Rope DragonCR 5
XP 1,600
CN Small dragon (shapechanger)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +11
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 16 (+4 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size)
hp 57 (6d12+18)
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +7
DR 5/slashing; Immune paralysis, sleep
Weaknesses vulnerable to fire
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +10 (1d4+3), bite +10 (1d6+3), tail slap +5 (1d4+1)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks breath weapon (20-ft. cone, 4d6 slashing damage, Reflex DC 16 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds), corded breath, discorporating coils
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th)
At will—animate rope
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 18, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 14
Base Atk +6; CMB +8 (+10 disarm, +10 trip); CMD 22 (24 vs. disarm, 26 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Improved Disarm B, Improved Trip B, Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +10, Fly +15, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Perception +11, Stealth +20, Swim +10
Languages Common, Draconic
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Corded Breath (Su)
A rope dragon’s breath weapon is a cone of abrasive filaments. Any target that fails its Reflex save against the dragon’s breath suffers whip-like cuts and is entangled. The filaments attach to nearby surfaces, causing the entangled creature to be stuck in place. An entangled creature can free itself with a successful Strength check against the breath weapon’s DC as a full-round action or by dealing 10 points of slashing damage to the clinging strands. The strands become brittle and fall away from their target in 1d4 rounds.
Discorporating Coils (Su)
As a standard action, a rope dragon can change its shape into what appears to be a coil of rope. In this form, it loses its fly speed and its base land speed drops to 5 feet. It can use its bite and tail slap attacks—both with a reach of 10 feet—but has no claws. A successful Perception check against the rope dragon’s Stealth check reveals the coiled rope to be alive, with the dragon’s shape visible within, but while staying still in this form, the rope dragon receives a +20 bonus on Stealth checks to hide among or appear to be ordinary rope. A rope dragon can resume its dragon form as a free action.
ECOLOGY
Environment any urban
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
The rope dragon is a strange and capricious shapeshifting trickster that sneaks about, disguising itself as and hiding among ordinary rope. Rope dragons most commonly use their abilities to sneak into bakeries, confectionaries, and the food stores of the wealthy in order to steal sweet and expensive foods and escape undetected. A rope dragon reserves its other main use of its shapeshifting talents— setting up pranks and traps—for those who attempt to seek out or capture it, usually after the dragon has had its way with their pantries. Those who offer food willingly to a rope dragon, or at least don’t mind the dragon’s pilfering ways, are rarely the victims of the dragon’s whimsy, and may find that when their lives or livelihoods are truly threatened, their small draconic ally uses its tricks and traps to protect them.
Rope dragons rarely interact with their own kind except to mate, but they sometimes grow curious about other places and sneak along with travelers, wanderers, or adventurers by pretending to be part of that most iconic piece of adventuring gear: the 50-foot rope. While this may cause the rope dragon’s unwitting transporter to experience an inexplicably dwindling food supply, in the end, a rope dragon doesn’t want to be left in some monster’s lair. The carrier of a rope dragon is in for a real surprise when she gets into a fight that she can’t win on her own and her rope comes to life to assist in fending off the monster. Rope dragons dislike it when other creatures become aware of their existence, however, so a rope dragon abandons such an adventurer at the first opportunity.
