Dracotaur

Dracotaurs, as their name suggests, are a Dungeons & Dragons race that combines elements of a dragon and a centaur; from the waist up, they have the body of a lizardfolk, but their lower torso has been replaced by the body of, depending on who you ask, either a feral and primeval giant lizard or a wingless dragon. The dragon comparison is more accurate, since they have the innate ability to breathe fire. Don't insinuate that they are the result of Half-Dragon centaurs interbreeding with lizardfolk and turning into their own distinct race, whatever you do. They first appeared in 3rd edition as an entry in the Monster Manual 3, although a creature with a similar body type, the Dracon, had appeared in Spelljammer for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

Dracotaurs are sly, merciless predators incapable of showing compassion and expecting none in return. Hard scales that vary in color from green to brown cover a dracotaur from head to tail. Males have ornate cresting on their heads, throats, and chests ranging from bright red to deep purple. A dracotaur’s 4-foot-long tail, although used primarily for balance, ends in wicked spikes that can be brought to bear in battle. Dracotaurs excrete body oil that helps keep their scales and leather armor supple. They typically wield sharp spears. An adult dracotaur stands 7 feet tall and measures 10 feet long, weighing about 2,000 pounds. Dracotaurs speak Draconic.

Dracotaurs gather in small, nomadic tribes. Dracotaurs respect power above all, and they measure power in terms of raw strength and arcane magical ability. Their leaders are usually mighty warriors, sorcerers, or both. Although dracotaur tribes occasionally fight over land, rival tribes quickly band together when faced with a common outside threat. Dracotaurs will also ally with other reptilian creatures, including lizardfolk and nagas. Although they are not devout creatures, dracotaurs see true dragons as powerful embodiments of the ancient gods and will give their lives in the service of such creatures. Much of the race’s arcane knowledge comes from the ancient teachings of the true dragons. Dracotaurs rarely stay in any one place long enough to warrant the building of permanent settlements. However, tribes will often lay claim to ancient ruins and use them as sanctuaries, training grounds, or neutral meeting places. Dracotaurs and centaurs despise one another, and many a dracotaur warrior dreams of devouring the flesh of a fallen centaur foe.

When they are not hunting or defending their territory, many dracotaurs pursue the study of sorcery. Dracotaur barbarians, fighters, and rangers are also common. Dracotaur clerics (which are rare) worship Tiamat and can choose from the Destruction, Evil, and Trickery domains.

PC Stats

+8 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +6 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.

Large size: –1 penalty to Armor Class, –1 penalty on attack rolls, –4 penalty on Hide checks, +4 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits double those of Medium characters.

Space/Reach: 10 feet/5 feet.

A dracotaur’s base land speed is 50 feet.

Darkvision out to 60 feet, low-light vision.

Racial Hit Dice: A dracotaur begins with three levels of dragon, which provide 3d12 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +3, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +3, Ref +3, and Will +3.

Racial Skills: A dracotaur’s dragon levels give it skill points equal to 6 × (6 + Int modifi er). Its class skills are Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Listen, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Use Magic Device. Because of their tails, dracotaurs have a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Jump, and Swim checks.

Racial Feats: A dracotaur’s Hit Dice give it two feats.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Proficient with natural weapons and with all simple weapons. Proficient with light armor.

+5 natural armor bonus.

Natural Weapons: Bite (1d8) and tail slap (1d8).

Special Attacks: Spit Fire (Su): A dracotaur can spit a glob of fire as a standard action. Once a dracotaur spits, it cannot spit again for 1 minute. The dracotaur’s spittle is a sticky adhesive substance that ignites when exposed to air, much like alchemist’s fire. This glob of fiery spittle is treated as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 20 feet. A direct hit deals 2d6 points of fire damage. Every creature within 5 feet of the point where the spittle hits takes 1d4 points of fire damage from the splash. Unlike alchemist’s fire, a dracotaur’s spittle does not continue to burn.

Special Qualities: Immunity to magic sleep effects and paralysis.

Automatic Languages: Draconic. Bonus Languages: Any.

Favored Class: Sorcerer.

Level Adjustment +5.

Drakkoths

Dracotaurs returned in Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition in the 2nd Monster Manual; rebranded as the Drakkoths, they maintained their fluff as a race of tauric reptilian humanoids with distant dragon blood who exist in "advanced tribal cultures" that pursue a nomadic existence in forest and jungle regions. Though described as territorial, they are not quite as brutally evil and merciless as their 3e counterparts, and so are willing to negotiate or at least tolerate the presence of others. Sort of like a less deliberately primitive version of lizardfolk, really. They do still tend to worship Tiamat, but have also been known to adopt partially old dragons, especially green dragons, as something between kings and living gods - they are often sought out by ambitious dragons, who hope to coax a tribe of these powerful and intelligent reptilians to their service.

One trait that is unique compared to their prior incarnations is that drakkoths cannot spit the globs of fiery chemicals that dracotaurs can. Instead, they can exhale gouts of toxic mist or fluid, similar to a dragonborn with a poison breath weapon (or a green dragonborn, in 5e).

Stat-wise, drakkoths are presented as mid-Paragon Tier opponents; stats are provided for the Drakkoth Ambusher (Level 13 Skirmisher), the Drakkoth Rager (level 15 Elite Brute) and the Drakkoth Venomshot (Level 16 Artillery).