Cabhaigh

Pronounced ca-VAY, it resembles a huge frog crossed with a dragonfly: a bulging body, spindly clawed legs, two pairs of filmy wings, and shifting colors that never look natural. It walks poorly, so it flies everywhere, perching on branches and rooftops to watch below, and can carry 300 pounds aloft. It speaks human tongues and elvish dialects and talks mind to mind with any wizard companion.

The cabhaigh fights fiercely but from range. Three times a day it keens, a shrill cone of sound 15 feet long that widens from 2 feet at its mouth to 15 feet; all inside take 1d8 points of damage and must save vs. paralysis or be rooted in place for 1d6 rounds. Its 1d4 bite is a last resort. It casts two spells each of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level per day at 8th level. Twice daily it can become a 3-4 inch dragonfly for 8 hours, keeping its powers and hit points, and once daily it can turn another into one for 1d4 turns (save vs. spell negates). Only +3 or better weapons can strike it.

One of the magical beasts that bond with wizards, it lives on remote temperate mountains. Occasional loneliness drives it into brief partnerships with wizards or visits with its own wizard-bonding kin. Tales place it mostly in the far east of the sunlit southern realms.

Only evil humans, goblins, and ogres hunt it with any regularity. It lives on almost nothing: potions, spell components, and grass freshly washed by rain. Legend holds that it never kills to eat.