General Rules: Monsters - Dragon, Arcane

Dragon, Arcane (adapted from Creature Collection II: Dark Menagerie)
Dragon

Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Crush, Frightful Presence, Spells, Spell-Like Abilities, Tail-Sweep

Special Qualities: Blindsight, Immunities, Keen Senses, Magic Reservoir, SR

Skills: Arcane dragons have 6 skill points per Hit Die, plus bonus points equal to their Intelligence modifier x Hit Dice and purchase the following skills at 1 rank per skill point: Listen, Spot, and Search. The remaining skill points are generally spent on Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, and Knowledge (any)(all skills taken individually) at a cost of 1 skill point per rank. Dragons cannot purchase skills that are exclusive to a class.

Feats: Arcane dragons have one feat plus an additional feat per 4 hit dice. Dragons favor Cleave, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Skill Augmentation (Listen and Spot), Weapon Focus, and any metamagic feat that is available and useful to sorcerers. They can also choose from the following feats: Flyby Attack, Hover, Quicken Spell-Like Ability, Snatch, and Wingover.

Environment: Any land and underground

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 Rating: Wrymling 2; very young 3; young 5; juvenile 7; young adult 10; adult 13; mature adult 15; old 17; very old 18; ancient 20; wyrm 22; great wyrm 24

Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil

Advancement: Wyrmling 4 - 5 HD (Tiny); very young 7 - 8 HD (Small); young 10 - 11 HD (Medium); juvenile 13 - 14 HD (Medium); young adult 16 - 17 HD (Large); adult 19 - 20 HD (Large); mature adult 22 - 23 HD (Huge); old 25 - 26 HD (Huge); very old 28 - 29 HD (Huge); ancient 31 - 32 HD (Huge); wyrm 34 - 35 HD (Gargantuan); great wyrm 37+ HD (Gargantuan)

Arcane dragons are among the rarest and most reclusive dragons in the Three Worlds. The descendants of Gáldorléoð live and literally breathe magic. They are often hard to locate, and even more difficult to approach, as they tend to use powerful arcane magic to obscure their location and ensnare those who would invade their lairs. Those who would seek out an arcane dragon should be prepared to enter a web of magical deception and sorcerous traps designed to trick, confuse, and disable potential enemies. Arcane dragons are vast reptilian beasts with cracked, multi-hued skin and draconic faces sporting a single jeweled horn in the center of their foreheads.

Combat
A dragon attacks with its powerful claws and bite, and can also use a breath weapon and special physical attacks, depending on its size. It prefers to fight on the wing, staying out of reach until it has worn down the enemy with ranged attacks. Older, more intelligent dragons are adept at sizing up the opposition and eliminating the most dangerous foes first (or avoiding them while picking off weaker enemies).

Arcane dragons are physically weaker than most dragons, but they are magically more adept than most. Due to the value of their horns to wizards and sorcerers, they are experienced in combating spellcasters. Arcane dragons use their disjunctive breath weapon to destroy their enemies' magical protections and weapons and then launch their own powerful arcane attacks, resorting to fighting tooth and claw only when forced to do so.

Arcane Dragons by Age

Age	Size	Hit Dice (hp)	Initiative	Speed	Armor Class	Touch	Flat-Footed
Wyrmling	T	3d12+3 (22)	+0	60 feet; fly 150 feet (average); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	14 (+2 size, +2 natural)	12	14
Very Young	S	6d12+6 (45)	+0	60 feet; fly 150 feet (average); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	15 (+1 size, +5 natural)	11	15
Young	M	9d12+18 (76)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	18 (+8 natural)	10	18
Juvenile	M	12d12+24 (102)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	21 (+11 natural)	10	21
Young Adult	L	15d12+45 (142)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	23 (-1 size, +14 natural)	9	23
Adult	L	18d12+72 (189)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	26 (-1 size, +17 natural)	9	26
Mature Adult	H	21d12+105 (241)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	28 (-2 size, +20 natural)	8	28
Old	H	24d12+120 (276)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	31 (-2 size, +23 natural)	8	31
Very Old	H	27d12+162 (337)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	34 (-2 size, +26 natural)	8	34
Ancient	H	30d12+180 (375)	+0	60 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	37 (-2 size, +29 natural)	8	37
Wyrm	G	33d12+231 (445)	+0	60 feet; fly 250 feet (clumsy); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	38 (-4 size, +32 natural)	6	38
Great Wyrm	G	36d12+288 (522)	+0	60 feet; fly 250 feet (clumsy); swim 60 feet; burrow 60 feet	41 (-4 size, +35 natural)	6	41

