WarDriveWorley
Hero

I choose you Púcachu!!!!
sorry I'll see myself out....
I remember that one! I don't think I have the book anymore, though.
spleeeeeeMy first Level Up dragon! Richard Alan Lloyd created the “missing” chromatic dragons in issue #65, then revamped them for 2e in issue #248. I wonder if he stopped playing by 3rd edition, never moved to 3e, if Dragon didn’t publish the conversions, or if he just didn’t bother to convert them in the first place. This entry is for the yellow dragon. Purple and orange dragons coming soon.
This article assumes that a green dragon may be the child (or grandchild) of a blue and yellow dragon, even going so far as to say that the lightning of a blue dragon’s breath separates the sodium from the chloride of a yellow dragons’ breath, thus producing a green dragon’s gaseous chorine breath. Gotta give him props for trying to figure out the science here!
Once again, I welcome any criticism or corrections of my math or a creature’s abilities.
Yellow Dragon (Chromatic Dragon)
The Missing Dragons, Dragon Magazine #65 and The Return of the Missing Dragons, Dragon Magazine #248
Created by Richard Alan Lloyd
Yellow dragons are long, blunt-nosed, and almost worm-like, with short limbs that end in oversized, mole-like claws. Their wings are short and fanlike, folding completely against their body when not in use. When first hatched, a yellow dragon’s tiny scales appear like lemon-colored bits of glass. As the dragon ages, some of the scales get lighter and sun-bleached but retain their small size, allowing them to move like a snake.
Salt The Earth. Yellow dragons naturally lair in salt-filled areas: salt marshes, ocean beaches, inland salt lakes, estuaries, and salt pans. Their presence causes these places to become even more salt-filled, choking out most life as potable water is turned to brine and brine becomes saline water. Even animals that normally thrive in salt water begin to die off, leaving behind only tiny (or giant) invertebrates and salt-loving fungi. When a yellow dragon lives in an area, existing buildings begin to crumble and decay from the damage the salt causes.
Quiet Lives. The presence of so much salt seems to preserve everything in a state of motionlessness and with great inertia. The weather is rarely severe. Instead of violent storms that quickly blow through an area, it may simply rain in steadily for days or even weeks in a quiet, unpleasant drizzle. Yellow dragons revel in the silence that surrounds them. The buzzing of flies and the soft whoosh of lapping ocean waves are the only noises they tolerate. Travelers who take pains to keep quiet are likely to be tolerated, but those who are loud can expect meet the dragon’s quiet wrath. And yellow dragons enjoy torturing those who anger them, and then preserving their corpses in the salt.
As a result, yellow dragons are typically solitary. When they keep servitors, they expect them to speak in sign language or through writing, and while they do enjoy hearing stories and news from the outside world, they prefer to read it rather than the hear it. Powerful yellow dragons simply turn salt-preserved corpses into zombies or even mummies, neither of which need to talk.
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or History check, the characters can learn the following:
DC 10. Yellow dragons live in salt marshes and salt flats and on beaches. They exhale clouds of salty particles that not only erode what they touch, but also cause blindness and choking.
DC 15. The lair of a yellow dragon is always in an incredibly dry, moisture-sucking place. They hate noise, and so their lairs are always very quiet places.
DC 20. Truly ancient yellow dragons can transform targets into pillars of salt.
Yellow Dragon Encounters
Terrain: desert, swamp, ruin, water
CR 3-4 yellow dragon wyrmling; yellow dragon wyrmling with 1 or 2 crocodiles, swarms of insects, or sahuagin; yellow dragon wyrmling with 2d4 giant crabs
Treasure: 150 gp, 800 sp, trade goods (500 pounds of salt worth 25 gp), silver-edged mirror (25 gp), an earthenware tureen once painted with abstract designs which have now been eroded away, dust of sneezing and choking, tome of the endless tale
CR 5-10 young yellow dragon; young yellow dragon with 1 or 2 crocodiles, swarms of insects, or sahuagin; young yellow dragon with
Treasure: 230 gp, 600 sp, trade goods (1,000 pounds of salt worth 50 gp), 2 pearls (100 gp each), 1d4 barrels of salted meat of unknown type (15 gp each), platinum and onyx necklace (250 gp), set of navigator’s tools, decanter of endless water, feather token (boat), spell scroll of hypnotic pattern
CR 11-16 young yellow dragon with giant crocodile, 2 giant scorpions, 2 scorpionfolk, or sahuagin champion; young yellow dragon with 1d4+1 dragonbound warriors, jackalweres, or sahuagin; adult yellow dragon.
