Creature Catalog true dragon conversions

Shade · Mar 16, 2010

Bestiary Dragon

Bestiary Dragon
Dragon (Fire)
Environment: Warm forests and swamps
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1–2 and 2–5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 3; very young 4; young 5; juvenile 7; young adult 9; adult 11; mature adult 14; old 16; very old 18; ancient 19; wyrm 20; great wyrm 22
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: Wyrmling 5–6 HD; very young 8–9 HD; young 11–12 HD; juvenile 14–15 HD; young adult 17–18 HD; adult 20–21 HD; mature adult 23–24 HD; old 26–27 HD; very old 29–30 HD; ancient 32–33 HD; wyrm 35–36 HD; great wyrm 38+ HD
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +3; very young +3; young +3; juvenile +4; others —

Code:

Bestiary Dragons by Age 
Age 		Size 	Hit Dice (hp) 		Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha BaseAtk/Grp Attack Fort Ref Will Breath Weapon (DC) Frightful Presence DC 
Wyrmling  	T 	4d12+4 (30) 		 10  17  13  7  12  6	 +4/–4		+6  +5  +4  +5		—  		— 
Very young 	S 	7d12+7 (52) 		 12  17  13  7  12  6	 +7/+4		+9  +6  +5  +6		—  		— 
Young 		M 	10d12+20 (85)     	 14  17  15  9  12  6	 +10/+12	+12 +9  +7  +8 		—  		— 
Juvenile 	M 	13d12+26 (110) 		 16  17  15  9  12  8	+13/+16 	+16 +10 +8  +9 		—  		— 
Young adult 	L 	16d12+48 (152) 		 18  17  17  11  12  10	+16/+24 	+19 +13 +10  +12 	— 		17 
Adult 		L 	19d12+76 (199)		 22  17  19  10  12  12	+19/+29 	+24 +15 +11 +13		—  		20 
Mature adult 	H 	22d12+110 (253)		 26  15  21  13  15  12	+22/+38 	+28 +18 +13 +15		— 		21 
Old 		H 	25d12+125 (287)		 28  15  21  13  15  12	+25/+42 	+32 +19 +14 +16		— 		22 
Very old 	H 	28d12+168 (350)		 30  15  23  15  17  14	+28/+46 	+36 +22 +16 +19		— 		25 
Ancient 	H 	31d12+186 (387)		 32  15  23  15  17  14	+31/+50 	+40 +23 +17 +20		— 		26 
Wyrm 		G 	34d12+238 (459)		 34  15  25  17  19  16	+34/+58 	+42 +26 +19 +23		— 		29 
Great wyrm 	G 	37d12+296 (536)		 36  15  27  19  21  18	+37/+62 	+46 +28 +20 +25		— 		31 


Bestiary Dragon Abilities by Age 
Age 		Speed 						Init 	AC 							Special Abilities 				Caster Level 		SR 
Wyrmling 	60 ft., fly 100 ft. (average), climb 30 ft..	 +3 	18 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 15 	Constrict, heat aura, improved grab, swallow whole— 		— 
Very young 	60 ft., fly 100 ft. (average), climb 30 ft..	 +3 	20 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 17   	—  						— 		— 			 
Young 		60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft.	 +3 	22 (+3 Dex, +9 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 19   		Thermal riding					— 		— 
Juvenile 	60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft	 	+3 	25 (+3 Dex, +12 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 22 		Hover 						— 		—		 
Young adult 	60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft	 	+3 	27 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +15 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 24 	DR 5/magic					— 		16
Adult 		60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft	 	+3 	30 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +18 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 27 	— 						— 		18
Mature 		60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft	 	+2 	31 (–2 size, +2 Dex, +21 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 29 	DR 10/magic					— 		20
Old 		60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft	 	+2 	34 (–2 size, +2 Dex, +24 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 32 	— 						— 		21
Very old 	60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft	 	+2 	35 (–2 size, +2 Dex, +27 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 33 	DR 15/magic					— 		23
Ancient 	60 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor), climb 30 ft	 	+2 	40 (–2 size, +2 Dex, +30 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 38 	— 						— 		24
Wyrm 		60 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy), climb 30 ft.	 +2 	41 (–4 size, +2 Dex, +33 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 39 	DR 20/magic					— 		25
Great wyrm 	60 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy), climb 30 ft.	 +2 	44 (–4 size, +2 Dex, +36 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 42 	— 						— 		27

This dragon resembles a winged serpent, with a long, muscular tail, a small mouth, and a prominent crest. The air around it shimmers with heat.

Bestiary dragons are primitive, brutish dragons. They lack a breath weapon and magical attacks, but are clearly draconic in their long lifespans, durable hides, and melee prowess.

Bestiary dragons are fully carnivorous, and are generally the alpha predators within their territories. Elephants are the preferred prey of bestiary dragons, so these dragons often lurk near elephants trails or watering holes.

Combat

A bestiary dragon hunts like a python, lying in wait amid trees large enough to hold it or conceal it, then striking quickly from ambush and attempting to constrict its prey.

Because a bestiary dragon has a relatively small, weak bite, its bite attacks are treated as if it were one size category smaller. Unlike most true dragons, a bestiary dragon gains a tail slap attack at Tiny size. Its powerful tail attack deals greater damage than normal. Use the bite attack damage for a dragon of its size to determine tail slap damage. A bestiary dragon gains tail sweep, wing buffet, and crush attacks as normal for a dragon of its size.

Constrict (Ex): A bestiary dragon of Medium size or larger deals damage with a successful grapple check. The amount of damage dealt depends upon the creature's size, as indicated on the following chart. The bestiary dragon adds 1-1/2 times its Strength bonus on damage rolls made to constrict.

