D&D 5E What can a dragon do to accelerate its aging?

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Send the dragon to a place full of ghosts and see how many times it fails the Horrifying Visage saving throw, aging by 1d4x10 years for each of the saves failed by five or more?

 

[Krachek]

But seriously there is no need of official rule to accelerate the aging of a dragon.
just state that he eat the heart of some pious or pure young people and that make him more powerful.

 

[Tonguez]

Maybe that’s why dragons kill other dragons

it’s Highlander style, there can be only one

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Do you need a single specific way to age the dragon? If this is a long-term villain, you could combine all the suggestions here. For example:
the next meeting, the dragon is "leveled up" with more spells and items;
then the next time, it's naturally advanced an age category;
then next after it's spent some years in the feywild aging erratically;
then next meeting is after it's "leveled up" some more, maybe gained some artifact,
then next time, it's after the dragon made a risky wish;
then they meet after it's traveled to the astral plane to do nefarious research;
then the final encounter it's become a dracolich.

Or whatever. In other words, there are a variety of ways the dragon could be "keeping up" with the PCs, more or less analogous to the same sorts of things the PCs themselves are doing to advance their own power.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I don't really like hand-waving things away. But I like your idea of the dragon going to another Plane of Existence; paying Tiamat a visit in the Nine Hells seems like a great way to do this quick and easy.

The Feywild idea is also good, as it’s a great way for it to learn some magic the party won’t expect from it. Especially some of that good old Unseelie magic.

But one of the main tools you have is the fact that a dragon can learn stuff. Spells, martial abilities, artificing, etc.

Give the dragon time based dunamancy spells from Explorers Guide to Wildemount, and meta-magics, make spells work for it, like taking flame blade and make it enhance their claw attacks and deal acid instead of fire.

Just have fun with it.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I see dragons as needing to not just grow physically, but also in experience, in order to advance age categories.
Effects that simply age a creature aren't going to make a dragon more powerful.

Advancing age categories is the primary method dragons use to get more power: if there was a "shortcut" then you can be sure that it would be fairly widely used by dragons wanting power.

If you just want to have a foe with more power for the characters to fight, then a faster track to power might be more appropriate. Perhaps giving the dragon class levels?

Alternatively, if you want the dragon to actually be a greater age category, you need to come up with a way that would be impractical or not considered by other dragons. Making a deal with a powerful entity warlock-style is an idea, although I wouldn't make it Tiamat. Tiamat seems "draconic" enough that she wouldn't accept shortcutting the way dragons are "meant" to gain power.

 

[Flamestrike]

Hi! So I'm curious about making a specific dragon a recurring enemy, but I want her to grow stronger as the party does.

Of course, dragons do have several stages of life, but they grow slowly with age; the difference between a "young" dragon and "adult" dragon can be decades, and the difference between adult and ancient can be hundred of years.

So my question is... what can a dragon do if it decides to accelerate its own aging, in an effort to defeat troublesome adventurers?

The idea is that this young dragon failed to defeat the heroes within it's own lair, and although escaped, sees no other recourse but to "hit puberty quick!"

The dragon does have some humanoid assistance in local followers, including lizardfolk, ogres and bullywugs. What I want suggestions for are things like specific spells, rituals, items or patrons that the dragon would seek out to accelerate its aging.

If you can, point to a source in a D&D book where this has happened (I'm sure it has somewhere). But if you've got a great idea, I'd love to hear it!

EDIT: It's a black dragon, starting this as young.

Dude, you're the DM. If you want the Dragon to age or get tougher and stronger as the players do, just make it happen.

Reason could be anything; he's the 'Chosen of Tiamat' or epic magic, or favored of the gods, or whatever. Make it sound epic and cool, and run with it.

Bonus points if you link the phenomena to a place of power or magic item or something that the PCs can stop/ destroy/ mess with to slow down or weaken him.

 

[Garthanos]

Humans think Dragons get more powerful with age they really get more potent via hoarding more treasure...

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Dude, you're the DM. If you want the Dragon to age or get tougher and stronger as the players do, just make it happen.

Reason could be anything; he's the 'Chosen of Tiamat' or epic magic, or favored of the gods, or whatever. Make it sound epic and cool, and run with it.

Bonus points if you link the phenomena to a place of power or magic item or something that the PCs can stop/ destroy/ mess with to slow down or weaken him.

Sorry, do you have a problem?

I made the thread to mine for good ideas. I'm perfectly aware I can make the reason as simple as "Oh he found a magic rock in the woods, lucky him!" I wanted to hear suggestions from the community, and I'm pretty happy with a lot of these answers, being a balance of creative and working within the game's rules logically.

If you don't like the thread question, don't participate. There's no reason to get snarky.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

1) Time manipulation (especially appropriate in Wildermont)

2) Tracking down, killing, and eating other dragons e.g. parent, siblings metallic dragons or alternate-dimension self.

3) Eating dragonshards (Eberron).

4) Study to acquire class levels. Behold, I am now a mighty wizard!

5) Become an artificer and build a dragon-mech suit.

6) Become a warlock and acquire a patron. Become a demondragon.

7) Exposure to a chemical mutagen. Because one head is never enough.

8) I was always more powerful, I was holding back last time we met.

9) Soul transference into the body of an ancient dragon.

10) Perform a ritual to bond with a Great Old One from the Far Realm, because what a dragon really needs is insanity and tentacles. The dragon looks normal, apart from a slight rippling under it's skin. But when it opens it's mouth to brethe instead of a breath weapon a mass of writhing tentacles emerge and grapple the party.

11) Wounded by the players, the dragon heals itself with a graft of troll flesh. The dragon can now regenerate and is immune to either fire or acid.