Peluda

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The peluda, or "shaggy beast," is a dragonlike creature with a
long neck and tail, no wings, four feet like those of a giant snapping turtle, and a back covered with bright orange quills. The
base of these quills is pine green. A peluda's body is turtle-
shaped but without a shell, and the quills and coarse fur give
the torso a shaggy appearance.
==Combat==
The peluda can attack with a bite that causes 1d10 hp
damage or a slap of its powerful tail, which inflicts 2d8 hp damage. It also has a cone-shaped flaming breath weapon 300 feet
long, 10 feet wide at the base, broadening to 60 feet at the end,
which causes 8d6 hp damage or half that if the victim saves vs.
breath weapon. The peluda suffers only half-damage from all
fire-based attacks, or none if the creature makes its saving throw.
The peludaís spines are both offensive and defensive. They
cause 2ó20 hp damage to any creature that comes in contact
with them; in addition, they are highly poisonous (Type F poison). 
The quills create such a dense thicket on the monster's
torso that they also stop all arrows and other missiles fired at
the body (75% of all missile attacks, unless attackers deliberately make called shots elsewhere). Finally, the peluda can fire
these quills in the manner of a giant porcupine. The range of
these fired quills is 300 feet; the quills themselves are over 10
feet long. Thus, even in melee combat, the peluda can jab with
its quills any opponent that comes within 10 feet of it, save for
those attacking directly to the front or directly behind it.
The peluda can cause its orange quills to change color to the
same green as its fur, enabling it to camouflage itself among the
trees of forest and swamp, ambushing any creatures who come
within range (-3 penalty to the surprise roll).
==Habitat/Society==
Peludas pair up briefly in the spring mating
season, as they are solitary creatures. Even the females abandon their eggs after burying them along a river bank. They do
this so well, however, that a successful mining proficiency
check is required to discover the hidden excavation. Because
the peluda requires so much flesh as food, a couple coming
together for a more permanent arrangement would soon strip
the neighborhood bare of animal and monstrous life. Young
peludas hatch after a month of incubation and are able to take
care of themselves immediately after hatching.
==Ecology==
The peluda is the top carnivore of the swampy and
forest environments it calls home, save when true dragons of at
least adult age are around. Young dragons are eaten as readily
as any other prey, but only when their parents are not about.
The reverse is true as well, of course, with dragons eating
young peludas whenever they can. Unless the local dragons
are forest-dwellers such as the green dragons are, however,
they won't get many opportunities, for the peluda is quite well-
equipped for hiding in the woods, and when the dragon is flying, this creature also has the forest canopy as additional cover.
Indeed, as long as the peluda sticks to the woods and doesn't
venture into the local hills, deserts, or whatever, a nearby
dragon living in those types of terrain may be entirely unaware
of the creatureís presence.
Alchemists use peluda venom in the making of poisons,
while wizards use it in the production of items such as the dagger of venom. In addition to this, their fur can be woven and
enchanted to make a robe of blending, while a quill (no more
than a single quill from any one peluda may be enchanted by a
mage) can be turned into a single magical javelin of some sort.
A cloak of poisonousness can be created by treating a peluda-fur
cloak with some of the creature's own venom. In the unlikely
event adventurers can find a peluda nest, each of the 1d4 eggs
inside may be sold to exotic-item merchants for up to 20,000
gp, while hatchlings are worth twice as much.
Category:Creatures
Category:Dragon Magazine Creatures