Age	BAB/Grapple	Bite	2 Claws	2 Wings	Tail Slap	Crush	Tail Sweep
Wyrmling	+3/-5	+5 (1d4)	+0 (1d3)	-	-	-	-
Very Young	+6/+2	+8 (1d6+1)	+3 (1d4)	-	-	-	-
Young	+9/+9	+11 (1d8+2)	+6 (1d6+1)	+6 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Juvenile	+12/+12	+15 (1d8+3)	+10 (1d6+1)	+10 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Young Adult	+15/+19	+18 (2d6+4)	+13 (1d8+2)	+13 (1d6+1)	+13 (1d8+6)	-	-
Adult	+18/+22	+23 (2d6+6)	+18 (1d8+3)	+18 (1d6+2)	+18 (1d8+9)	-	-
Mature Adult	+21/+29	+27 (2d8+8)	+22 (2d6+4)	+22 (1d8+3)	+22 (2d6+12)	DC 25 (2d8+12)	-
Old	+24/+32	+31 (2d8+9)	+26 (2d6+4)	+26 (1d8+4)	+26 (2d6+13)	DC 27 (2d8+13)	-
Very Old	+27/+35	+35 (2d8+10)	+30 (2d6+5)	+30 (1d8+4)	+30 (2d6+15)	DC 29 (2d8+15)	-
Ancient	+30/+38	+39 (2d8+11)	+34 (2d6+5)	+34 (1d8+5)	+34 (2d6+16)	DC 31 (2d8+16)	-
Wyrm	+33/+45	+41 (4d6+12)	+36 (2d8+6)	+36 (2d6+5)	+36 (2d8+18)	DC 33 (4d6+18)	DC 33 (2d6+18)
Great Wyrm	+36/+48	+45 (4d6+13)	+40 (2d8+6)	+40 (2d6+6)	+40 (2d8+19)	DC 35 (4d6+19)	DC 35 (2d6+19)

Age	Space/Reach	Fortitude	Reflex	Will	Breath Weapon (DC)	Fear DC	SR	Caster Level
Wyrmling	2½ feet by 2½ feet/5 feet	+4	+3	+5	Special, 15-foot cone (12)	-	-	-
Very Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+6	+5	+8	Special, 20-foot cone (14)	-	-	-
Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+8	+6	+11	Special, 30-foot cone (16)	-	-	2nd
Juvenile	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+10	+8	+12	Special, 30-foot cone (18)	-	-	4th
Young Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+12	+9	+16	Special, 40-foot cone (20)	21	23	6th
Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+15	+11	+16	Special, 40-foot cone (23)	24	25	8th
Mature Adult	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+17	+12	+19	Special, 50-foot cone (25)	25	27	10th
Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+19	+14	+21	Special, 50-foot cone (27)	29	29	12th
Very Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+21	+15	+23	Special, 50-foot cone (29)	31	30	14th
Ancient	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+23	+17	+26	Special, 50-foot cone (31)	34	32	16th
Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+25	+18	+28	Special, 60-foot cone (33)	36	33	18th
Great Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+28	+20	+31	Special, 60-foot cone (35)	39	35	20th

Age	Strength	Intelligence	Wisdom	Dexterity	Constitution	Charisma	Special Abilities
Wrymling	11	14	15	10	13	14	Cold Immunity
Very Young	13	16	17	10	13	16	-
Young	15	16	17	10	15	16	-
Juvenile	17	18	19	10	15	18	Magical Reservoir
Young Adult	19	18	19	10	17	18	Damage Reduction 5/+1
Adult	23	20	21	10	19	20	-
Mature Adult	27	20	21	10	21	20	Damage Reduction 10/+3
Old	29	24	25	10	21	24	Polymorph Self
Very Old	31	26	27	10	23	26	Damage Reduction 15/+3
Ancient	33	28	29	10	23	28	Antimagic Field
Wyrm	35	30	31	10	25	30	Damage Reduction 20/+4
Great Wyrm	37	32	33	10	27	32	Foresight

Blindsight (Ex): An arcane dragon can ascertain creatures by nonvisual means (mostly hearing and scent, but also by noticing vibration and other environmental clues) with a range of 30 feet x the dragon's age category.

