Buy me a coffeeSpire Drake — The Shadowed Sovereign of Necrotic Peaks
“Beware the Spire Drake: a cunning collector of cursed relics, whose breath saps your soul and whose victims rise as wights to haunt the living!”
The Spire Drake is a gaunt, spiny reptilian horror cloaked in decay and twisted ambition. Its wiry frame is covered in ashen-gray scales, with protruding black bone-like spines jutting from its back and tail. Its tattered wings, reminiscent of a burned bat’s membrane, drag the scent of scorched magic and withered souls. Its eyes gleam like dull obsidian, betraying a cruel cunning rather than animal instinct.
Behavior
Spire Drakes are more intelligent than most of their kin, often speaking multiple languages and using calculated diplomacy or manipulation before resorting to violence. They are territorial and prideful, but their sense of superiority drives them to dominate rather than destroy. They view lesser creatures as tools, informants, or future undead assets. While cruel, they rarely kill without purpose—they prefer to inflict slow, degrading deaths through their necrotic breath, turning enemies into warnings for others.
Habitat
These drakes roost in desolate highlands, ancient ruins, or shattered spires laced with lingering arcane fallout—sites often deemed cursed or magically unstable. They carve homes into collapsed towers or cliffside citadels, festooned with stolen magical trinkets and the bones of trespassers. Such lairs are difficult to reach, as the drake favors vertical terrain that grants it a superior vantage and aerial control.
Modus Operandi
Spire Drakes ambush from above, preferring to instill dread before descending with lethal precision. They begin encounters with their Accursed Breath, a necrotic dust cloud that weakens foes and impedes magical healing. Weakened targets are stalked and, when possible, executed with a coup de grâce to trigger their Soul Corruption ability, causing the slain to rise as undead. The drake will then retreat briefly, allowing its minions—now wights or worse—to harry the survivors.
When facing powerful adversaries, it will parley, often bargaining for magical items or secrets it cannot uncover alone. Deceit is common; the drake has no issue betraying deals once it holds the upper hand.
Motivation
The Spire Drake is driven by avarice for magical power and a desperate need for relevance. Warped by generations of arcane exposure, it hungers for the very forces that twisted it, hoping to master them and ascend beyond drake-kind. It sees itself as a dragon born too low, destined to rise—on wings of decay—above its “pureblood” cousins. It collects magic items obsessively, not always for use but to display as a mark of status. Some even believe possession of ancient relics will restore or elevate its form.
Spire Drake 5e
Spire Drake, Pathfinder
Spire Drake
Large Dragon, Lawful Evil
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP) • Proficiency Bonus +4
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 153 (18d10 + 54)
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 17 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws
Dex +6, Con +7, Wis +5, Cha +8
Skills
Arcana +6, Deception +8, Insight +5, Perception +9
Damage Resistances
Necrotic, Cold
Damage Immunities
Poison
Condition Immunities
Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned
Senses
Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 19
Languages
Common, Draconic, understands Abyssal and Infernal
Innate Spellcasting (Psuedo-Arcane)
Charisma is the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks).
- At will: detect magic, thaumaturgy, mage hand
- 3/day: mirror image, counterspell, command
- 1/day: dimension door, greater invisibility
Traits
Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If the Spire Drake fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Accursed Breath (Recharge 5–6). The Spire Drake exhales a 30-foot cone of necrotic dust. Each creature in the area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. Creatures that fail are Cursed for 1 minute: they take 5 necrotic damage at the start of their turns, have disadvantage on Constitution saving throws, and receive only half healing from spells. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Soul Corruption. Any creature cursed by Accursed Breath that dies within 1 hour rises as a hostile wight 1d4 rounds later. These wights are uncontrolled and disintegrate after 24 hours.
Speed Surge (3/Day). As a bonus action, the Spire Drake can take an additional move action, which can be used to Dash, Disengage, or Fly.
Magic Sense. The Spire Drake senses the presence of magic items within 60 feet but cannot identify their properties.
Actions
Multiattack. The Spire Drake makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. - Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Draconic Demand (Recharge 6). The Spire Drake utters a magically empowered command. Each creature of its choice within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. While charmed, the creature must drop any magic items it holds and cannot take hostile actions toward the drake. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.
Legendary Actions
The Spire Drake can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn.
