acid. Non-magical armour protects as normal from the first acid attack but is then destroyed. If faced with steel, or other solid barriers (usually metallic in nature), the creature can dissolve them given time - typically taking 1 round to penetrate 10cm of steel.

CHILL/FROST: A Dragon with this attack has the ability to breathe a freezing gale which has the potential to freeze targets to death. The breath attack's range and dimensions are exactly those of the standard fire attack but the damage and effects are different. Anyone caught within the area effect takes a single Strength 5 hit. Characters wearing non-magical metal armour will suffer extra damage according to the most APs they have on a given location (non-magical protection is also negated). For example, a character with 2 APs on the body and 1 AP on other locations will suffer +2 extra wounds as a result. Magical armour protects as normal. A character reduced to zero wounds as a result of this freeze attack must pass a Toughness or be frozen to death. Non-magical possessions have a 50% chance of being broken and useless. In addition to the damage caused by this attack characters must pass a Toughness test or suffer from shivering fits for D6 rounds, reducing all physical characteristics by a half, rounding up.

FIRE: The most fearsome sight is that of a Dragon breathing fire and it is one of the most deadly of breath attacks. This is the standard attack given in the bestiary entry of the creature on page 236 of the WFRP rulebook.

FUMES: The fume attack is typically a horrible, green, corrosive cloud, belched from the Dragon's guts. It is very unpleasant and can be quite harmful. The original attack has a range of 2D6+6 yards in a cone shape (like the fire attack) in the first round. Afterwards it forms a dense cloud some 2D6 yards in diameter. Anyone caught within the range of the fumes suffers damage equivalent to the Druidic Priest level 3 Steam Cloud spell. The corrosive cloud then moves randomly as per the Druidic spell description. The cloud remains for D6 rounds after the initial attack. Spells such as Wind Blast directed at the cloud will move it in the direction as designated by the caster. The Dragon itself is not affected by the fumes.

LIGHTNING: A Dragon with this attack can belch a bolt of lightning at its foes. This has the same range and effect as the Battle Magic Level 2 spell Lightning Bolt but has a Strength of 5.

SMOKE: The Dragon can breathe a thick plume of smoke that is designed to confuse and disorientate any potential attackers. This breathe attack is equivalent to the Battle Magic level 2 spell Mystic Mist except that anyone caught in the cloud will be subject to stupidity.

LANGUAGE


It is said that in elder days Dragons could actually speak but it is not presumptuous to say that these days only few of the Elf race can have remembered such a time when Dragons could speak. What language they spoke in those days could be anything from Eltharin (Elven) to a dialect of Ssissyl'k the Lizardman tongue or even Old Slann. But most Dragons are intelligent enough to at least understand the tongue of such creatures, as well as the language of Men, even if they cannot speak it. Over the last three or four-thousand years, their period of decline, Dragons have interacted less with humanoid races and as a result may have lost any ability they may have had to talk. A Dragon who has the ability to talk will have a Fel of 24 or more.

MAGIC


Dragons by their nature are magical creatures but very, very few can actually cast spells. Most Dragons living today cannot cast spells and only the oldest ones have this ability. Dragons that can use magic do not cast them in the same way as wizards. Magic to a Dragon is akin to another sense, such as touch or sight, and develops throughout his vast life. Usually these Dragons will develop magical abilities when they are active, especially if they are frequently being hunted, and these abilities allow them to avoid danger and ultimately help them survive. Essentially, however, only a tiny number of these fabulous beasts develop a talent for magic and these are the ones who are more likely to survive over thousands of years, which is why most ancient Dragons can cast spells.

Dragons do not have access to many spells and they are usually those ones which protect them from harm or aid them in some way, such as Arrow Invulnerability or Cause Animosity, rather than blasting Fire Balls, Lightning Bolts, or Blast. On this subject, magic-using Dragons cannot cast spells of this nature, or any magic missile spells, because they are the creation of mortal wizards and the Dragon physique does not complement their conjuration very well. The GM should use his own judgement when determining what spells, if any, a Dragon has. Magic level should be determined by rolling D6-2. If the result is zero or less then the Dragon cannot cast spells. A typical magic-using Dragon will have access to D4 spells per level and 4D4 magic points per level. A Dragon whose magic points is 12 or less does not need to test for magical misfires and they do not need spell ingredients in order to cast spells.

