Weredragon

Weredragons, as many folk tales attest, are beautiful human women transformed into dragons - or, more accurately, a race of dragonkind that can assume female human form whenever they desire. Weredragons usually live among humankind, revealing their dragon form only in times of personal peril or great crisis.

In human form, a weredragon appears as a healthy human female about 20 to 30 years of age, with a charisma of 16 or more. In dragon form, a weredragon is slim and splendid, usually iridescent blue and silver in hue, and resembles a copper dragon in shape. In either form, a weredragon possesses 60-foot infravision, has true seeing up to 15 feet away, and can use tongues at will, all from birth. A weredragon retains her full knowledge and awareness in either form, and most are consummate actors, so that humans are usually unaware of the weredragon's true nature.

Combat: Weredragons strike quickly and mercilessly with their razor-sharp daws and tend to sing joyously as they fight (although they can be silent if noise would endanger allies or the success of their own attack). In human form, weredragons prefer to use slashing edged weapons. In either form, a weredragon can employ her spells and special abilities, although use of her breath weapon will force an accompanying change in form.

A change from one form to another takes a short time: one round from human to dragon form, and two rounds for dragon to human form. During this transformation, a weredragon cannot move (except to fall) and can only employ spells or her breath weapon; other actions and attacks are impossible. Such a shapechange rends all known bonds, prisons, dothing, and other confinements, without harm to the weredragon. There is no known limit to the number of times a weredragon may change form in a given time, nor is there any known magical means of preventing the change in form.

Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: A weredragon only has one breath weapon: a cloud of supercharged, arcing gas 30 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 20 feet high. Creatures caught in the gas must save vs. breath weapon to escape with half damage, or suffer the cloud's full electrical effects.

A weredragon casts spells and wields her magical abilities at 9th level, plus her combat modifier.

From birth, a weredragon can cast light and darkness, 15' radius (once each every 6 turns) and is immune to electrical attacks. As they age, weredragons gain the following additional powers: Young, featherfall twice a day; Juvenile, blink twice a day; Young Adult, protection from normal missiles once a day; Adult, teleport once a day; Mature Adult, heal once a day; Old, wall of force twice a day; Very Old, reverse gravity once a day; Wyrm, polymorph any object twice per day; Great Wyrm, plane shift once per day. In all cases, a weredragon can affect other beings with the benefits or effects of these powers by touch. Weredragons are immune to all natural venoms and toxins.

Habitat/Society: Much of the history of weredragons as a race remains mysterious. Weredragons tend not to consort with others of their own kind and prefer dwelling in cities or courts to wilderness solitude. They delight in beguiling evil and rapacious men in human form, taking them as suitors or husbands, and then slaying them while in dragon form. In this way, many a weredragon has amassed great treasure. Unlike most other dragons, however, weredragons delight in the gaining of treasure, not in having it. Weredragons often serve or cooperate with good mages, Harpers, and groups and individuals with similar aims or opportunities to preserve, renew, and protect the land.

Ecology: Weredragons are fertile in both human and dragon form. They are always female, and their offspring are always other weredragons. Their name is a misnomer; their natural condition is not the cursed lycanthropy that afflicts other were-creatues. A weredragon cannot be cured of her abilities nor transmit them to other creatures by bite or any means.

Weredragons can eat all plant and animal life and are immune to all natural venoms and toxins.