Wyvern (3.5e Monster)

The massive draconic creature, almost 15 feet long from head to vicious, stinger-tipped tail and boasting a 20 foot wingspan, lets out a piercing keen that rings incessantly in your ears, blurring your vision and causing your eyes to water.

Wyverns don’t really need a tremendous amount of description. They are like dragons in just about every way, only dumber. In fact, they are far dumber than the average human, capable of understanding commands but not making any coherent reply. While it deprives them of some of the more fearsome abilities their true dragon cousins, they make up for it in sheer tenacity and other nasty abilities. Their simplistic nature has the added advantage of making them much less egotistical than other dragons, allowing them to be reared as mounts with exceptional ease.

Combat
The wyvern shares many of the same traits as true dragons, including flight, fiery breath, and tremendous strength. This makes them fearsome opponents in combat as well as favored mounts by many of the more resourceful armies of the world.

 (Su): A wyvern’s bite attack deals an additional 1d8 points of fire damage per 2 CR it possesses (normally 3d8) and functions as a target greater dispel magic effect (with the wyvern’s attack roll taking the place of the caster level check).

 (Su): As a draconic creature a wyvern has the ability to breathe fire, dealing 1d8 points of fire per CR of the wyvern (default 6d8). This breath weapon is useable in two forms, although either requires a standard action and both deal the same damage. The first is a cone 60 feet long, high, and wide at its longest point for which a successful Reflex save (DC 19) halves the damage dealt. This save DC is Constitution-based. The wyvern may also fire a ball of flame at a single target as a ranged touch attack within 120 feet.

 (Ex): A wyvern that strikes an opponent with its talons may initiate a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

 (Ex): Wyverns communicate with each other through a series of shrill, keening calls that vary in pitch and intensity so as to convey meaning. It also conveniently serves the wyvern as a devastating weapon. When a wyvern shrieks (which requires a swift action), all objects within 30 feet of it are affected as though by a shatter spell (DC 19). All creatures (except other wyverns) must make a Fortitude save (using the same DC as the shatter effect) or be deafened for 1 round. These DC’s are Constitution-based.

The wyvern may also substitute its rider’s base attack bonus for its own if it wishes; this effect can only go one way and cannot be reciprocated to allow the rider to use the wyvern’s base attack bonus.

In addition, magical effects can be shared between the wyvern and its rider so long as doing so is advantageous, so long as the effect could normally affect both creatures.

 (Ex): A foe struck by a wyvern’s stinger must make a Fortitude save (DC 21) or be sickened for 1 round per two CR of the wyvern (normally 3 rounds). This DC is Constitution-based. A creature that is already sickened (not necessarily by this poison) is nauseated on a failed save, also causing the turn counter to restart. A creature that is already nauseated must make a save or die.