Size Constrict Damage
Tiny 1d4
Small 1d6
Medium 1d8
Large 2d8
Huge 3d8
Gargantuan 4d8
Colossal 6d8

Heat Aura (Su): A flying bestiary dragon continuously generates blasts of superheated air that burns all creatures and objects in its vicinity. The flying heat aura deals 1d8 points of fire damage x the dragon's age category. The following table indicates the radius based on the dragon's size.

Tiny - 5 ft. radius
Small - 10 ft. radius
Medium - 15 ft. radius
Large - 20 ft. radius
Huge - 30 ft. radius
Gargantuan - 40 ft. radius
Colossal - 50 ft. radius

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a bestiary dragon must hit with its bite or tail slap attacks. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins a grapple check, it establishes a hold. If it gets a hold with its bite, it can attempt to swallow the foe the following round. If it gets a hold with its tail slap it can constrict.

Thermal Riding (Ex): A bestiary dragon can direct the blasts of superheated air from its flying inferno power to fly at twice its normal speed when taking a charge or run action.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A bestiary dragon can attempt to swallow an opponent at least two size categories smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes bite damage plus 1d8 points of acid damage every round from the creature's digestive tract. A swallowed creature can attempt to cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 3 points of damage per age category of the bestiary dragon to its digestive tract (AC 10 plus half its natural armor bonus). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; other swallowed opponents must cut their own ways out.

A bestiary dragon's digestive tract can hold up to one opponent of two size categories smaller than itself, and four times as many of each size category below that. For example, a Huge bestiary dragon's digestive tract can hold 1 Medium, 4 Small, 16 Tiny, or 64 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

Skills: Climb, Hide, and Move Silently are considered class skills for bestiary dragons. A bestiary dragon has a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks. *A bestiary dragon has a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks made in forest environments.

Feats: A juvenile or older bestiary dragon gains Hover as a bonus feat.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #199 (1993).

Shade · May 18, 2010

Pearl Dragon
Dragon
Environment: Any coastal land and aquatic
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old,ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1–2 plus 2–5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 3; very young 4; young 6; juvenile 8; young adult 10; adult 12; mature adult 15; old 17; very old 19; ancient 21; wyrm 23; great wyrm 25
Treasure: Triple standard (all gems are pearls)
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: Wyrmling 6-7 HD (Tiny); very young 9-10 HD (Small); young 12-13 HD (Small); juvenile 15-16 HD (Medium); young adult 18-19 HD (Medium); adult 21-22 HD (Large); mature adult 24-25 HD (Large); old 27-28 HD (Large); very old 30-31 HD (Large); ancient 33-34 HD (Huge); wyrm 36-37 HD (Huge); great wyrm 39+ HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +2; very young +3; young +4; juvenile +4; others —

Code:

Pearl Dragons by Age 
Age 		Size 	Hit Dice (hp) 		Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha BaseAtk/Grp Attack Fort Ref Will Breath Weapon (DC) Frightful Presence DC 
Wyrmling  	T 	5d12+6 (37) 		 11  10  12  13  12  16	 +5/-3		+7 +5  +4  +5		1d6 (13) 	— 
Very young 	S 	8d12+8 (60) 		 13  10  13  13  13  17	 +8/+5		+10 +7 +6  +7		2d6 (15) 	— 
Young 		S 	11d12+11 (82)     	 15  10  13  15  15  18	 +11/+13	+14 +8 +7  +9 		3d6 (16) 	— 
Juvenile 	M 	14d12+28 (119) 		 17  10  15  17  17  20	+14/+17 	+17 +11 +9 +12 		4d6 (19) 	— 
Young adult 	M 	17d12+51 (161) 	 	21  10  17  17  17  20	+17/+22 	+22 +13 +10 +13 	5d6 (21) 	23 
Adult 		L 	20d12+80 (210)		 25  10  19  19  19  22	+20/+31 	+26 +16 +12 +16		6d6 (24) 	26 
Mature adult 	L 	23d12+92 (241)		 27  10  19  19  19  22	+23/+35 	+29 +17 +13 +17		7d6 (25) 	27 
Old 		L 	26d12+130 (299)		 29  10  21  21  21  24	+26/+39 	+34 +20 +15 +20		8d6 (28) 	30 
Very old 	L 	29d12+145 (333)		 31  10  21  21  21  24	+29/+43 	+38 +21 +16 +21		9d6 (29) 	31 
Ancient 	H 	32d12+192 (400)		 33  10  23  23  23  26	+32/+51 	+41 +24 +18 +24		10d6 (32) 	30 
Wyrm 		H 	35d12+245 (472)		 35  10  25  25  25  28	+35/+55 	+45 +26 +19 +26		11d6 (34) 	36 
Great wyrm 	H 	38d12+266 (513)		 37  10  25  25  25  28	+38/+59 	+49 +28 +21 +28		12d6 (36) 	38 


