VANDALRAUG (BATTLE DRAKE)
Large Dragon
Hit Dice: 14d12+42 (133 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative)
Speed: 40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)
AC: 17 (-1 size, +8 natural)
Attacks: Bite +17 melee, 2 claws +15 melee, 2 wing slashes +15 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6+4, claws 1d10+2, wing slash 1d8+2
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Fear immunity
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +11
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 11, Con 17, Int 4, Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills: Intuit Direction +10, Listen +17, Move Silently +4, Spot +17
Feats: Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Any land
Organization: Solitary or family (2-6)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 15-21 HD (Large), 22-28 HD (Huge)
The vandalraug, or battle drake, is the “heavy war horse” of the greater drakes, easily domesticated into service as a flying battle mount and able to carry a heavily armored warrior without sacrificing maneuverability or speed. It is one of the largest of the greater drakes and one of the most common. Vandalraugs are often domesticated by orcs.
Scale coloration covers a broader range than in most greater drake species. The most common scale colors are green (ranging from olive to a dark forest green), brown (from a tan to a dark coffee color), dark gray or black, and the occasional reddish-orange. Each specimen has scales of a single color, with wings of a slightly lighter shade. Since their scales are often the color of chromatic dragons, vandalraugs are easily mistaken for dragon hatchlings. Regardless of scale coloration, all vandalraugs have orange eyes with black, slitted pupils in the manner of many reptiles.
Vandalraugs sport a pair of backward-curving horns, similar to those of a wyvern. While the horns are not used in combat, the males often butt heads like rams in the springtime as part of their elaborate mating rituals. The “clack” from two sets of the hollow horns clashing travels quite a distance. Vandalraugs also inflate their throat bladders prior to releasing their mating calls, which can be heard for miles. Both sexes exhibit this behavior, though the females’ call is somewhat higher in pitch than those of the males.
Combat
Vandalraugs fight with teeth and claws. If on the ground, the vandalraug can also slash an opponent with the sharp, swordlike spines extending from the tips of each “finger” of its batlike wings. The creature can target only a single opponent with each wing. The wing-slash victim must be on one side of the vandalraug; the drake cannot use its wings to attack creatures directly in front of it, nor can it employ its wing-blades as weapons while in flight.
