Sand Dragon Original Stats
SAND DRAGON
Created by: Jeffrey S. Johnson
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVE: 12″//24″ (9″ in sand)
HIT DICE: 10-12
% IN LAIR: 60%
TREASURE TYPE: H, S, T
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 claws and 1 bite
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8/1-8/2-20
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon, spell use, surprise on 1-9 on 1d10, high intelligence
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Low armor class, acute senses, saving-throw bonuses, magic resistance
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (38′ long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
CHANCE OF:
Speaking: 80%
Magic Use: 80%
Sleeping: 30%
Level/XP Value: 10 HD: VIII/4,950 + 14 per hit point; 11-12 HD: IX/7,250 + 16 per hit point
Sand dragons are of a unique race of dragons which inhabit warm climates with large, sand-covered areas such as deserts or beaches. Sand dragons can be easily identified by their long, wormlike bodies and their four short, muscular legs which end in webbed feet suitable for digging and swimming. The dragon’s head is diamond-shaped and flat, with bright blue eyes. A sand dragon’s body has rows of seashell scales lining the back, from the base of the skull to the tip of the forked tail. The color of the dragon’s hide varies with its natural environment; desert dwellers are brown in color, and beach dwellers are white.
Sand dragons are, for the most part, nonaggressive creatures. They will speak with adventuring parties, and may even aid them with information. However, when provoked, sand dragons can become powerful enemies. The devastating breath weapon of the sand dragon is a ray 2′ wide and 120′ long, which turns any living thing it touches into pure, loose, white sand (save vs. breath weapon at + 1). Restoration of a character is possible only with the use of a wish, though some reports have indicated that desperate adventurers successfully used rock to mud, mud to rock, stone shape, and stone to flesh (in that order) to restore characters, and achieved success against all expectations.
Sand dragons gain magic-user and druidic spells by age level, though they do not otherwise function as druids and must learn these spells from other sand dragons as they grow up. Only verbal components are required to cast these spells, which are acquired as follows:
Very young: One first-level magic-user spell
Young: One first-level druidic spell
Subadult: One second-level magic-user spell
Young adult: One second-level druidic spell
Adult: One third-level magic-user spell
Old: One third-level druidic spell
Very old: One fourth-level magic-user spell
Ancient: One fourth-level druidic spell
Sand dragons bury themselves beneath the sand to sleep and hide from their enemies. When hidden, sand dragons are completely camouflaged and undetectable. When they choose, they pop their heads from beneath the sand, surprising their enemies 90% of the time. Sand dragons can hold their breath for up to half an hour in any environment.
The sand dragon often has a fixed lair, though it tends to wander over great distances. Treasures are important to dragons, and the sand dragon is no exception. The sand dragon’s belongings are usually buried deep beneath the lair’s floor.
The reproductive process of the sand dragon is relatively slow. Every 10 years, the female dragon lays three eggs, buries them deep beneath the sand, and abandons them. One year later, the eggs hatch, and the infant sand dragons must seek out their parents or other sand dragons in order to be brought into the loose community of their kind and to be educated in magic. Few sand dragons survive to adulthood near civilized areas, and this breed is usually found only in uninhabited deserts.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #134 (“The Dragon’s Bestiary - Dragons of earth, sea, and space”, June 1988).
