MortalPlague
Adventurer
I've been meaning to tinker around with some homebrewed creatures for the latest version of the playtest. Inspired by [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION]'s excellent post about dragons, I decided to see if I could cook up something that would be dangerous, dynamic, and challenging to fight.
Since we don't have any real monster creation guidelines, a lot of the numbers used are guesswork. I figure 244 hit points would make for a tough, lengthy fight, but not long enough that the dragon will become boring. Also, most of the to hit numbers were matched up against the upper end of numbers in the Bestiary. If anyone runs a fight against this beastie, please let me know how it goes!
**EDIT** Revised the dragon.
Red Dragon - Version 3
Huge Dragon
Armor Class 18 (scales)
Hit Points 244
Speed 40 ft (fly 40 ft)
Senses darkvision 60 ft
Str 22 (+6) Dex 12 (+1) Con 17 (+3)
Int 18 (+4) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 15 (+2)
Alignment lawful evil
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant
Traits
Impenetrable Hide: Whenever the dragon takes damage, prevent 10 points of that damage. If an attack would beat the dragon's AC by 5, the attack creates a chink in the dragon's armor, and it loses this resistance.
When the dragon has lost its resistance, it fights more defensively. It may choose to spend its superiority dice to parry attacks, reducing damage by the total rolled.
On its turn, if the dragon is in its hoard, it can choose not to move. Instead it can roll in the treasure and fill the weak spot in, regaining this resistance.
Ferocity: The dragon has 2d10 of Ferocity dice, which refresh at the end of its turn. It may spend these dice as follows:
Knockback: Spend 1 die to deal 1d10 extra damage, and knock the target 20 feet away from the dragon.
Rampage: Spend 1 die to use any attack.
Prowl: Spend 1 die to move the dragon's speed.
These dice may be spent between initiative counts, as well as on the dragon's turn.
Seize Momentum: If the dragon takes more than 25 damage from a single attack, add a d10 to its combat superiority pool. Dice gained in this way do not refresh, and are lost at the end of the dragon's turn if they haven't been used.
Actions
Melee Attack - Claw: Two attacks: +7 to hit (reach 10 ft, one creature). Hit: 1d8 + 6 damage.
Melee Attack - Bite: +7 to hit (reach 10 ft, one creature). Hit: 2d6 + 6 damage, and the target is snatched up in the dragon's jaws. The dragon may only have one creature in its jaws at a time. If the dragon bites with a creature already in its jaws, that creature is swallowed on a hit.
Melee Attack - Tail Sweep: +5 to hit (reach 15 ft, up to three adjacent creatures within range). Hit: 1d6 + 3 damage, and each target is knocked 10 feet further from the dragon.
Ranged Attack - Spit Fire: +7 to hit (range 50/150). Hit: 1d10 + 4 fire damage.
Area Attack - Breathe Fire: The dragon breathes fire in a 30 foot cone. Any creature in the area takes 4d10 fire damage. Targets may attempt a Dex save (DC 13) for half damage. The dragon cannot breathe fire again for 1d4 rounds.
Ranged Attack - Fling The Morsel: +7 to hit (range 50/100 ft, requires the dragon to have a creature in its jaws, targets one additional creature). Hit: 2d10 + 6 damage to both creatures. Miss: 2d10 + 6 damage to the thrown creature. Special: The thrown creature falls prone in a space adjacent to the target.
Swallow Whole: The dragon may use its bite to swallow a creature. While swallowed, the target takes 3d8 acid damage at the start of every turn. The acid damage may not be parried.
The swallowed creature may attack the dragon's stomach with disadvantage, though the stomach's AC is only 16. Swallowed creatures do not interact with the dragon's Impenetrable Hide.
Since we don't have any real monster creation guidelines, a lot of the numbers used are guesswork. I figure 244 hit points would make for a tough, lengthy fight, but not long enough that the dragon will become boring. Also, most of the to hit numbers were matched up against the upper end of numbers in the Bestiary. If anyone runs a fight against this beastie, please let me know how it goes!
**EDIT** Revised the dragon.
Red Dragon - Version 3
Huge Dragon
Armor Class 18 (scales)
Hit Points 244
Speed 40 ft (fly 40 ft)
Senses darkvision 60 ft
Str 22 (+6) Dex 12 (+1) Con 17 (+3)
Int 18 (+4) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 15 (+2)
Alignment lawful evil
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant
Traits
Impenetrable Hide: Whenever the dragon takes damage, prevent 10 points of that damage. If an attack would beat the dragon's AC by 5, the attack creates a chink in the dragon's armor, and it loses this resistance.
When the dragon has lost its resistance, it fights more defensively. It may choose to spend its superiority dice to parry attacks, reducing damage by the total rolled.
On its turn, if the dragon is in its hoard, it can choose not to move. Instead it can roll in the treasure and fill the weak spot in, regaining this resistance.
Ferocity: The dragon has 2d10 of Ferocity dice, which refresh at the end of its turn. It may spend these dice as follows:
Knockback: Spend 1 die to deal 1d10 extra damage, and knock the target 20 feet away from the dragon.
Rampage: Spend 1 die to use any attack.
Prowl: Spend 1 die to move the dragon's speed.
These dice may be spent between initiative counts, as well as on the dragon's turn.
Seize Momentum: If the dragon takes more than 25 damage from a single attack, add a d10 to its combat superiority pool. Dice gained in this way do not refresh, and are lost at the end of the dragon's turn if they haven't been used.
Actions
Melee Attack - Claw: Two attacks: +7 to hit (reach 10 ft, one creature). Hit: 1d8 + 6 damage.
Melee Attack - Bite: +7 to hit (reach 10 ft, one creature). Hit: 2d6 + 6 damage, and the target is snatched up in the dragon's jaws. The dragon may only have one creature in its jaws at a time. If the dragon bites with a creature already in its jaws, that creature is swallowed on a hit.
Melee Attack - Tail Sweep: +5 to hit (reach 15 ft, up to three adjacent creatures within range). Hit: 1d6 + 3 damage, and each target is knocked 10 feet further from the dragon.
Ranged Attack - Spit Fire: +7 to hit (range 50/150). Hit: 1d10 + 4 fire damage.
Area Attack - Breathe Fire: The dragon breathes fire in a 30 foot cone. Any creature in the area takes 4d10 fire damage. Targets may attempt a Dex save (DC 13) for half damage. The dragon cannot breathe fire again for 1d4 rounds.
Ranged Attack - Fling The Morsel: +7 to hit (range 50/100 ft, requires the dragon to have a creature in its jaws, targets one additional creature). Hit: 2d10 + 6 damage to both creatures. Miss: 2d10 + 6 damage to the thrown creature. Special: The thrown creature falls prone in a space adjacent to the target.
Swallow Whole: The dragon may use its bite to swallow a creature. While swallowed, the target takes 3d8 acid damage at the start of every turn. The acid damage may not be parried.
The swallowed creature may attack the dragon's stomach with disadvantage, though the stomach's AC is only 16. Swallowed creatures do not interact with the dragon's Impenetrable Hide.
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