Pearl Dragon Abilities by Age 
Age 		Speed 						Init 	AC 							Special Abilities 		Caster Level* 	SR 
Wyrmling 	40 ft., fly 40 ft. (good), swim 30 ft.		+0 	14 (+2 size, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14 	Telepathy			— 		— 
Very young 	40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft. 	+0 	16 (+1 size, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16   	Blink	 			— 		— 			 
Young 		40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft.	+0 	19 (+1 size, +8 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 19   	—				1st		— 
Juvenile 	40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft. 	+0 	21 (+11 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 21 		Control Water			3rd		—		 
Young adult 	40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft. 	+0 	24 (+14 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 24 		Beguile, DR 5/magic 		5th		18
Adult 		40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft. 	+0 	26 (–1 size, +17 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 26 	Hallucinatory terrain		7th		20
Mature 		40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft. 	+0 	29 (–1 size, +20 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 29 	DR 10/magic 			9th		21
Old 		40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft. 	+0 	32 (–1 size, +23 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 32 	Solid fog			11th		23
Very old 	40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average), swim 30 ft. 	+0 	35 (–1 size, +26 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 35 	DR 15/magic 			13th		24
Ancient 	40 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor), swim 30 ft. 		+0 	37 (–2 size, +29 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 37 	Roar of freedom			15th		26
Wyrm 		40 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor), swim 30 ft. 		+0 	40 (–2 size, +32 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 40 	DR 20/magic			17th		27
Great wyrm 	40 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor), swim 30 ft. 		+0 	43 (–2 size, +35 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 43 	Control weather			19th		29

*Can also cast cleric spells and those from the Luck and Weather domains as arcane spells.

This lustrous scales of this sleek dragon resemble pearls. Its long snout is somewhat crocodilian, with the lower portion of its mouth deep like a pelican's bill. Small ridges begin at the base of its skull and run down its long neck, body and tail. It is accompanied by the odor of sea salt.

Pearl dragons make their lairs on steep, rocky coastlines or along sandy beaches, as long as they are near the water. They love the salty air and the open expanse of the sea.

Upon birth, a pearl dragon's scales resemble their namesake gems. As they age, their scales grow more and more lustrous.

Pearl dragons spend most of the day pearl hunting. They are somewhat nomadic, leaving an area once food or pearls grow scarce. The moving process is very slow, for the dragon refuses to leave a single item of its hoard behind.

Like all neutral dragons, pearl dragons remain at a safe distance from human civilization. They rarely attack sailing vessels, though they have been known to attack bothersome pirate ships and take whatever treasure they can find.

Pearl dragons are natural enemies of dragon turtles. Their diet consists mainly of sharks and fish, with an occasional hundred lobsters or a small whale as a treat.

Combat

Pearl dragons prefer to rely on their breath weapons and magical abilities before resorting to melee combat. If possible, they avoid combat altogether with their beguiling riddlespeak.

Beguile (Su): A pearl dragon often speaks in riddles. When it speaks for one full round, all creatures within 10 feet per age category must succeed on a Will save or become enthralled (as the spell). Beguile is a sonic, mind-affecting, language-dependent charm effect. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same pearl dragon's beguile ability for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Blink (Sp): A very young or older pearl dragon can use this ability as the spell once per day for each two age categories it is, thus an adult pearl dragon can use the ability three times per day. This is as the spell cast by a sorcerer of the dragon’s age category or its caster level whichever is higher. The range is personal.

Breath Weapon (Su): A pearl dragon has one type of breath weapon, a cone of scalding steam (fire damage). Creatures caught in this cloud can make a Reflex save for half damage.

Hold Breath (Ex): A pearl dragon can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 24 x its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

Other Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—control water (juvenile or older), solid fog (old or older); 1/day—control weather (great wyrm), hallucinatory terrain (adult or older).

Roar of Freedom (Su) Three times per day, an ancient pearl dragon can utter a thrilling roar that functions as a break enchantment spell on the dragon or a single willing ally within 30 feet. The caster level equals the dragon's caster level.

Telepathy (Su): A pearl dragon has telepathy to a range of 10 feet x age category.

Skills: Appraise, Spellcraft, and Swim are considered class skills for pearl dragons.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #158 (1990).

Shade · Jun 10, 2010

Tourmaline Dragon

Tourmaline Dragon
Dragon (Water)
Environment: Temperate and warm aquatic
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old,ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1–2 plus 2–5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 3; very young 5; young 7; juvenile 9; young adult 12; adult 15; mature adult 17; old 19; very old 20; ancient 22; wyrm 23; great wyrm 25
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral
Advancement: Wyrmling 7–8 HD (Small); very young 10–11 HD (Medium); young 13–14 HD (Medium); juvenile 16–17 HD (Large); young adult 19–20 HD (Large); adult 22–23 HD (Huge); mature adult 25–26 HD (Huge); old 28–29 HD (Huge); very old 31–32 HD (Huge); ancient 34–35 HD (Gargantuan); wyrm 37–38 HD (Gargantuan); great wyrm 40+ HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling: +4, very young: +4, young: +6

Code:

Tourmaline Dragons by Age 
Age 		Size 	Hit Dice (hp) 		Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha BaseAtk/Grp Attack Fort Ref Will Breath Weapon (DC) Frightful Presence DC 
Wyrmling  	S 	6d12+6 (45) 		 13  10  13  14  15  14	 +6/+3		+8 +6  +5  +7		2d6 (14) 	— 
Very young 	M 	9d12+18 (76) 		 15  10  15  14  15  14	 +9/+11		+11 +8 +6  +8		4d6 (16) 	— 
Young 		M 	12d12+24 (102)     	 17  10  15  16  17  16	 +12/+15	+15 +10 +8  +11 	6d6 (18) 	— 
Juvenile 	L 	15d12+45 (142) 		 19  10  17  18  19  18	+15/+23 	+18 +12 +9 +13 		8d6 (20) 	— 
Young adult 	L 	18d12+72 (189) 	 	23  10  19  18  19  18	+18/+28 	+23 +15 +11 +15 	10d6 (23) 	23 
Adult 		H 	21d12+105 (241)		 27  10  21  20  21  20	+21/+37 	+27 +17 +12 +17		12d6 (25) 	25 
Mature adult 	H 	24d12+120 (276)		 29  10  21  20  21  20	+24/+40 	+31 +19 +14 +19		14d6 (27) 	27 
Old 		H 	27d12+162 (337)		 31  10  23  22  23  22	+27/+45 	+35 +21 +15 +21		16d6 (29) 	29 
Very old 	H 	30d12+180 (375)		 33  10  23  22  23  22	+30/+49 	+39 +23 +17 +23		18d6 (31) 	31 
Ancient 	G 	33d12+231 (445)		 35  10  25  24  25  24	+33/+57 	+41 +25 +18 +25		20d6 (33) 	33 
Wyrm 		G 	36d12+280 (507)		 37  10  27  26  27  26	+36/+61 	+44 +27 +20 +28		22d6 (35) 	36 
Great wyrm 	G 	39d12+312 (565)		 39  10  27  26  27  26	+39/+65 	+49 +29 +22 +29		24d6 (37) 	37 


