Dragonhawks For Your Old School Sword & Sorcery Campaigns

 

The dragonhawk is a distant off shoot of the Pteranodon family and are large predatory dinosaur like creatures many times the size of their evolutionary cousins. The dragon hawk is a master of the sky and there are very few animals or monsters that can match them in flight. They are very robust, & capable monsters able to take down and feed on prey many times their size with impunity. They have vicious quasi serrated beaks that can slice and tear into prey. Along with vicious claws able to hook into flesh & bone. Couple this with eye sight that can identify prey from many miles and you have a predator that can dive out of the sun's light and carry off a fully grown prehistoric deer or man with easy.

These deadly predators fly,make nests, and are tied in with the volcanic mountains that they call home. They will often fly many miles to find prey animals to feed their young and have been known to store food in smaller semi nests for later recovery. They have wide variety of hunting routes often covering up to a 1000 miles.

The dragon hawks work as both flock animals similar to the behavior of wolves but with a complex pecking order of leadership and as lone predators always on the hunt.These dangerous animals are feared and respected by those who share the ground and the skies with them. Local clans of fighters, barbarians, and warriors often have a dangerous mystic rite to bond with these creatures. Those who survive such ordeals are forever bonded with the creatures. Only the most fool hardy of warriors do this though. There is an element of the soul in such bonds, and those whom the dragonhawks reject do not survive the experience. These monstrous creatures are mystically bonded with their riders and often shamans, knights, paladins, fighters, and warriors of certain blessed clans use dragonhawks as mounts.

Volcanoes play a key role in the very existence and lives of dragonhawk flock's lives. These mountains provide the Dragonhawk's flock with key ecological elements to their very existence from vital nutrients and vitamins that are incorporated into the bulk of the predatory animals to rich soil where they make their nests. Dragonhawk behavior and hunting habits are as explosive and seemingly fool hardy as the behavior of the volcanoes around which they make their homes. 

Powerful dives, raking claws, and terrifying bites of the beaks of these creatures are often the last things that their prey will experience. Dragonhawks are flight class A for old school games and have much in common with modern fighter planes. Able to pull of maneuvers and dives of incredible complexity at a moment's notice.

Dragonhawks

Frequency: Rare 

No Appearing: 3-18

Armor Class:7 

Movement: 5''/17"

Hit Dice: 6+6

Dex:10 

% In Lair: 20% 

Treasure Type:- 

Number of Attacks: 2/1 

Damage/Attack:2-8 Claws or Bite 3-18

Special Attacks: Nil 

Special Defenses:Nil 

Intelligence: Semi to average 

 Alignment: Neutral but very aggressive & cunning 

 Size: L(70 foot wing span)

Psionic ability:Nil 

Attack/Defense: mode

Those who bond with dragonhawks gain a very aggressive streak as the animals and are often prone to fights for dominance within clans. These fighters also gain a +2 to all wisdom checks but -2 on charisma as the creature's instincts color everyday life for the rider. Dragon hawk riders also gain a hunting and danger sense that borders on paranoia in some respects but gain a +2 in initiative in combat. The rider gains no extra long longevity  to their lives in the bond with their mounts, in fact dragon hawk riders are regarded  as fools and risk takers by their very clans. Those dragonhawks who lose their riders to flying accidents and the like often become clan animals. And these animals seem almost pragmatic about such losses allowing others to ride them into battle. Dragon hawks will share their kills with their riders but expect first dibs on kills made by the rider during the hunt. Such is the behavior of these proud and some what vain hunters of the skies. Lone dragon hawks or wild flocks can be encountered on their own and are some of the most dangerous flying hazards that adventurers in lost world can face. 

This is a homage to one of my all time favorite guilt pleasure films Fire And Ice  not a trademark or copy right violation or challenge to the film  or the role playing systems mentioned in this blog post. All images found using google image search & belong to their respective owners no copyright or trade mark infringement is implied. This blog post is for educational & entertainment purposes only.