Ice Lizard

Three feet long and white as snow, an ice lizard could pass for a white dragon fresh from the egg, with patches of dull silver or faint blue on its scales. It shares the frozen wastelands white dragons favor. Only a real expert in dragon lore will spot the difference: true white hatchlings have pure, mirror-bright scales, and only big, old white dragons show mixed coloring.

Twice a day an ice lizard can polymorph self into a white dragon for two hours, catching off guard anyone who does not know its secret. The borrowed shape matches a young adult white but has none of a real dragon's spells or breath. Changing back to its own shape restores 10-60% of any damage suffered.

In either form it can exhale its own breath of freezing air once per three rounds, at most thrice daily,: a cone 30 feet long and 10 feet across at the base for 2-16 damage. Some adventurers swear the air itself freezes in its path. Otherwise it attacks with two claws for 1-3 each and a bite for 1-6. It is too small for the wing buffets, tail slaps and other attacks of true dragons.

It has a remarkable 80% magic resistance, but poor Intelligence and Wisdom give it -2 on saves against hold and charm effects. Only while in its true form can it cast sleep and fear, each twice daily. Fire is its weakness: it saves at -2 against flame, which also deals an extra point per die.

Flattery works on them as on true dragons. They grant few favors and defend their land fiercely, but approached properly they may listen, or even help if convinced the plan benefits them. Winning them over takes presents of magic or jewels, and they care more about quantity than quality: 10,000 gp in coins impresses them more than one flawless gem of equal value. They can sometimes be fooled with fake treasure, but punish the trick savagely once uncovered.

Grown ice lizards den alone in ice caverns below ground, too cramped for their dragon shape. A male claims some 100 square miles and allows no other male within it, though his range may overlap a white dragon's, and the two are sometimes seen together. Ice lizards think themselves better than white dragons for having two shapes; the dragons regard them as minor pests.

They mate once a year at any season. A male courts the female he thinks strongest with a gift of as much as 40% of the items in his hoard, counted by number, not value. The pair stays together until their 1-3 eggs hatches, three months later, the male defending mate and eggs from rival males who would kill them to seize territory and treasure. Their appetites are modest; snow hares and similar small game suit them, and carrion will do in a pinch.

Wizards have tried using ice lizard parts as cheap substitutes for white dragon components in potions and magical constructs, with little success. A captive-born one can be trained to serve as a guard or pet.