Cockatrice

Small Magical Beast — CR 3

Monster Manual v.3.5 (MM), p. 373.5
Hit Dice
5d10 (27 hp)
Initiative
+3
Speed
Land 20 ft
Armor Class
14, touch 14, flat-footed 11
Base Attack / Grapple
+5/-1
Attack
Bite +9 melee (1d4-2 plus petrification)
Full Attack
Bite +9 melee (1d4-2 plus petrification)
STR
6
DEX
17
CON
11
INT
2
WIS
13
CHA
9
Fort / Ref / Will
+4 / +7 / +2
Challenge Rating
3
Alignment
Always Neutral
Organization
Solitary, pair, flight (3–5), or flock (6–13)
Treasure
None
Environment
Plains
Level Adjustment

Special Abilities

Feats

This avian creature is about the size of a large goose or turkey. It has the head and body of a cockarel, bat wings, and the long tail of a lizard. Its eyes glow with a dangerous-looking crimson sheen.

Description

The cockatrice is an eerie, repulsive hybrid. It is infamous for its ability to turn flesh to stone.

A male cockatrice has wattles and a comb, just like a rooster. Females, much rarer than males, differ only in that they have no wattles or comb. A cockatrice weighs about 25 pounds.

Combat

A cockatrice fiercely attacks anything that it deems a threat to itself or its lair. Flocks of cockatrices do their utmost to overwhelm and confuse their foes, and sometimes fly directly into their opponents’ faces.

Petrification (Su): Creatures hit by a cockatrice’s bite attack must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or instantly turn to stone. The save DC is Constitution-based. Cockatrices have immunity to the petrification ability of other cockatrices, but other petrification attacks affect them normally.