SENSES


All Dragons have extremely fine senses, all superior to humans'. Their sense of smell, for example, can be up to one-hundred times more effective than a dog's meaning that they can smell a creature at distances of up to two or three miles away. They can even identify what the creature is and how many are in the vicinity. Their eyesight also allows them to see at great distances and even through poor visibility; some Dragons' vision is so good that they can penetrate magical mists. Another sense that some Dragons possess is the ability to sense emotion, generally fear or hate but some can also sense jealousy, happiness, and love. What emotion a Dragon can sense can depend upon what alignment the creature is. For example, a Good aligned Dragon might only sense happiness whereas an evil one might only be able to sense fear. But this is not an exact science as Dragons who can sense emotion can usually sense many and they might not have a bearing on what alignment the creature is.

SERPENT EYE


Some Dragons, 15% to 20%, have an ability called the Serpent's Eye. It is a useful defence mechanism which allows the Dragon to confound a foe; to such an extent that it may cause permanent memory loss. Once per round a Dragon may use its Serpent's Eye on any single individual within 24 yards. A failed WP test results in the victim suffering the effects of Amnesia (see WFRP disorders p84). The spell can only be broken by the death of the Dragon or by the Cure Insanity spell. The spell Remove Curse (cast by a wizard of at least level 3 mastery) and/or a myriad selection of magical potions may also prove effective (at the GM's discretion.)

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DRAGONKIN

There are several species of Dragon from the slithering Wyrms, the bounding Drakes, to the mighty Winged Drakes. Then there are the unnatural and twisted Dragons who have been warped by Chaos and the hideous and rotting Zombie Dragons. There are also many sub-species consisting of a myriad of coloured Dragons and these include: Green, Black, Red, White and Blue Dragons. These can generally dictate what abilities they have; for instance Green Dragons largely live in densely forested areas and do not breathe fire but acrid clouds of corrosive green fumes because to do so would ruin their natural habitat and their food stocks, as they only eat the roots and branches of trees; White Dragons inhabit freezing cold, snowy regions and may have the ability to breathe a scolding frost attack; Red Dragons are typically fire breathers and inhabit volcanic areas; Blue Dragons are often aquatic creatures, seldom able to fly, but many have the ability to generate lightning attacks; and Black Dragons, which some claim to be related to the Red variety, usually inhabit desolate volcanic regions where the volcanoes have gone extinct, and fed on a diet of cold rock they can only breathe an oily, black smoke where once they could breathe fire.

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AMPHIPTERE

The Amphiptere is a Dragon which only has wings; the wings themselves are not often leathery and bat-like but feathery like an eagle's. They are rare creatures, even for Dragons, and legends of their existence come from explorers who have been to Lustria and the Southlands. They have brought with them tales of primitive tribes who worship these Dragons as gods and their forms and shapes have been made into idols and engraved into weapons and armour. Whether they only exist in Lustria and the Southlands is not known. It is rumoured that one was sighted in the Vaults by Tilean prospectors in the late 24th century although consensus is is that it was another creature of Chaos.

Physique: A typical Amphiptere is about 20 feet long from nose to tail; much larger ones appear in myths and legends as thirty, forty to even fifty feet long. Its body is long and snake-like and has a feathered tail and a reptilian head also crowned in feathers. Its wings are akin to a Great Eagle's being feathery rather than typically leathery and dragon-like.

Alignment: Any. Most Amphipteres are Neutral.

Psychological Traits: Amphipteres cause fear in all living creatures.

Special Rules: Amphipteres fly as swoopers, and M given is for ground movement only. Amphipteres have scaly skin and therefore benefit from having 3 AP on all locations.