Tourmaline Dragon Abilities by Age 
Age 		Speed 				Init 	AC 							Special Abilities 			Caster Level 	SR 
Wyrmling 	40 ft., fly 100 ft. (average)	+0 	16 (+1 size, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16 		Water breathing			— 		—
		swim 60 ft. 
Very young 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	18 (+8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18   		[I]Color spray[/I]	 			— 		— 			 
		swim 60 ft. 
Young 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)	+0 	21 (+11 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 21   		[I]Disguise self[/I]				1st		— 
		swim 60 ft. 
Juvenile 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	23 (-1 size, +14 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 23 	[I]Waveform[/I]				3rd		—		 
		swim 60 ft. 
Young adult 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	26 (-1 size, +17 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 26 	DR 5/magic, [I]major image[/I]			5th		20
		swim 60 ft. 
Adult 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	28 (–2 size, +20 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 28 	[I]Hypnotic pattern[/I]			7th		22
		swim 60 ft. 
Mature 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	31 (–2 size, +23 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 31 	DR 10/magic, [I]hallucinatory terrain[/I]	9th		23
		swim 60 ft. 
Old 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	34 (–2 size, +26 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 34 	[I]Displacement[/I]				11th		25
		swim 60 ft. 
Very old 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	37 (–2 size, +29 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 37 	DR 15/magic 				13th		26
		swim 60 ft. 
Ancient 	40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	38 (–4 size, +32 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 38 	[I]Mislead[/I]					15th		28
		swim 60 ft. 
Wyrm 		40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	41 (–4 size, +35 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 41 	DR 20/magic				17th		29
		swim 60 ft. 
Great wyrm 	40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	44 (–4 size, +38 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 44 	[I]Scintillating pattern[/I]			19th		31
		swim 60 ft.

*Can also cast cleric spells and those from the Chaos, Creation, and Water domains as arcane spells.

This thick-bodied dragon has long, flat horns extending back from the brow plates in a series of overlapping segments. Its reflective scales are mostly silver, but several distinct bands of color form a prismlike appearance at its midsection.

Tourmaline dragons are distant relatives of gem dragons. Most inhabit an uncharted island in a tropical sea, where dozens of their kind live in an anarchic but rarely violent society. Here, power and prestige are won by competitions of magic, innate powers, and physical beauty. At the center of the island is a huge volcanic crater lined with immense crystals and precious gems.

While not evil, tourmaline dragons quickly grow impatient with talk that is not of immediate interest to them. While all dragons tend to be greedy and self-important, tourmaline dragons are extremely so. Sustained flattery and gifts of precious metals and gems can often influence and cloud the judgement of a tourmaline dragon. A gift that exploits the dragon’s boundless vanity, such as a mirror or a song exalting its wisdom and beauty, can make a tourmaline dragon forget even the most grievous injustices done to it.

Tourmaline dragons have an almost superstitious reverence for copper dragons. According to their legends, the Creator Dragon (often described as a great wyrm copper dragon) carved all the gem dragons from the native crystals of the island and breathed life into them. As she dug deeper, the Creator Dragon found increasingly precious gems from which to shape her likeness. Eventually, she found the most precious and beautiful crystal she had ever seen. The other gems were flat and ugly by comparison, so the Creator Dragon threw those dragons into the sea to drown. However, some escaped their fate, and their descendants now live a wrongful existence against her will. From this most beautiful gem, the Creator Dragon carved the first tourmaline dragon and gave it life with her last breath. As a result, tourmaline dragons kill any other gem dragons they encounter.

Like most dragons, tourmaline dragons can eat almost anything. They prefer large fish and marine mammals, washing down their meal with quartz and sometimes cleansing the palate with some silver.

A wyrmling tourmaline dragon's scales are bright, mirrorlike silver except for several distinct bands of color at its midsection—red, organge, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Over time, the colors spread and fade, and the shiny scales give way to pastel hues with dazzling refractive qualities. By the adult age, the scales are a homogeneous translucent blue-gray, with patches or bands of color confined to wing tips, claws, and face.

Tourmaline dragons usually have no particular odor but can produce strong scents when excited. When pleased by flattery, it may produce a salty fragrance comparable to a chrysanthemum-perfumed sea breeze, while an angry tourmaline dragon produces a sharp coppery reek that resembles blood.

Combat

Tourmaline dragons often lie in ambush in a lake or deep river, using their wings waveform power to drench prey. A tourmaline dragon favors its breath weapon and spells over melee combat, lest it run the risk of having the beauty of its magnificent hide diminished by weapons. Their hot-tempered natures, however, often lead them to attack with reckless abandon if insulted by creatures they consider "lessers".

