Create Drake

This spell was originally devised by the cult of Tiamat, but has spread to other groups that are skilled in arcana and associated with dragons. A dragon provides this spell as a reward to spellcasters that have performed a great service to it. It can be learned by any spellcaster with a 5th-level spell slot, but does not naturally appear on any class's spell list.

You combine the blood and scales of a dragon with the flesh of a common beast in an iron cauldron. After spending the casting time tracing magical pathways across the surface of cauldron and speaking an intricate incantation over the inert flesh within, you drop a diamond into the mix with a final word of power, transforming it into a vat of draconic life. 

A scaly ovoid forms within the cauldron over the next 2d4 days. When the process is complete, a halfling-sized egg emerges from the cauldron and is ready to hatch within 1d4 hours. The egg hatches into your choice of an ambush drake or a guard drake.  A newly hatched drake uses the statistics of a mastiff, gaining the statistics the chosen drake type once it matures.

A drake resembles the type of dragon it was created from, but with a wingless, squat, build. Ambush drakes are lithe while guard drakes are stocky. A drake can’t reproduce, nor can its scales be used to make other drakes. Drakes created by this spell have two creature types—beast and dragon—and can be affected by a game effect if it works on either creature type.

A drake imprints upon the first creature that feeds it, and recognizes that creature as its master for the rest of its life. A drake grows to full size and maturity after 1d8 + 10 days and can be trained in the same length of time. Training a drake requires its master to make a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check each day until the drake reaches maturity. A drake is the equivalent of a guard dog in terms of what it can be trained to do.

A drake can serve its master as an ally in battle. A drake acts independently of its master, but obeys their commands as best as it can. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A drake's master can issue verbal commands to the drake, which it does its best to obey. The master can specify a simple and general course of action, such as "Attack that creature," "Run over there," or "Fetch that object." If the master doesn't issue a command, or the drake isn't fully trained, it defends and preserves itself and its master to the best of its ability, prioritizing its master's life over its own.

VARIANT: CUSTOM DRAKES

Each type of dragon’s scales and blood creates a drake that resembles a wingless, stunted version of that type of dragon. At your DM's discretion, a drake you create may possess special features related to that dragon type, as described below.

Amethyst Drake. An amethyst drake is amphibious (it can breathe air or water), has a swimming speed of 30 feet and resistance to force damage.

Black Drake. A black drake is amphibious (it can breathe air or water), has a swimming speed of 30 feet, and has resistance to acid damage.

Blue Drake. A blue drake has a burrowing speed of 20 feet and resistance to lightning damage.

Brass Drake. A brass drake has a burrowing speed of 20 feet and resistance to fire damage.

Bronze Drake. A bronze drake is amphibious (it can breathe air or water), has a swimming speed of 30 feet, and has resistance to lightning damage.

Copper Drake. A copper drake has a climbing speed of 30 feet and resistance to acid damage.

Crystal Drake. A crystal drake has burrowing speed of 20 feet, a climbing speed of 30 feet, and resistance to radiant damage.

Deep Drake. A deep drake has burrowing speed of 20 feet, a swimming speed of 30 feet, and resistance to psychic damage.

Emerald Drake. An emerald drake has a burrowing speed of 30 feet and resistance to psychic damage.

Faerie Drake. A faerie drake has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.  It can innately cast invisibility once on itself, and regains the ability to do so again when it finishes a short or long rest.

Gold Drake. A gold drake is amphibious (it can breathe air or water), has a swimming speed of 30 feet, and has resistance to fire damage.

Green Drake. A green drake is amphibious (it can breathe air or water), has a swimming speed of 30 feet, and has resistance to poison damage.

Lunar Drake. A lunar drake has burrowing speed of 20 feet, doesn't require air, and has resistance to cold damage. While in a vacuum, the drake has flying speed equal to its walking speed.

Moonstone Drake. A moonstone drake has resistance to radiant damage. It can innately cast the sleep spell once as a 2nd-level spell, and regains the ability to do so again when it finishes a short or long rest.

Red Drake. A red drake has climbing speed of 30 feet and resistance to fire damage.

Sapphire Drake. A sapphire drake has a burrowing speed of 20 feet, a climbing speed of 30 feet, and resistance to thunder damage.

Shadow Drake. While in dim light or darkness, a shadow drake gains resistance to damage that isn’t force, psychic, or radiant until it enters an area of bright light. It can take the Hide action as a bonus action while in dim light or darkness.

Silver Drake. A silver drake has a climbing speed of 30 feet, and resistance to cold damage.

Solar Drake. A solar drake can't be blinded, doesn't require air, and has resistance to radiant damage. While in a vacuum, the drake has flying speed equal to twice its walking speed, and doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach

Topaz Drake. A topaz drake is amphibious (it can breathe air or water), has a swimming speed of 30 feet and resistance to necrotic damage.

Tortoise Drake. A tortoise drake has AC 20, a walking speed of 20 feet, and resistance to fire damage.

Turtle Drake. A turtle drake is amphibious (it can breathe air or water), has AC 18, a walking speed of 20 feet, a swimming speed of 30 feet and resistance to fire damage.

White Drake. A white drake has a burrowing speed of 20 feet, a swimming speed of 30 feet, and resistance to cold damage.