What is this bird, anyway?

[Gilladian]

I've attached a magical bird to my party. He's the evil henchbird of the BBEG, but the PCs just think he's a random magical parrot that they rescued from wicked exploiters of intelligent creatures.

I've given the bird chameleon-like capability (changing colors from bright to dull only, really) and I've made a point of him avoiding getting near the unicorn (modified to be less powerful) that travels with the party.

But I don't know what his other abilities should be. He's there to spy on the PCs and report back to the BBEG on their capabilities. Any ideas on what this creature could be? He's never going to be a real foe, but in case it matters, the PCs are closing in on 10th level rapidly.

 

[Mark]

Could that be Polyphony the Scry-Parrot, capable of being used as a subject for scrying (and greater scrying) spells with no Will save necessary?

 

[diaglo]

fiendish couatl.
or would that be fallen couatl.

every night when the party isn't looking he shifts and leaves messages for his master.

 

[EricNoah]

He's an imp!

 

[Piratecat]

Reincarnated psion.

 

[Darkwolf71]

Mechanical owl.

 

[Flynn]

I've run the "imp posing as a familiar" scenario before, and it was very effective. I'd second that particular suggestion.

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[Jubilee]

Our party had an imp posing as a small critter we rescued from a dinner plate in an ogreish market.

It worked once. =)

/ali

 

[Tewligan]

He's an imp!

This.

 

[demiurge1138]

He's an imp!

He's totally an imp. Or, if the villain is more chaotic, a quasit. Or, perhaps, a specially formulated homonculus.

Demiurge out.