Crimson drakes are easy to spot, with scales the color of dried blood, a deadly scorpion stinger, and a mischievous gleam in their eyes.

Fiery Raiders. Crimson drakes lair in woodlands near small settlements, making nighttime forays to set fires and hunt those who flee the flames-traits that make humanoid tribes prize them as raiding partners. Goblins gleefully adopt a crimson drake as a mascot to burn things down while they get on with slaughtering people. Red dragons and flame dragons regard a crimson drake as a pet, at best, but this rarely works out. When it is inevitably insulted by its larger cousins, a malicious crimson drake may even intentionally set fires to blaze a trail for hunters to the dragon's lair.

Mistaken for Pseudodragons. A crimson drake's scales and features are quite similar to those of a pseudodragon, and they will imitate a pseudodragon's hunting cry or song to trick victims into approaching. Once their prey gets close enough, they immolate it. As with pseudodragons, they resemble a red dragon in all but size and the presence of the drake's scorpion-like stinger. On average, a crimson drake weighs 12 lb, its body measures about 18 inches long, and its tail adds another 18 inches.

Foul Familiars. A crimson drake occasionally chooses to serve an evil spellcaster as a familiar; they are too mischievous to be loyal or trustworthy, but ferocious in defense of their master.