{picking up from where we left off, as the Dwarf delves for Throisar’s Heart’s Desire…}
…As the Dwarf locks eyes with Throisar, Spells from the book are burned into his memory, the nastiest, most useful Spells Throisar could possibly know right at this moment, from the book’s previous contents and the new pages the Dwarf has added.
Throisar knows with certainty that this reforged Spell Book is now indestructible and that the new Spells on these particular pages can never be Erased.
The Dwarf’s gaze bores into him deeper, deeper, as if probing for his heart’s desire, and then Throisar feels the connection to a Familiar forged within him, its mind open to his, and full knowledge of it within him, and of him within it, as if they had always known. Then Throisar awakes, with the Familiar – now very familiar – stapled to the wall right next to him.
In the Moment of Throisar’s Heart’s Desire
During that moment, when the Dwarf reached Throisar’s heart’s desire, and Throisar’s Familiar is becoming known to him, several other things become known as well. The gift of the Familiar is not from the Dwarf; a gift from the Dwarf is not at all Throisar’s heart’s desire, and the Dwarf sharpens his tools wisely.
Inside that moment, the Dwarf makes a slight gesture, and Throisar experiences extreme mental double vision, the Dwarf’s chamber and its orange firelight superimposed with another chamber, a smoky warren of caverns in the hills of Avernus. All five heads of a colossal Dragon focus on him simultaneously, and the baleful light of her ten glittering, faceted eyes bores into Throisar as well, meeting the Dwarf’s silvery gaze in the dead center of Throisar’s heart.
Again, knowledge comes to him; she knows Throisar is hers completely; perhaps he will prove himself worthy of her, in Time. Then Throisar is privy to an exchange between the Gods…
The Dragon offers no peace to the Dwarf; he expects none in return. What then does the Dwarf expect in exchange for calling her attention to this soul, already given to her? The Dwarf expects that since the Dragon survived the First Age by neutrality in the battle that ended it, but thus came to power in the Second, if she would not chance the Third, it is her Will to preserve the Second Age to preserve her advantage. She will not ally with the Destroyer; she will oppose him. Yes, this is the Dragon’s Will, and she will give her newest to the fight; may he prove himself worthy by it.
The Dwarf expects the Dragon will also enjoy opposing the will of Demogorgon, in Blood War hatred. The Dragon’s delight? Of course. The Dragon glances through the Spell Book as the Dwarf hammers in pages for her as well, and she inscribes Spells of her own, with Demogorgon’s defeat in mind, nodding her grudging approval of the Dwarf’s choices too, with permission for them to be used by her newest.
Then, the Familiar. The Dragon reaches out from her lair, and thrusts the Familiar of her choosing into Throisar’s heart, in accordance with the plans she has foreseen on his world, a Familiar who can play those future roles for him by hiding its true power, and other roles besides – even a unique role to aid her newest in his charge from her to save the Age. She would be most displeased if the Age unraveled before her plans – and his – came to fruition.
The thrust’s pain bursts his mind, near unbearable; his first test. He survives, but the memory is raw when he awakes, his extraordinary Familiar by his side.
As Throisar opens his eyes, he sees... a tiny dragon. A Tiamat Spawn! No more than a foot from tail to nose …to its five noses. That same baleful light is in its eyes, pure evil, nasty, and quick to temper. His knowledge of it is complete, and it is his to command. An impossibly fast flyer, nearly half again as fast as Throisar himself, and with perfect maneuverability; it can change or even reverse direction instantaneously. Each head with a breath weapon, just like its mother. If injured its blood is corrosive, eating through almost everything. And its claws, teeth, wingtips and tail, all razors, bestow Negative Levels with each hit in its six attacks. And Spell Resistance to all but the most powerful. There may be no other creature on any Plane that is more of a curse to fight, pound for pound. Its only vulnerability is when it is cut off from access to the Negative Plane; then it becomes a pale sickly white, slow and easy to kill. It expects Throisar as its master never to let that happen; Tiamat would be extremely angry with him to be careless with one of her hatchlings.
