D
SRD (p.272)
Darkmantle CR: 1/2
STR
16 +3
DEX
12 +1
CON
13 +1
INT
2 -4
WIS
10 +0
CHA
5 -3
Echolocation. The darkmantle can’t use its blindsight while deafened.
False Appearance. While the darkmantle remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a cave formation such as a stalactite or stalagmite.
Actions
Crush. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the darkmantle attaches to the target. If the target is Medium or smaller and the darkmantle has advantage on the attack roll, it attaches by engulfing the target’s head, and the target is also blinded and unable to breathe while the darkmantle is attached in this way.
Suggested Environments
Underdark
SRD (p.365)
Death Dog CR: 1
STR
15 +2
DEX
14 +2
CON
14 +2
INT
3 -4
WIS
13 +1
CHA
6 -2
Two-Headed. The dog has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, or knocked .
Actions
Multiattack. The dog makes two bite attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease is cured. Every 24 hours that elapse, the creature must repeat the saving throw, reducing its hit point maximum by 5 (1d10) on a failure. This reduction lasts until the disease is cured. The creature dies if the disease reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Suggested Environments
Desert
MM (p.47)
Death Knight CR: 17
STR
20 +5
DEX
11 +0
CON
20 +5
INT
12 +1
WIS
16 +3
CHA
18 +4
Spellcasting. The death knight is a 19th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following paladin spells prepared:
1st level (4 slots): Command, Compelled Duel, Searing Smite
2nd level (3 slots): Hold Person, Magic Weapon
3rd level (3 slots): Dispel Magic, Elemental Weapon
4th level (3 slots): Banishment, Staggering Smite
5th level (2 slots): Destructive Wave (necrotic)
Magic Resistance. The death knight has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Marshal Undead. Unless the death knight is incapacitated, it and undead creatures of its choice within 60 feet of it have advantage on saving throws against features that turn undead.
Actions
Multiattack. The death knight makes three longsword attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage, or 10 (1d10 + 5) slashing damage if used with two hands, plus 18 (4d8) necrotic damage.
Hellfire Orb (1/Day). The death knight hurls a magical ball of fire that explodes at a point it can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. The sphere spreads around corners. A creature takes 35 (10d6) fire damage and 35 (10d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Reactions
Parry. The death knight adds 6 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the death knight must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.
Lord Soth began his fall from grace with an act of heroism, saving an elf named Isolde from an ogre. Soth and Isolde fell in love, but Soth was already married. He had a servant dispose of his wife and was charged with murder, but fled with Isolde. When his castle fell under siege, he prayed for guidance and was told that he must atone for his misdeeds by completing a quest, but growing fears about Isolde’s fidelity caused him to abandon his quest. Because his mission was not accomplished, a great cataclysm swept the land. When Isolde gave birth to a son, Soth refused to believe that the child was his and slew them both. All were incinerated in a fire that swept through the castle, yet Soth would find no rest in death, becoming a death knight.
SRD
Deer
STR
11 +0
DEX
16 +3
CON
11 +0
INT
2 -4
WIS
14 +2
CHA
5 -3
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage.
MM (p.48)
Demilich CR: 18
STR
1 -5
DEX
20 +5
CON
10 +0
INT
20 +5
WIS
17 +3
CHA
20 +5
Avoidance. If the demilich is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the demilich fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Turn Immunity. The demilich is immune to effects that turn undead.
Actions
Howl (Recharge 5–6). The demilich emits a bloodcurdling howl. Each creature within 30 feet of the demilich that can hear the howl must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or drop to 0 hit points. On a successful save, the creature is frightened until the end of its next turn.
Life Drain. The demilich targets up to three creatures that it can see within 10 feet of it. Each target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or take 21 (6d6) necrotic damage, and the demilich regains hit points equal to the total damage dealt to all targets.
Legendary Actions
The demilich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The demilich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Flight. The demilich flies up to half its flying speed.
Cloud of Dust. The demilich magically swirls its dusty remains. Each creature within 10 feet of the demilich, including around a corner, must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the demilich’s next turn. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to this effect until the end of the demilich’s next turn.
Energy Drain (Costs 2 Actions). Each creature within 30 feet of the demilich must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s hit point maximum is magically reduced by 10 (3d6). If a creature’s hit point maximum is reduced to 0 by this effect, the creature dies. A creature’s hit point maximum can be restored with the Greater Restoration spell or similar magic.
Vile Curse (Costs 3 Actions). The demilich targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically cursed. Until the curse ends, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the curse on a success.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the demilich rolls a d20. On a result of 11 or higher, the demilich takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects. It can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row.
- The tomb trembles violently for a moment. Each creature on the floor of the tomb must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
- The demilich targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. An antimagic field fills the space of the target, moving with it until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- The demilich targets any number of creatures it can see within 30 feet of it. No target can regain hit points until initiative count 20 on the next round.
A demilich hides its earthly remains and treasures in a labyrinthine tomb guarded by monsters and traps. At the heart of this labyrinth rests the demilich’s skull and the dust from its other bones.
In its crypt, a demilich has access to lair actions and additional uses for its legendary actions. Its whole lair also has unique traits. A demilich in its lair has a challenge rating of 20 (24,500 XP).
Regional Effects
A demilich’s tomb might have any or all of the following effects in place:
- The first time a non-evil creature enters the tomb’s area, the creature takes 16 (3d10) necrotic damage.
- Monsters in the tomb have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, and against features that turn undead. The tomb is warded against the magical travel of creatures the demilich hasn’t authorized. Such creatures can’t
- teleport into or out of the tomb’s area or use planar travel to enter or leave it. Effects that allow teleportation or planar travel work within the tomb as long as they aren’t used to leave or enter the tomb’s area. If the demilich is destroyed, these effects fade over the course of 10 days.
The transformation into a demilich isn’t a bitter end for all liches that experience it. Made as a conscious choice, the path of the demilich becomes the next step in a dark evolution. The lich Acererak—a powerful wizard and demonologist and the infamous master of the Tomb of Horrors—anticipated his own transformation, preparing for it by setting enchanted gemstones into his skull’s eye sockets and teeth. Each of these soul gems possessed the power to capture the souls on which his phylactery would feed.
SRD
Dire Wolf CR: 1
STR
17 +3
DEX
15 +2
CON
15 +2
INT
3 -4
WIS
12 +1
CHA
7 -2
Keen Hearing and Smell. The wolf has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. Pack Tactics. The wolf has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the wolf's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
SRD (p.282)
Doppelganger CR: 3
STR
11 +0
DEX
18 +4
CON
14 +2
INT
11 +0
WIS
12 +1
CHA
14 +2
Shapechanger. The doppelganger can use its action to polymorph into a Small or Medium humanoid it has seen, or back into its true 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 true form if it dies.
Ambusher. The doppelganger has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
Surprise Attack. If the doppelganger surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) damage from the attack.
Actions
Multiattack. The doppelganger makes two melee attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Read Thoughts. The doppelganger magically reads the surface thoughts of one creature within 60 feet of it. The effect can penetrate barriers, but 3 feet of wood or dirt, 2 feet of stone, 2 inches of metal, or a thin sheet of lead blocks it. While the target is in range, the doppelganger can continue reading its thoughts, as long as the doppelganger's concentration isn't broken (as if concentrating on a spell). While reading the target's mind, the doppelganger has advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion) checks against the target.
Doppelgangers are devious shapeshifters that take on the appearance of other humanoids, throwing off pursuit or luring victims to their doom with misdirection and disguise. Few creatures spread fear, suspicion, and deceit better than doppelgangers. Found in every land and culture, they can take on the guise of any individual of any race. Stealing Secrets. A doppelganger’s adopted form allows it to blend into almost any group or community, but its transformation doesn’t impart languages, mannerisms, memory, or personality. Doppelgangers often follow or capture creatures they intend to impersonate, studying them and probing their minds for secrets. A doppelganger can read a creature’s surface thoughts, allowing it to glean that creature’s name, desires, and fears, along with a few scattered memories. A doppelganger impersonating a specific creature as part of a long-term plot might keep its double alive and close at hand for weeks, probing the victim’s mind daily to learn how to behave and speak authentically. Hedonistic Swindlers. Doppelgangers work alone or in small groups, with group roles shifting from con to con. While one doppelganger takes the place of a murdered merchant or noble, the others take on a number of identities as circumstances warrant, playing the parts of family or servants while they live off the victim’s riches. Changelings. Doppelgangers are too lazy or self-interested to raise their young. They assume attractive male forms and seduce women, leaving them to raise their progeny. A doppelganger child appears to be a normal member of its mother’s species until it reaches adolescence, at which point it discovers its true nature and is driven to seek out its kind to join them.
Suggested Environments
Underdark, Urban
SRD
Draft Horse CR: 1/4
STR
18 +4
DEX
10 +0
CON
12 +1
INT
2 -4
WIS
11 +0
CHA
7 -2
Actions
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
SRD (p.306)
Dragon Turtle CR: 17
STR
25 +7
DEX
10 +0
CON
20 +5
INT
10 +0
WIS
12 +1
CHA
12 +1
Amphibious. The dragon turtle can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon turtle makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. It can make one tail attack in place of its two claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3d12 + 7) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3d12 + 7) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away from the dragon turtle and knocked prone.
Steam Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon turtle exhales scalding steam in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 52 (15d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Being underwater doesn't grant resistance against this damage.
Lair Actions
As they are presented in the Monster Manual, dragon turtles don’t have access to lair actions while in their lairs. At your discretion, you can give an adult or ancient dragon turtle access to lair actions, increasing its challenge rating by 1. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon turtle can take one of the following lair actions; the dragon turtle can’t take the same lair action two rounds in a row:
- Blasting Current. A strong water current moves through the dragon turtle’s lair. Each creature within 30 feet of the dragon turtle must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be moved 30 feet in a direction of the dragon turtle’s choice. On a success, the creature is moved 10 feet instead.
- Entangling Kelp. Strands of spectral kelp reach out to ensnare creatures in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point in the lair that the dragon turtle can see. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained until the end of its next turn.
- Steam Eruption. Steam erupts in a 15-foot cone from a point on the ground the dragon turtle can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Being underwater doesn’t grant creatures resistance to this damage.
Dragon turtles make their lairs in underwater caves and coral reefs. Most such lairs are situated deep beneath the waves near the ocean’s floor, though some dragon turtles prefer coastal lairs with easier access to settlements they can trade with—or prey upon. Particularly reclusive dragon turtles seek lairs in even more remote locales, including deep-sea trenches or underwater volcanoes.
Dragon turtles are largely unconcerned with the design of their lairs and seldom work to improve them. A dragon turtle’s primary concern when selecting a lair is ensuring that the site is large enough to accommodate the creature’s prodigious size as the centuries wear on. After that, proximity to shipping lanes and freedom from irksome neighbors take precedence.
The underwater caves inhabited by dragon turtles are structurally similar to the seaside caverns where bronze and topaz dragons lair. When constructing a dragon turtle’s lair, you can simply take a coastal map and translate it to an underwater environment or use the map as-is if the dragon turtle is content to lair near the surface.
- Shelf Floor. The sandy beaches represent the ocean floor at a depth of 100 feet, which is coated in a soft layer of fine sediment. The water around the lair is clear but dimly lit. The water’s edge on the map represents the lip of the shelf, which descends to a dark plain twelve hundred feet below.
- Coral Reef. The rocky cliff side depicts the contours of a coral reef that rises 80 feet above the shelf. The exterior face of the reef is covered with stinging corals.
- Reef Hollow. The dragon turtle’s lair lies in a hollow in the reef’s interior that was bored out by a giant sea worm the dragon turtle killed. The original entrance at the level of the shelf floor ascends through a weed-choked tube that opens into the main chamber. Here, the dragon turtle nests in a recessed shelf along the back wall, where the creature can gaze down at the hoard scattered across the chamber floor. Although the lair is mostly flooded with seawater, a layer of breathable air is trapped in the top 3 feet of the main chamber.
- Coral Shelf. A secondary entrance grants access to a coral shelf 40 feet above the shelf floor and illuminates the lair for a few hours each day with a shaft of dim sunlight.
Regional Effects
The region containing a dragon turtle’s lair can be transformed by its presence, creating one or more of the following effects:
- Diverting Currents. Underwater currents push unwanted visitors away from the lair. While swimming in these currents, each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot (2 extra feet in difficult terrain), even if a creature has a swimming speed.
- Elemental Portals. Crevasses on the ocean floor within 1 mile of the dragon turtle’s lair form two-way portals to the Elemental Plane of Water, allowing creatures of elemental water into the world to dwell nearby.
- Hot Water. Geothermal vents heat the water within 6 miles of the dragon turtle’s lair to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Suggested Environments
Coastal, Underwater
SRD (p.307)
Drider CR: 6
STR
16 +3
DEX
16 +3
CON
18 +4
INT
13 +1
WIS
14 +2
CHA
12 +1
Innate Spellcasting. The drider’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). The drider can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
Fey Ancestry. The drider has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put the drider to sleep. Spider Climb. The drider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the drider has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. Web Walker. The drider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.
Actions
Multiattack. The drider makes three attacks, either with its longsword or its longbow. It can replace one of those attacks with a bite attack. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) poison damage. Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands. Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage.
Suggested Environments
Underdark
SRD
Dryad CR: 1
STR
10 +0
DEX
12 +1
CON
11 +0
INT
14 +2
WIS
15 +2
CHA
18 +4
Innate Spellcasting. The dryad’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). The dryad can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: druidcraft
- 3/day each: entangle, goodberry
- 1/day each: barkskin, pass without trace, shillelagh
Magic Resistance. The dryad has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Speak with Beasts and Plants. The dryad can communicate with beasts and plants as if they shared a language. Tree Stride. Once on her turn, the dryad can use 10 feet of her movement to step magically into one living tree within her reach and emerge from a second living tree within 60 feet of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger.
Actions
Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit (+6 to hit with shillelagh), reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage, or 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage with shillelagh. Fey Charm. The dryad targets one humanoid or beast that she can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see the dryad, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed. The charmed creature regards the dryad as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn’t under the dryad’s control, it takes the dryad’s requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Each time the dryad or her allies do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the dryad dies, is on a different plane of existence from the target, or ends the effect as a bonus action. If a target’s saving throw is successful, the target is immune to the dryad’s Fey Charm for the next 24 hours. The dryad can have no more than one humanoid and up to three beasts charmed at a time.
