Fire Drake

Fire drakes are a species of ground drakes – one of the two major groupings of drakes. Like all ground drakes, they are quadrupedal, with a long whip-like tail and a row of triangular bony spikes running along their back. They are widespread all over Altazia, northern Miasina, and the Shivan Archipelago.

They are very easy to distinguish from other drakes because of their bright red coloration (present in both males and females). They are equipped with a magical fire breath weapon – potent even by drake standards. They also sport impressive claws on their feet, and a very powerful bite, though they only fall back on these if their fire breath fails. They can get up to 2.5 meters in length as adults.

Despite their fierce looks and behavior, fire drakes are omnivores and enjoy eating fruits and certain plants. They hunt in groups, using simple group tactics and their powerful fire breath to bring down larger prey. If prey is scarce, the group falls apart into infighting until some members die or get chased out. They are social, with groups usually consisting of one male and several females, and quite intelligent. It takes up to six years before the young achieve sexual maturity, and two more before they’re ready to strike out on their own. They are loving and very protective parents, as well as generally territorial and suspicious of any large intruders.

Domestication

Fire drakes are famous for being one of the few drake species successfully domesticated by humans. A mage must soul-bond with a fire drake from a very young age for it to remain controllable by the time it reaches adulthood, and even then they tend to be a little volatile and unpredictable. Their territorial nature makes them ill-suited for cities, so it’s best to keep them in the countryside. Like all magical animals, they require ambient mana to survive in, though they can venture out of magical areas for a fairly long time.

Mages that bond with fire drakes are typically part of a family business that revolves around breeding and training them. They are mostly used in warfare as war beasts, though they have suffered quite a bit since the advent of the Splinter Wars and firearms. They are considered obsolete by some, but fortunately for the species, they are still quite numerous in the wild.
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Mechanical Stat Block

Health: 7 Boxes
Mind Defense: 2
Armor: 3 Temporary Health Boxes (Scales)

Key Attributes (Dice Pools)

• Physical: Strength 4, Athletics 4, Acrobatics 3, Hand-to-Hand 4
• Mental/Magical: Readiness 3, Willpower 3, Finesse 3, Projection (Innate Fire) 4

Attacks & Abilities

• Fire Breath: Roll: Finesse + Projection (7 dice). Damage: 3 + Successes (Fire) in a 5-meter cone.
• Bite/Claws: Roll: Strength + Hand-to-Hand (8 dice). Damage: 2 + Successes.
• Pack Tactics: Gains +1 die to attack pools if an allied drake is engaged in melee with the same target.
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