Basic Profile

M;2 WS;49 BS;0 S;6 T;6 W;32 I;30 A;4 Dex;- Ld;59 Int;29 Cl;59 WP;59 Fel;-

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CHAOS DRAGON


According to the High Elves, the race of Chaos Dragon, and all the hideous beasts such as Chimera, Hydra and Wyvern, were all spawned from Galrauch, the first Chaos Dragon who was the beast of a valiant High Elf prince and was said to be of the line of Indraugnir, the Dragon of Aenarion. It was in the time of Aenarion and during the first Incursions of Chaos seven-thousand years ago that Galrauch fought and appeared to defeat a Lord of Change, Greater Daemon of Tzeentch. But the Lord of Change possessed the Great Dragon and warped it with the power of Chaos. It is said that over the next few thousand years it spawned many hideous monstrosities that would plague the civilisations of Elves, Men and Dwarfs.

Chaos Dragons generally only inhabit the Northlands (the regions around the Realm of Chaos) and sweep southwards in the Incursions of Chaos, when the Winds of Change blow at their strongest. Being originally the creation of Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, Chaos Dragons are fiendishly clever, not to mention destructive creatures.

Physique: Typically Chaos Dragons have twin heads and twin tails and their bodies are wracked with mutation. And as befitting the nature of Chaos they can be of any colour.

Alignment: Chaotic.

Psychological Traits: Chaos Dragons cause fear and terror in all living creatures.

Special Rules: A Chaos Dragon with wings will be able to fly as a lander. Chaos Dragons are covered in thick scales which give it 4 APs on all locations. A Chaos Dragon with two heads may have two breath attacks. They can be any of those shown in the Attributes above and/or the following breath attack which is unique to Chaos Dragons: Fumes of Contagion; this attack works exactly like the standard Fumes attack but anyone within its area of effect, whether they take damage or not, has a 5% chance per round of gaining one random Chaos mutation - to a maximum of a 35% chance.

Basic Profile

M;6 WS;59 BS;0 S;8 T;8 W;49 I;30 A;8 Dex;- Ld;69 Int;51 Cl;69 WP;69 Fel;-

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DRAKE


The Drake is a large Dragon, has four legs, but no wings. They live in the darkest and deepest caves of the world only to sunder when they are threatened or when they are hungry. They are second only to the Winged Drakes in might and intellect and legends tell of them putting to flight whole armies and crushing entire regiments of soldiers with a single swipe of their gargantuan tale and cannon balls bouncing off their thick, scaly hides. Because they are so large and they cannot fly they tend to be ill-tempered beasts and tend to come into confrontation with humanoids more often than other Dragon types, but even then such meetings are few and far between. Often any meetings with humanoids comes about when they need better pastures for food. If there is no alternative then a Drake may prey on humanoids. Legends tell of Drakes attacking entire towns and taking away dozens of people at a time.

Physique: Drakes are the largest land Dragons and are more thickset because they do not possess wings and therefore cannot fly. Their scales are very thick and offer protection rivaling that of human plate armour. The smallest Drakes are approximately twenty-feet long from nose to tail. The largest can be gigantic indeed but an average Drake can be anything from thirty to forty-feet long. Ancient Drakes can be up to one-hundred-feet long.

Alignment: Neutral or Evil.

Psychological Traits: Drakes cause fear and terror in all living creatures.

Special Rules: Drakes have very tough, scaly skin and therefore have 4 APs on all locations.

Basic Profile6 59 0 9 9 59 30 6 - 89 41 89 89 24

M;6 WS;59 BS;0 S;9 T;9 W;59 I;30 A;6 Dex;- Ld;89 Int;41 Cl;89 WP;89 Fel;24

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FAERIE DRAGON


Faerie Dragons are tiny in comparison with their larger cousins and are probably the rarest of all Dragons and in ancient times the High Elves made great use of them as pets. They can be a small as twelve inches but grow no larger than four or five-feet in length. In Ulthuan the Faerie Dragons still exist, albeit in small numbers, and on various occasions Sea Elf merchants have given these creatures to Old Worlders as gifts. But they are never sold for money. To be given a Faerie Dragon is an act of generosity indeed and they are utterly loyal to their master. Because they can sense emotions they always know when something is amiss and try to be consoling to their master if he or she is feeling unhappy or sad.

Faerie Dragons are vegetarian by nature, eating fruit, vegetables and nuts, but can change if their masters wish it. They are also kindly creatures but this can change depending on their master although strong-willed Faerie Dragons will flee violent masters. In Naggaroth, the land of the Dark Elves, the Faerie Dragons there are black-hearted creatures who are every bit as cruel as their Dark Elf masters. The Dark Elves use them to hunt the various species of wildlife in the region as well as slaves.