SRD (p.308)
Duergar CR: 1
STR
14 +2
DEX
11 +0
CON
14 +2
INT
11 +0
WIS
10 +0
CHA
9 -1
Duergar Resilience. The duergar has advantage on saving throws against poison, spells, and illusions, as well as to resist being charmed or paralyzed. Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the duergar has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Enlarge (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). For 1 minute, the duergar magically increases in size, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. While enlarged, the duergar is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks (included in the attacks), and makes Strength checks and Strength saving throws with advantage. If the duergar lacks the room to become Large, it attains the maximum size possible in the space available. War Pick. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage, or 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage while enlarged. Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage, or 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage while enlarged. Invisibility (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The duergar magically turns invisible until it attacks, casts a spell, or uses its Enlarge, or until its concentration is broken, up to 1 hour (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the duergar wears or carries is invisible with it.
Suggested Environments
Underdark
SRD (p.273)
Balor CR: 19
STR
26 +8
DEX
15 +2
CON
22 +6
INT
20 +5
WIS
16 +3
CHA
22 +6
Death Throes. When the balor dies, it explodes, and each creature within 30 feet of it must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 70 (20d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The explosion ignites flammable objects in that area that aren’t being worn or carried, and it destroys the balor’s weapons.
Fire Aura. At the start of each of the balor’s turns, each creature within 5 feet of it takes 10 (3d6) fire damage, and flammable objects in the aura that aren’t being worn or carried ignite. A creature that touches the balor or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 10 (3d6) fire damage.
Magic Resistance. The balor has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The balor’s weapon attacks are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The balor makes two attacks: one with its longsword and one with its whip.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) slashing damage plus 13 (3d8) lightning damage. If the balor scores a critical hit, it rolls damage dice three times, instead of twice.
Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) fire damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 25 feet toward the balor.
Teleport. The balor magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Monster Manual
Barlgura CR: 5
STR
18 +4
DEX
15 +2
CON
16 +3
INT
7 -2
WIS
14 +2
CHA
9 -1
Innate Spellcasting. The barlgura’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). The barlgura can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: 1/day each: Entangle, Phantasmal Force 2/day each: Disguise Self, Invisibility (self only) Reckless. At the start of its turn, the barlgura can gain advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls it makes during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn. Running Leap. The barlgura’s long jump is up to 40 feet and its high jump is up to 20 feet when it has a running start.
Actions
Multiattack. The barlgura makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its fists. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage. Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
BR (p.270)
Dretch CR: 1/4
STR
11 +0
DEX
11 +0
CON
12 +1
INT
5 -3
WIS
8 -1
CHA
3 -4
Actions
Multiattack. The dretch makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (2d4) slashing damage. Fetid Cloud (1/Day). A 10-foot radius of disgusting green gas extends out from the dretch. The gas spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts for 1 minute or until a strong wind disperses it. Any creature that starts its turn in that area must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. While poisoned in this way, the target can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both, and can't take reactions.
SRD (p.274)
Glabrezu CR: 9
STR
20 +5
DEX
15 +2
CON
21 +5
INT
19 +4
WIS
17 +3
CHA
16 +3
Innate Spellcasting. The glabrezu's spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16). The glabrezu can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
Magic Resistance. The glabrezu has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The glabrezu makes four attacks: two with its pincers and two with its fists. Alternatively, it makes two attacks with its pincers and casts one spell.
Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 15). The glabrezu has two pincers, each of which can grapple only one target.
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
SRD (p.274)
Hezrou CR: 8
STR
19 +4
DEX
17 +3
CON
20 +5
INT
5 -3
WIS
12 +1
CHA
13 +1
Magic Resistance. The hezrou has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Stench. Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of the hezrou must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the hezrou's stench for 24 hours.
Actions
Multiattack. The hezrou makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
SRD (p.275)
Marilith CR: 16
STR
18 +4
DEX
20 +5
CON
20 +5
INT
18 +4
WIS
16 +3
CHA
20 +5
Magic Resistance. The marilith has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The marilith's weapon attacks are magical.
Reactive. The marilith can take one reaction on every turn in a combat.
Actions
Multiattack. The marilith makes seven attacks: six with its longswords and one with its tail.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the marilith can automatically hit the target with its tail, and the marilith can't make tail attacks against other targets.
Teleport. The marilith magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
SRD (p.275)
Nalfeshnee CR: 13
STR
21 +5
DEX
10 +0
CON
22 +6
INT
19 +4
WIS
12 +1
CHA
15 +2
Magic Resistance. The nalfeshnee has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The nalfeshnee uses Horror Nimbus if it can. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 32 (5d10 + 5) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Horror Nimbus (Recharge 5–6). The nalfeshnee magically emits scintillating, multicolored light. Each creature within 15 feet of the nalfeshnee that can see the light must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened 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 nalfeshnee's Horror Nimbus for the next 24 hours.
Teleport. The nalfeshnee magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
SRD (p.276)
Quasit CR: 1
STR
5 -3
DEX
17 +3
CON
10 +0
INT
7 -2
WIS
10 +0
CHA
10 +0
Shapechanger. The quasit can use its action to polymorph into a beast form that resembles a bat (speed 10 ft. fly 40 ft.), a centipede (40 ft., climb 40 ft.), or a toad (40 ft., swim 40 ft.), or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form, except for the speed changes noted. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Magic Resistance. The quasit has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Claws (Bite in Beast Form). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (2d4) poison damage and become poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Scare (1/Day). One creature of the quasit's choice within 20 feet of it must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the quasit is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Invisibility. The quasit magically turns invisible until it attacks or uses Scare, or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the quasit wears or carries is invisible with it.
MM (p.64)
Shadow Demon CR: 4
STR
1 -5
DEX
17 +3
CON
12 +1
INT
14 +2
WIS
13 +1
CHA
14 +2
Incorporeal Movement. The demon can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. Light Sensitivity. While in bright light, the demon has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the demon can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) psychic damage or, if the demon had advantage on the attack roll, 17 (4d6 + 3) psychic damage.
SRD (p.276)
Vrock CR: 6
STR
17 +3
DEX
15 +2
CON
18 +4
INT
8 -1
WIS
13 +1
CHA
8 -1
Magic Resistance. The vrock has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The vrock makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its talons.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) slashing damage.
Spores (Recharge 6). A 15-foot-radius cloud of toxic spores extends out from the vrock. The spores spread around corners. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, a target takes 5 (1d10) poison damage at the start of each of its turns. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Emptying a vial of holy water on the target also ends the effect on it.
Stunning Screech (1/Day). The vrock emits a horrific screech. Each creature within 20 feet of it that can hear it and that isn't a demon must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the vrock's next turn.
SRD
Barbed Devil CR: 5
STR
16 +3
DEX
17 +3
CON
18 +4
INT
12 +1
WIS
14 +2
CHA
14 +2
Barbed Hide. At the start of each of its turns, the devil deals 5 (1d10) Piercing damage to any creature it is grappling or any creature grappling it. Diabolical Restoration. If the devil dies outside the Nine Hells, its body disappears in sulfurous smoke, and it gains a new body instantly, reviving with all its Hit Points somewhere in the Nine Hells. Magic Resistance. The devil has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The devil makes one Claws attack and one Tail attack, or it makes two Hurl Flame attacks. Claws. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) Piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 13) from both claws. Tail. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 10 ft. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) Slashing damage. Hurl Flame. Ranged Attack Roll: +5, range 150 ft. Hit: 17 (5d6) Fire damage. If the target is a flammable object that isn’t being worn or carried, it starts burning.
SRD
Bearded Devil CR: 3
STR
16 +3
DEX
15 +2
CON
15 +2
INT
9 -1
WIS
11 +0
CHA
11 +0
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the devil's darkvision. Magic Resistance. The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Steadfast. The devil can't be frightened while it can see an allied creature within 30 feet of it.
Actions
Multiattack. The devil makes two attacks: one with its beard and one with its glaive. Beard. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the target can't regain hit points. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Glaive. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead or a construct, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or lose 5 (1d10) hit points at the start of each of its turns due to an infernal wound. Each time the devil hits the wounded target with this attack, the damage dealt by the wound increases by 5 (1d10). Any creature can take an action to stanch the wound with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The wound also closes if the target receives magical healing.
SRD (p.278)
Bone Devil CR: 9
STR
18 +4
DEX
16 +3
CON
18 +4
INT
13 +1
WIS
14 +2
CHA
16 +3
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the devil's darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The devil makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its sting.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 17 (5d6) poison damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
SRD (p.278)
Chain Devil CR: 8
STR
18 +4
DEX
15 +2
CON
18 +4
INT
11 +0
WIS
12 +1
CHA
14 +2
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the devil's darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The devil makes two attacks with its chains.
Chain. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 14) if the devil isn't already grappling a creature. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and takes 7 (2d6) piercing damage at the start of each of its turns.
Animate Chains (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). Up to four chains the devil can see within 60 feet of it magically sprout razor-edged barbs and animate under the devil's control, provided that the chains aren't being worn or carried.
Reactions
Unnerving Mask. When a creature the devil can see starts its turn within 30 feet of the devil, the devil can create the illusion that it looks like one of the creature's departed loved ones or bitter enemies. If the creature can see the devil, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its turn.
SRD (p.279)
Erinyes CR: 12
STR
18 +4
DEX
16 +3
CON
18 +4
INT
14 +2
WIS
14 +2
CHA
18 +4
Hellish Weapons. The erinyes's weapon attacks are magical and deal an extra 13 (3d8) poison damage on a hit (included in the attacks).
Magic Resistance. The erinyes has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The erinyes makes three attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage, or 9 (1d10 + 4) slashing damage if used with two hands, plus 13 (3d8) poison damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 13 (3d8) poison damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. The poison lasts until it is removed by the Lesser Restoration spell or similar magic.
Reactions
Parry. The erinyes adds 4 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the erinyes must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.
SRD (p.279)
Horned Devil CR: 11
STR
22 +6
DEX
17 +3
CON
21 +5
INT
12 +1
WIS
16 +3
CHA
17 +3
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the devil's darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The devil has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The devil makes three melee attacks: two with its fork and one with its tail. It can use Hurl Flame in place of any melee attack.
Fork. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) piercing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 6) piercing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead or a construct, it must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or lose 10 (3d6) hit points at the start of each of its turns due to an infernal wound. Each time the devil hits the wounded target with this attack, the damage dealt by the wound increases by 10 (3d6). Any creature can take an action to stanch the wound with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The wound also closes if the target receives magical healing.
Hurl Flame. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 150 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) fire damage. If the target is a flammable object that isn't being worn or carried, it also catches fire.
SRD
Ice Devil CR: 14
STR
21 +5
DEX
14 +2
CON
18 +4
INT
18 +4
WIS
15 +2
CHA
18 +4
Diabolical Restoration. If the devil dies outside the Nine Hells, its body disappears in sulfurous smoke, and it gains a new body instantly, reviving with all its Hit Points somewhere in the Nine Hells. Magic Resistance. The devil has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The devil makes three Ice Spear attacks. It can replace one attack with a Tail attack. Ice Spear. Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +10, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) Piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) Cold damage. Until the end of its next turn, the target can’t take a Bonus Action or Reaction, its Speed decreases by 10 feet, and it can move or take one action on its turn, not both. Hit or Miss: The spear magically returns to the devil’s hand immediately after a ranged attack. Tail. Melee Attack Roll: +10, reach 10 ft. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) Bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) Cold damage. Ice Wall (Recharge 6). The devil casts Wall of Ice (level 8 version), requiring no spell components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17).
SRD (p.280)
Imp CR: 1
STR
6 -2
DEX
17 +3
CON
13 +1
INT
11 +0
WIS
12 +1
CHA
14 +2
Shapechanger. The imp can use its action to polymorph into a beast form that resembles a rat (speed 20 ft.), a raven (20 ft., fly 60 ft.), or a spider (20 ft., climb 20 ft.), or back into its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form, except for the speed changes noted. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the imp's darkvision.
Magic Resistance. The imp has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Sting (Bite in Beast Form). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Invisibility. The imp magically turns invisible until it attacks or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the imp wears or carries is invisible with it.
SRD (p.281)
Lemure
STR
10 +0
DEX
5 -3
CON
11 +0
INT
1 -5
WIS
11 +0
CHA
3 -4
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the lemure's darkvision.
Hellish Rejuvenation. A lemure that dies in the Nine Hells comes back to life with all its hit points in 1d10 days unless it is killed by a good-aligned creature with a bless spell cast on that creature or its remains are sprinkled with holy water.
Actions
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.
A lemure resembles a molten mass of flesh with a vaguely humanoid head and torso. A permanent expression of anguish twists across its face, its feeble mouth babbling even though it can’t speak.
SRD
Pit Fiend CR: 20
STR
26 +8
DEX
14 +2
CON
24 +7
INT
22 +6
WIS
18 +4
CHA
24 +7
Diabolical Restoration. If the pit fiend dies outside the Nine Hells, its body disappears in sulfurous smoke, and it gains a new body instantly, reviving with all its Hit Points somewhere in the Nine Hells. Fear Aura. The pit fiend emanates an aura in a 20-foot Emanation while it doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 21, any enemy that starts its turn in the aura. Failure: The target has the Frightened condition until the start of its next turn. Success: The target is immune to this pit fiend’s aura for 24 hours. Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If the pit fiend fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Magic Resistance. The pit fiend has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The pit fiend makes one Bite attack, two Devilish Claw attacks, and one Fiery Mace attack. Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 18 (3d6 + 8) Piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must make the following saving throw. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 21. Failure: The target has the Poisoned condition. While Poisoned, the target can’t regain Hit Points and takes 21 (6d6) Poison damage at the start of each of its turns, and it repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically. Devilish Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 26 (4d8 + 8) Necrotic damage. Fiery Mace. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 8) Force damage plus 21 (6d6) Fire damage. Hellfire Spellcasting (Recharge 4–6). The pit fiend casts Fireball (level 5 version) twice, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 21). It can replace one Fireball with Hold Monster (level 7 version) or Wall of Fire.
SRD
Plesiosaurus CR: 2
STR
18 +4
DEX
15 +2
CON
16 +3
INT
2 -4
WIS
12 +1
CHA
5 -3
Hold Breath. The plesiosaurus can hold its breath for 1 hour.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) piercing damage.
A plesiosaurus is a marine dinosaur whose compact body is driven by powerful flippers. Predatory and aggressive, it attacks any creature it encounters. Its flexible neck accounts for a third of its total length, letting it twist in any direction to deliver a powerful bite.
