RUIN WYRM

This six-legged pale red lizard-like beast is the size of a small building. Its hook-shaped face resembles a beak, and tiny red, intelligent eyes peek out from under a spiny brow. Its neck is short and powerful, with a pair of massive bat wings and six limber legs with seven-toed talons. The creature's tail is surprisingly long and prehensile, ending in a whiplike lash.

These massive dragons seem drawn to lost cities, and they often make their lairs within. A ruin wyrm's territory can span several city blocks, often in excess of a mile radius, so only the largest of ruined cities can support more than one of these monsters without one killing the other over some perceived incursion. Ruin wyrms have little interest in creatures smaller than Large size, and they often dwell in relative peace with large tribes of humanoids who live in the ruins as well.

Much speculation as to the source of the ruin wyrm has bandied about explorers' circles, universities, and museums. Many believe that the ruin wyrm seems drawn to ruined cities simply to gather together what loot it can from the abandoned vaults and treasuries, and the size of the average ruin wyrm hoard definitely speaks in support of these claims. Yet others believe that the ruin wyrms represent some sort of ancient guardians of these ancient cities; certainly they seem to have little interest in the cruelty exhibited by many other dragons.

Adventurers often seek out ruin wyrms as allies. A ruin wyrm made helpful with Diplomacy (normally, ruin wyrms are unfriendly toward adventurers) or other means usually lets the adventurers take shelter in its territory, providing a safe place to rest on extended forays into the lost city. For the right price (usually the same price it would cost to have a spellcaster cast the spells in question), a ruin wyrm may even acquiesce to using its spell-like abilities to aid the PCs.

Ruin wyrms speak Common, Draconic, and at least one other language (usually Giant).

Combat

Although a ruin wyrm is just as likely to use diplomacy to solve conflicts, it has no true fear of combat, and when fighting becomes necessary, they seem to relish the battle. The wyrm's greatest attack is its tail, which is a highly prehensile member that has surprising reach. They can also attack with four of their six talons, their bite, and a buffet from each of their wings if necessary. A ruin wyrm's bite attack always receives the creature's full Strength bonus to damage rolls, even though it is normally a secondary attack.

Breath Weapon (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, a ruin wyrm can breathe out a sphere of brilliant electricity, launching the sphere to any point up to a range of 100 feet. When the sphere reaches its target, it explodes into a 20-foot radius burst of dazzling energy, inflicting 14d8 points of electricity damage to all creatures in the area. A successful Reflex save (DC 26) halves the damage; a creature who fails this saving throw takes full damage and is blinded for 1d4 rounds unless it makes a successful Fortitude save (DC 26). The save DC is Constitution based.

If the ruin wyrm wishes, it can instead breathe out four spheres, aiming each at different locations. Each of these spheres deals 3d8 points of electrical damage, exploding in a 20-foot-radius burst and possibly causing blindness as well.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a ruin wyrm must hit with its tail. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will -- arcane sight, detect secret doors, identify, summon monster I, tongues; 3/day -- dimension door, greater scrying, prying eyes, sending, summon monster V, vision; 1/day -- demand, spell resistance, summon monster VIII.

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