This week, I'm looking at the Man-Drake, an April Fools' monster by R. Derek Pattison from Dragon issue #156, "Not Necessarily the Monstrous Compendium."
The Man-Drake is both a play on words, and a humorous variant of the swanmay from the Monster Manual II (and later the Monstrous Manual). The Man-Drake is a somewhat dim protector of nature, who pines for the beautiful swanmay but is forever rejected. This is the sort of thing that says more about the person writing the monster entry than it does about society or anything else. Going from a purely mechanical standpoint, all Man-Drakes are druids, and druids in AD&D are required to have a minimum 12 Wisdom and 15 Charisma; pining for an "unattainable" lover seems incongruous with the statistics.
Of course, if I'm going to write up Man-Drakes, I have to write up ducks as well. And giant ducks! I'm imagining something like the conclave of the Giant Eagles in The Lord of the Rings, except the ducks lose track of the conversation every five minutes.
Man-Drakes are strange and extremely rare lycanthropes that spend much of their time in quiet glades and ponds. Loners by nature, they nevertheless keep company with ducks of all sorts. They consider themselves the protectors of their forests and nearby woodlands, and defend them with ferocity from all intruders.
In their human and hybrid forms, man-drakes can only use simple weapons. They are reluctant to make bite attacks in duck form for fear of spreading their curse to those who might otherwise intrude on their solitude with annoying questions about man-drake life.
A Puddling of Man-Drakes. Man-Drakes refer to their tightly knit groups as puddlings. A puddling of man-drakes usually numbers between two and six individuals. Not surprisingly, man-drakes get along well with ducks and often hide in plain sight among them.
Contemplative Mystics. In their quiet contemplation of their native woodlands, man-drakes unlock magical powers over nature. Their tactics are not generally clever or devious, and the spells any individual man-drake prepares can vary wildly due to whimsy or a lack of foresight. The spell list of a random man-drake should be randomized as the DM sees fit.
Characters as Man-Drakes. The Monster Manual has rules for characters afflicted with lycanthropy. The following text applies to man-drake characters specifically.
A character cursed with man-drake lycanthropy gains an Intelligence of 8 if his or her score isn't already lower. Attack and damage rolls for the man-drake's bite are based on whichever is higher of the character's Strength and Dexterity. The bite of a man-drake in duck form deals 1 piercing damage (no ability modifier applies to this damage) and carries the curse of lycanthropy; see the "Player Characters as Lycanthropes" sidebar in the lycanthropes entry in the Monster Manual for details.
Man-Drake
Medium humanoid (human, shapechanger), chaotic neutral
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12)
Move 30 ft., swim 20 ft. (fly 40 ft. in duck and hybrid forms)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 8 (–1) 14 (+2) 16 (+3)
Skills Medicine +4, Nature +1, Perception +4
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Druidic plus any one language (can't speak in duck form)
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Shapechanger. The man-drake can use its action to polymorph into a duck-humanoid hybrid or into a duck, or back into its human form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its human form if it dies.
Regeneration. The man-drake regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the man-drake takes damage from a silvered weapon or a spell, this trait doesn't function at the start of the man-drake's next turn. The man-drake dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.
Spellcasting. The man-drake is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following druid spells prepared:
• Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, produce flame, shillelagh
• 1st level (4 slots): animal friendship, entangle, speak with animals, thunderwave
• 2nd level (3 slots): animal messenger, barkskin
Actions
Beak (Duck or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 bludgeoning damage in duck form, or 3 (1d4 + 1) bludgeoning damage in hybrid form. If the target is humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with man-drake lycanthropy.
Quarterstaff (Human or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit (+4 with shillelagh), reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage, or 5 (1d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage if wielded with two hands, or 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage with shillelagh.
Sling (Human or Hybrid Form Only). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
Animal, Duck
Tiny beast, unaligned
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 1 (1d4 – 1)
Move 10 ft., swim 10 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
2 (–4) 12 (+1) 8 (–1) 2 (–4) 14 (+2) 6 (–2)
Skills Perception +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages –
Challenge 0 (10 XP)
Flyby. The duck doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
Keen Hearing and Sight. The duck has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.
Actions
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 bludgeoning damage.
Animal, Duck (Giant)
Large beast, neutral
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 15 (2d10 + 4)
Move 10 ft., swim 20 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 8 (–1) 14 (+2) 8 (–1)
Skills Perception +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Giant Duck, understands Common, Elvish, and Sylvan but can’t speak them
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Flyby. The giant duck doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
Keen Hearing and Sight. The giant duck has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.
Actions
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Illustration is from Jules Laurens (1910), illustrated by Jules Laurens.
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