SRD (p.282)
Triceratops CR: 5
STR
22 +6
DEX
9 -1
CON
17 +3
INT
2 -4
WIS
11 +0
CHA
5 -3
Trampling Charge. If the triceratops moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the triceratops can make one stomp attack against it as a bonus action.
Actions
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (4d8 + 6) piercing damage.
Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one prone creature. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
One of the most aggressive of the herbivorous dinosaurs, a triceratops has a skull that flares out to form a protective plate of bone. With its great horns and formidable speed, a triceratops gores and tramples would-be predators to death.
Suggested Environments
Grassland
SRD (p.282)
Tyrannosaurus Rex CR: 8
STR
25 +7
DEX
10 +0
CON
19 +4
INT
2 -4
WIS
12 +1
CHA
9 -1
Actions
Multiattack. The tyrannosaurus makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its tail. It can't make both attacks against the same target.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 33 (4d12 + 7) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 17). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the tyrannosaurus can't bite another target.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
This enormous predator terrorizes all other creatures in its territory. Despite its size and weight, a tyrannosaurus is a swift runner. It chases anything it thinks it can eat, and there are few creatures it won’t try to devour whole. While prowling for substantial prey, a tyrannosaurus subsists on carrion, and on any smaller creatures that try to dart in to steal its meal.
Suggested Environments
Grassland
SRD (p.283)
Ancient Black Dragon CR: 21
STR
27 +8
DEX
14 +2
CON
25 +7
INT
16 +3
WIS
15 +2
CHA
19 +4
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) acid damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales acid in a 90-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 67 (15d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Pools of water that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it surge outward in a grasping tide. Any creature on the ground within 20 feet of such a pool must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet into the water and knocked prone.
- A cloud of swarming insects fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon chooses within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners and remains until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The cloud is lightly obscured. Any creature in the cloud when it appears must make on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d10) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that ends its turn in the cloud takes 10 (3d10) piercing damage.
- Magical darkness spreads from a point the dragon chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. If any of the effect’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled.
- Filth Burst. The dragon chooses a point on the ground it can see within 120 feet of it. A 20-foot-radius, 20-foot-high cylinder of watery filth centered on that point erupts from the ground until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature in the cylinder when it appears or that ends its turn there must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The cylinder is difficult terrain.
- Grasping Muck. Tendrils of roiling muck extend from the dragon’s lair to grasp up to three creatures of the dragon’s choice that it can see within the lair. A targeted creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Noxious Gas. A bubble of swamp gas erupts in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within its lair. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Black dragons dwell in swamps on the frayed edges of civilization. A black dragon’s lair is a dismal cave, grotto, or ruin that is at least partially flooded, providing pools where the dragon rests, and where its victims can ferment. The lair is littered with the acid-pitted bones of previous victims and the fly-ridden carcasses of fresh kills, watched over by crumbling statues. Centipedes, scorpions, and snakes infest the lair, which is filled with the stench of death and decay. Black dragons prefer to lair in swamps and jungles—the more dismal and fetid, the better. Within those environs, they favor ruins for their defensibility and dreary aesthetic. When choosing their lairs, black dragons are fond of locations that are naturally constraining and confounding. Whether adventurers seeking the dragon must wind their way through the roots of an ancient mangrove swamp or brave a trap-filled boggy ruin, the experience promises to be a deadly affair. Some potential black dragon lair features are as follows:
- Swampy Lake. Abutting the chapel is a swampy lake where the dragon sleeps. The foul water stinks of dead fish and rot, while the dense foliage and scraggly trees along the shoreline writhe with scuttling, slithering fauna. A thick blanket of fog—part of the dragon’s corrupting influence—adds a claustrophobic feel to the lair.
- Chapel Floor. Columns of clammy stone jut like ribs from the chapel’s exposed floor, as if in mockery of the sanctity of this once-holy place.
- Underground. Twin staircases in the main hall descend to a partially flooded crypt. Five trapped stone sarcophagi rise above the waterline, their lids depicting armored warriors whose faces have been scoured away by acid. Each sarcophagus holds a few coins and shiny baubles mixed with junk that appears to be treasure at first glance. In the tower basement, a fully submerged tunnel leads to the lake where the dragon sleeps.
- Chapel Tower. A swollen oak door, flanked by worn carvings of noble warriors, opens into the dank stone tower, which stands empty except for a chipped staircase that climbs to a second floor and then ends in midair before reaching the crumbling third level. Mold-covered friezes of knights kneeling before angelic beings line the stairwell.
- Tower Top. The dragon’s true hoard is kept safely at the top of the crumbling tower, where the dragon enjoys perching and staring out into the gloom. Intruders who can’t fly must scale the sheer, slimy walls of the tower (either from outside or from the interior of the second floor), braving whatever traps might be in store if they hope to claim the dragon’s real treasures.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary black dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- The land within 6 miles of the lair takes twice as long as normal to traverse, since the plants grow thick and twisted, and the swamps are thick with reeking mud.
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled. Enemies of the dragon that drink such water regurgitate it within minutes.
- Fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the lair.
- Ennui. Creatures that spend a year within 10 miles of the dragon’s lair are filled with listless despair.
- Grating Spies. Trilling, obnoxious birds, bugs, and reptiles follow any Humanoid creatures unknown to the dragon within 6 miles of the lair, imposing disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. The dragon can suppress this effect at will.
- Rotting Domain. Stinging bugs are aggressive and the air is heavy with the odor of rot within 6 miles of the lair.
Suggested Environments
Swamp
SRD (p.284)
Adult Black Dragon CR: 14
STR
23 +6
DEX
14 +2
CON
21 +5
INT
14 +2
WIS
13 +1
CHA
17 +3
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) acid damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales acid in a 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Pools of water that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it surge outward in a grasping tide. Any creature on the ground within 20 feet of such a pool must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet into the water and knocked prone.
- A cloud of swarming insects fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon chooses within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners and remains until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The cloud is lightly obscured. Any creature in the cloud when it appears must make on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that ends its turn in the cloud takes 10 (3d6) piercing damage.
- Magical darkness spreads from a point the dragon chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. If any of the effect’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled.
- Filth Burst. The dragon chooses a point on the ground it can see within 120 feet of it. A 20-foot-radius, 20-foot-high cylinder of watery filth centered on that point erupts from the ground until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature in the cylinder when it appears or that ends its turn there must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The cylinder is difficult terrain.
- Grasping Muck. Tendrils of roiling muck extend from the dragon’s lair to grasp up to three creatures of the dragon’s choice that it can see within the lair. A targeted creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Noxious Gas. A bubble of swamp gas erupts in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within its lair. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Black dragons dwell in swamps on the frayed edges of civilization. A black dragon’s lair is a dismal cave, grotto, or ruin that is at least partially flooded, providing pools where the dragon rests, and where its victims can ferment. The lair is littered with the acid-pitted bones of previous victims and the fly-ridden carcasses of fresh kills, watched over by crumbling statues. Centipedes, scorpions, and snakes infest the lair, which is filled with the stench of death and decay. Black dragons prefer to lair in swamps and jungles—the more dismal and fetid, the better. Within those environs, they favor ruins for their defensibility and dreary aesthetic. When choosing their lairs, black dragons are fond of locations that are naturally constraining and confounding. Whether adventurers seeking the dragon must wind their way through the roots of an ancient mangrove swamp or brave a trap-filled boggy ruin, the experience promises to be a deadly affair. Some possible black dragon lair features are as follows:
- Swampy Lake. Abutting the chapel is a swampy lake where the dragon sleeps. The foul water stinks of dead fish and rot, while the dense foliage and scraggly trees along the shoreline writhe with scuttling, slithering fauna. A thick blanket of fog—part of the dragon’s corrupting influence—adds a claustrophobic feel to the lair.
- Chapel Floor. Columns of clammy stone jut like ribs from the chapel’s exposed floor, as if in mockery of the sanctity of this once-holy place.
- Underground. Twin staircases in the main hall descend to a partially flooded crypt. Five trapped stone sarcophagi rise above the waterline, their lids depicting armored warriors whose faces have been scoured away by acid. Each sarcophagus holds a few coins and shiny baubles mixed with junk that appears to be treasure at first glance. In the tower basement, a fully submerged tunnel leads to the lake where the dragon sleeps.
- Chapel Tower. A swollen oak door, flanked by worn carvings of noble warriors, opens into the dank stone tower, which stands empty except for a chipped staircase that climbs to a second floor and then ends in midair before reaching the crumbling third level. Mold-covered friezes of knights kneeling before angelic beings line the stairwell.
- Tower Top. The dragon’s true hoard is kept safely at the top of the crumbling tower, where the dragon enjoys perching and staring out into the gloom. Intruders who can’t fly must scale the sheer, slimy walls of the tower (either from outside or from the interior of the second floor), braving whatever traps might be in store if they hope to claim the dragon’s real treasures.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary black dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- The land within 6 miles of the lair takes twice as long as normal to traverse, since the plants grow thick and twisted, and the swamps are thick with reeking mud.
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled. Enemies of the dragon that drink such water regurgitate it within minutes.
- Fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the lair.
- Ennui. Creatures that spend a year within 10 miles of the dragon’s lair are filled with listless despair.
- Grating Spies. Trilling, obnoxious birds, bugs, and reptiles follow any Humanoid creatures unknown to the dragon within 6 miles of the lair, imposing disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. The dragon can suppress this effect at will.
- Rotting Domain. Stinging bugs are aggressive and the air is heavy with the odor of rot within 6 miles of the lair.
Suggested Environments
Swamp
SRD (p.284)
Young Black Dragon CR: 7
STR
19 +4
DEX
14 +2
CON
17 +3
INT
12 +1
WIS
11 +0
CHA
15 +2
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) acid damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales acid in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 49 (11d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.285)
Black Dragon Wyrmling CR: 2
STR
15 +2
DEX
14 +2
CON
13 +1
INT
10 +0
WIS
11 +0
CHA
13 +1
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) acid damage. Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales acid in a 15-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.285)
Ancient Blue Dragon CR: 23
STR
29 +9
DEX
10 +0
CON
27 +8
INT
18 +4
WIS
17 +3
CHA
21 +5
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) piercing damage plus 11 (2d10) lightning damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d6 + 9) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d8 + 9) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Lightning Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales lightning in a 120-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 88 (16d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 16 (2d6 + 9) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Part of the ceiling collapses above one creature that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone and buried. The buried target is restrained and unable to breathe or stand up. A creature can take an action to make a DC 10 Strength check, ending the buried state on a success.
- A cloud of sand swirls about in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners. Each creature in the cloud must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded 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.
- Lightning arcs, forming a 5-foot-wide line between two of the lair’s solid surfaces that the dragon can see. They must be within 120 feet of the dragon and 120 feet of each other. Each creature in that line must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) lightning damage.
- Misleading Mirage. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, at each intersection or branching passage in the lair, a creature other than the dragon has a 50 percent chance of going in a different direction from the direction it intends.
- Sudden Sinkhole. The dragon chooses a point on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. A 5-foot-radius, 20-foot-deep pit forms centered on that point. A creature on the ground above where the pit formed must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature falls to the bottom of the pit, taking 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. On a successful save, a creature moves to the nearest unoccupied space instead of falling in the pit.
Blue dragons make their lairs in barren places, using their lightning breath and their burrowing ability to carve out crystallized caverns and tunnels beneath the sands. Thunderstorms rage around a legendary blue dragon’s lair, and narrow tubes lined with glassy sand ventilate the lair, all the while avoiding the deadly sinkholes that are the dragon’s first line of defense. A blue dragon will collapse the caverns that make up its lair if that lair is invaded. The dragon then burrows out, leaving its attackers to be crushed and suffocated. When it returns later, it collects its possessions — along with the wealth of the dead intruders. Blue dragons make their lairs in deserts and other arid landscapes. They prefer warm climates, but if an otherwise ideal potential lair presents itself in a cold environment, they find ways to adapt. Instead of seeking out lofty domiciles, blue dragons build their lairs underground, burrowing beneath sand or using magic to hew rock into an intricate warren of rooms and tunnels that can be expanded to accommodate a growing family. Still, they appreciate the tactical advantages of height and usually create their lairs near a spire or cliff from which they can keep watch over their territory. Though most blue dragons would be loath to the use the term themselves, their lairs are often surprisingly homey. They favor lairs that balance beauty and comfort and adorn them in soothing shades of blue, purple, and green. Some potential blue dragon lair features are as follows:
- The walls of the lair are crystallized glass formed by the dragon’s lightning breath. Most of its floors are loosely packed sand, with patches of rough stone showing through in some areas. The dragon has constructed a system of mirrors to bring in sunlight from chambers open to the sky, a system that not only brightly lights the interior but also heats the sand to a comfortable basking temperature.
- Entrance Chamber. An open central cavern is the lair’s primary entrance. The glass walls rise 30 feet to the surface and are fused with carved stone pillars and partial walls from the ancient city. A narrow, jagged piece of granite juts out horizontally from the wall near the top of the chamber, providing a perch from which the dragon can survey the cavern. The sand covering the floor of the chamber sometimes ripples or swirls ominously, perhaps in response to unpredictable desert winds, the dragon’s magic, or some creature lurking beneath the sand.
- Hoard Display. Just off the entrance chamber (toward the left side of the map), a smaller cavern with a worked stone floor contains the dragon’s artfully arranged hoard. The glass walls of this chamber are studded with blue gems, and narrow light wells let in sunlight that bathes the room in dappled blue light. The ancient stone tiles on the floor contain lightning-charged traps to blast intruders.
- Dragon’s Den. The dragon sleeps in a large chamber in the bottom right of the map. The den is a well-preserved remnant of the ancient city; this gracious, elegant space is hung with silk curtains in shades of blue and purple, and its worked-stone floor is covered with plush, patterned rugs in complementary hues. It features a bejeweled and cushioned dais on which the dragon often reclines.
- Private Entrance. Just above and to the right of the den is a small chamber open to the sky that the dragon uses as a private entrance to the lair. A secret door prevents unwitting creatures from wandering directly into the den.
- Treasury. At the left end of the den, a door set under a blue-tiled arch leads to a smaller room where the dragon keeps relics that are too precious for the main hoard or that don’t match the hoard’s overall aesthetic.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary blue dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Thunderstorms rage within 6 miles of the lair.
- Dust devils scour the land within 6 miles of the lair. A dust devil has the statistics of an air elemental, but it can’t fly, has a speed of 50 feet, and has an Intelligence and Charisma of 1 (−5).