Treasure: 260 pp, 50 gp, 890 sp, trade goods (5,000 pounds of salt worth 250 gp), medallion carved from bronze dragon horn (1,000 gp), iron crown set with moonstones (500 gp), bag of 12 pearls (100 gp each), damaged canoe, dust of disappearance, elemental gem (fire), ring of animal influence
CR 17-22 adult yellow dragon with giant crocodile, scorpionfolk imperator, or sahuagin champion; adult yellow dragon with 2d12 zombies, 2d12 sahuagin, or 2 zombie knights; adult yellow dragon with stuffed crab
Treasure 600 pp, 900 gp, trade goods (10,000 pounds of salt worth 500 gp), 3 black pearls (300 gp each), 1 opal (1,000 gp), ivory scepter with gold inlays in floral patterns (1,100 gp), golden cup with a sea serpent and merfolk relief on it (250 gp), clockwork calender, heavily corroded but still functional +2 shield, spell scroll of hallucinatory terrain
CR 23-30 ancient yellow dragon; ancient yellow dragon with 3 zombie knights; ancient yellow dragon with 2 zombie hordes or 2 sahuagin champions
Treasure 1,800 pp, 9,000 gp, trade goods (10,000 pounds of salt worth 500 gp), a bag of 6 black pearls (300 gp each), yellow dragon egg (25,000 gp), a triton ruler’s coral and mother-of-pearl crown and scepter (20,000 gp each), carpet of flying, fathomer’s ring, iron bands of binding
CR 31+ yellow dragon great wyrm; ancient yellow dragon with 1d4+1 mummies; ancient yellow dragon with div, ancient yellow dragon with 1d4 zombie hordes
Treasure 5,000 pp, 12,000 gp, trade goods (20,000 pounds of salt worth 1,000 gp), ivory bowl (1,500 gp), very large iron and gold bell (1,000 gp, but bulky), a heavily eroded slab of stone with ancient writing on it: a rare spell of at least 5th level (7,500 gp), diamond ring (7,500 gp), iron flask with a noble marid trapped within, ioun stone (insight), spell scroll of mirage arcane, scimitar of speed,
Signs
1-2. Pillars of salt.
3-4. Dead, withered, salt-damaged plants.
5. The salt-preserved corpse of an animal or humanoid.
6. The air is so dry that nosebleeds are a common occurrence.
7. A pool of water. Although it seems fresh, it is actually saturated with salt.
8. A tiny village. The inhabitants are servants of the dragon and have had their tongues removed.
Behavior
1-2. Flying overhead, hunting.
3. Hiding in ambush.
4. Sleeping in the sun and half-buried in the salt.
5. Floating in a briny pool or the ocean.
6. Plotting against a nearby black or bronze dragon.
7. Sitting very still and listening to nothing.
8. Devouring a preserved corpse.
Names
Bleakest, Cyradalia, Lahbanaarav, Salansorl, Tasalacea, Tihordlak, Witherfang
Yellow Dragon Lair Features
The save DC for the following effects is 13+ the dragon’s proficiency modifier. Choose or roll one or more of the following lair features.
1. Creatures have advantage on saving throws against spells from the water school of magic, and a spellcaster who makes an attack roll when casting a water spell does so at disadvantage.
2. Clouds of swarming insects and floating particles of salt dust hang in the air. The maximum range of any sight-based senses is 60 feet. Additionally, Perception checks are made with disadvantage and all passive scores (including passive Perception) are reduced by 5. The dragon’s vision is not impaired.
3. Pools and tunnels of thick, briny water connect parts of the lair.
4. Each time a character tries to drink a liquid in the lair, including a potion, the Narrator should roll a die. On an odd result, the liquid is tainted with salt and useless.
Variant: Yellow Dragon Spellcaster
Some yellow dragons develop the ability to innately cast spells. A yellow dragon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma. It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components. Each age category knows its own spells and those of younger age categories.
