Bonded Wyvern Drake Mount
A horned skyguard’s mount is always superior to a normal creature of its kind and has special powers, as described below. The standard mount for a horned skyguard is a wyvern drake, a hybrid of forked-tail wyvern and dragon bloodlines bred for this very purpose. A wyvern drake is a type of dragon, and is treated as such for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type. A wyvern drake functions like a druid’s animal companion, except for the following changes.
Table: Wyvern Drake Mount Base Statistics
Table: Dragon Defender Dragon Companion Base Statistics
Hit Dice
This is the total number of twelve-sided (d12) Hit Dice the wyvern drake mount possesses, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as
Skills
Wyvern drakes mounts can have ranks in any of the following skills: Acrobatics* (Dex), Climb* (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Fly* (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Perception* (Wis), Stealth* (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim* (Str). All of the skills marked with an (*) are class skills for wyvern drake mounts. Wyvern drake mounts with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can put ranks into any skill.
Feats
This is the total number of feats possessed by a wyvern drake mount. Wyvern drake mounts are free to take any feats other than Weapon Proficiency feats. (A wyvern drake is trained to wear armor, but its hands are not designed to hold weapons.) Note that wyvern drake mounts must meet all the normal requirements for the feats they select.
Wyvern Drake Mount Feats
Wyvern drake mounts can select from the following feats: Acrobatic, Agile Maneuvers, Armor Proficiency (light, medium, and heavy), Athletic, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack, Improved Overrun, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Run, Skill Focus, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Toughness, and Weapon Focus. Wyvern drake mounts with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can select any feat they are physically capable of using. GMs might expand this list to include feats from other sources.
Str/Con Bonus
Add this modifier to the wyvern drake’s Strength and Constitution scores. Wyvern drake mounts also gain increases to Strength and Constitution (and reductions to Dexterity) as they increase in size (see Large).
Int/Cha Bonus
Add this modifier to the wyvern drake’s Intelligence and Charisma scores.
WYVERN DRAKE MOUNT SPECIAL ABILITY DESCRIPTIONS
The wyvern drake mount gains the following special abilities as it advances.
Breath Weapon (Su)
The base breath weapon’s energy type, shape, and range are listed in the Wyvern Drake Mount description (see below). Every mount deals one kind of damage according to its dragon parentage, and has either a line or a cone. Each breath weapon allows a Reflex save for half damage, the save DC for a wyvern drake mount’s breath weapon is 10 + one-half mount’s Hit Dice + mounts’s Constitution modifier. A wyvern drake mount may use its breath weapon once every four rounds, not to exceed a total number of uses per day equal to 3 + the mount’s Constitution modifier.
As the wyvern drake mount gains HD, its breath weapon deals more dice of damage, as noted on Table: Wyvern Drake Mount Base Statistics, and additional range, as noted in the Wyvern Drake Mount level advancement description below.
Link (Ex)
A horned skyguard and his bonded wyvern drake mount share a mental link that allows for communication across any distance (as long as they are on the same plane). This communication is a free action, allowing the horned skyguard to give orders to his wyvern drake mount at any time. They also always know the direction to each other, and are aware of any conditions the other is suffering. Also, due to the powerful bond with its rider, a wyvern drake mount always goes on the same initiative as its horned skyguard when within 30 feet of each other—rider and mount effectively move simultaneously. (If for some reason it’s crucial to know which acts first, the horned skyguard’s player decides on the order of each action taken.) If a horned skyguard is unconscious or incapacitated, his wyvern drake mount moves to be adjacent to its rider as quickly as possible, then attacks any foe that threatens either wyvern drake mount or horned skyguard. A wyvern drake mount acts to defend itself if separated from its rider, and can be convinced to stay behind to guard a camp or the horned skyguard’s stronghold, but does not willingly go on missions or run errands separate from its rider. (A GM should run a wyvern drake mount as efficiently as possible if its rider is not present for an event, but wyvern drake mounts seek to avoid operating without their partners.)
Large
The wyvern drake mount’s size category changes from Medium to Large. All adjustments for this size change are described in the Wyvern Drake Mount’s 8th Level Advancement description below.
Huge
The wyvern drake mount’s size category changes from Large to Huge. All adjustments for this size change are described in the Wyvern Drake Mount’s 16th Level Advancement description below.
Wyvern Drake Mount
A wyvern drake mount’s abilities are determined by the horned skyguard’s level and its dragon racial traits. Table: Wyvern Drake Mount Base Statistics determines many of the base statistics of the wyvern drake mount. A wyvern drake possesses the following starting statistics that modify these base statistics and takes on the hue of its dragon parent. Wyvern drakes are dragons for the purpose of determining which spells affect them.
Wyvern Drake Starting Statistics
Size Medium; Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (poor); AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d4), 2 stings (1d3 + poison); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10; Special Attacks breath weapon (DC 12, see below), poison (Sting—injury; save DC 13; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d4 Constitution damage; cure 1 save, Constitution-based); Special Defenses energy resistance 5, immunity to sleep and paralysis; Special Qualities darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent.
Table: Dragon Breath Energy
8th Level Advancement
Size Large; Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (clumsy); Attack bite (1d8), 2 claws (1d6), 2 stings (1d4 + poison); Ability Scores +8 Str, +4 Con, –2 Dex; Special Attacks poison (Sting—injury; save DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d6 Constitution damage; cure 2 consecutive saves, Constitution-based); Special Defenses energy resistance 10; Special Qualities dark-vision 90 feet.
12th Level Advancement
Special Attacks 2 wings (1d4); Special Qualities darkvision 120 feet.
16th Level Advancement
Size Huge; Speed 40 ft., fly 90 ft. (clumsy); Attack bite (2d6), 2 claws (1d8), 2 stings (1d6 + poison); Ability Scores +8 Str, +4 Con, –2 Dex; Special Attacks poison (Sting—injury; save DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 2d4 Constitution damage; cure 2 consecutive saves, Constitution-based); Special Defenses energy resistance 15.