Physique: Faerie Dragons are never larger than five-feet in length. On average they will be one to two-feet. They often have large eyes and their wings can either be akin to a butterfly's or more characteristically bat-like. It is generally assumed that the 'butterfly' species are of kinder heart than the bat-like ones but this should not always be the case. They can be of any colour.

Alignment: Lawful, Good, or Neutral. Evil ones are commonly in the hands of Dark Elves.

Special Rules: Faerie Dragons do not possess a breath attack capable of causing harm nor do they possess the Serpent Eye. However, Faerie Dragons can induce sleep. This special ability is the equivalent of the Sleep Petty Magic spell and maybe used in close combat. This power may be used at will but only as long as the Dragon does not have fewer than half its total number of wounds. Faerie Dragons can fly as hoverers and M is given for ground movement only.

Basic Profile

M;2 WS;22 BS;0 S;2 T;2 W;7 I;40 A;1 Dex;- Ld;24 Int;24 Cl;18 WP;89 Fel;-

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SEA SERPENT


Sailors always bring back tales of great leviathans lurking in the deep of the world's oceans. Most of the time they are totally fanciful or brought about through ignorance. However, in the deepest waters of the world there do indeed live creatures of this ilk and none more magnificent than the Sea Dragons or Sea Serpents as they are more known. They are varied in size as the nature of living in the water allows them to grow to gigantic proportions, larger than the Dragons who live predominantly on the land. Legends tell of Sea Serpents being as big as the great Imperial galleons and swallowing entire ships whole.

Although Sea Serpents are solitary and for the most part peaceful creatures the Dark Elves of Naggaroth have managed to capture a few of them and magically bind them to their will. This allows them to mount entire weapons platforms on their scaly backs and use them for war. They also prove their worth in other ways as they are able to drag whole ships through the waves with minimal effort and can cause serious damage to enemy ships by using their bulk and gaping jaws should they get close enough. It is not known whether other races have been able to use Sea Serpents in this way.

Physique: The largest Dragons come from the Sea Serpent family as the density of the oceans can easily support their colossal weight and there are plentiful supplies of food. Sea Serpents can range from thirty to well over a hundred-feet long and their bodies are usually long and snake-like. Their colouring includes varying shades of blue or grey and their backs are always a darker shade than their bellies.

Alignment: Neutral.

Psychological Traits: Sea Serpents cause fear and terror in all living creatures.

Special Rules: Sea Serpents are protected by a scaly hide and therefore have 4 APs on all locations. The profile given below reflects the characteristics of a Sea Serpent approximately fifty-feet in length.

Basic Profile

M;6 WS;49 BS;0 S;10 T;9 W;69 I;30 A;6 Dex;- Ld;69 Int;29 Cl;69 WP;69 Fel;-

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WINGED DRAKE


The Winged Drakes are what people generally assume Dragons to look like. They have four legs and a pair of wings. Because they are capable of flight few places are inaccessible to them and they often favour making their homes in some of the highest and most dangerous mountain ranges in the World, notably the Dragon Spine Mountains in Caledor but also the World's Edge Mountains and the Mountains of Mourn. Because of their size and power no creatures can threaten them save other Dragons.

There are many legends about the Winged Drakes about how they have destroyed towns and cities, killed lines of kings, and about how their cunning and deceit robbed entire kingdoms of their wealth. The most prevailing myth is their habit of hording gold, jewels, and all kinds of precious things in cavernous caves deep in the under-earth. Winged Drakes adore wealth and, according to the ballads of minstrels, this maybe one of the reasons why they take princesses to their lairs in the notion that a huge ransom will be paid for their safe release; inevitably the knights in shining armour come to save the damsel in distress - stories so much loved by the jongleurs of Bretonnia.

Physique: Winged Drakes are slightly smaller than Drakes and this loss in body mass, along with a pair of large wings, allows them to fly. Generally Winged Drakes are thirty-feet long but can be longer.

Alignment: The Winged Drakes of old in the golden age of Caledor were Lawful or Good but in the Age of Man they are likely to be Neutral, but cunning and maybe a little deceitful at the same time.

