Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Frightful Fridays! Monster Mayhem! Lake Kaida

The Frightful Fridays! anniversary continues apace and turns to something other than magical beast and giant animal. It is a welcome return to the "protector dragons" known as kaidas, several of which have appeared previously on this blog. The lake kaida is a protector of small, more secluded waterways, and its primary method to protect its territory is the ability to transform into a crocodile.

I hope you've enjoyed the monsters so far. I'm having a lot of fun with this mini-marathon.



Mud and wet grass stick to what appears to be a baby crocodile. The gleam in its eyes belies the intelligence possessed by the creature.
Lake Kaida      CR 3
XP 800
NG Tiny dragon
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size)
hp 37 (5d12+5)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6
Defensive Abilities ferocity; Immune paralysis, sleep; Resist cold 5, fire 5
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 50 ft.
Melee bite +6 (2d6–2 plus attach), 2 claws +5 (2d4–2)
Space 2–1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks attach, breath weapon (30-ft. cone, 4d6 bludgeoning damage, Reflex DC 13 for half, usable every 1d4 rounds), rake (2 claws +5, 2d4–2)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +7)
   3/day—create water, hydraulic push[APG], summon nature's ally III (water elementals and animals with swim speeds only)
   1/day—soften earth and stone
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 14
Base Atk +5; CMB +5 (+9 grapple); CMD 13 (17 vs. trip)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Great Fortitude, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Appraise +8, Climb +14, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (nature) +8, Perception +10, Spellcraft +8, Stealth +16, Swim +14
Languages Common, Draconic; speak with animals
SQ change shape (crocodile, beast shape II), emergency summon
ECOLOGY
Environment lakes
Organization solitary, pair, preserve (3–6)
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Breath Weapon (Su) A creature that fails its Reflex save against a lake kaida’s breath weapon is knocked prone.
Emergency Summon (Su) A lake kaida can spend two uses of summon nature’s ally III to use the spell-like ability as a standard action.

Lake kaidas are dragons sworn to protect lakes, ponds, and other small bodies of water. They typically do this by attempting to frighten away trespassers with their breath weapon and spell-like abilities. They prefer to summon water elementals but will summon animals such as crabs and crocodiles to handle foes in and out of the water. As a last resort or against particularly foul despoilers, lake kaidas transform themselves into crocodiles, usually after grabbing hold of an opponent with their less-powerful bites.

Lake kaidas befriend druids and nixies who also have a vested interest in protecting hidden waterways. When they aren’t actively defending their homes, they take an interest in managing the lives of animals where they live. They ensure overpopulation doesn’t occur, allowing natural predation to take its course, and, on the other side of the coin, cultivate animals with declining populations.

Lake kaidas typically measure 1 foot in length and weigh 25 pounds.


A neutral spellcaster with the Improved Familiar feat and animal companion class feature can gain a lake kaida as a familiar at 7th level. The lake kaida will leave the spellcaster if it is does not visit a natural waterway at least once a week (the spellcaster can attempt to negotiate with the kaida in extreme circumstances such as planar travel).