I recently picked up Fiery Dragon's Counter Collection Gold. While I was at it, I also got their free counter sampler. Both products were decent, but there was one thing in the free sampler that really grabbed my attention: an advanced fiendish wyvern. Maybe it was the glint of fiendish intelligence in its eyes. Maybe it was just the purple tongue. At any rate, I decided I needed an advanced fiendish wyvern for something. So I statted up Mnesha, a female fiendish wyvern who makes her home in the Outlands. She is more intelligent than many would expect for a wyvern, and may have some useful information about the outer planes or one of its residents that PCs may be interested in. If negotiations fail, she can deal some nasty damage in combat.
A few comments -
AC seems a bit low, but damage is on the high side, so I guess that balances out.
Fly speed increased slightly since this happens for other dragons when going from large to gargantuan size.
If I thought she needed a buff, I would probably give her a ring of protection to wear on one of her wing claws. If that wasn't enough, a couple levels of sorcerer (pick up Eschew Materials feat) could allow her to cast a couple of buff spells for an unpleasant surprise.
I am generally not one to stat up new creatures on a regular basis. If there are any glaring errors here, feel free to point them out.
Mnesha, Advanced Fiendish Wyvern
Gargantuan Dragon
Hit Dice: 14d12 + 84 (175 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 80 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 21 (-4 size, +0 Dex, +15 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+38
Attack: Sting +22 melee (2d6 + 12 plus poison) or talon +22 melee (4d6 + 12) or bite +22 melee (4d8 + 12)
Full Attack: Sting + 22 melee (2d6 + 12 plus poison) and bite +20 melee (4d8 + 12) and 2 wings +20 melee (3d6 + 6) and 2 talons +20 melee (4d6 + 12)
Space/Reach: 20ft./15ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, smite good, improved grab
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, immunity to sleep and paralysis, damage reduction 10/magic, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10, spell resistance 19
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +9, Will +10
Abilities: Str 35, Dex 10, Con 23, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +4, Move Silently +17, Listen +20, Spot +23, Bluff +8, Search +7, Sense Motive +7, Knowledge (the planes) +7
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Hover, Blind Fight, Multiattack (bonus feat)
Challenge Rating: 13 (6 base + 3 for hit dice + 2 for fiendish template + 2 for improved intelligence and tactics)
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Language: Draconic and Abyssal
Smite Good (Su): Once per day a fiendish creature can make a normal melee attack to deal extra damage equal to its HD total (maximum +20) against a good foe.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a wyvern must hit with its talons. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and stings.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 25, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Wyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks
Mnesha is an old fiendish wyvern who has taken up residence on a volcanic hillside near the heart of the Outlands. She is well aware of the strange effects of the plane as one journeys closer to its center, and she generally stays far enough away from the plane's towering central spire that her poison attack remains effective against any foe she happens to come across. Unlike her lesser wyvern kin on the material plane, Mnesha has a spark of fiendish cunning that somewhat tempers her aggressive nature. She is willing to entertain the possibility of service or information exchange if the deal is good enough. Like many true dragons, Mnesha has developed a streak of arrogance that any smart negotiator will attempt to appeal to. In combat, Mnesha begins with relatively straightforward tactics. Should her opponents prove formidable, or if she is assaulted with ranged weapons, she will use her hover feat to stir up a cloud of concealing dust and debris. She will hover just out of reach of combatants and rely on her blind fight feat to reduce her own miss chance when attacking. She prefers to stay in the air against grounded opponents. She is more likely to attempt to flee or be more open in negotiations if she finds enemies with some flight ability that takes away this advantage.
A few comments -
AC seems a bit low, but damage is on the high side, so I guess that balances out.
Fly speed increased slightly since this happens for other dragons when going from large to gargantuan size.
If I thought she needed a buff, I would probably give her a ring of protection to wear on one of her wing claws. If that wasn't enough, a couple levels of sorcerer (pick up Eschew Materials feat) could allow her to cast a couple of buff spells for an unpleasant surprise.
I am generally not one to stat up new creatures on a regular basis. If there are any glaring errors here, feel free to point them out.
Mnesha, Advanced Fiendish Wyvern
Gargantuan Dragon
Hit Dice: 14d12 + 84 (175 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 80 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 21 (-4 size, +0 Dex, +15 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+38
Attack: Sting +22 melee (2d6 + 12 plus poison) or talon +22 melee (4d6 + 12) or bite +22 melee (4d8 + 12)
Full Attack: Sting + 22 melee (2d6 + 12 plus poison) and bite +20 melee (4d8 + 12) and 2 wings +20 melee (3d6 + 6) and 2 talons +20 melee (4d6 + 12)
Space/Reach: 20ft./15ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, smite good, improved grab
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, immunity to sleep and paralysis, damage reduction 10/magic, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10, spell resistance 19
Saves: Fort +15, Ref +9, Will +10
Abilities: Str 35, Dex 10, Con 23, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +4, Move Silently +17, Listen +20, Spot +23, Bluff +8, Search +7, Sense Motive +7, Knowledge (the planes) +7
Feats: Ability Focus (poison), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Hover, Blind Fight, Multiattack (bonus feat)
Challenge Rating: 13 (6 base + 3 for hit dice + 2 for fiendish template + 2 for improved intelligence and tactics)
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Language: Draconic and Abyssal
Smite Good (Su): Once per day a fiendish creature can make a normal melee attack to deal extra damage equal to its HD total (maximum +20) against a good foe.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a wyvern must hit with its talons. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and stings.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 25, initial and secondary damage 2d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: Wyverns have a +3 racial bonus on Spot checks
Mnesha is an old fiendish wyvern who has taken up residence on a volcanic hillside near the heart of the Outlands. She is well aware of the strange effects of the plane as one journeys closer to its center, and she generally stays far enough away from the plane's towering central spire that her poison attack remains effective against any foe she happens to come across. Unlike her lesser wyvern kin on the material plane, Mnesha has a spark of fiendish cunning that somewhat tempers her aggressive nature. She is willing to entertain the possibility of service or information exchange if the deal is good enough. Like many true dragons, Mnesha has developed a streak of arrogance that any smart negotiator will attempt to appeal to. In combat, Mnesha begins with relatively straightforward tactics. Should her opponents prove formidable, or if she is assaulted with ranged weapons, she will use her hover feat to stir up a cloud of concealing dust and debris. She will hover just out of reach of combatants and rely on her blind fight feat to reduce her own miss chance when attacking. She prefers to stay in the air against grounded opponents. She is more likely to attempt to flee or be more open in negotiations if she finds enemies with some flight ability that takes away this advantage.
