Buy me a coffeeCockatrice
“The Cockatrice” This hideous avian creature has the body of an emaciated rooster, the wings of a bat, and a long, scaly tail.
Stupid, vicious, and repulsive, cockatrices are avoided by other creatures due to their magical ability to turn flesh to stone. Legends say that the first cockatrice emerged from an egg laid by a cockerel and incubated by a toad.
Whether or not the story is true, todayās cockatrices breed true in terrifying and filthy dens haphazardly excavated by as many as a dozen of the squawking creatures. Males greatly outnumber females in these flocks and are distinguished only by their wattles and combs. The typical cockatrice stands just over 2 feet high and weighs 5 pounds.
While their diet consists primarily of seeds and petrified insects (which conveniently double in the creatureās gizzard as both gastroliths and nutrition as they grind away), cockatrices fiercely defend their territories from anything they deem a threat, and the wanderings of rogue males seeking new spots to build dens sometimes bring them into unintentional contact with humanoids, with devastating results.
The cockatriceās strange ability to turn other creatures to stone is the creatureās greatest defense, and a cockatrice lair is invariably littered with petrified remnants of foes. In an ironic twist of fate, however, weasels and ferretsāthe creatures most likely to slip into cockatricesā nests and consume their eggsāappear to be completely immune to the effect.
For unknown reasons, cockatrices are both terrified of and enraged by conventional roosters and are equally likely to flee or attack when confronted by one.
Cockatrice
Small monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 27 (6d6 + 6)
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (-2) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 2 (-4) | 13 (+1) | 5 (-3) |
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages ā
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
- Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw against being magically petrified. On a failed save, the creature begins to turn to stone and is restrained. It must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends. On a failure, the creature is petrified for 24 hours.
Not only does the cockatrice possess a foul, aggressive behavior, it also has a sharp, petrifying beak. While not especially dangerous, it is exceptionally resilient, remarkably persistent, and it can fairly easily catch up with a humanoid through flight. Whoever is unlucky enough to disturb it but unable to slay it should prepare for a humiliating, though not permanent, petrification.
Scholars believe the cockatrice originates from the same world as the basilisk, since both creatures can turn flesh to stone. However, they differ in their preferred homes, with the cockatrice favoring the temperate undergrowth, where it primarily feeds on insects and worms. The surroundings of the Free City are known to be infested with cockatrice nests, and it even happens that some specimens venture close to the walls, or go as far as to sneak into the town, taking advantage of the chaos of market days or massive arrivals.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
The Creatures Rulebook for the Fateforge Role-Playing Game Copyright Ā© 2021 Studio Agate.
Cockatrice CR 3
XP 800
N Small magical beast
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size)
hp 27 (5d10)
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor)
Melee bite +9 (1d4ā2 plus petrification)
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8
Base Atk +5; CMB +2; CMD 16
Feats Dodge, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +6, Perception +10
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Petrification (Su)
A cockatriceās bite causes flesh to calcify and hardenāmultiple bites can cause a living creature to fossilize into stone. Each time a creature is damaged by a cockatriceās bite attack, it must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Dexterity damage as its flesh and bones stiffen and harden.
(This slow petrification does not alter a bitten creatureās natural armor.) A creature that is reduced to 0 Dexterity by a cockatriceās bites immediately turns completely to stone, as if petrified by a flesh to stone spell. Every day, a creature petrified by a cockatrice in this manner can attempt a new DC 12 Fortitude save to recover from the petrification, at which point the victim returns to flesh with 1 Dexterity (and thereafter can be restored to full Dexterity by natural healing or magic as normal)ābut after a petrified creature fails three of these Fortitude saves in a row, the petrified state becomes permanent.
A creature restored to flesh via magic has its Dexterity damage caused by cockatrice bites removed, but not any existing Dexterity damage from other sources. A cockatrice is immune to the petrification ability of itself and of other cockatrices, but other petrification attacks affect them normally. The save DC is Constitution-based.
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate plains
Organization solitary, pair, flight (3ā5), or flock (6ā12)
Treasure none
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Cockatrice Lore
Originally Posted by Dracomortis of the Wizards Community forums.
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) can learn more about cockatrices. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
| Knowledge (Arcana) | |
| DC | Result |
| 13 | This hybrid avian creature is a cockatrice. This result reveals all magical beast traits. |
| 18 | Cockatrices fiercely attack anything and everything they perceive to be a threat. Flocks of cockatrices attempt to overcome opponents through confusion, often flying straight into their faces. |
| 23 | Cockatrices are infamous for their ability to turn creatures to stone with their bite. They are immune to the bite of other cockatrices, but other methods of petrification affect them normally. |
In folklore
It is said that the weasel is the only animal that is immune to the glance of a cockatrice. It was also thought that a cockatrice would die instantly upon hearing a rooster crow. According to legend, having a cockatrice look itself in a mirror is one of the few sure-fire ways to kill it. The cockatrice was also able to fly with the set of wings affixed to its back.
Like the head of Medusa, the cockatrice’s powers of petrification were thought still effective after death.
In England the town most associated with the Cockatrice is the village of Wherwell in Hampshire. The Cockatrice terrorised the village until it was imprisoned in the dungeons below Wherwell Priory. A prize of land was offered to anyone who could kill the creature. None was successful, until a man named Green lowered a mirror into the dungeon. The Cockatrice battled against its own reflection until exhausted, at which point Green was able to kill it.