Berserk. After using its Fire Breath action, the wailing beast must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a successful throw, it moves and attacks as normal on its next turn. On a failure, it must use its next turn to move up to its speed toward the closest creature, whether enemy or ally, and use its action to attack that creature. The wailing beast may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns.
Multiattack. The beast makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Fire Breath (1/Day). The beast exhales fire in a 30-foot line. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
Description
Wailing beasts, also colloquially referred to as battle dragons, are primarily tools of war. Their lineage stretches back to true dragons, powerful and intelligent rulers of the sky, but you might not know it seeing what these beasts have become. Bred in captivity, they are smaller and less intelligent than their distant relatives, though no less vicious. Some say their mindless fury stems from the way they have been maimed by their captors; every wailing beast has its wings amputated as a hatchling, to better control and contain them.
Rarer now than they were a few decades ago, they can still sometimes be seen on battlefiends decked in blinders and plates of armor, like warhorses. They're easily identified by their massive size and by the wake of panic and destruction they leave through the ranks.
Bred for War. Centuries of captive breeding have turned the wailing beasts into vicious and unpredictable monsters. This is useful on the battlefield, where those skilled at training and handling such beasts can direct their destructive energy toward enemy lines. Though not as intelligent as their draconic ancestors, they can still understand and obey the commands of their masters. However, they are notoriously difficult beasts to train, and their masters use extreme measures to keep them in line.
Their wings are removed to prevent them from fleeing captivity, and most who raise them have tried unsuccessfully to breed their devastating fire breath out of the creatures. Wailing beasts are often harshly punished when they breathe fire, and thus it is only employed in the most desperate circumstances, sometimes terrifying the beasts so badly that they fly into a rage and cannot discern master from meat.
Mournful Cries. Wailing beasts are pitied almost as much as they are feared. Despite the terrifying tales of evil dragons pillaging the countryside, there is still a kind of dignity to even the most fearsome of them. But wailing beasts are stunted shadows of their kin, with short, heavily-muscled necks and limbs, and shriveled stumps in place of wings.
These creatures get their name from the heart-wrenching wails heard at night on the battlefields and encampments they occupy. It's said that the beasts gaze at the starry sky and dream of flight, crying out in agony at what's been stolen from them.