Breath Weapon (Su): A tourmaline dragon has one type of breath weapon, a cone of gas that transmutes water to a semi-solid milky substance. Creatures in the area of the breath weapon must make an additional Fortitude save or be slowed for 1 round per age category of the dragon, except the breath weapon does not slow creatures with the Fire or Earth subtypes. This breath weapon is especially devastating to water elementals and plant creatures, which instead take 2d6 points of damage per age category of the dragon.

Other Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—color spray (very young or older), displacement (old or older), disguise self (young or older), mislead (ancient or older); 1/day—hallucinatory terrain (mature adult or older), hypnotic pattern (adult or older), major image (young adult or older), scintillating pattern (great wyrm).

Water Breathing (Ex): A tourmaline dragon can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged.

Waveform (Sp): Three times per day, a juvenile or older tourmaline dragon may mold water into a variety of shapes. This functions exactly as the stone shape spell, except it applies to an equivalent volume of water.

Skills: Appraise, Spellcraft, and Swim are considered class skills for tourmaline dragons. Tourmaline dragons have a -2 racial penalty on Sense Motive checks.

Note: Originally called "prismatic dragon." Renamed to avoid confusion with the epic dragon of the same name.

Originally appeared in Dungeon Magazine #51.

Shade · Aug 23, 2010

Auburn Dragon

Auburn Dragon
Dragon
Environment: Temperate and warm forests?
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1–2 and 2–5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 3; very young 4; young 6; juvenile 8; young adult 10; adult 12; mature adult 15; old 17; very old 19; ancient 20; wyrm 21; great wyrm 23
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: Wyrmling 5–6 HD; very young 8–9 HD; young 11–12 HD; juvenile 14–15 HD; young adult 17–18 HD; adult 20–21 HD; mature adult 23–24 HD; old 26–27 HD; very old 29–30 HD; ancient 32–33 HD; wyrm 35–36 HD; great wyrm 38+ HD
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +3; very young +3; young +3; juvenile +4; others —

Code:

[FONT=Courier New]Auburn Dragons by Age
Age         Size     Hit Dice (hp)    Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha Base Atk/Grp Attack Fort Ref Will    Breath Weapon (DC)   Frightful Presence DC
Wyrmling       T     4d12+4 (30)       11  10  13  12  14  13     +4/-4      +6    +5   +4   +6     2d4 (13)            13
Very young     S     7d12+7 (52)       13  10  13  12  14  13     +7/+4      +9    +6   +5   +7     4d4 (17)            14
Young          M     10d12+20 (85)     15  10  15  14  16  15    +10/+12    +12    +9   +7  +10     6d4 (17)            17
Juvenile       M     13d12+26 (110)    17  10  15  14  16  15    +13/+16    +16   +10   +8  +11     8d4 (18)            18
Young adult    L     16d12+48 (152)    19  10  17  16  18  17    +16/+24    +19   +13  +10  +14    10d4 (21)            21
Adult          L     19d12+76 (199)    23  10  19  16  18  17    +19/+29    +24   +15  +11  +15    12d4 (23)            22
Mature adult   H     22d12+110 (253)   27  10  21  18  20  19    +22/+38    +28   +18  +13  +18    14d4 (26)            25
Old            H     25d12+125 (287)   29  10  21  18  20  19    +25/+42    +32   +19  +14  +19    16d4 (27)            27
Very old       H     28d12+168 (350)   31  10  23  20  22  21    +28/+46    +36   +22  +16  +22    18d4 (30)            29
Ancient        H     31d12+186 (387)   33  10  23  20  22  21    +31/+50    +40   +23  +17  +23    20d4 (31)           30
Wyrm           G     34d12+238 (459)   35  10  25  22  24  23    +34/+58    +42   +26  +19  +26    22d4 (34)           33
Great wyrm     G     37d12+296 (536)   37  10  27  22  24  23    +37/+62    +46   +28  +20  +27    24d4 (36)           34

Auburn Dragon Abilities by Age
Age           Speed                         Init    AC                                                   Special Abilities                           Caster Level  SR
Wyrmling      40 ft., fly 100 ft. (average)  +0     15 (+2 size, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15   Nature sense, wild shape (1/day)                     —     —
Very young    40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     17 (+1 size, +6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17   Woodland stride, wild shape (2/day)                  —     —
Young         40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     19 (+9 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 19            Wild shape (3/day)                                 1st     —
Juvenile      40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     22 (+12 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 22           Wild shape (Large)                                 3rd     —
Young adult   40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     24 (-1 size, +15 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 24   DR 5/magic, wild shape (4/day)                     5th    18
Adult         40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     27 (–1 size, +18 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 27   Wild shape (Tiny)                                  7th    20
Mature Adult  40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     29 (–2 size, +21 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 29   DR 10/magic, wild shape (plant)                    9th    22
Old           40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     32 (–2 size, +24 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 32   [I]Plant growth[/I], wild shape (5/day)                  11th    24
Very old      40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)     +0     35 (–2 size, +27 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 35   DR 15/magic, wild shape (Huge)                    13th    25
Ancient       40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy)   +0     38 (–2 size, +30 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 38   [I]Command plant[/I], wild shape (elemental 1/day)       15th    27
Wyrm          40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy)   +0     39 (–4 size, +33 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 39   DR 20/magic, wild shape (6/day, elemental 2/day)  17th    28
Great wyrm    40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy)   +0     42 (–4 size, +36 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 42   Wild shape (elemental 3/day, Huge elemental)      19th    30[/FONT]

*Can also cast druid spells and those from the Animal and Plant domains as arcane spells.

