Homebrew Drake Species Details

Clazei lay, curled over the roots of an ancient magnolia tree, as the stars brightened in the darkening sky above her. Rain trickled down her midnight black scales to pool at her feet, reducing the firm ground to a boggy mud that sucked at her claws and clung to the silvery underscales that covered her belly. The subtle insistence of a distant roar saturated the air with a glory spilling far beyond the sound's original location. The roar, even muffled by distance, drowned out the sound of the owls and insects that filled the air with their insignificant voices. Clazei's heart of hearts throbbed painfully with an insurmountable longing. Never would she feel the wind beneath the wings of a dragon, tear through the foolish chatter with a fearsome and beautiful song. Her own voice was a pathetic growl compared to the majesty of the dragons, her body diminutive and inferior. There was no remedy for her failure, no cure to the broken heritage of the drakes when she should have been a dragon. She was trapped. She was defeated.

— Page 267 of Clazei's Biography, located in The Draconic Works of Ceolyn

Drakes are the smaller, flightless cousins of dragons, and while true dragons often label them as inferior and weak, drakes remain a proud and majestic race.

Heritage of Magnificence

Drakes, as the flightless relatives of dragons, inherit their grandeur. They appear almost identical to horse-sized dragons, retaining the colouration and features of their ancestor, though many drakes combine a mixture in appearance between multiple Draconic ancestors. With magnificent scales from gold, copper, red, purple, black, brown or teal, powerful, muscular builds and armed with lethal, elemental breath, drakes are some of the most glorious creatures. Though spited by dragons, who believe their own beauty is wasted on drakes and they are nothing more than insults to their larger cousins, most folk are both cautious and respectful towards drakes.

Wandering Free Spirits

Unlike true dragons, drakes are rarely tied down to a single lair and will travel around great portions of the land. Some wander through specific areas, where the terrain and weather are better suited to them, while others encompass all viable places in their travels. While traversing, drakes will sometimes encounter one another. These encounters can be violent, respectful, friendly or blandly neutral, and typically the drakes will regard each other as potential enemies as well as potential mates. Drakes will often court each other in such a scenario, though courting is typically ruthlessly aggressive in manner. If both drakes are satisfied with the others mental and physical prowess, they may temporarily become mates before parting ways. In rare occasions, drakes may travel with a partner or friend. 

 

Female Names: Razei, Teilai, Sereoyne, Leraisa, Zethane

Male Names: Cazorong, Taralias, Kelentian, Razolan

Drake Traits

Drakes are blessed with powers reminiscent of those of dragons.

Creature Type

You are a Dragon.

Alignment Tendencies

Drakes have the same alignment tendencies as their true dragon cousins, but aren’t as closely bound to the alignments.

Elemental Immunity

You are immune to a damage type matching your draconic type.

Draconic Build

You count as one size larger when determine you carrying capacity and the weight you can push and drag. Additionally, due to your reliance on your forelimbs to move, you cannot hold an object or wield a weapon that is not part of you or specifically designed to surpass this barrier while walking or running. Your DM may also determine that some actions require a smaller and more refined hand to properly execute.

Darkvision

Thanks to your Draconic heritage, you have superior vision in dark conditions. You can see in dim light as it were bright light and darkness as if it were dim light in a radius of 60 feet. You can’t discern colours in darkness, only shades of grey.

Natural Armour

You have gem-hard Draconic scales. While you aren’t wearing armour, your AC is equal to 13 + your dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armour to determine your AC if your armour would leave you with lower AC.

Elemental Breath

As an action, you can exhale a blast of draconic energy at a creature within melee range of you. Upon a hit, it deals 1d6 damage of a damage type aligning with your draconic type. The attack uses Constitution and counts as a natural weapon attack for you.

Claws

While unarmed, you can make a melee attack with your claws, dealing 1d4 slashing damage on a hit. Your claws use your Dexterity modifier. Your claws count as a natural weapon for you.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution increases by 1.

Age

Drakes mature at around 25 years of age, and generally succumb to old age around age 200.

Size

Most drakes are about 8 feet long, 11 if including their tail, and between 5 and 6 feet tall at the withers. Drakes weigh an average of 1,100 Ib. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 40 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.