Psychological Traits: Winged Drakes cause fear and terror in all living creatures.

Special Rules: Winged Drakes are able to fly as landers. Their scales give them 4 APs on all locations.

Basic Profile

M;6 WS;59 BS;0 S;8 T;8 W;59 I;30 A;6 Dex;- Ld;89 Int;51 Cl;89 WP;89 Fel;24

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WYRM


A Wyrm is often another name for a Dragon but they are also another breed. They look very much like large snakes but are in fact Dragons with no legs or wings. They favour living in damp places or subterranean tunnels and feed on both aquatic life and mammals. The last known sighting of a Wyrm was in the Bretonnian village of Emilion in the Duchy of Parravon in 2403 IC and is told in the story called "The Emilion Worm". The creature made its home at the bottom of the village well and arose from time to time to feed on the villagers. The villagers eventually paid for a knight to kill the Wyrm but the creature devoured him. Other knights came from miles around to try to kill the Wyrm but each time the creature would prevail and devour its opponents and each time it grew in size until its body was coiled out of the well. The Emilion Wyrm was eventually slain by a knight from Carcassonne who wore plate armour covered in razor sharp spikes. When the knight confronted the creature it coiled itself around the warrior only to be mortally wounded leaving the knight to chop it up with axe and sword. That was over a century ago and no-one knows now if the Wyrms are gone from this world.

Physique: Wyrms can be anything from six to forty-feet long and much longer. They have no legs and wings and slither like a snake.

Alignment: Neutral or Evil.

Psychological Traits: Wyrms cause fear in all living creatures and terror in living creatures under six-feet tall.

Special Rules: The profile given below is for a Wyrm approximately twenty-feet in length. Smaller creatures will have less S, T and W characteristics. Wyrms are capalbe of making constriction attacks and attack with bite and tail lash.


Basic Profile

M;4 WS;59 BS;0 S;7 T;7 W;49 I;30 A;4 Dex;- Ld;69 Int;29 Cl;69 WP;69 Fel;-

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ZOMBIE DRAGON


It is said that Dragons go to die in the Plain of Bones, the southwest region of the Dark Lands. Its southern boundary lies on the beaches of poisoned sand along the shores of the Sea of Dread. It is a desert of multi-coloured refractive sand from which rear huge rib-cages many times larger than a man. Indeed, some rib-cages are as large as hills and skulls the size of castle towers. History shows that Necromancers of great power, or insanity, have come to this place in the hope of re-animating the remains of the Dragons which lie there. The annals of Nehekhara show that Nagash accomplished this and summoned a Zombie Dragon of vast size to do his bidding. But it is not only practitioners of the dark arts who occasionally dare to venture to the Plain of Bones. It is known that Dragons devour vast quantities of jewels to grind down the massive meals that they need to stay alive. Thieves and adventurers are sometimes drawn there through tales of mounds of diamonds the size of hills. As yet none have ever returned to tell of such amazing wealth.

Physique: Zombie Dragons are huge, hulking, hideous creatures. Their rib cages show through their rotting flesh and flies buzz in and out of their mouths and eye sockets.

Alignment: It is assumed that Zombie Dragons, being Undead creatures, do not have freewill and therefore cannot be morally judged. However they could be assumed to be Neutral or Evil for gaming purposes.

Psychological Traits: Zombie Dragons are immune to all psychological effects and cause fear and terror in all living creatures.

Special Rules: Zombie Dragons are able to fly as landers despite their tattered wings. They also have scaly skin that grants them 2 AP to all locations. The only breathe attack Zombie Dragons possess is Pestilential Breath. This has the same cone-shaped area of effect as the standard breathe fire ability. Pestilential Breath aims to desiccate a victim, draining him of all moisture and eventually life. This has the same effect as the Acid Breath attack except characters are permitted a WP test to avoid the breath's effects, due to it's magical nature.


Basic Profile6 34 0 7 7 49 20 6 - 18 18 18 43 -

M;6 WS;34 BS;0 S;7 T;7 W;49 I;20 A;6 Dex;- Ld;18 Int;18 Cl;18 WP;43 Fel;-

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Thanks to Critical Hit for the info.