The scales of this dragon resemble auburn autumn leaves. Its antlers are gnarled and twisted, like the branches of a tree. Leaf-shaped crests begin atop its head and pass down its back and tail. It is accompanied by the mingling fragrances of fertile soil and blossoming plants.

Auburn dragons are forest-dwelling dragons that place the welfare of the forest above all else. They protect their forests from any interlopers that seek to cause it harm, while aiding and defending the natural creatures that reside within its boundaries.

Auburn dragons make their lairs in forest caves or the trunks of dead trees large enough to hold them. They spend most of their time patrolling their forests, though, using their lairs mainly to house their hoards. Auburn dragons have a weakness for crafted jewelry of all types, and will willingly trade other items from their hoards for such prizes.

Auburn dragons tend to befriend sylvan fey, pseudodragons, and treants within their forest homes. They are also generally on good terms with druids of all races.

A wyrmling autumn dragon's scales are a bright brown flecked with red or gold, gradually becoming duller and more reddish brown or golden brown as it ages.

Combat

Auburn dragons use their wild shape ability to patrol their forest disguised as less awe-inspiring creatures. If trespassers in the forest are encountered, they will often be greeted with a friendly, if wary parley. Should the interlopers ignore any warnings for forest-threatening behavior, the dragon utilizes its sylvan flames breath weapon and magical abilities to incapacitate or drive them off. Auburn dragons are not cruel, using lethal force only against persistent threats or those who agressively harm the dragon or its forest companions.

Breath Weapon (Su): An auburn dragon has two types of breath weapon, a line of electricity and a cone of sylvan flames. Creatures caught in the cone suffer nonlethal damage equal to half the amount of the electricity breath weapon. All affected creatures must succeed on a Reflex save or the sylvan flames will cling to them. Clinging sylvan flames inflict the same amount of nonlethal damage the following round (on the dragon's initiative) and cause the affected creature to glow eerily (as the faerie fire spell) for 1 minute per age category of the dragon.

Nature Sense (Ex): An auburn dragon gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—plant growth (old or older), command plant (ancient or older).

Wild Shape (Su): An auburn dragon can wild shape like a druid but cannot wild shape into a creature with more Hit Dice than its own racial Hit Dice. The frequency and forms of it wild shape ability depend on its age, as indicated on the Auburn Dragon Abilities by Age Table above.

Woodland Stride (Ex): A very young or older auburn dragon may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect the dragon.

Skills: Handle Animal, Spellcraft, and Survival are considered class skills for auburn dragons.

Note: Originally called "brown dragon." Renamed to avoid confusion with the dragon of the same name.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #38 (1980) as "brown dragon". Renamed to avoid confusion with the existing creature of the same name.

Shade · Sep 2, 2010

Chameleon Dragon
Dragon (Shapechanger)
Environment: Any temperate
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1–2 and 2–5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 2; very young 3; young 4; juvenile 6; young adult 8; adult 10; mature adult 12; old 15; very old 17; ancient 18; wyrm 19; great wyrm 21
Treasure: Half coins; triple goods; triple items
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: Wyrmling 4–5 HD; very young 7–8 HD; young 10–11 HD; juvenile 13–14 HD; young adult 16–17 HD; adult 19–20 HD; mature adult 22–23 HD; old 25–26 HD; very old 28–29 HD; ancient 31–32 HD; wyrm 34–35 HD; great wyrm 37+ HD
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +2; very young +3; young +3; juvenile +5; others —

Code:

Chameleon Dragons by Age 
Age 		Size 	Hit Dice (hp) 		Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha BaseAtk/Grp Attack Fort Ref Will Breath Weapon (DC) Frightful Presence DC 
Wyrmling  	T 	3d12+3 (22) 		 11  10  13  14  15  14	 +3/-5		+5 +4  +3  +5		1d6 (12) 	— 
Very young 	S 	6d12+6 (45) 		 13  10  13  14  15  14	 +6/+3		+8 +6 +5  +7		2d6 (14) 	— 
Young 		M 	9d12+18 (76)     	 15  10  15  16  17  16	 +9/+11		+11 +8 +6  +9 		3d6 (16) 	— 
Juvenile 	L 	12d12+24 (102) 		 17  10  15  18  19  18	+12/+19		+14 +10 +8 +12 		4d6 (18) 	— 
Young adult 	L 	15d12+45 (142) 	 	19  10  17  18  19  18	+15/+23 	+18 +12 +9 +13 		5d6 (20) 	21 
Adult 		H 	18d12+72 (189)		 23  10  19  20  21  20	+18/+32 	+22 +15 +11 +16		6d6 (23) 	24 
Mature adult 	H 	21d12+105 (241)		 27  10  21  20  21  20	+21/+37 	+27 +17 +12 +17		7d6 (25) 	25 
Old 		H 	24d12+120 (276)		 29  10  21  22  23  22	+24/+41 	+31 +19 +14 +20		8d6 (27) 	28 
Very old 	H 	27d12+162 (337)		 31  10  23  24  25  24	+27/+45 	+35 +21 +15 +22		9d6 (29) 	30 
Ancient 	H 	30d12+180 (375)		 33  10  23  26  27  26	+30/+50 	+39 +23 +17 +25		10d6 (31) 	33 
Wyrm 		H 	33d12+231 (445)		 35  10  25  28  29  28	+33/+53 	+43 +25 +18 +27		11d6 (33) 	35 
Great wyrm 	H 	36d12+288 (522)		 37  10  27  30  31  30	+36/+57 	+47 +28 +20 +30		12d6 (36) 	38 