And it knew its name from before its hatching: {you fill this in}. It is the toughest, fastest, and most evil of its clutch. That’s why it is still here; it killed the other twelve. Yes, thirteen eggs always.
Throisar’s Familiar: Tiamat Spawn Hatchling
Tiamat Spawn |
| Base Creature | Familiarized |
| Size/Type: | Tiny Dragon [Evil] (Wyrmling) | Tiny Dragon [Evil] (Wyrmling) |
| Hit Dice: | 6d12+30 (102) | =1/2 of Throisar's HP |
| Initiative: | +17 | +17 |
| Speed: | 20', fly 200' (perfect), swim 60' | 20', fly 200' (perfect), swim 60' |
| Armor Class: | 30 (+13 dex, +2 size, +5 natural), touch 25, flat-footed 17 | 39 (+13 dex, +2 size, +14 natural), touch 25, flat-footed 26 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +6/-3 | +19/+10 (BAB=Throisar's) |
| Attack: | 2 Claw +5 melee (1d4-1) | 2 Claw +32 (1d4-1) |
| Full Attack: | 2 Claw +5 Melee (1d4-1), Bite +3 melee (1d3), 2 Wing Slash +3 Melee (1d4), 1 Tail Swipe +1 Melee (1d2) | 2 Claw +32 Melee (1d4-1), Bite +30 melee (1d3), 2 Wing Slash +30 Melee (1d4) , 1 Tail Swipe +28 Melee (1d2) |
| Space/Reach: | 2-1/2 ft./ 0 ft. (5 ft. with bite) | 2-1/2 ft./ 0 ft. (5 ft. with bite) |
| Special Attacks: | Breath Weapon (3d8), Chromatic Sphere, Energy Drain, Corrosive Blood (1d3, DC13) | Breath Weapon (9d8), Chromatic Sphere, Energy Drain, Corrosive Blood (1d3, DC19) |
| Special Qualities: | Dragon Traits, [Evil] Subtype, Negative Linked, Elemental Resistance 6, Water Breathing, Spell Resistance 24, Blur | <-- Plus the following: Alertness, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Empathic Link, Deliver Touch Spells, Scry on Familiar, Elemental Resistance 18, Spell Resistance 36 |
| Saves: | Fort +10, Ref +18, Will +4 (Base 5/5/5) | Fort +18, Ref +24, Will +12 (Base=Throisar's) |
| Abilities: | Str 8, Dex 36, Con 20, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 6 | Str 8, Dex 36, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 6 |
| Skills: | Escape Artist +24, Hide +24, Intimidate +7, Listen +8, Move Silently +24, Search +8, Spot +8 (7 skills w/ 9 ranks each) | Same skills, but use Throisar's base ranks if higher |
| Feats: | Deceivingly Innocent Form, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Multiattack | Deceivingly Innocent Form, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Multiattack |
| Alignment: | Lawful Evil | Lawful Evil |
Breath Weapon (Su)Because of their mother's nature, Tiamat Spawn have an unusual multi-breath weapon. Using a standard action, they may use one of their heads to breathe either a 30' line or a 20' cone of acid, cold, electricity, or fire, dealing a number of d8's equal to half their HD (Reflex save for half, DC 24 (10+1/2HD+ConMod)). If they so choose, they may use any two of their heads, combining two of the types, with the total amount of damage and the distance split evenly: a 15’ line or a 10’ cone, but these may be focused in two different directions (or the same direction), one direction from each head, with separate Reflex saves. Once they breathe from any head, they cannot breathe again for 1d4 rounds.
Chromatic Sphere (Sp)Once per encounter, the Tiamat Spawn may emit a special Chromatic breath from all 5 heads at once. This creates an effect similar to
Prismatic Sphere, except that the duration is 1 minute, and the size may have a minimum radius of 1' and a maximum radius of 10'. Once this ability is used, the Tiamat Spawn cannot use its breath weapon for 1d4 rounds.
