Nymph Dragonfly
by Jamie BatyMMC 33
Tiny Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 1d10+1 (6 hp)
Initiative: +3 (+3 Dex)
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), swim 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armour Class: 17 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-9
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d4 -2) or Acidic Spit +6 touch (1 acid)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d4 -2) and Acidic Spit +6 touch (1 acid)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Acidic spit
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +5, Will -1
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +11, Listen +1, Spot +1
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate and Warm aquatic
Organisation: Solitary, Pair, Brood (2-5), or Swarm (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 1/4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 2 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: -
The young dragonfly, or nymph, looks quite different from the creature that it will grow to be. Nymphs are long-legged and wingless. A chitinous carapace protects their flat body. Their coloration is dark brown or black. There is no consistent relation between the various nymph hues and adult coloration: it is impossible to tell what kind of dragonfly a nymph will become based on its colour. Nymphs grow rapidly. Two to three weeks after hatching, a nymph is about 1 foot long and has 1 HD. After a year of growth, it becomes a 2 HD monster, 2 to 3 feet in length.
Nymphs live by instinct, not intelligence. Each is simply interested in eating voraciously. Their preferred prey includes insects, tender plants, and small amphibians. The first nymphs to hatch in a group usually make their siblings their first meal.
A nymph's life cycle is two years long. During warm months, the nymph eats as much as possible; when weather turns colder, it enters a static state like hibernation. The second winter, the nymph undergoes a metamorphosis within its shell. What emerges in the spring is a completely different creature- an adult dragonfly- that crawls out of the husk that held the nymph.
Combat
All dragonfly nymphs, regardless of species, have an acidic breath weapon. This is a thin jet of greenish liquid that the nymph spits against a single target up to 3 feet away. Nymphs can spit and bite in the same round, but generally do not do so unless agitated. Larger nymphs are more aggressive and will attack anything it thinks it can eat, including man-sized opponents. It will only stop attacking if it is apparent the target is inedible.
Acidic Spit (Ex): A dragonfly nymph may spit acid at any adjacent target as a touch attack. If the target is hit, it suffers 1 hp of acid damage (1 per HD). The target must also make a Reflex save vs DC 11 (Con based). If the save is failed, either the target's armour, shield or wielded weapon(s) (determined randomly) takes 1 hp of acid damage (1 per HD) as well.