AC 12
HP 27 (6d6 + 6; bloodied 13)
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.
Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 12
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages —
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage, and the target makes a DC 11 Constitution saving throw against being petrified . On a failure, the target is restrained as it begins to turn to stone. A lesser restoration spell ends this effect. If still restrained, the creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends. On a failure, the creature is petrified for 24 hours.
REACTIONS
Frenzy (1/Day). When attacked by a creature it can see within 20 feet, the cockatrice moves up to half its Speed and makes a bite attack against that creature.
Combat
When angered, the cockatrice flaps at the nearest enemy and attacks. It attacks whoever damaged it most recently. It fights to the death.
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Nature check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Cockatrices are fierce chicken-like birds that can turn creatures to stone.
A grotesque amalgam of rooster and reptile, the cockatrice would be comedic if it weren’t so vicious. With wicked talons and a petrifying bite, this diminutive creature attacks at the slightest provocation, making it a fearsome pest for farmers and adventurers alike.
Alchemical Eggs. A cockatrice lays clutches of three to five eggs, incubating them for fifteen days before they hatch. Many alchemists, wizards, and other arcane practitioners value the eggs for their magical properties, but only if the eggs are harvested within the first five days of incubation: after that, the growing chick alters the makeup of the egg, rendering it alchemically inert. The shells can be collected after hatching, though they’re far less potent. A cockatrice chick’s egg tooth, however, sells for a pretty penny to the right merchant.
1–2 Flies into a frenzy and attacks intruders
3 Gulping down beetles; attacks if disturbed
4 Sleeping with its head under its wing
5 Trying to peck its way out of a sack
6 Strutting around a statue, possibly of someone the party knows
1–2 Realistic statue of a goblin, rat, cockatrice, or other creature
3 Chicken footprints
4 A distant rooster crow
Cockatrices nest in the wild and underground, but they dislike cold regions.
CR 0–2 1 or 2 cockatrices ; cockatrice hidden among a flock of chickens
Treasure 3 cockatrice eggs (25 gp each)