Young (save DC 13): 3/day each: pass without trace, silence
Adult (save DC 15): 3/day each: animate dead, blight
Ancient (save DC 18): 1/day each: control wind, create and destroy water
Great Wyrm (save DC 18): 1/day: create undead
Ancient Yellow Dragon
Legendary gargantuan dragon
Challenge 23 (50,000 XP)
AC 21 (natural armor)
HP 367 (21d20+147; bloodied 183)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR 27 (+8) DEX 14 (+2) CON 25 (+7)
INT 16 (+3) WIS 13 (+1) CHA 16 (+3)
Proficiency +7
Maneuver DC 23
Saving Throws Dex +9, Con +14, Wis +8, Cha +10
Skills Perception +8 (+1d6), Stealth +9
Damage Immunities acid
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21
Languages Common, Draconic, two more
Ambusher. When submerged in salt or in water, the dragon has advantage on Stealth checks. If the dragon hits a creature that can’t see it with its bite, it can deal piercing damage and grapple the target simultaneously.
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). When the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. When it does so, some of its scales turn a dull gray. If it has no more uses of this ability, its Armor Class is reduced to 19 until it finishes a long rest.
Actions
Mulltiattack. The dragon attacks once with its bite and twice with its claws. In place of its bite attack, it can use Salt Spray.
Desiccating Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (4d10+8) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage, and its hit point maximum is reduced by half of the necrotic damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. Instead of dealing piercing damage, the dragon can grappled the target (escape DC 23), and a Huge or smaller creature is grappled in this way is restrained. While grappling a creature, the dragon can’t bite or use Salt Spray against another target.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8+8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8+8) bludgeoning damage.
Salt Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales a 90-foot cone of corrosive, choking particles of salt. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 88 (16d10) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that failed its saving throw is also blinded and poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Salt Spray. The dragon spits liquid salt at a creature within 60 ft., forcing it to make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it takes 11 (2d10) acid damage and 11 (2d10) necrotic damage and is blinded for 1 minute. The creature may make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Reactions
Tail Attack. When a creature the dragon can see within 10 feet hits the dragon with a melee attack, the dragon makes a tail attack against it.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Pillar of Salt (Costs 3 Actions; Recharge 6). The dragon spits salt at a creature within 60 feet. That creature must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw. If it rolls a natural 1 on the save, it is petrified instantly and turned into a pillar of salt. Otherwise, it is restrained as it begins to be petrified. The creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on itself on a success and becoming petrified on a failure. The petrification can be removed with greater restoration or similar powerful magic.
Roar. Each creature of the dragon’s choice within 120 feet that can hear it makes a DC 19 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it is frightened for 1 minute. A creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. When it succeeds on a saving throw or the effect ends for it, it is immune to Roar for 24 hours.
Wing Attack. The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet makes a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it is pushed 10 feet away and knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its fly speed.
Ancient Yellow Dragon Variant: Yellow Great Wyrm
The dragon is an elite monster, equivalent to two CR 23 monsters (100,000 XP). It has 735 (42d20+294; bloodied 367) hit points and the following trait:
Withering Salt (1/Day). When the dragon is first bloodied, it immediately recharges its breath weapon, if it’s not already available. For the next minute, the dragon’s salt breath because far more draining, ignoring necrotic resistance and treating necrotic immunity as necrotic resistance. Additionally, a creature that rolls a critical failure when making its saving throw against its Salt Spray trait is blinded until it is targeted by a lesser restoration or similar spell.
The dragon has the following additional legendary actions, which it can only use while bloodied:
Elite Recovery. The dragon ends one negative effect currently affecting it. It can do so as long as it has at least 1 hit point, even while unconscious or incapacitated.
Mortal Terror (Gaze). A creature within 120 feet makes a saving throw against Roar, even it has already successfully saved within the past 24 hours.
Draw Silica (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon recharges its breath weapon.
Desiccation. The dragon strikes a creature within 120 feet with a gout of liquid salt. The creature is affected as if caught in the dragon’s breath weapon, rolling to save as normal.
Adult Yellow Dragon
Legendary huge dragon
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)
AC 19 (natural armor)
HP 242 (21d12+105)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR 23 (+6) DEX 14 (+2) CON 21 (+5)
INT 14 (+2) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 14 (+2)
Proficiency +5
Maneuver DC 19
Saving Throws Dex +7, Con +10, Wis +6, Cha +6
Skills Perception +6 (+1d6), Stealth +7
Damage Immunities acid, necrotic
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages Common, Draconic
Ambusher. When submerged in salt or in water, the dragon has advantage on Stealth checks. If the dragon hits a creature that can’t see it with its bite, it can deal piercing damage and grapple the target simultaneously.