- Hidden sinkholes form in and around the dragon’s lair. A sinkhole can be spotted from a safe distance with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. Otherwise, the first creature to step on the thin crust covering the sinkhole must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall 1d6 × 10 feet into the sinkhole.
- Blue Luster. Creatures that spend a year within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair find blue objects fascinating and feel compelled to acquire them at every opportunity.
Suggested Environments
Coastal, Desert
SRD (p.286)
Adult Blue Dragon CR: 16
STR
25 +7
DEX
10 +0
CON
23 +6
INT
16 +3
WIS
15 +2
CHA
19 +4
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d10 + 7) piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) lightning damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Lightning Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales lightning in a 90-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (2d6 + 7) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Part of the ceiling collapses above one creature that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone and buried. The buried target is restrained and unable to breathe or stand up. A creature can take an action to make a DC 10 Strength check, ending the buried state on a success.
- A cloud of sand swirls about in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners. Each creature in the cloud must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded 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.
- Lightning arcs, forming a 5-foot-wide line between two of the lair’s solid surfaces that the dragon can see. They must be within 120 feet of the dragon and 120 feet of each other. Each creature in that line must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) lightning damage.
- Misleading Mirage. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, at each intersection or branching passage in the lair, a creature other than the dragon has a 50 percent chance of going in a different direction from the direction it intends.
- Sudden Sinkhole. The dragon chooses a point on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. A 5-foot-radius, 20-foot-deep pit forms centered on that point. A creature on the ground above where the pit formed must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature falls to the bottom of the pit, taking 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. On a successful save, a creature moves to the nearest unoccupied space instead of falling in the pit.
Blue dragons make their lairs in barren places, using their lightning breath and their burrowing ability to carve out crystallized caverns and tunnels beneath the sands. Thunderstorms rage around a legendary blue dragon’s lair, and narrow tubes lined with glassy sand ventilate the lair, all the while avoiding the deadly sinkholes that are the dragon’s first line of defense. A blue dragon will collapse the caverns that make up its lair if that lair is invaded. The dragon then burrows out, leaving its attackers to be crushed and suffocated. When it returns later, it collects its possessions — along with the wealth of the dead intruders. Blue dragons make their lairs in deserts and other arid landscapes. They prefer warm climates, but if an otherwise ideal potential lair presents itself in a cold environment, they find ways to adapt. Instead of seeking out lofty domiciles, blue dragons build their lairs underground, burrowing beneath sand or using magic to hew rock into an intricate warren of rooms and tunnels that can be expanded to accommodate a growing family. Still, they appreciate the tactical advantages of height and usually create their lairs near a spire or cliff from which they can keep watch over their territory. Though most blue dragons would be loath to the use the term themselves, their lairs are often surprisingly homey. They favor lairs that balance beauty and comfort and adorn them in soothing shades of blue, purple, and green. Some potential blue dragon lair features are as follows:
- The walls of the lair are crystallized glass formed by the dragon’s lightning breath. Most of its floors are loosely packed sand, with patches of rough stone showing through in some areas. The dragon has constructed a system of mirrors to bring in sunlight from chambers open to the sky, a system that not only brightly lights the interior but also heats the sand to a comfortable basking temperature.
- Entrance Chamber. An open central cavern is the lair’s primary entrance. The glass walls rise 30 feet to the surface and are fused with carved stone pillars and partial walls from the ancient city. A narrow, jagged piece of granite juts out horizontally from the wall near the top of the chamber, providing a perch from which the dragon can survey the cavern. The sand covering the floor of the chamber sometimes ripples or swirls ominously, perhaps in response to unpredictable desert winds, the dragon’s magic, or some creature lurking beneath the sand.
- Hoard Display. Just off the entrance chamber (toward the left side of the map), a smaller cavern with a worked stone floor contains the dragon’s artfully arranged hoard. The glass walls of this chamber are studded with blue gems, and narrow light wells let in sunlight that bathes the room in dappled blue light. The ancient stone tiles on the floor contain lightning-charged traps to blast intruders.
- Dragon’s Den. The dragon sleeps in a large chamber in the bottom right of the map. The den is a well-preserved remnant of the ancient city; this gracious, elegant space is hung with silk curtains in shades of blue and purple, and its worked-stone floor is covered with plush, patterned rugs in complementary hues. It features a bejeweled and cushioned dais on which the dragon often reclines.
- Private Entrance. Just above and to the right of the den is a small chamber open to the sky that the dragon uses as a private entrance to the lair. A secret door prevents unwitting creatures from wandering directly into the den.
- Treasury. At the left end of the den, a door set under a blue-tiled arch leads to a smaller room where the dragon keeps relics that are too precious for the main hoard or that don’t match the hoard’s overall aesthetic.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary blue dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Thunderstorms rage within 6 miles of the lair.
- Dust devils scour the land within 6 miles of the lair. A dust devil has the statistics of an air elemental, but it can’t fly, has a speed of 50 feet, and has an Intelligence and Charisma of 1 (−5).
- Hidden sinkholes form in and around the dragon’s lair. A sinkhole can be spotted from a safe distance with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. Otherwise, the first creature to step on the thin crust covering the sinkhole must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall 1d6× 10 feet into the sinkhole. If the dragon dies, the dust devils disappear immediately, and the thunderstorms abate within 1d10 days. Any sinkholes remain where they are. Some possible additional regional effects are as follows:
- Blue Luster. Creatures that spend a year within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair find blue objects fascinating and feel compelled to acquire them at every opportunity.
- Mirage Terrain. The area immediately surrounding the lair appears to be a lush oasis. A creature carefully examining the illusion can attempt a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to disbelieve it. A creature who disbelieves the illusion sees it as a vague image superimposed on the underlying terrain.
- Sandstorm. A sandstorm blows constantly within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair.
Suggested Environments
Coastal, Desert
SRD (p.286)
Young Blue Dragon CR: 9
STR
21 +5
DEX
10 +0
CON
19 +4
INT
14 +2
WIS
13 +1
CHA
17 +3
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) lightning damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage. Lightning Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales lightning in an 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 55 (10d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.287)
Blue Dragon Wyrmling CR: 3
STR
17 +3
DEX
10 +0
CON
15 +2
INT
12 +1
WIS
11 +0
CHA
15 +2
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) lightning damage. Lightning Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales lightning in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.287)
Ancient Green Dragon CR: 22
STR
27 +8
DEX
12 +1
CON
25 +7
INT
20 +5
WIS
17 +3
CHA
19 +4
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 8) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Poison Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales poisonous gas in a 90--foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 77 (22d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Grasping roots and vines erupt in a 20-foot radius centered on a point on the ground that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. That area becomes difficult terrain, and each creature there must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by the roots and vines. A creature can be freed if it or another creature takes an action to make a DC 15 Strength check and succeeds. The roots and vines wilt away when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- A wall of tangled brush bristling with thorns springs into existence on a solid surface within 120 feet of the dragon. The wall is up to 60 feet long, 10 feet high, and 5 feet thick, and it blocks line of sight. When the wall appears, each creature in its area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature that fails the save takes 18 (4d8) piercing damage and is pushed 5 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. A creature can move through the wall, albeit slowly and painfully. For every 1 foot a creature travels through the wall, it must spend 4 feet of movement. Furthermore, a creature in the wall’s space must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw once each round it’s in contact with the wall, taking 18 (4d8) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Each 10-foot section of wall has AC 5, 15 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, resistance to bludgeoning and piercing damage, and immunity to psychic damage. The wall sinks back into the ground when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- Magical fog billows around one creature the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Creeper Vines. The dragon can use the vines and roots within its lair to animate up to three Humanoid corpses, which become zombies (see their entry in the Monster Manual). The zombies take their turn immediately after this lair action. Each one reverts to an inanimate corpse after 1 minute, when the dragon uses this lair action again, or when the zombie is destroyed.
- Lashing Root. One large root or branch that is part of the lair makes a melee attack roll against a creature within 10 feet of it. It has a +7 bonus to hit and deals 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage on a hit. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
The forest-loving green dragons sometimes compete for territory with black dragons in marshy woods and with white dragons in subarctic taiga. However, a forest controlled by a green dragon is easy to spot. A perpetual fog hangs in the air in a legendary green dragon’s wood, carrying an acrid whiff of the creature’s poison breath. The moss-covered trees grow close together except where winding pathways trace their way like a maze into the heart of the forest. The light that reaches the forest floor carries an emerald green cast, and every sound seems muffled. At the center of its forest, a green dragon chooses a cave in a sheer cliff or hillside for its lair, preferring an entrance hidden from prying eyes. Some seek out cave mouths concealed behind waterfalls, or partly submerged caverns that can be accessed through lakes or streams. Others conceal the entrances to their lairs with vegetation. Green dragons prefer making their lairs in verdant places—jungles, bayous, pine forests, or anywhere with abundant vegetation that they can shape according to their desires. An older green dragon might indulge in horticulture, cultivating the local flora as befits their individual aesthetic. However, most green dragons are content to either excavate beneath trees and nestle among the roots or make lairs inside trees large enough to be hollowed out without compromising their structure. Green dragons take great interest in woodland settlements when seeking lair sites. Though they are fully capable of modifying forests to their own liking, they find it easier and vastly more entertaining to take something belonging to smaller and weaker beings. Some potential green dragon lair features are as follows:
- Underground. The hollow center of the tree gives access to the dragon’s lair below, nestled among the banyan’s sprawling roots. Three tunnels branch off from the vertical shaft at different levels—none of them at the very bottom. This means a creature that falls to the bottom must find a way to ascend at least as far as the lowest tunnel.
- Hoard Chamber. All three passages eventually converge in the large chamber at the right side of the map, where most of the dragon’s hoard is kept.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary green dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Thickets form labyrinthine passages within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. The thickets act as 10-foot-high, 10-foot-thick walls that block line of sight. Creatures can move through the thickets, with every 1 foot a creature moves costing it 4 feet of movement. A creature in the thickets must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw once each round it’s in contact with the thickets or take 3 (1d6) piercing damage from thorns. Each 10-foot-cube of thickets has AC 5, 30 hit points, resistance to bludgeoning and piercing damage, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to psychic and thunder damage.
- Within 1 mile of its lair, the dragon leaves no physical evidence of its passage unless it wishes to. Tracking it there is impossible except by magical means. In addition, it ignores movement impediments and damage from plants in this area that are neither magical nor creatures, including the thickets described above. The plants remove themselves from the dragon’s path.
- Rodents and birds within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair serve as the dragon’s eyes and ears. Deer and other large game are strangely absent, hinting at the presence of an unnaturally hungry predator.
- Inviting Whispers. Whispers rustle in the foliage within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. The words are indistinct, but a creature with an Intelligence score of 5 or higher interprets them as an invitation to move deeper into the greenery.
- Twisted Messengers. The dragon can cause any Tiny Beast within 1 mile of its lair to act as its mouthpiece. The effect is horrendous, as the creature’s throat and mouth temporarily warp into a twisted version of the dragon’s own in order to allow the dragon’s voice to issue forth.
Suggested Environments
Forest
SRD (p.288)
Adult Green Dragon CR: 15
STR
23 +6
DEX
12 +1
CON
21 +5
INT
18 +4
WIS
15 +2
CHA
17 +3
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Poison Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales poisonous gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Grasping roots and vines erupt in a 20-foot radius centered on a point on the ground that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. That area becomes difficult terrain, and each creature there must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by the roots and vines. A creature can be freed if it or another creature takes an action to make a DC 15 Strength check and succeeds. The roots and vines wilt away when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- A wall of tangled brush bristling with thorns springs into existence on a solid surface within 120 feet of the dragon. The wall is up to 60 feet long, 10 feet high, and 5 feet thick, and it blocks line of sight. When the wall appears, each creature in its area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature that fails the save takes 18 (4d8) piercing damage and is pushed 5 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. A creature can move through the wall, albeit slowly and painfully. For every 1 foot a creature travels through the wall, it must spend 4 feet of movement. Furthermore, a creature in the wall’s space must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw once each round it’s in contact with the wall, taking 18 (4d8) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Each 10-foot section of wall has AC 5, 15 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, resistance to bludgeoning and piercing damage, and immunity to psychic damage. The wall sinks back into the ground when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- Magical fog billows around one creature the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Creeper Vines. The dragon can use the vines and roots within its lair to animate up to three Humanoid corpses, which become zombies (see their entry in the Monster Manual). The zombies take their turn immediately after this lair action. Each one reverts to an inanimate corpse after 1 minute, when the dragon uses this lair action again, or when the zombie is destroyed.
- Lashing Root. One large root or branch that is part of the lair makes a melee attack roll against a creature within 10 feet of it. It has a +7 bonus to hit and deals 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage on a hit. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
At the center of its forest, a green dragon chooses a cave in a sheer cliff or hillside for its lair, preferring an entrance hidden from prying eyes. Some seek out cave mouths concealed behind waterfalls, or partly submerged caverns that can be accessed through lakes or streams. Others conceal the entrances to their lairs with vegetation. Green dragons prefer making their lairs in verdant places—jungles, bayous, pine forests, or anywhere with abundant vegetation that they can shape according to their desires. An older green dragon might indulge in horticulture, cultivating the local flora as befits their individual aesthetic. However, most green dragons are content to either excavate beneath trees and nestle among the roots or make lairs inside trees large enough to be hollowed out without compromising their structure. Green dragons take great interest in woodland settlements when seeking lair sites. Though they are fully capable of modifying forests to their own liking, they find it easier and vastly more entertaining to take something belonging to smaller and weaker beings. Some possible green dragon lair features are as follows:
- Canopy. The green dragon has teased the banyan’s sprawling canopy into a bowl-like shape within which the dragon can comfortably lounge. Threaded through the branches are bones from the dragon’s meals—some messily clustered among the leaves, and others deliberately arranged to create macabre dioramas for the dragon’s amusement. Such grisly scenes can also be seen scattered throughout the lair as reminders of the dragon’s power, and as distractions and warnings for would-be interlopers.
- Underground. The hollow center of the tree gives access to the dragon’s lair below, nestled among the banyan’s sprawling roots. Three tunnels branch off from the vertical shaft at different levels—none of them at the very bottom. This means a creature that falls to the bottom must find a way to ascend at least as far as the lowest tunnel.
- Hoard Chamber. All three passages eventually converge in the large chamber at the right side of the map, where most of the dragon’s hoard is kept.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary green dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
-
iThickets form labyrinthine passages within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. The thickets act as 10-foot-high, 10-foot-thick walls that block line of sight. Creatures can move through the thickets, with every 1 foot a creature moves costing it 4 feet of movement. A creature in the thickets must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw once each round it’s in contact with the thickets or take 3 (1d6) piercing damage from thorns.