Chameleon Dragon Abilities by Age 
Age 		Speed 				Init 	AC 							Special Abilities						Caster Level* 	SR 
Wyrmling 	40 ft., fly 100 ft. (average)	+0 	14 (+2 size, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14 	Disguise self							— 		— 
Very young 	40 ft., fly 100 ft. (average) 	+0 	16 (+1 size, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16   	Alter self	 						— 		— 			 
Young 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)	+0 	18 (+8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18   		Alternate form 3/day (dragon)					1st		— 
Juvenile 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	20 (-1 size, +11 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 20 	Camouflage							3rd		—		 
Young adult 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	23 (–1 size, +14 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 23 	Alternate form 3/day (animal or humanoid), DR 5/magic 		5th		21
Adult 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	25 (–2 size, +17 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 25 	Misdirection							7th		23
Mature 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	28 (–2 size, +20 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 28 	Alternate form at will (dragon), DR 10/magic			9th		25
Old 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	31 (–2 size, +23 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 31 	Hallucinatory terrain						11th		27
Very old 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	34 (–2 size, +26 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 34 	DR 15/magic							13th		28
Ancient 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	37 (–2 size, +29 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 37 	False vision							15th		30
Wyrm 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	40 (–2 size, +32 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 40 	DR 20/magic							17th		31
Great wyrm 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	43 (–2 size, +35 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 43 	Screen								19th		33

*Can also cast cleric spells and those from the Charm and Trickery domains as arcane spells.

This long, lithe dragon's body is nearly unadorned, lacking the horns, crests, and spines common to others of its kind. Its orange scales seem almost fluid.

Chameleon dragons have the unusal ability to mimic the appearance of other dragons. Most use this power to play relatively harmless pranks on other dragons, or to sow confusion among nearby humanoid communities.

Chameleon dragons mate for life, and their bonds are so strong that if one is killed, its mate will pine and die a few days later. If a chameleon dragon witnesses the death of its mate, it blindly attacks the slayer with savage ferocity. Oddly, this fanatical devotion does not extend to their offspring.

A wyrmling chameleon dragon's scales are bright orange and well-defined. As the dragon ages, the orange hue pales, while the scales become more fluid, seeming to run together. A great wyrm chameleon dragon's scales are nearly indistinguishable from one another, giving the impression of a smooth, orange-white skin.

Unlike most dragons, a chameleon dragon does not have an associated scent. This is most likely an adaptation to help it keep up its ruse in assumed forms.

Combat

A chameleon dragon uses its breath weapon as frequently as possiple. Chameleon dragons prefer illusion spells, and those from other schools that lead to confusion or transmutation.

Alter Self (Su): A chameleon dragon of very young or older can change its shape to any dragon with 5 hit dice or less. This functions as the alter self spell, except the dragon can remain in this form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.

Alternate Form (Su): A chameleon dragon of young age or older can take on the form of any dragon up to its own size and hit dice three times a day (or at-will for chameleon dragons of mature adult age or older). A chameleon dragon of young adult age or older can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day, in addition to its draconic alternate form. Chameleon dragons can remain in an alternate form until they choose to assume a new one or return to their natural form.

Breath Weapon (Su): A chameleon dragon has one breath weapon: a cone of multicolored light that works like the color spray spell except that it also causes hit point damage, even to sightless creatures. Victims are additionally affected as follows, based upon their Hit Dice:

Creatures with one-fourth the dragon's Hit Dice or less are rendered unconscious, blinded, and stunned for 2d4 rounds, then blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, and then stunned for 1 round. (Only living creatures are knocked unconscious.)

Creatures with one-half the dragon's Hit Dice are blinded and stunned for 1d4 rounds, then stunned for 1 round.

Creatures with more than one-half the dragon's Hit Dice stunned for 1 round.

Camouflage (Ex): A chameleon dragon of juvenile age or older can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.

Disguise Self (Su): A chameleon dragon can take on the appearance of any other true dragon of its own size. This functions as the disguise self spell, except the dragon can remain in this disguise until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—hallucinatory terrain (old or older), misdirection (adult or older); 1/day—false vision (ancient or older), screen (great wyrm).

Skills: Bluff, Disguise, and Hide are considered class skills for chameleon dragons.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #38 (1980) as "orange dragon". Renamed to avoid confusion with the existing creature of the same name.

Shade · Sep 17, 2010

Mustard Dragon
Dragon
Environment: Any land
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1–2 and 2–5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 4; very young 6; young 7; juvenile 9; young adult 12; adult 14; mature adult 16; old 19; very old 20; ancient 22; wyrm 23; great wyrm 25
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: Always chaotic neutral
Advancement: Wyrmling 8–9 HD; very young 11–12 HD; young 14–15 HD; juvenile 17–18 HD; young adult 20–21 HD; adult 23–24 HD; mature adult 26–27 HD; old 29–30 HD; very old 32–33 HD; ancient 35–36 HD; wyrm 38–39 HD; great wyrm 41+ HD
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +4; very young +4; young +5; others —

Code:

