Pavilion Dragon [Dragonet]

They are often likened to faerie dragons, tropical birds, or a blend of the two. Beaklike snouts, large eyes and sinuous necks sit above four closely set legs. Their scales look like gems: deep spinel blue on females, a blaze of ruby, jacinth and topaz on males. Tails nearly match the body in length, and the long wingtips hang down beside the tail when folded. They grow from about 18 inches at hatching to 4 feet in great old age.

Normally peaceful, they fight hard to protect nests and young from poachers. Their first resort is a breath weapon, usable three times daily: a sharp crack of sound that stuns everything within 15 feet except other pavilion dragons for 2d4 rounds unless it makes a save vs. breath weapon.

They also have the powers of 6th-level psionicists, favoring psychoportation and clairsentience and mostly picking defensive and escape powers, though they choose as freely as any psionicist. Typical picks: teleport and dimension door; clairvoyance, clairaudience and all-round vision; and the telepathic devotions contact, life detection, invisibility, attraction, aversion and false sensory input.

Last of all, one can swoop and rake with two claws for 1d4 each. If both hit, it can carry off a tiny or small creature, which is how it usually takes prey; tiny foes such as tasloi get carried high and dropped.

They nest at the very tops of the tallest rainforest trees and mate for life. The female lays one egg each spring, and young stay five years, so a family can be two adults and up to five hatchlings. Prized as familiars though unwilling to leave home, they bond so tightly with companions that they share full telepathy (sights, sounds and thoughts) within 100 yards. The calmest dragonets, they are warm and fun without being pests, preferring their forest's beauty to pranks.

They eat large insects, small birds, eggs and fruit, with the occasional lizard or small monkey, and live 26-35 years.