Acid Pigeon

Nothing in its looks sets an acid pigeon apart from an ordinary pigeon. The difference lies within: its gut juices are so strong that it can break down almost anything. Its only real nourishment comes from normal bird fare like insects, worms and the odd crust tossed by a passerby, but it is dim enough to gulp down pebbles, twigs and bits of glass by mistake, and its stomach dissolves them without trouble.

These birds flutter away from anyone who gets close unless that person is holding food, and they fight only to protect roosts on rooftops and high ledges. A defending pigeon pecks for 1 hp.

The real hazard is the acid. Its droppings burn on contact, and if not wiped off within one round the stuff deals 1d4 hp; scraping or rinsing removes it easily. A stabbing or slashing blow against one makes acid burst out in every direction, and everyone within 5 feet saves vs. breath weapon or takes 1d4 hp. An arrow through a flying acid pigeon rains acid over a 10-foot radius below. The pigeons themselves take no harm from any acid.

Townsfolk often believe the birds aim at people, but they are far too stupid for that.

Magical or not, acid pigeons act exactly like ordinary city pigeons and nearly always live among them. They roost, flock and breed with normal birds, and no marking reveals which are which. A crossbred chick has about a 50% chance of being acidic, and in cities where they live the share of acid birds stays fairly steady.

For the people who live beside them, the birds are mainly an annoyance. Because droppings take about a minute to start burning, most victims clean up before real harm is done, though that hardly cheers them. Architecture suffers far more: heavily infested cities have buildings with a pitted, pockmarked surface, and some statues have lost inches off their tops.

Nobody has found a good use for them. The droppings dry out too fast to be kept, and getting acid from the stomach is difficult at best, because the bird has to be killed with a blunt weapon to keep the acid inside. Most believe a wizard bred the trait into them, likely with magical help, perhaps hoping for a renewable acid supply. If so, few think the result justified the effort.