Mustard Dragons by Age 
Age 		Size 	Hit Dice (hp) 		Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha BaseAtk/Grp Attack Fort Ref Will Breath Weapon (DC) Frightful Presence DC 
Wyrmling  	M 	7d12+7 (52) 		 13  10  13  14  11  14	 +7/+8		+8 +6  +5  +5		2d10 (14) 	— 
Very young 	L 	10d12+20 (55) 		 15  10  15  14  11  14	 +10/+16	+11 +9 +7  +7		4d10 (17) 	— 
Young 		L 	13d12+26 (110)     	 17  10  15  16  11  16	 +13/+20	+15 +10 +8  +8 	6d10 (18) 	— 
Juvenile 	L 	16d12+48 (152) 		 19  10  17  18  11  18	+16/+24 	+20 +13 +10 +10 	8d10 (21) 	— 
Young adult 	H 	19d12+76 (199) 	 	23  10  19  18  11  18	+19/+33 	+23 +15 +11 +11 	10d10 (23) 	23 
Adult 		H 	22d12+110 (253)		 27  10  21  20  11  20	+22/+38 	+28 +18 +13 +13		12d10 (26) 	26 
Mature adult 	H 	25d12+125 (287)		 29  10  21  20  13  20	+25/+40 	+30 +19 +14 +15		14d10 (27) 	27 
Old 		G 	28d12+168 (350)		 31  10  23  22  13  22	+28/+48 	+32 +22 +16 +17		16d10 (30) 	30 
Very old 	G 	31d12+186 (387)		 33  10  23  24  15  24	+31/+52 	+36 +23 +17 +19		18d10 (31) 	32 
Ancient 	G 	34d12+238 (459)		 35  10  25  26  15  26	+34/+56 	+40 +26 +19 +21		20d10 (34) 	35 
Wyrm 		G 	37d12+296 (536)		 37  10  27  28  15  28	+37/+60 	+44 +28 +20 +22		22d10 (36) 	37 
Great wyrm 	C 	40d12+320 (580)		 39  10  27  30  19  30	+40/+70 	+46 +31 +22 +26		24d10 (38) 	40 


Mustard Dragon Abilities by Age 
Age 		Speed 				Init 	AC 							Special Abilities 					Caster Level* 		SR 
Wyrmling 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)	+0 	15 (+5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15 		Alternate form	 					— 		— 
Very young 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	17 (-1 size, +8 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 17   	—	 							— 		— 			 
Young 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)	+0 	20 (-1 size, +11 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 20   	—								1st		— 
Juvenile 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	23 (-1 size, +14 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 23 	—								3rd		—		 
Young adult 	40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	25 (–2 size, +17 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 25 	DR 5/magic 							5th		21
Adult 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	28 (–2 size, +20 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 28 	—								7th		23
Mature 		40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor) 	+0 	31 (–2 size, +23 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 31 	DR 10/magic 							9th		25
Old 		40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	32 (–4 size, +26 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 32 	—								11th		27
Very old 	40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	35 (–4 size, +29 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 35 	DR 15/magic							13th		28
Ancient 	40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	38 (–4 size, +32 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 38 	—								15th		30
Wyrm 		40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	41 (–4 size, +35 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 41 	DR 20/magic 							17th		31
Great wyrm 	40 ft., fly 200 ft. (clumsy) 	+0 	40 (–8 size, +38 natural), touch 2, flat-footed 40 	—								19th		33

*Can also cast cleric spells and those from the Destruction, Healing, and Trickery domains as arcane spells.

This dragon's scales are irregularly-shaped, appearing a bit like flattened paste. The skin on its neck is long and loose, giving an appearance similar to a rooster's waddle. Its snout is short and narrow, and its maw is smaller than most dragons of its size. Its scent subtly mixes sulfur, cabbage, and rotten eggs.

Mustard dragons are quite fond of humans, freely mixing with them while assuming a human form of its own. Oddly, mustard dragons dislike most other humanoids, generally being outright rude and almost hateful to them. In fact, a mustard dragon is just as likely to attack a group of humanoids outright as it is to ignore or insult them, unless a human accompanies them.

Mustard dragons make their lairs near human settlements, usually at a point overlooking an oft-traveled road or near a village or small town.

Although quite deceptive and capable of perfectly mimicking humans, mustard dragons are quite gullible.

A wyrmling mustard dragon's scales are buff in color, gradually becoming flaxen, and eventually a true mustard color.

Combat

Mustard dragons are usually peaceful towards humans but frequently attack other humanoid races on sight. They tend to open combat with their blinding breath weapon, then resort to spells, fangs and claw. If it doesn't master its opponents quickly, a mustard dragon may use its disease breath weapon and withdraw, planning to return later when its foes have been weakened by its second breath weapon's mustard rot curse.

Alternate Form (Su): A mustard dragon can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day. The dragon can remain in its animal or humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.

Breath Weapon (Su): A mustard dragon has two types of breath weapon, a cone of disease gas and a cone of blinding gas. Creatures within a cone of disease gas suffer Strength and Dexterity damage equal to half the age category of the dragon and contracts mustard rot (see below). A successful Fortitude save halves the damage and avoids contracting mustard rot. A creature reduced to Strength 0 and Dexterity 0 dies. Creatures within a cone of blinding gas must succeed on a Fortitude save or be permanently blinded, or dazzled for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per age category of the dragon on a successful save.

Mustard Rot (Su): Supernatural disease—breath weapon, Fortitude DC equals breath weapon DC, incubation period 1 day; damage 1 Str and 1 Dex drain. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Unlike normal diseases, mustard rot continues until the victim reaches Strength 0 and Dexterity 0 (and dies) or is cured as described below.

Mustard rot is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A character attempting to cast any conjuration (healing) spell on a creature afflicted with mustard rot must succeed on a caster level check (DC equals 15 + age category), or the spell has no effect on the afflicted character.

To eliminate mustard rot, the curse must first be broken with break enchantment or remove curse (requiring a DC 15 + age category caster level check for either spell), after which a caster level check is no longer necessary to cast healing spells on the victim, and the mustard rot can be magically cured as any normal disease.

Skills: Mustard dragons have a -8 racial penalty on Sense Motive checks. Bluff, Disguise, and Hide are considered class skills for mustard dragons.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #38 (1980) as "yellow dragon". Renamed to avoid confusion with the existing creature of the same name.