- Each 10-foot-cube of thickets has AC 5, 30 hit points, resistance to bludgeoning and piercing damage, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to psychic and thunder damage.
- Within 1 mile of its lair, the dragon leaves no physical evidence of its passage unless it wishes to. Tracking it there is impossible except by magical means. In addition, it ignores movement impediments and damage from plants in this area that are neither magical nor creatures, including the thickets described above. The plants remove themselves from the dragon’s path.
- Rodents and birds within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair serve as the dragon’s eyes and ears. Deer and other large game are strangely absent, hinting at the presence of an unnaturally hungry predator.
- Inviting Whispers. Whispers rustle in the foliage within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. The words are indistinct, but a creature with an Intelligence score of 5 or higher interprets them as an invitation to move deeper into the greenery.
- Twisted Messengers. The dragon can cause any Tiny Beast within 1 mile of its lair to act as its mouthpiece. The effect is horrendous, as the creature’s throat and mouth temporarily warp into a twisted version of the dragon’s own in order to allow the dragon’s voice to issue forth.
The forest-loving green dragons sometimes compete for territory with black dragons in marshy woods and with white dragons in subarctic taiga. However, a forest controlled by a green dragon is easy to spot. A perpetual fog hangs in the air in a legendary green dragon’s wood, carrying an acrid whiff of the creature’s poison breath. The moss-covered trees grow close together except where winding pathways trace their way like a maze into the heart of the forest. The light that reaches the forest floor carries an emerald green cast, and every sound seems muffled.
The most cunning and treacherous of true dragons, green dragons use misdirection and trickery to get the upper hand against their enemies. Nasty tempered and thoroughly evil, they take special pleasure in subverting and corrupting the good-hearted. In the ancient forests they roam, green dragons demonstrate an aggression that is often less about territory than it is about gaining power and wealth with as little effort as possible.
Suggested Environments
Forest
SRD (p.288)
Young Green Dragon CR: 8
STR
19 +4
DEX
12 +1
CON
17 +3
INT
16 +3
WIS
13 +1
CHA
15 +2
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. Poison Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales poisonous gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.289)
Green Dragon Wyrmling CR: 2
STR
15 +2
DEX
12 +1
CON
13 +1
INT
14 +2
WIS
11 +0
CHA
13 +1
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) poison damage. Poison Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales poisonous gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.289)
Ancient Red Dragon CR: 24
STR
30 +10
DEX
10 +0
CON
29 +9
INT
18 +4
WIS
15 +2
CHA
23 +6
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) fire damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d6 + 10) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw, taking 91 (26d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Magma erupts from a point on the ground the dragon can see within 120 feet of it, creating a 20-foot-high, 5-foot-radius geyser. Each creature in the geyser’s area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- A tremor shakes the lair in a 60-foot radius around the dragon. Each creature other than the dragon on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Volcanic gases form a cloud in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is incapacitated.
- Noxious Smoke. A cloud of thick, dark smoke fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. A creature other than the dragon that starts its turn in the cloud or enters it for the first time on its turn must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. The cloud lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Searing Heat. Searing heat spreads out in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. Any creature that enters the affected area or starts its turn there must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The heat lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Red dragons lair in high mountains or hills, dwelling in caverns under snow-capped peaks, or within the deep halls of abandoned mines and dwarven strongholds. Caves with volcanic or geothermal activity are the most highly prized red dragon lairs, creating hazards that hinder intruders and letting searing heat and volcanic gases wash over a dragon as it sleeps. With its hoard well protected deep within the lair, a red dragon spends as much of its time outside the mountain as in it. For a red dragon, the great heights of the world are the throne from which it can look out to survey all it controls—and the wider world it seeks to control. Throughout the lair complex, servants erect monuments to the dragon’s power, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Red dragons lair in mountain badlands and high, isolated peaks and hills, preferring warm caverns in the rocky depths beneath those landscapes. Lairs with natural geothermal or lava vents are highly sought after, as these features create an environment ideally suited to the dragons’ taste. Minions often attend red dragons in their lairs. These servants keep the place swept clean of refuse and watch out for intruders, while providing the imperious dragon with subjects to bully and command. Some minions worship the dragon and serve willingly, but others would escape if they could. Some potential red dragon lair features are as follows:
- Caldera. The steep sides of the caldera drop away from the edge of the cone, making a 60-foot descent to the lava below. The rough rock of the caldera is not overly difficult to climb, but the area grows increasingly hot as creatures descend.
- Pillared Hall. The dragon sleeps in the large hall on the left edge of the map, where a row of crumbling pillars supports the ceiling and a narrow channel of lava keeps the hall hot.
- Hoard. A side tunnel off the pillared hall descends 30 feet down a steep lava tube to a ledge above a pool of magma. Here the dragon has piled a hoard that gleams in the dull red light.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary red dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Small earthquakes are common within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally warm and tainted by sulfur.
- Rocky fissures within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair form portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire, allowing creatures of elemental fire into the world to dwell nearby.
- Desertification. Precipitation is almost nonexistent within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, making the land parched and arid and most plant life withered and brown.
- Fiery Senses. The dragon can hear up to 30 feet through any open flame within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair.
- Ominous Flames. Open flames within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair are tinged dark red, hiss and crackle constantly, and throw off embers and showers of sparks.
Suggested Environments
Hill, Mountain
SRD (p.290)
Adult Red Dragon CR: 17
STR
27 +8
DEX
10 +0
CON
25 +7
INT
16 +3
WIS
13 +1
CHA
21 +5
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) fire damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 63 (18d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Magma erupts from a point on the ground the dragon can see within 120 feet of it, creating a 20-foot-high, 5-foot-radius geyser. Each creature in the geyser’s area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- A tremor shakes the lair in a 60-foot radius around the dragon. Each creature other than the dragon on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
- Volcanic gases form a cloud in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is incapacitated.
- Noxious Smoke. A cloud of thick, dark smoke fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. A creature other than the dragon that starts its turn in the cloud or enters it for the first time on its turn must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. The cloud lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Searing Heat. Searing heat spreads out in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. Any creature that enters the affected area or starts its turn there must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The heat lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Red dragons lair in high mountains or hills, dwelling in caverns under snow-capped peaks, or within the deep halls of abandoned mines and dwarven strongholds. Caves with volcanic or geothermal activity are the most highly prized red dragon lairs, creating hazards that hinder intruders and letting searing heat and volcanic gases wash over a dragon as it sleeps. With its hoard well protected deep within the lair, a red dragon spends as much of its time outside the mountain as in it. For a red dragon, the great heights of the world are the throne from which it can look out to survey all it controls—and the wider world it seeks to control. Throughout the lair complex, servants erect monuments to the dragon’s power, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Red dragons lair in mountain badlands and high, isolated peaks and hills, preferring warm caverns in the rocky depths beneath those landscapes. Lairs with natural geothermal or lava vents are highly sought after, as these features create an environment ideally suited to the dragons’ taste. Minions often attend red dragons in their lairs. These servants keep the place swept clean of refuse and watch out for intruders, while providing the imperious dragon with subjects to bully and command. Some minions worship the dragon and serve willingly, but others would escape if they could. Some potential red dragon lair features are as follows:
- Caldera. The steep sides of the caldera drop away from the edge of the cone, making a 60-foot descent to the lava below. The rough rock of the caldera is not overly difficult to climb, but the area grows increasingly hot as creatures descend.
- Pillared Hall. The dragon sleeps in the large hall on the left edge of the map, where a row of crumbling pillars supports the ceiling and a narrow channel of lava keeps the hall hot.
- Hoard. A side tunnel off the pillared hall descends 30 feet down a steep lava tube to a ledge above a pool of magma. Here the dragon has piled a hoard that gleams in the dull red light.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary red dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Small earthquakes are common within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally warm and tainted by sulfur.
- Rocky fissures within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair form portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire, allowing creatures of elemental fire into the world to dwell nearby.
- Desertification. Precipitation is almost nonexistent within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, making the land parched and arid and most plant life withered and brown.
- Fiery Senses. The dragon can hear up to 30 feet through any open flame within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair.
- Ominous Flames. Open flames within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair are tinged dark red, hiss and crackle constantly, and throw off embers and showers of sparks.
Suggested Environments
Hill, Mountain
SRD (p.291)
Young Red Dragon CR: 10
STR
23 +6
DEX
10 +0
CON
21 +5
INT
14 +2
WIS
11 +0
CHA
19 +4
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage. Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.291)
Red Dragon Wyrmling CR: 4
STR
19 +4
DEX
10 +0
CON
17 +3
INT
12 +1
WIS
11 +0
CHA
15 +2
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage. Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.291)
Ancient White Dragon CR: 20
STR
26 +8
DEX
10 +0
CON
26 +8
INT
10 +0
WIS
13 +1
CHA
14 +2
Ice Walk. The dragon can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra movement. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 72 (16d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Freezing fog fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The fog spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. Each creature in the fog when it appears must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that ends its turn in the fog takes 10 (3d6) cold damage. A wind of at least 20 miles per hour disperses the fog. The fog otherwise lasts until the dragon uses this lair action again or until the dragon dies.
- Jagged ice shards fall from the ceiling, striking up to three creatures underneath that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The dragon makes one ranged attack roll (+7 to hit) against each target. On a hit, the target takes 10 (3d6) piercing damage.
- The dragon creates an opaque wall of ice on a solid surface it can see within 120 feet of it. The wall can be up to 30 feet long, 30 feet high, and 1 foot thick. When the wall appears, each creature within its area is pushed 5 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. Each 10-foot section of the wall has AC 5, 30 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. The wall disappears when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- Blinding Sleet. Driving sleet falls in a 40-foot-high, 20-foot-radius cylinder centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Whirling Wind. A strong wind blows in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on the dragon (see the Dungeon Master’s Guide for rules on strong wind). The dragon’s flying is not affected by this wind, which lasts until the next time the dragon uses a lair action or until the dragon dies.
White dragons lair in icy caves and deep subterranean chambers far from the sun. They favor high mountain vales accessible only by flying, caverns in cliff faces, and labyrinthine ice caves in glaciers. White dragons love vertical heights in their caverns, flying up to the ceiling to latch on like bats or slithering down icy crevasses.
- Cave Entrance. The entrance is a cave that opens into the cliff’s rocky base. When the dragon goes out hunting, a wall of ice blocks the cave’s entrance. But while in residence, the dragon leaves the cave mouth open to let the lair “breathe.”
- Frozen Stream. The cave’s interior is a twisting stone tunnel carved out by a subterranean stream, now frozen over by the dragon’s presence. The stream spills down in stages over low, frozen cascades, creating an icy stairway.
- Dining Hall. A small chamber adjoining the stream just inside the cave’s entrance is the dragon’s dining hall; it contains the horrid remnants of recent meals.
- Rocky Grotto. Past the topmost cascade is the grotto floor, a rocky cavern dimly lit by blue light filtering through the icy vault high above. The largest of the dragon’s frozen trophies are scattered about the grotto.
- Low Cavern. Beyond the grotto, the stream leads to a low-ceilinged cavern the dragon used as a sleeping place when smaller; it might now serve as a home for the dragon’s minions.
- Upper Cavern. High above the grotto floor is a large cave where the dragon rests and stores the bulk of the dragon’s hoard. The cave opens onto a narrow stone shelf that juts out from the grotto’s walls and nearly encircles it. The shelf is stable but icy, and there is no obvious means of reaching it except for flying or scaling the sheer rock walls.
- Icy Dome. Above the shelf is a frozen dome riddled with icicles. The ice here is just thin enough for the dragon to burst through to the open air if a quick escape is necessary.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary white dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Chilly fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Freezing precipitation falls within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, sometimes forming blizzard conditions when the dragon is at rest.
- Icy walls block off areas in the dragon’s lair. Each wall is 6 inches thick, and a 10-foot section has AC 5, 15 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. If the dragon wishes to move through a wall, it can do so without slowing down. The portion of the wall the dragon moves through is destroyed, however.
- Biting Chill. Extreme cold envelops the land within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair (see the Dungeon Master’s Guide for rules on extreme cold). If the climate in the area already features extreme cold, the cold is numbing, giving creatures in the area without immunity or resistance to cold damage disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity checks.
- Mirror Ice. The icy surfaces in the dragon’s lair reflect light like mirrors, giving creatures in the lair other than the dragon disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide. In addition, at each intersection or branching passage, any creature other than the dragon has a 50 percent chance of going in a different direction from the direction it intends.
Suggested Environments
Arctic
SRD (p.292)
Adult White Dragon CR: 13
STR
22 +6
DEX
10 +0
CON
22 +6
INT
8 -1
WIS
12 +1
CHA
12 +1
Ice Walk. The dragon can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra movement. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Freezing fog fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The fog spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. Each creature in the fog when it appears must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that ends its turn in the fog takes 10 (3d6) cold damage. A wind of at least 20 miles per hour disperses the fog. The fog otherwise lasts until the dragon uses this lair action again or until the dragon dies.
- Jagged ice shards fall from the ceiling, striking up to three creatures underneath that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The dragon makes one ranged attack roll (+7 to hit) against each target. On a hit, the target takes 10 (3d6) piercing damage.
- The dragon creates an opaque wall of ice on a solid surface it can see within 120 feet of it. The wall can be up to 30 feet long, 30 feet high, and 1 foot thick. When the wall appears, each creature within its area is pushed 5 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. Each 10-foot section of the wall has AC 5, 30 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. The wall disappears when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- Blinding Sleet. Driving sleet falls in a 40-foot-high, 20-foot-radius cylinder centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Whirling Wind. A strong wind blows in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on the dragon (see the Dungeon Master’s Guide for rules on strong wind). The dragon’s flying is not affected by this wind, which lasts until the next time the dragon uses a lair action or until the dragon dies.