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). When the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. When it does so, some of its scales turn a dull gray. If it has no more uses of this ability, its Armor Class is reduced to 19 until it finishes a long rest.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon attacks once with its bite and twice with its claws. In place of its bite attack, it can use Salt Spray.
Desiccating Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d10+6) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage, and its hit point maximum is reduced by half of the necrotic damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. Instead of dealing piercing damage, the dragon can grappled the target (escape DC 19), and a Large or smaller creature is grappled in this way is restrained. While grappling a creature, the dragon can’t bite or use Salt Spray against another target.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8+6) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8+6) bludgeoning damage.
Salt Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales a 60-foot cone of corrosive, choking particles of salt. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that failed its saving throw is also blinded and poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Salt Spray. The dragon spits liquid salt at a creature within 60 ft., forcing it to make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it takes 11 (2d10) acid damage and 11 (2d10) necrotic damage and is blinded for 1 minute. The creature may make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Reactions
Tail Attack. When a creature the dragon can see within 10 feet hits the dragon with a melee attack, the dragon makes a tail attack against it.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Pillar of Salt (Costs 3 Actions; Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The dragon spits salt at a creature within 60 feet. That creature must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. If it rolls a natural 1 on the save, it is petrified instantly and turned into a pillar of salt. Otherwise, it is restrained as it begins to be petrified. The creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on itself on a success and becoming petrified on a failure. The petrification can be removed with greater restoration or similar powerful magic.
Roar. Each creature of the dragon’s choice within 120 feet that can hear it makes a DC 19 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it is frightened for 1 minute. A creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. When it succeeds on a saving throw or the effect ends for it, it is immune to Roar for 24 hours.
Wing Attack. The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet makes a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it is pushed 10 feet away and knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its fly speed
Young Yellow Dragon
Large dragon
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
AC 18 (natural armor)
HP 136 (16d10+48)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR 19 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 17 (+3)
INT 12 (+1) WIS 11 (+0) CHA 12 (+1)
Proficiency +4
Maneuver DC 16
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +7, Wis +4, Cha +5
Skills Perception +4 (+1d6), Stealth +6
Damage Immunities acid, necrotic
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages Common, Draconic
Ambusher. When submerged in salt or in water, the dragon has advantage on Stealth checks. If the dragon hits a creature that can’t see it with its bite, it can deal piercing damage and grapple the target simultaneously.
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon attacks once with its bite and twice with its claws.
Desiccating Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d10+4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage, and its hit point maximum is reduced by half of the necrotic damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. Instead of dealing piercing damage, the dragon can grappled the target (escape DC 16), and a Medium or smaller creature is grappled in this way is restrained. While grappling a creature, the dragon can’t bite another creature
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8+6) slashing damage.
Salt Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales a 60-foot cone of corrosive, choking particles of salt. Each creature in that area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 50 (9d10) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that failed its saving throw is also blinded and poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Yellow Dragon Wyrmling
Medium dragon
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
AC 16 (natural armor)
HP 58 (9d8+18)
Speed 30 ft., burrow 30 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 30 ft.
STR 15 (+2) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2)
INT 10 (+0) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 10 (+0)
Proficiency +3
Maneuver DC 13
Saving Throws Dex +5, Con +5, Wis +3, Cha +3
Skills Perception +3 (+1d6), Stealth +5
Damage Immunities acid, necrotic
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Draconic
Ambusher. When submerged in salt or in water, the dragon has advantage on Stealth checks. If the dragon hits a creature that can’t see it with its bite, it can deal piercing damage and grapple the target simultaneously.
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Desiccating Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d10+2) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) necrotic damage, and its hit point maximum is reduced by half of the necrotic damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest.
Salt Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales a 30-foot cone of corrosive, choking particles of salt. Each creature in that area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that failed its saving throw is also blinded and poisoned until the end of its next turn.
According to the original article, the queen is a bit bigger--like about four inches long--but doesn't seem to have any other abilities. The only thing of note is that the article says you can't remove a queen from the hive without killing it. Perhaps it actually melds with the stone of their hive? I'll make a variant for the whiz-bang.I think if the flavor text for the Whiz-Bang beetle mentions that they have a queen, we would also need stats for the queen.