Bellum Dragon (Creature, dragon)

Dragon (Earth)

**Environment**: Temperate and Cold Deserts and Hills

**Organization**: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary, or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (2-5).

**Challenge Ratings**: Wyrmling 4; very young 6; young 7; juvenile 10; young adult 13; adult 14; mature adult 17; old 19; very old 20; ancient 22; wyrm 23; great wyrm 24

**Treasure**: Double Standard

**Alignment**: Always Chaotic Evil

*The first thing I noted about these dragons was that like sunwyrms they had eight pairs of legs. I observed as two males were in the midst of a battle for the right to court a female. The battle escalated as I watched. Normally even among the bestial white dragons a courtship battle very rarely ends with the death of a combatant, but instead one dragon fleeing its tail between its legs. Amidst these dragons the bloody battle was fought to the death, and then I watched as the victor began to tear at the corpse of the defeated dragon with his teeth, eating it. I was shocked by this display, few species of dragons ever show cannibalism and of the others I know of they are almost all dragons created via the perversion of nature by an outside evil force.\**

*At first I thought that this ferocity and cannibalism were signs of similar magical twisting in the dragon’s nature. Carefully preparing I ambushed a young adult female of the species and through means of enchantment magic\*\* managed to spend the next few days learning all I could about the species and its ways. There was at least no connection with dark magic that this dragon knew, nor even any true skill with sorcery found in the species. I also investigated other aspects of their culture and learned that many courtship battles ended this way, and that the male was even expected to ritualistically present their prospective mate with the draconis fundamentalis of the slain rival. It is for this reason that males of the species are so much less common than females, as many die at the onset of adulthood to more powerful suitors.*

*Among other notable features about these creatures was their wanton cruelty to prey. While many dragons prefer meat to other food sources, even preferring meat prepared in certain ways (frozen, rotten, extra crispy), these dragons preferred their food to be flavored by the fear and pain the prey felt shortly before death. As such many will leave their prey on the verge of death so that they can repetitively send it back to the verge till finally they decide to end its life. They have even developed mystical means to send debilitating pain throughout the body of their prey with little more than a touch of one their claws.*

*I observed these dragons and have determining the nature of their natural resistances and powers as well as combat tactics so that I could deliver this information to slayers who would end this nest and hopefully this repulsive species of dragons. They have powerful fire breath, although they only rarely use it in combat preferring instead to wade into battle with their claws, but unlike many fire breathing dragons show no weakness to ice magic.\*\*\* Their main weaknesses are their over-confidence and relatively weak will compared to other dragons. It is not a difficult task to bend their will to one’s sorceries, at least as far as bending a dragon’s will can ever be less than a difficult task.*

*Returning from the field I turned to books and tomes to research their origins. I could find no trace of dark magic inherent beyond their birthing from Tiamat as shock troops in an ancient war against Bahamut. They seem to have failed in that role, their own primal rage having turned them against each other and created a rift in Tiamat’s armies.*

*--Zasper, Grand Archmage of the 10th Circle, Bearer of the Crystal Crown, Keeper of the Transfinite Seal, He Who Walks Amongst Dragons, Friend to Bahamut, Foe to Tiamat, Hero of a Hundred Kingdoms, Keeper of the 89th Secret of Talorn, Walker of Worlds, the Immaculate Sage, the Purple Archmage, Champion of Halm, and former Emperor of Cyrell (retired).* **Editor’s Note: It would seem that Zasper has made up more titles for himself since his last manuscript.**

*\*Examples include Maleficense dragons, and Death dragons; unconfirmed rumors place this as an action of necrocarnum dragons and Malbolgian dragons.*

*\*\*As usual I had contingency plans in place in case they were immune to this magic.*

*\*\*\*This discovery made that battle quite a bit more difficult, thankfully I had other preparations in place.*

Bellum dragons as can be seen from Zasper’s studies are malicious, and cruel even by the standards of Tiamat’s spawn. Even their own kind is endangered by their presence and they will often fight any other creatures found in their territory, killing wantonly, even destroying what plant-life can be found their creating lifeless wastelands. Despite their nature as fire-breathing dragons they are rarely found in areas of tropical heat instead preferring even arctic chill to their heat.

Physically bellum dragons appear similar to fang dragons. They have powerfully built bodies, with horrible spikes which cover their body. Their scales are a dull yellowish-brown, becoming paler and closer to cream as they age. Their eyes are dark, and empty of all save hatred and rage.

**Special Abilities**

**Breath Weapon (Su)**: A bellum dragon has a single breath weapon, a cone of fire dealing the listed damage (Reflex halves).

**Spiked Body**: Any creature that makes a grapple check against a bellum dragon takes damage equal to 1d8+twice its age category.

**Extra Claws**: A bellum dragon can make 4 claw attacks instead of 2.

**Razor Claws (Ex)**: A juvenile or older bellum dragon’s claw attacks have a critical hit multiplier of 19-20/x3.

**Claws of Agony (Su)**: Any creature hit by an adult or older bellum dragon’s claw attack must make a Fortitude save or be nauseated in pain for 1d4 rounds. Creatures not subject to critical hits are immune to this ability. A creature can only be affected by a single bellum dragon’s claws of agony once per minute and on a successful save is immune to that dragon’s claws of agony for 24 hours.

**Rage (Ex)**: 3/day an old or older bellum dragon may enter a rage identical to a barbarian’s rage.

**Draconic Reserve (Su)**: 1/day as a move action an ancient or older bellum dragon may call upon its reserves of draconic power gaining a +2 morale bonus to all saving throws for 1 minute and allowing it to reroll a save against any ongoing effect affecting it. In addition the dragon heals 10 hp per age category.

**Pounce (Ex)**: A great wyrm bellum dragon gains the pounce ability.

**Martial Initiating**: A bellum dragon has a martial initiator level as listed on the table and learns the number of maneuvers noted. It readies maneuvers like a Crusader (including gaining granted maneuvers) at the rate listed above. It chooses its maneuvers from Tiger’s Claw, Iron Heart, and Stone Dragon.

**Skills**: Balance, Jump, and Tumble are class skills for a bellum dragon.