White dragons lair in icy caves and deep subterranean chambers far from the sun. They favor high mountain vales accessible only by flying, caverns in cliff faces, and labyrinthine ice caves in glaciers. White dragons love vertical heights in their caverns, flying up to the ceiling to latch on like bats or slithering down icy crevasses. A legendary white dragon’s innate magic deepens the cold in the area around its lair. Mountain caverns are fast frozen by the white dragon’s presence. A white dragon can often detect intruders by the way the keening wind in its lair changes tone. A white dragon rests on high ice shelves and cliffs in its lair, the floor around it a treacherous morass of broken ice and stone, hidden pits, and slippery slopes. As foes struggle to move toward it, the dragon flies from perch to perch and destroys them with its freezing breath. A white dragon’s lair is a place of freezing temperatures and profound solitude. Forgotten mountain holds, inaccessible chasms, and frozen caverns buried deep beneath glacial ice are typical of the places white dragons seek out to make their homes. White dragons enjoy the mournful sound of the wind and frequently choose lairs with long, winding tunnels down which icy gusts can travel. They seldom work to improve their lairs, but when they do, it is often to channel wind currents to create effects the dragon finds pleasing. The labyrinthine tunnels and the mirror-like icy surfaces in a white dragon’s lair confound would-be thieves and might foil their escape. Some potential white dragon lair features are as follows:
- Cave Entrance. The entrance is a cave that opens into the cliff’s rocky base. When the dragon goes out hunting, a wall of ice blocks the cave’s entrance. But while in residence, the dragon leaves the cave mouth open to let the lair “breathe.”
- Frozen Stream. The cave’s interior is a twisting stone tunnel carved out by a subterranean stream, now frozen over by the dragon’s presence. The stream spills down in stages over low, frozen cascades, creating an icy stairway.
- Dining Hall. A small chamber adjoining the stream just inside the cave’s entrance is the dragon’s dining hall; it contains the horrid remnants of recent meals.
- Rocky Grotto. Past the topmost cascade is the grotto floor, a rocky cavern dimly lit by blue light filtering through the icy vault high above. The largest of the dragon’s frozen trophies are scattered about the grotto.
- Low Cavern. Beyond the grotto, the stream leads to a low-ceilinged cavern the dragon used as a sleeping place when smaller; it might now serve as a home for the dragon’s minions.
- Upper Cavern. High above the grotto floor is a large cave where the dragon rests and stores the bulk of the dragon’s hoard. The cave opens onto a narrow stone shelf that juts out from the grotto’s walls and nearly encircles it. The shelf is stable but icy, and there is no obvious means of reaching it except for flying or scaling the sheer rock walls.
- Icy Dome. Above the shelf is a frozen dome riddled with icicles. The ice here is just thin enough for the dragon to burst through to the open air if a quick escape is necessary.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary white dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Chilly fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Freezing precipitation falls within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, sometimes forming blizzard conditions when the dragon is at rest.
- Icy walls block off areas in the dragon’s lair. Each wall is 6 inches thick, and a 10-foot section has AC 5, 15 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. If the dragon wishes to move through a wall, it can do so without slowing down. The portion of the wall the dragon moves through is destroyed, however.
- Biting Chill. Extreme cold envelops the land within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair (see the Dungeon Master’s Guide for rules on extreme cold). If the climate in the area already features extreme cold, the cold is numbing, giving creatures in the area without immunity or resistance to cold damage disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity checks.
- Mirror Ice. The icy surfaces in the dragon’s lair reflect light like mirrors, giving creatures in the lair other than the dragon disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide. In addition, at each intersection or branching passage, any creature other than the dragon has a 50 percent chance of going in a different direction from the direction it intends.
Suggested Environments
Arctic
SRD (p.293)
Young White Dragon CR: 6
STR
18 +4
DEX
10 +0
CON
18 +4
INT
6 -2
WIS
11 +0
CHA
12 +1
Ice Walk. The dragon can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra movement.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.293)
White Dragon Wyrmling CR: 2
STR
14 +2
DEX
10 +0
CON
14 +2
INT
5 -3
WIS
10 +0
CHA
11 +0
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) cold damage. Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales an icy blast of hail in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
SRD (p.293)
Ancient Brass Dragon CR: 20
STR
27 +8
DEX
10 +0
CON
25 +7
INT
16 +3
WIS
15 +2
CHA
19 +4
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons:
Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in an 90-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Sleep Breath. The dragon exhales sleep gas in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or fall for 10 minutes. This effect ends for a creature if the creature takes damage or someone uses an action to wake it.
Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- A strong wind blows around the dragon. Each creature within 60 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from the dragon and knocked prone. Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.
- A cloud of sand swirls about in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners. Each creature in it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded 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.
Some additional brass dragon lair actions to consider are as follows:
- Animate Statues. The dragon chooses up to three statues in the lair that it can see. Each of these statues briefly animates and attacks one creature within 5 feet of it, with a +7 bonus to hit and dealing 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage on a hit.
- Blast of Wind. A mighty wind sweeps through the lair in a direction of the dragon’s choice, blowing along a line 40 feet wide and 100 feet long. Each creature in that area except the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet in the wind’s direction and be knocked prone . Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished. If the dragon is within the area of the wind, it can choose to be pushed 15 feet in the wind’s direction, and the wind can’t knock the dragon prone .
- Obscuring Sand. Dust and sand fill the air within 120 feet of the dragon, making the area lightly obscured until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Brass dragons prefer to make their lairs in hot, dry, rocky areas—desert canyons, caves beneath arid mesas, or ancient stone ruins. Brass dragons often compete with blue dragons for lair sites, but are more likely to make a lair among rocks than to burrow under the sands.
Brass dragons like their lairs to be spacious and well lit; many lairs feature windows or skylights to let sunlight in. They respect skillfully wrought stonework and often take over canyon fortresses and similar structures when they’re abandoned by their original non-dragon builders. Brass dragons are also capable of fine stonework themselves, and many meticulously carve out grand halls and galleries in which to store and display their hoards.
Some examples of brass dragon features:
- Column Guardians. Massive columns carved to resemble warriors watch over the main entrance to the canyons; the dragon has given them whimsical names and ascribed unique personalities to them.
- Grand Hall. At the deepest part of the canyon, a wide archway admits visitors to the grand hall that serves as the main lair. Regal statues stand bathed in sunlight admitted by huge shafts in the ceiling—wide enough for the dragon to climb up but not fly through. A much larger shaft above the rear chamber allows the dragon to fly directly in and out of the lair.
- Hoard Chamber. The bulk of the dragon’s hoard is stored in a partially collapsed chamber most easily accessed by way of a shaft in the ceiling. (A narrow gap in the fallen stones filling an old passageway might allow a Small or nimble character to squeeze in or out that way.) Eight heavy pillars surround a well in the floor and support the ceiling around the shaft.
- Unused Chamber. A smaller chamber shown on the left side of the map is not currently used by the dragon, but it shows signs of having been recently used by visitors—either creatures welcomed by the dragon or ones that escaped the dragon’s notice.
- Wells. Four wells—three in the canyons leading to the main hall and one inside the hoard chamber—provide fresh water for the dragon and any guests, and they also serve as a sort of alarm system. As described in the Monster Manual , whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 30 feet of one of these wells, the dragon becomes aware of the creature’s presence.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary brass dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Tracks appear in the sand within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair. The tracks lead to safe shelters and hidden water sources, while also leading away from areas that the dragon prefers to remain undisturbed.
- Images of Large or smaller monsters haunt the desert sands within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. These illusions move and appear real, although they can do no harm. A creature that examines an image from a distance can tell it’s an illusion with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Any physical interaction with an image reveals it to be an illusion, because objects pass through it.
- Whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 30 feet of a water source within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair, the dragon becomes aware of the creature’s presence and location.
Some additional brass dragon regional effects are as follows:
- Cloud Companion. A small, wispy cloud follows non-evil creatures as they journey within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair. It changes direction as the creatures do, remaining interposed between them and the direct glare of the sun, and grants them advantage on saving throws to resist the effects of extreme heat (see the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
- Talkative Denizens. Creatures within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair find pleasure in hearing the sound of their own voices. The air is filled with a deafening chorus of birds and small animals, and sapient creatures talk extensively.
Suggested Environments
Desert
SRD (p.294)
Adult Brass Dragon CR: 13
STR
23 +6
DEX
10 +0
CON
21 +5
INT
14 +2
WIS
13 +1
CHA
17 +3
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.
Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in an 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (13d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Sleep Breath. The dragon exhales sleep gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or fall for 10 minutes. This effect ends for a creature if the creature takes damage or someone uses an action to wake it.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- A strong wind blows around the dragon. Each creature within 60 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from the dragon and knocked prone. Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.
- A cloud of sand swirls about in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners. Each creature in it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded 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.
- Animate Statues. The dragon chooses up to three statues in the lair that it can see. Each of these statues briefly animates and attacks one creature within 5 feet of it, with a +7 bonus to hit and dealing 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage on a hit.
A brass dragon’s desert lair is typically a ruin, canyon, or cave network with ceiling holes to allow for sunlight. An example lair might have the following features:
- Column Guardians. Massive columns carved to resemble warriors watch over the main entrance to the canyons; the dragon has given them whimsical names and ascribed unique personalities to them.
- Grand Hall. At the deepest part of the canyon, a wide archway admits visitors to the grand hall that serves as the main lair. Regal statues stand bathed in sunlight admitted by huge shafts in the ceiling—wide enough for the dragon to climb up but not fly through. A much larger shaft above the rear chamber allows the dragon to fly directly in and out of the lair.
- Hoard Chamber. The bulk of the dragon’s hoard is stored in a partially collapsed chamber most easily accessed by way of a shaft in the ceiling. (A narrow gap in the fallen stones filling an old passageway might allow a Small or nimble character to squeeze in or out that way.) Eight heavy pillars surround a well in the floor and support the ceiling around the shaft.
- Unused Chamber. A smaller chamber shown on the left side of the map is not currently used by the dragon, but it shows signs of having been recently used by visitors—either creatures welcomed by the dragon or ones that escaped the dragon’s notice.
- Wells. Four wells—three in the canyons leading to the main hall and one inside the hoard chamber—provide fresh water for the dragon and any guests, and they also serve as a sort of alarm system. As described in the Monster Manual , whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 30 feet of one of these wells, the dragon becomes aware of the creature’s presence.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary brass dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Tracks appear in the sand within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair. The tracks lead to safe shelters and hidden water sources, while also leading away from areas that the dragon prefers to remain undisturbed.
- Images of Large or smaller monsters haunt the desert sands within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. These illusions move and appear real, although they can do no harm. A creature that examines an image from a distance can tell it’s an illusion with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Any physical interaction with an image reveals it to be an illusion, because objects pass through it.
- Whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 30 feet of a water source within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair, the dragon becomes aware of the creature’s presence and location.
Suggested Environments
Desert
SRD (p.295)
Young Brass Dragon CR: 6
STR
19 +4
DEX
10 +0
CON
17 +3
INT
12 +1
WIS
11 +0
CHA
15 +2
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in a 40-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Sleep Breath. The dragon exhales sleep gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or fall for 5 minutes. This effect ends for a creature if the creature takes damage or someone uses an action to wake it.
SRD (p.295)
Brass Dragon Wyrmling CR: 1
STR
15 +2
DEX
10 +0
CON
13 +1
INT
10 +0
WIS
11 +0
CHA
13 +1
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in an 20-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Sleep Breath. The dragon exhales sleep gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or fall for 1 minute. This effect ends for a creature if the creature takes damage or someone uses an action to wake it.
SRD (p.296)
Ancient Bronze Dragon CR: 22
STR
29 +9
DEX
10 +0
CON
27 +8
INT
18 +4
WIS
17 +3
CHA
21 +5
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d6 + 9) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d8 + 9) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.
Lightning Breath. The dragon exhales lightning in a 120-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 88 (16d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Repulsion Breath. The dragon exhales repulsion energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed 60 feet away from the dragon.
Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 16 (2d6 + 9) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon creates fog as though it had cast the Fog Cloud spell. The fog lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- A thunderclap originates at a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature within a 20-foot radius centered on that point must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) thunder damage and be deafened until the end of its next turn.
- Ocean’s Call. The dragon conjures a swarm of spectral dolphins. Each creature in the water within 120 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d6) slashing damage; then the swarm vanishes.
- Salt Burst. The dragon chooses a point it can see in the lair. The air in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point bursts with abrasive salt crystals. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) slashing damage.
- Whelming Water. The dragon causes a strong current to course through the water in its lair. The dragon chooses any number of creatures it can see that are standing or swimming in water within 120 feet of it. Each chosen creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
A bronze dragon lairs in coastal caves. It might salvage a wrecked ship, reconstruct it within the confines of its lair, and use it as a treasure vault or nest for its eggs.
- Sentinel Statue. In a hidden cove sheltered from the sea, a statue of a dour elf queen watches over a small beach. The statue’s eyes are magically warded to alert the dragon of intruders.
- Campaign Chamber. Beyond the beach stands a pillared dwarven hall whose walls have begun to crumble near the entrances. Here the dragon grants audiences and presides over councils of war, surrounded by trophies chosen to remind viewers of the dragon’s heroic history.
- Lofty Alcove. Up a steep set of stairs at the bottom right of the map lies a dry chamber that serves as barracks for guests and a library for documents too fragile to survive in damp conditions.
- Island Larder. Another elevated chamber carved into the cliffs of a small island abutting the beach (in the center right of the map) serves as a larder in case of a siege. It also houses a clever series of mirrors arranged throughout the stone to allow the dragon to observe the seascape unnoticed.
- Watery Caves. Two chambers near the top of the map are accessible only via submerged tunnels, their entrances disguised with thick seaweed and boulders. The larger cavern on the right is the dragon’s sleeping chamber, while the smaller on the left holds most of the dragon’s hoard.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary bronze dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic.
- Once per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The dragon doesn’t need to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical to the control weather spell.
- Underwater plants within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair take on dazzlingly brilliant hues.
- Within its lair, the dragon can set illusory sounds, such as soft music and strange echoes, so that they can be heard in various parts of the lair.
Additional regional effects to consider are as follows:
- Phantom Escort. Ghostly naval ships from an ancient armada appear, escorting well-meaning creatures in need of the dragon’s help toward the dragon’s lair.
- Underwater Pursuit. Sailors glimpse the shadowy, illusory form of a dragon in the depths below them, keeping pace with their vessel.
- Unfailing Faithfulness. Sapient creatures that spend a year within 10 miles of the dragon’s lair find it nearly impossible to break a promise.
Suggested Environments
Coastal
SRD (p.297)
Adult Bronze Dragon CR: 15
STR
25 +7
DEX
10 +0
CON
23 +6
INT
16 +3
WIS
15 +2
CHA
19 +4
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d10 + 7) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.
Lightning Breath. The dragon exhales lightning in a 90- foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Repulsion Breath. The dragon exhales repulsion energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed 60 feet away from the dragon.
Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (2d6 + 7) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon creates fog as though it had cast the Fog Cloud spell. The fog lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- A thunderclap originates at a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature within a 20-foot radius centered on that point must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) thunder damage and be deafened until the end of its next turn.
- Ocean’s Call. The dragon conjures a swarm of spectral dolphins. Each creature in the water within 120 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d6) slashing damage; then the swarm vanishes.
- Salt Burst. The dragon chooses a point it can see in the lair. The air in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point bursts with abrasive salt crystals. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) slashing damage.
- Whelming Water. The dragon causes a strong current to course through the water in its lair. The dragon chooses any number of creatures it can see that are standing or swimming in water within 120 feet of it. Each chosen creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
A bronze dragon lairs in coastal caves. It might salvage a wrecked ship, reconstruct it within the confines of its lair, and use it as a treasure vault or nest for its eggs.
- Sentinel Statue. In a hidden cove sheltered from the sea, a statue of a dour elf queen watches over a small beach. The statue’s eyes are magically warded to alert the dragon of intruders.
- Campaign Chamber. Beyond the beach stands a pillared dwarven hall whose walls have begun to crumble near the entrances. Here the dragon grants audiences and presides over councils of war, surrounded by trophies chosen to remind viewers of the dragon’s heroic history.
- Lofty Alcove. Up a steep set of stairs at the bottom right of the map lies a dry chamber that serves as barracks for guests and a library for documents too fragile to survive in damp conditions.
- Island Larder. Another elevated chamber carved into the cliffs of a small island abutting the beach (in the center right of the map) serves as a larder in case of a siege. It also houses a clever series of mirrors arranged throughout the stone to allow the dragon to observe the seascape unnoticed.
- Watery Caves. Two chambers near the top of the map are accessible only via submerged tunnels, their entrances disguised with thick seaweed and boulders. The larger cavern on the right is the dragon’s sleeping chamber, while the smaller on the left holds most of the dragon’s hoard.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary bronze dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic.
- Once per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The dragon doesn’t need to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical to the control weather spell.
- Underwater plants within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair take on dazzlingly brilliant hues.
- Within its lair, the dragon can set illusory sounds, such as soft music and strange echoes, so that they can be heard in various parts of the lair.
Suggested Environments
Coastal
SRD (p.298)
Young Bronze Dragon CR: 8
STR
21 +5
DEX
10 +0
CON
19 +4
INT
14 +2
WIS
13 +1
CHA
17 +3
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Lightning Breath. The dragon exhales lightning in a 60- foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 55 (10d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Repulsion Breath. The dragon exhales repulsion energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed 40 feet away from the dragon.
SRD (p.298)
Bronze Dragon Wyrmling CR: 2
STR
17 +3
DEX
10 +0
CON
15 +2
INT
12 +1
WIS
11 +0
CHA
15 +2
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Lightning Breath. The dragon exhales lightning in a 40-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 16 (3d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Repulsion Breath. The dragon exhales repulsion energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed 30 feet away from the dragon.
SRD (p.298)
Ancient Copper Dragon CR: 21
STR
27 +8
DEX
12 +1
CON
25 +7
INT
20 +5
WIS
17 +3
CHA
19 +4
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Acid Breath. The dragon exhales acid in an 90-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 63 (14d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Slowing Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature can't use reactions, its speed is halved, and it can't make more than one attack on its turn. In addition, the creature can use either an action or a bonus action on its turn, but not both. These effects last for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a successful save. Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon chooses a point on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. Stone spikes sprout from the ground in a 20-foot radius centered on that point. The effect is otherwise identical to the spike growth spell and lasts until the dragon uses this lair action again or until the dragon dies.
- The dragon chooses a 10-foot-square area on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. The ground in that area turns into 3-foot-deep mud. Each creature on the ground in that area when the mud appears must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or sink into the mud and become restrained. A creature can take an action to attempt a DC 15 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach and ending the restrained condition on a success. Moving 1 foot in the mud costs 2 feet of movement. On initiative count 20 on the next round, the mud hardens, and the Strength DC to work free increases to 20.
- Laughing Gas. The dragon chooses a point on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. A cloud of pink gas fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point. Each creature in that area that fails a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw is incapacitated with laughter until the end of its next turn.
- Torpid Energy. The dragon chooses a creature it can see within 120 feet of it. If the target fails a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, its speed is halved, and it can’t use reactions or bonus actions until the end of its next turn.
Copper dragons dwell in dry uplands and on hilltops, where they make their lairs in narrow caves. False walls in the lair hide secret antechambers where the dragon stores valuable ores, art objects, and other oddities it has collected over its lifetime. Worthless items are put on display in open caves to tantalize treasure seekers and distract them from where the real treasure is hidden. Copper dragons prefer dry uplands, hilltops, or mountainous foothills, where they build their lairs in caves, crags, or tunnels. Although sometimes natural, the passages and caverns of a copper dragon’s lair might be carved out or expanded by the dragon’s powerful acid breath. Copper dragon burrows are often sinuous and winding, featuring twists, turns, and dead ends. Blank walls in the lair can conceal cunning hidden passages or might be stone or clay thin enough for the dragon to burst through them. The narrowest tunnels in a copper dragon’s lair are just barely wide enough to accommodate the dragon’s body, and they typically loop around and reconnect with themselves so the dragon can double back without having to reverse direction. Copper dragon lair features:
- Concealed Entrances. Four sloping tunnels emerge onto the surface among the hills, concealed by brush and tumbled stone. These openings allow the dragon to enter and depart the lair via multiple routes. Additionally, the sunken areas shown on the surface map correspond to areas where the dragon can burst through the ceiling to reach the surface.
- Secret Doors. Concealed passages connect a number of the tunnels and chambers of the lair. Their secret doors are magical in nature, with the stone at a passage junction reshaping itself at the dragon’s command to open a passage or close it again (similar to the effect of a stone shape spell). Whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 10 feet of one of these secret doors, the dragon becomes aware of that creature’s presence and location. Each secret door radiates an aura of transmutation magic but is otherwise indistinguishable from solid stone.
- Hoard Chamber. At the bottom of the underground map, a chamber hidden beyond two secret passages and carved out beneath a low hill contains the bulk of the dragon’s hoard. The dragon often sleeps in the adjoining chamber, acting as a final line of defense against intruders.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary copper dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Magic carvings of the dragon’s smiling visage can be seen worked into stone terrain and objects within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Tiny beasts such as rodents and birds that are normally unable to speak gain the magical ability to speak and understand Draconic while within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. These creatures speak well of the dragon, but can’t divulge its whereabouts.
- Intelligent creatures within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair are prone to fits of giggling. Even serious matters suddenly seem amusing.
- Distant Melodies. The ethereal music of woodwinds and bells can be heard carried on the wind within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair.
- Starlit Stones. Standing stones are common on hilltops within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. The stones shed dim light in a 10-foot radius at night. (If the dragon dies, the stones remain, but they no longer shed light.)
Suggested Environments
Hill
SRD (p.299)
Adult Copper Dragon CR: 14
STR
23 +6
DEX
12 +1
CON
21 +5
INT
18 +4
WIS
15 +2
CHA
17 +3
Legendary Resistance (3/Day) If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.
Acid Breath. The dragon exhales acid in an 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Slowing Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature can't use reactions, its speed is halved, and it can't make more than one attack on its turn. In addition, the creature can use either an action or a bonus action on its turn, but not both. These effects last for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a successful save.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon chooses a point on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. Stone spikes sprout from the ground in a 20-foot radius centered on that point. The effect is otherwise identical to the spike growth spell and lasts until the dragon uses this lair action again or until the dragon dies.
- The dragon chooses a 10-foot-square area on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. The ground in that area turns into 3-foot-deep mud. Each creature on the ground in that area when the mud appears must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or sink into the mud and become restrained. A creature can take an action to attempt a DC 15 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach and ending the restrained condition on a success. Moving 1 foot in the mud costs 2 feet of movement. On initiative count 20 on the next round, the mud hardens, and the Strength DC to work free increases to 20.
- Laughing Gas. The dragon chooses a point on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. A cloud of pink gas fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point. Each creature in that area that fails a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw is incapacitated with laughter until the end of its next turn.
- Torpid Energy. The dragon chooses a creature it can see within 120 feet of it. If the target fails a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, its speed is halved, and it can’t use reactions or bonus actions until the end of its next turn.
Copper dragons dwell in dry uplands and on hilltops, where they make their lairs in narrow caves. False walls in the lair hide secret antechambers where the dragon stores valuable ores, art objects, and other oddities it has collected over its lifetime. Worthless items are put on display in open caves to tantalize treasure seekers and distract them from where the real treasure is hidden.
Copper dragons prefer dry uplands, hilltops, or mountainous foothills, where they build their lairs in caves, crags, or tunnels. Although sometimes natural, the passages and caverns of a copper dragon’s lair might be carved out or expanded by the dragon’s powerful acid breath.
Copper dragon burrows are often sinuous and winding, featuring twists, turns, and dead ends. Blank walls in the lair can conceal cunning hidden passages or might be stone or clay thin enough for the dragon to burst through them. The narrowest tunnels in a copper dragon’s lair are just barely wide enough to accommodate the dragon’s body, and they typically loop around and reconnect with themselves so the dragon can double back without having to reverse direction.
Some potential lair features are as follows:
- Concealed Entrances. Four sloping tunnels emerge onto the surface among the hills, concealed by brush and tumbled stone. These openings allow the dragon to enter and depart the lair via multiple routes. Additionally, the sunken areas shown on the surface map correspond to areas where the dragon can burst through the ceiling to reach the surface.
- Secret Doors. Concealed passages connect a number of the tunnels and chambers of the lair. Their secret doors are magical in nature, with the stone at a passage junction reshaping itself at the dragon’s command to open a passage or close it again (similar to the effect of a stone shape spell). Whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 10 feet of one of these secret doors, the dragon becomes aware of that creature’s presence and location. Each secret door radiates an aura of transmutation magic but is otherwise indistinguishable from solid stone.
- Hoard Chamber. At the bottom of the underground map, a chamber hidden beyond two secret passages and carved out beneath a low hill contains the bulk of the dragon’s hoard. The dragon often sleeps in the adjoining chamber, acting as a final line of defense against intruders.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary copper dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Magic carvings of the dragon’s smiling visage can be seen worked into stone terrain and objects within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Tiny beasts such as rodents and birds that are normally unable to speak gain the magical ability to speak and understand Draconic while within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. These creatures speak well of the dragon, but can’t divulge its whereabouts.
- Intelligent creatures within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair are prone to fits of giggling. Even serious matters suddenly seem amusing.
Some additional regional effects to consider are as follows:
- Distant Melodies. The ethereal music of woodwinds and bells can be heard carried on the wind within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair.
- Starlit Stones. Standing stones are common on hilltops within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. The stones shed dim light in a 10-foot radius at night. (If the dragon dies, the stones remain, but they no longer shed light.)
Suggested Environments
Hill
SRD (p.300)
Young Copper Dragon CR: 7
STR
19 +4
DEX
12 +1
CON
17 +3
INT
16 +3
WIS
13 +1
CHA
15 +2
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Acid Breath. The dragon exhales acid in an 40-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 40 (9d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Slowing Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature can't use reactions, its speed is halved, and it can't make more than one attack on its turn. In addition, the creature can use either an action or a bonus action on its turn, but not both. These effects last for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a successful save.
SRD (p.301)
Copper Dragon Wyrmling CR: 1
STR
15 +2
DEX
12 +1
CON
13 +1
INT
14 +2
WIS
11 +0
CHA
13 +1
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Acid Breath. The dragon exhales acid in an 20-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Slowing Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature can't use reactions, its speed is halved, and it can't make more than one attack on its turn. In addition, the creature can use either an action or a bonus action on its turn, but not both. These effects last for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a successful save.
SRD (p.301)
Ancient Gold Dragon CR: 24
STR
30 +10
DEX
14 +2
CON
29 +9
INT
18 +4
WIS
17 +3
CHA
28 +9
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d6 + 10) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw, taking 71 (13d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Weakening Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 24 Strength saving throw or have disadvantage on Strength-based attack rolls, Strength checks, and Strength saving throws 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. Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The dragon glimpses the future, so it has advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- One creature the dragon can see within 120 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be banished to a dream plane, a different plane of existence the dragon has imagined into being. To escape, the creature must use its action to make a Charisma check contested by the dragon’s. If the creature wins, it escapes the dream plane. Otherwise, the effect ends on initiative count 20 on the next round. When the effect ends, the creature reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that one is occupied.
- Beguiling Glow. Warm light fills a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on the dragon; each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Gold dragons make their homes in out-of-the-way places, where they can do as they please without arousing suspicion or fear. Most dwell near idyllic lakes and rivers, mist-shrouded islands, cave complexes hidden behind sparkling waterfalls, or ancient ruins. Despite their affection for people and their diverse cultures, gold dragons typically make their lairs in hidden places far from civilization, where only the most desperate and dedicated can find them. Many live in the ruins of vanished cultures, appreciating the beautiful inevitability of entropy and the reminder of how easily progress can be lost without careful tending. Crumbling shrines, towers reclaimed by the wilderness, and fallen fortresses all appeal to a gold dragon’s sense of history—though they can be equally enraptured by picturesque natural settings. A gold dragon lair almost always involves water, be it a river, a lake, or an ocean shore. Some golden dragon lair features could be as follows:
- Waterfall Cave. A rushing river cascades over the cliff in a scintillating waterfall, concealing the entrance to the dragon’s cavern complex. Past this thundering curtain, a cave opens into the grand hall.
- Grand Hall. Six glowing crystalline columns support the ceiling of this cave. The columns’ colors reflect the dragon’s mood, and they can animate to defend the lair.
- Gallery. A passageway running left from the grand hall is lined with busts of allies and enemies from the dragon’s past. This area contains the water mirror, a magical glass case filled by seepage from the river above, which the dragon uses to scry across both distance and time.
- Sleeping Chamber. At the end of the gallery passage, the dragon’s sleeping chamber opens up, its walls lined with shelves holding books and useful magic items.
- Treasury Hall. Armored doors within the sleeping chamber lead to the dragon’s treasury hall, which features an 80-foot sheer drop into a viewing gallery.
- Hoard and Vault. A chamber on the right side of the treasury hall holds the dragon’s hoard, which serves to distract would-be thieves from a store of dangerous and corrupting artifacts hidden in a secret vault opposite the hoard chamber.
- Pantry. A rough chamber off the right side of the great hall acts as the dragon’s pantry, holding racks of pearls and other gems.
