Brainstealer Nburdonax

Actions

Attack actions: Mind Blast (if charged) + (2x Claw) -OR- (4x Tentacle) -AND- 1 Extract Brain vs. grappled/stunned target. Can only grapple up to 4 targets at a time.   Confusing Presence - as 'fearsome presence' but causes insanity rather than fear, 1 minute, as Symbol of Insanity. Each creature of the brainstealer's choice that is within 120' of the brainstealer and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 WIS save or become insane for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the brainstealer's Confusing Presence for the next 24 hours.   Claw. Melee Weapon Attack Roll: 1d20+13 reach 5 ft., one target. 2d6+5 slashing damage. Considered magical slashing.   Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). Nburdonax Brainstealer magically emits a destructive blast of psychic energy in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on an INT DC 18 save or take 4d8+5 psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute; a successful save halves the damage and avoids the stun effect. A creature can repeat the saving throw to clear the stunned condition at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.   Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: 1d20+13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 2d10+5 psychic damage AND 2d10+8 (magical) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape STR DC 18 as a full action) and must succeed on a DC 18 INT save or be stunned until this grapple ends (repeat at the end of each turn). By using additional tentacles, the Brainstealer can grapple successively larger creatures, 1 size per tentacle. It can grapple one target with multiple tentacles, stacking damage, but one save will clear stun and grapple conditions.   Extract Brain. Melee Weapon Attack: 1d20+13 to hit with advantage (against stunned target), reach 15 ft., one incapacitated humanoid grappled by the Brainstealer. On a successful hit, the target takes 10d10 (magical) piercing damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, Nburdonax Brainstealer has killed the target by extracting and devouring its brain, and regains HP equal to half the victim's total max HP (not counting temp HP) on his following turn. The Brainstealer can only Extract Brain against one target per turn, but it can grapple up to 4 large or smaller creatures at once.

Legendary Actions

3/round, non-sequential, taken at the end of any other player's turn.   Tail Sweep: DEX save DC18 or prone and pushed 10' closer to his tentacles. 30' area.   Wing flap (2 actions) STR save DC18 or prone and pushed 15' closer to his tentacles. 30' area.

Not long after establishing his lair in the wrecked remains of the Carpocratian temple, a massive force of Mind Flayers assaulted the location, ostensibly as retribution for the cult's victory over a smaller attack party a week before. Nburdonax blasted through the mind flayers without great difficulty, but not before they changed their attack from a true tactical offense into a strategic victory by implanting a viable tadpole in the dragon.   Through the grotesque process of ceremorphosis, the tadpole has dug its way through the massive dragon brain and implanted itself there, rewiring the creatures nervous system and recalibrating its genetics, until all at once, Nburdonax is no more, replaced by the mightly Brainstealer Illithid-Dragon. The Dragon-Illithid has all his memories but from a distance, as if it were a person running searches in the Dragon's brain. The Brainstealer is its own distinct and self-aware personality, without the capacity for spellcasting or granting spells via sorcerous patronage, etc, a being much more like a giant mind flayer than a dragon any longer, save for the scales and the level of danger. Initially the brainstealer Nburdonax is plugged in to the Ehlegguhl elder brain and part of the hive presence, but the brain has other plans for this dragon beyond more cannon fodder; in coordination with massive attacks on all the underdark entry points, the brain means to take the Capitol of the empire and with it, much more easily, the world.   This aligns with Nburdonax Brainstealer's ambitions and it's likely they work together until one or the other has to be in charge.   Nburdonax Brainstealer no longer is able to cast or act as a patron of normal magic spells, but has psionics which mimic magical effects, but are not technically magical. His scales and claws are softer and his sharp horns have become flaccid; his wings are vague skin flaps that permit only limited flight. His lightning is gone, and in fact, his entire mouth has been replaced by a sucking vertical series of wheezing skin-flaps without functional teeth or fangs; he no longer has a bite attack, and his tail sweep and wing attacks are ineffective but for corralling victims to the front for a mind blast and/or a tentacle grab.