Energy Drain (Su)Because of its connection to the Negative Energy plane, when it attacks the very touch of a Tiamat Spawn is anathema to living creatures. If a creature is hit by one or more of the Tiamat Spawn's natural attacks in a round, the creature must make a Fortitude save (DC 24 (10+1/2HD+ConMod)) for each hit. If at least one save fails, the creature suffers one negative level. If all saves are successful, the creature suffers one point of Constitution drain. Unlike some undead, the Tiamat Spawn does not gain temporary hit points for levels drained.
Corrosive Blood (Su)The blood of a Tiamat Spawn is highly corrosive, and will eat through most materials, releasing sulphurous, smelly yellow vapors and haze in the process. Droplets of blood spatter from successful hits upon the Tiamat Spawn will cause 1d3 hit points of damage from an acid splash on each corporeal creature within 5 feet of the Tiamat Spawn when it is hit (Fortitude save for half, DC 13 (5+1/2HD+ConMod)). Force armor or force effects without holes, and indestructible armor or like materials, will negate the damage, but any other armor or material, even if highly enchanted, will not negate damage to the creature; their hardness and damage reduction properties, if any, are ignored. For one round following their release, the droplets will damage materials they touch. Items splashed more than once require a Fortitude save vs. acid for each subsequent splash, DC 13 (5+1/2HD+ConMod). On a failed save, the hardness of the object is reduced by 1d3 permanently until repaired. Tiamat Spawn are not affected by their own blood or by the blood of another Tiamat Spawn.
Dragon TraitsTiamat Spawn have Low-light Vision, Darkvision 60', and immunity to magic
sleep and paralysis effects. Tiamat Spawn only speak Draconic.
[Evil] SubtypeTreat all of a Tiamat Spawn's natural attacks as [Evil] for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Negative LinkedTiamat Spawn are dual beings, always existing on both the Negative Energy plane and whichever plane they are currently inhabiting. This has two consequences: First, they are healed by Negative energy (
Inflict X, etc) and hurt by Positive energy (
Cure X, etc). Second, if they are cut off from the Negative Energy plane, they lose all color, turning a pale, sickly white, they act as if under the effect of a
slow spell, and they lose all Special Attacks and Special Qualities except for Dragon Traits, the [Evil] subtype, Water Breathing, and Familiar Traits.
Elemental ResistanceTiamat Spawn have Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Fire resistance equal to their HD.
Water Breathing (Ex)A Tiamat Spawn can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath weapon and other abilities while submerged.
Spell ResistanceTiamat Spawn are incredibly resistant to magic, which grants them SR = 18+HD. This may be raised or lowered as a free action, even if it is not the Tiamat Spawn's turn.
Blur (Su)Whenever a Tiamat Spawn is flying, it is considered to be as if under the effect of a
blur spell.
Familiar Traits:Alertness (Ex)While the familiar is within arm's reach, the master gains the
Alertness feat.
Improved Evasion (Ex)When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex save for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share SpellsAt the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.
If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself.
A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (dragon).
Empathic Link (Su)The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.
Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su)If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the "toucher." The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.
Scry on Familiar (Sp)If the master is 13th level or higher, he may scry on his familiar (as if casting the
scrying spell) once per day.
Two Deceivingly Innocent FormsTiamat Spawn have two Deceivingly Innocent Forms in accordance with their dual nature, and the home plane of their mother; a single form is not optimum for both a Prime Plane where the Tiamat Spawn wreaks its havoc, and for Avernus.
In addition to its natural form, one of the alternate forms in which Tiamat Spawn generally may appear is as an impishly cute Imp, a creature accorded little reason for fear in the Lower Planes.
The other alternate form in which Throisar’s familiar Tiamat Spawn may appear is suitable for a Sun Elf’s familiar, as an impishly cute
Tressym, a winged cat
favored by Wizards as a Familiar just as Imps are.
It may be cute, but it’s still eerily Negative-Plane-connected…
Throisar’s Familiar at 6HD has one Magic Item which more than reflects the usual 13,000GP WBL:
Ring of Invisibility (20,000GP)