- Apartments. In the top right corner of the map, a worked-stone alcove leads to Humanoid-scale apartments to accommodate the dragon’s most honored comrades, as well as the dragon in Humanoid form.
- Pavilions. Outside the lair, weathered pavilions climb the cliffs overlooking the waterfall’s plunge pool, offering a convenient place for the dragon to meet visitors. Beyond the pavilions, an elegant pathway winds through self-manicuring gardens before ending abruptly in trackless wilderness.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary gold dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Whenever a creature that can understand a language sleeps or enters a state of trance or reverie within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, the dragon can establish telepathic contact with that creature and converse with it in its dreams. The creature remembers its conversation with the dragon upon waking.
- Banks of beautiful, opalescent mist manifest within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair. The mist doesn’t obscure anything. It assumes haunting forms when evil creatures are near the dragon or other non-evil creatures in the mist, warning such creatures of the danger.
- Gems and pearls within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair sparkle and gleam, shedding dim light in a 5-foot radius.
- Beneficent Trail. Within 10 miles of the dragon’s lair, small runes in the shape of a gold dragon appear to creatures in great need, marking a subtle trail leading to the dragon’s lair.
- Emanation of Justice. Creatures that spend a year within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair value fairness and justice over their personal feelings.
- Liar’s Revelation. Within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, any creature attempting to tell a deliberate lie must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or find itself accidentally revealing the truth it was attempting to conceal. The first time a creature fails this saving throw, it is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Suggested Environments
Forest, Grassland
SRD (p.302)
Adult Gold Dragon CR: 17
STR
27 +8
DEX
14 +2
CON
25 +7
INT
16 +3
WIS
15 +2
CHA
24 +7
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.
Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Weakening Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 21 Strength saving throw or have disadvantage on Strength-based attack rolls, Strength checks, and Strength saving throws 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.
Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The dragon glimpses the future, so it has advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- One creature the dragon can see within 120 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be banished to a dream plane, a different plane of existence the dragon has imagined into being. To escape, the creature must use its action to make a Charisma check contested by the dragon’s. If the creature wins, it escapes the dream plane. Otherwise, the effect ends on initiative count 20 on the next round. When the effect ends, the creature reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that one is occupied.
- Beguiling Glow. Warm light fills a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on the dragon; each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Gold dragons make their homes in out-of-the-way places, where they can do as they please without arousing suspicion or fear. Most dwell near idyllic lakes and rivers, mist-shrouded islands, cave complexes hidden behind sparkling waterfalls, or ancient ruins.
Despite their affection for people and their diverse cultures, gold dragons typically make their lairs in hidden places far from civilization, where only the most desperate and dedicated can find them. Many live in the ruins of vanished cultures, appreciating the beautiful inevitability of entropy and the reminder of how easily progress can be lost without careful tending. Crumbling shrines, towers reclaimed by the wilderness, and fallen fortresses all appeal to a gold dragon’s sense of history—though they can be equally enraptured by picturesque natural settings. A gold dragon lair almost always involves water, be it a river, a lake, or an ocean shore.
Some lair features to consider are as follows:
- Waterfall Cave. A rushing river cascades over the cliff in a scintillating waterfall, concealing the entrance to the dragon’s cavern complex. Past this thundering curtain, a cave opens into the grand hall.
- Grand Hall. Six glowing crystalline columns support the ceiling of this cave. The columns’ colors reflect the dragon’s mood, and they can animate to defend the lair.
- Gallery. A passageway running left from the grand hall is lined with busts of allies and enemies from the dragon’s past. This area contains the water mirror, a magical glass case filled by seepage from the river above, which the dragon uses to scry across both distance and time.
- Sleeping Chamber. At the end of the gallery passage, the dragon’s sleeping chamber opens up, its walls lined with shelves holding books and useful magic items.
- Treasury Hall. Armored doors within the sleeping chamber lead to the dragon’s treasury hall, which features an 80-foot sheer drop into a viewing gallery.
- Hoard and Vault. A chamber on the right side of the treasury hall holds the dragon’s hoard, which serves to distract would-be thieves from a store of dangerous and corrupting artifacts hidden in a secret vault opposite the hoard chamber.
- Pantry. A rough chamber off the right side of the great hall acts as the dragon’s pantry, holding racks of pearls and other gems.
- Apartments. In the top right corner of the map, a worked-stone alcove leads to Humanoid-scale apartments to accommodate the dragon’s most honored comrades, as well as the dragon in Humanoid form.
- Pavilions. Outside the lair, weathered pavilions climb the cliffs overlooking the waterfall’s plunge pool, offering a convenient place for the dragon to meet visitors. Beyond the pavilions, an elegant pathway winds through self-manicuring gardens before ending abruptly in trackless wilderness.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary gold dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Whenever a creature that can understand a language sleeps or enters a state of trance or reverie within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, the dragon can establish telepathic contact with that creature and converse with it in its dreams. The creature remembers its conversation with the dragon upon waking.
- Banks of beautiful, opalescent mist manifest within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair. The mist doesn’t obscure anything. It assumes haunting forms when evil creatures are near the dragon or other non-evil creatures in the mist, warning such creatures of the danger.
- Gems and pearls within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair sparkle and gleam, shedding dim light in a 5-foot radius.
Additional regional effects to consider are as follows:
- Beneficent Trail. Within 10 miles of the dragon’s lair, small runes in the shape of a gold dragon appear to creatures in great need, marking a subtle trail leading to the dragon’s lair.
- Emanation of Justice. Creatures that spend a year within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair value fairness and justice over their personal feelings.
- Liar’s Revelation. Within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, any creature attempting to tell a deliberate lie must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or find itself accidentally revealing the truth it was attempting to conceal. The first time a creature fails this saving throw, it is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Suggested Environments
Forest, Grassland
SRD (p.303)
Young Gold Dragon CR: 10
STR
23 +6
DEX
14 +2
CON
21 +5
INT
16 +3
WIS
13 +1
CHA
20 +5
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 55 (10d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Weakening Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or have disadvantage on Strength-based attack rolls, Strength checks, and Strength saving throws 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.
SRD (p.303)
Gold Dragon Wyrmling CR: 3
STR
19 +4
DEX
14 +2
CON
17 +3
INT
14 +2
WIS
11 +0
CHA
16 +3
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Weakening Breath. The dragon exhales gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or have disadvantage on Strength-based attack rolls, Strength checks, and Strength saving throws 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.
SRD (p.304)
Ancient Silver Dragon CR: 23
STR
30 +10
DEX
10 +0
CON
29 +9
INT
18 +4
WIS
15 +2
CHA
23 +6
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d6 + 10) slashing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Cold Breath. The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 24 Constitution saving throw, taking 67 (15d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Paralyzing Breath. The dragon exhales paralyzing gas in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed 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. Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check. Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack. Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon creates fog as if it had cast the fog cloud spell. The fog lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- A blisteringly cold wind blows through the lair near the dragon. Each creature within 120 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) cold damage. Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.
- Icy Grip. A sudden, supernatural chill fills the lair near the dragon. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that it can see within 120 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be restrained until initiative count 20 on the next round. Creatures that have resistance to cold damage have advantage on the saving throw; creatures that have immunity to cold damage succeed automatically.
Silver dragons dwell among the clouds, making their lairs on secluded cold mountain peaks. Though many are comfortable in natural cavern complexes or abandoned mines, silver dragons covet the lost outposts of humanoid civilization. An abandoned mountaintop citadel or a remote tower raised by a long-dead wizard is the sort of lair that every silver dragon dreams of. Silver dragons make their lairs on mountaintops and in the clouds. Often, this has less to do with concerns such as security and privacy, and more to do with meeting or exceeding expectations. If humans, elves, and dwarves expect dragons to be found in such lofty environs, that’s what they’ll get. This inclination toward using high-altitude locales as sites for lairs isn’t without complications, though. Silver dragons often end up in competition with other dragons, notably red dragons, for control of such places. And even after establishing their lairs, silver dragons often need to fight to protect their dominion. The lair of a silver dragon is always an impressive sight. Young dragons make their homes in icy cliffs, excavating space for themselves within the mountainside. Older silver dragons sometimes decorate their cliff-side habitats with ruins carefully collected from other places in the world. Depending on the dragon, a lair can be a multi-tiered affair, with its highest levels extending fully into the sky. Silver dragon lair features could include some of the following:
- Antechamber. The antechamber was once an ancient throne room or mountain shrine, but time has eroded any clues as to its original builders. Its walls are hung with velvet tapestries featuring heroic figures performing a variety of glorious acts.
- Side Chambers. A few small private side chambers allow the dragon (usually in Humanoid guise) to meet with visitors.
- Cloud Bridge. From the antechamber, visitors travel upward along a path of clouds. The impressive route is not as dangerous as its lack of railings and the literal airiness of each footstep might suggest.
- Open Court. Past the cloud bridge is an enormous expanse of smooth stone ringed with broken pillars, where the silver dragon hosts visitors in grand style. Though this court is often surrounded by clouds, the dragon can clear them away with a moment’s thought, revealing a breathtaking view of the surrounding region.
- Majestic Temple. The final section of the lair is a grand domed temple set with a plethora of comfortable furnishings. Here and there, souvenirs from the silver dragon’s long life are positioned with great care.
- Under Temple. A broad shaft in the temple opens into a treasury chamber below, where the dragon’s hoard is arranged in gleaming splendor.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary silver dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.
- Once per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The dragon doesn’t need to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical to the control weather spell.
- Within 1 mile of the lair, winds buoy non-evil creatures that fall due to no act of the dragon’s or its allies. Such creatures descend at a rate of 60 feet per round and take no falling damage.
- Given days or longer to work, the dragon can make clouds and fog within its lair as solid as stone, forming structures and other objects as it wishes.
Suggested Environments
Mountain, Urban
SRD (p.305)
Adult Silver Dragon CR: 16
STR
27 +8
DEX
10 +0
CON
25 +7
INT
16 +3
WIS
13 +1
CHA
21 +5
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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 dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.
Cold Breath. The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 58 (13d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Paralyzing Breath. The dragon exhales paralyzing gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed 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.
Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon creates fog as if it had cast the fog cloud spell. The fog lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- A blisteringly cold wind blows through the lair near the dragon. Each creature within 120 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) cold damage. Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.
- Icy Grip. A sudden, supernatural chill fills the lair near the dragon. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that it can see within 120 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be restrained until initiative count 20 on the next round. Creatures that have resistance to cold damage have advantage on the saving throw; creatures that have immunity to cold damage succeed automatically.
Silver dragons make their lairs on mountaintops and in the clouds. Often, this has less to do with concerns such as security and privacy, and more to do with meeting or exceeding expectations. If humans, elves, and dwarves expect dragons to be found in such lofty environs, that’s what they’ll get.
This inclination toward using high-altitude locales as sites for lairs isn’t without complications, though. Silver dragons often end up in competition with other dragons, notably red dragons, for control of such places. And even after establishing their lairs, silver dragons often need to fight to protect their dominion.
The lair of a silver dragon is always an impressive sight. Young dragons make their homes in icy cliffs, excavating space for themselves within the mountainside. Older silver dragons sometimes decorate their cliff-side habitats with ruins carefully collected from other places in the world. Depending on the dragon, a lair can be a multi-tiered affair, with its highest levels extending fully into the sky.
Some silver dragon features to consider are as follows:
- Antechamber. The antechamber was once an ancient throne room or mountain shrine, but time has eroded any clues as to its original builders. Its walls are hung with velvet tapestries featuring heroic figures performing a variety of glorious acts.
- Side Chambers. A few small private side chambers allow the dragon (usually in Humanoid guise) to meet with visitors.
- Cloud Bridge. From the antechamber, visitors travel upward along a path of clouds. The impressive route is not as dangerous as its lack of railings and the literal airiness of each footstep might suggest.
- Open Court. Past the cloud bridge is an enormous expanse of smooth stone ringed with broken pillars, where the silver dragon hosts visitors in grand style. Though this court is often surrounded by clouds, the dragon can clear them away with a moment’s thought, revealing a breathtaking view of the surrounding region.
- Majestic Temple. The final section of the lair is a grand domed temple set with a plethora of comfortable furnishings. Here and there, souvenirs from the silver dragon’s long life are positioned with great care.
- Under Temple. A broad shaft in the temple opens into a treasury chamber below, where the dragon’s hoard is arranged in gleaming splendor.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary silver dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.
- Once per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The dragon doesn’t need to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical to the control weather spell.
- Within 1 mile of the lair, winds buoy non-evil creatures that fall due to no act of the dragon’s or its allies. Such creatures descend at a rate of 60 feet per round and take no falling damage.
- Given days or longer to work, the dragon can make clouds and fog within its lair as solid as stone, forming structures and other objects as it wishes.
Suggested Environments
Mountain, Urban
SRD (p.306)
Young Silver Dragon CR: 9
STR
23 +6
DEX
10 +0
CON
21 +5
INT
14 +2
WIS
11 +0
CHA
19 +4
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage. Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Cold Breath. The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Paralyzing Breath. The dragon exhales paralyzing gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed 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.
SRD (p.306)
Silver Dragon Wyrmling CR: 2
STR
19 +4
DEX
10 +0
CON
17 +3
INT
12 +1
WIS
11 +0
CHA
15 +2
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage. Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons. Cold Breath. The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Paralyzing Breath. The dragon exhales paralyzing gas in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed 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.
A-Z
Creatures
Creatures DDemons
Devils
Dinosaurs
Dragons
- Ancient Black Dragon
- Adult Black Dragon
- Young Black Dragon
- Black Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient Blue Dragon
- Adult Blue Dragon
- Young Blue Dragon
- Blue Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient Green Dragon
- Adult Green Dragon
- Young Green Dragon
- Green Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient Red Dragon
- Adult Red Dragon
- Young Red Dragon
- Red Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient White Dragon
- Adult White Dragon
- Young White Dragon
- White Dragon Wyrmling
Metallic Dragons
- Ancient Brass Dragon
- Adult Brass Dragon
- Young Brass Dragon
- Brass Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient Bronze Dragon
- Adult Bronze Dragon
- Young Bronze Dragon
- Bronze Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient Copper Dragon
- Adult Copper Dragon
- Young Copper Dragon
- Copper Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient Gold Dragon
- Adult Gold Dragon
- Young Gold Dragon
- Gold Dragon Wyrmling
- Ancient Silver Dragon
- Adult Silver Dragon
- Young Silver Dragon
- Silver Dragon Wyrmling
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