Land Linnorm

Land linnorms walk on four legs and use their forelimbs well in a fight. Hatchlings have little green scales that sparkle like jewels; with age the scales grow, lose their gleam and shift at the dragon's whim through greens, browns and grays.

Lands speak their own tongue and those of other Norse dragons, and a hatchling has a 10% chance of being able to speak magically with any intelligent creature, rising 10% per age category.

Greed is a land linnorm's only motive, and it loves corrupting both people and the land itself to suit its desires. It is careful, measuring victims before it commits. One old enough to polymorph may tail a target for days as a human or animal, learning its strengths and flaws. Breath and spells open the attack, followed by claws, bite and tail slap, but it closes to melee only when sure it will win and abandons any prey that seems too dangerous.

The breath is a cone of heat 120 feet long, widening from 5 feet at the mouth to 40 at its end (save vs. breath weapon for half). Whether or not they save, victims are left instantly exhausted, their Strength halved (round down). Lands also know randomly chosen rune spells, which always succeed.

From birth a land linnorm has one daily use each of transmute rock to mud and its reverse, mud to rock. Later powers, each 3/day: invisibility (young), dig (young adult), polymorph self (mature adult), stone shape (very old), conjure earth elemental (wyrm) and earthquake (great wyrm).

Lands prefer hills close to human towns, where they can perch and watch for passing riches. They lair in caves; older ones shape their own with stone shape, complete with traps. They pair only to breed and part once the young are past the hatchling stage, though some have been known to join forces against foes too strong for one, alliances that end as soon as the loot is divided.

Envy of anyone else who gathers treasure makes them despise humans and demihumans. Even so, a few capture spellcasters and force them to teach magic or reveal hoards, and in rare cases one has made a lasting bargain with such a 'lesser being', sparing its life in return for magical lessons and wealth.

They can even eat rocks but prefer meat. No creature hunts adult land linnorms, though abandoned young often fall to adventurers, giants and other monsters.