- Wing Flurry. The drake beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 8 (2d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage and be pushed 10 feet away.
- Shadow Glide (Costs 2 Actions). The drake teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see, leaving behind necrotic wisps.
- Cursed Rebuke. When damaged by a creature within 30 feet, the drake lashes out with necrotic energy. The attacker must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) necrotic damage and cannot take reactions until the end of their next turn.
Combat Tactics
- Opener: Begins combat from stealth or height, often using greater invisibility. Uses Accursed Breath early to weaken healers and frontline enemies.
- Mid-Fight: Focuses on cursed targets to trigger Soul Corruption and summon wights. Uses Speed Surge to reposition or avoid melee grapples.
- Item-Seeker: Prioritizes enemies wielding magical items or casting spells, drawn by its obsession with arcane power.
- Escape or Bargain: If severely wounded, attempts to negotiate or retreat, offering arcane knowledge or cursed relics for survival.
Spire Drake
This reptilian creature’s gaunt body, legs, and batlike face are covered in long spines. Two wings stretch out from its torso.
Spire Drake CR 7
XP 3,200
LE Large dragon
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +11
DEFENSE
AC 20, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (+1 Dex, +10 natural, –1 size)
hp 84 (8d12+32)
Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +6
Immune curses, energy drain, negative energy, paralysis, sleep
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee bite +13 (2d6+6 plus 1d6 negative energy), tail slap +8 (1d8+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks accursed breath, soul corruption
STATISTICS
Str 22, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 15
Base Atk +8; CMB +15; CMD 26
Feats Flyby Attack, Power Attack, Vital Strike, Wingover
Skills Climb +20, Fly +10, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (religion) +10, Perception +11, Spellcraft +10, Use Magic Device +13
Languages Draconic
SQ speed Surge
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Accursed Breath (Su)
As a standard action, a spire drake can spit a compressed ball of jet-black dust that bursts into a spray of clinging motes that sap the spiritual strength of creatures in an area. The attack has a range of 60 feet and deals 5d6 points of negative energy damage (Will DC 18 half) to all creatures in a 20-foot radius. Affected creatures take a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks for 1d4 rounds (or for 1 round on a successful Will save). As long as these motes cling to a creature, the effect of any conjuration (healing) effect used on that creature is halved. This is a curse effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Soul Corruption (Su)
If a spire drake successfully performs a coup de grace upon a creature afflicted by its accursed breath, the slain target arises 1d4 rounds later as a wight. This wight is not under the drake’s control, and the wight and any spawn that it creates perish 1d6 days after arising.
Speed Surge (Su)
Three times per day as a swift action, a spire drake can draw on its draconic reserves for a boost of strength and speed, allowing it to take an additional move action in that round.
ECOLOGY
Environment any hills
Organization solitary, pair, or rampage (3–12)
Treasure standard
Sages attribute the gaunt builds and tattered, scabrous wings of spire drakes to centuries of dwelling in magic-blasted desolations and accursed badlands, positing that the tainting of the land seeps into the drakes’ flesh and bone and into every clutch of eggs, and is thus carried down through generations of decay. But while their appearance is somewhat withered, spire drakes are just as strong and ferocious as other drakes.
Spire drakes are unusually intelligent for their kind. They are particularly curious about magic and magical items, and enjoy having large collections of such items even if they don’t know how to use them. Lacking the ability to detect magic, they often scour their hunting ranges for any items they suspect might be magical, collecting an array of strange and obscure devices and objects and displaying them proudly so they can boast to other drakes they encounter (who often jealously try to steal or destroy the collections of their rivals).
Spire drakes often demand tribute from merchants and caravans passing through or near the lands they claim, or may offer to let opponents escape a fight in exchange for surrendering a magic item. Spire drakes are rarely as clever as they think, however, and can be easily tricked by temporary magical effects into believing an item is magical. Still, spire drakes that manage to collect true magical items use them offensively or defensively as appropriate, and love to show off their latest prizes. A typical spire drake measures 18 feet from its nose to the long, thin tip of its tail, and weighs about 1,700 pounds.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4 © 2013, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Savannah Broadway, Ross Byers, Adam Daigle, Tim Hitchcock, Tracy Hurley, James Jacobs, Matt James, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Tork Shaw, and Russ Taylor.