Breath Weapon (Su): The arcane dragon's breath weapon is a cone of disjunction that works exactly like the spell Woda's disjunction. All magical effects and magic items within the area of the breath weapon, except for those that the dragon carries or touches, are disjoined. That is, spells and spell-like effects are separated into their individual components (ending the effect as a dispel magic spell does), and each permanent magic item must make a successful Will save (the DC is listed on the table above) or be turned into a normal item. An item in a creature’s possession uses its own Will save bonus or its possessor’s Will save bonus, whichever is higher. The cone of disjunction also has a 1% chance per caster level of destroying an antimagic field. If the antimagic field survives the disjunction, no items within it are disjoined. Even artifacts are subject to disjunction, though there is only a 1% chance per caster level of actually affecting such powerful items. Additionally, if an artifact is destroyed, the dragon must make a DC 25 Will save or permanently lose all spellcasting abilities. (These abilities cannot be recovered by mortal magic, not even miracle or wish). Using a breath weapon is a standard action. Once a dragon breathes, it can't breathe again until 1d4 rounds later. A blast from a breath weapon always starts at the dragon's mouth and extends in a direction of the dragon's choice.

Crush: A jumping or flying arcane dragon of at least Huge size can land on opponents as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. Crush attacks are only effective against opponents three or more size categories smaller than the dragon (though it can attempt normal overrun or grapple attacks against larger opponents). A crush attack affects as many creatures as can fit under the dragon's body. Creatures in the affected area must attempt a Reflex save or be pinned, automatically taking bludgeoning damage during the next round unless the dragon moves off them. If the dragon chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attacks. Pinned opponents take crush damage each round if they don't escape.

Frightful Presence (Ex): A young adult or older dragon can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the dragon attacks or charges. Creatures within a radius of 30 feet x the dragon's age category are subject to the effect if they have fewer Hit Dice than the dragon. A potentially affected creature that succeeds at a Will save remain immune to the dragon's frightful presence for one day. On a failure, creatures with 4 or fewer Hit Dice become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more Hit Dice become shaken for 4d6 rounds. Dragons ignore the frightful presence of other dragons.

Immunities (Ex): Arcane dragons are immune to sleep and paralysis effects. Arcane dragons are also immune to cold damage.

Keen Senses (Ex): A dragon sees four times as well as a human in low-light conditions, and twice as well in normal light. It also has darkvision with a range of 100 feet x the dragon's age category.

Magic Reservoir (Su): An arcane dragon's jeweled horn acts as a reservoir of magical energies in similar manner to a rod of absorption. The horn does not absorb magic, but it can store a number of spell levels equal to the dragon's Intelligence score until the dragon releases this energy in the form of spells. The dragon can use stored spell energy to cast any spell she knows without expending a spell slot. The only restriction is that the levels of spell energy stored in the horn must be equal to or greater than the level of the spell the dragon wants to cast. Expended spell levels are regenerated at a rate of one level per day.

The horn from a slain dragon continues to function in the same fashion when carried or worn, storing a number of spell levels equal to the Intelligence of the slain dragon. These items are highly prized, fetching 10,000 shillings for every spell level they are capable of storing.

Spell Resistance (Ex): As dragons age, they become more resistant to spells and spell-like abilities as listed on the table above.

Tail Sweep: A dragon of at least Gargantuan size can sweep with its tail as a standard action. The sweep affects a half-circle with a diameter of 30 feet, centered on the dragon's rear. Creatures within the swept area are affected if they are four or more sizes smaller than the dragon. The sweep automatically deals the listed damage. Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage.

Spell-Like Abilities: Three times per day - polymorph (self only); twice per day - antimagic field; once per day - foresight.

Spells: An arcane dragon knows and casts arcane spells as a sorcerer of the level indicated on the table above, gaining bonus spells for a high Charisma score.

Skills: Arcane dragons that can cast spells have the Spellcraft skill for free at 1 rank per Hit Die.

Notes: This creature was originally named the Slarecian Dragon in Creature Collection II: Dark Menagerie, but as the Slarecians don't exist in the Three Worlds campaign setting, I renamed them and changed their backstory. Also, this dragon was listed without a frightful presence score, which is a standard element of dragons, so I added it back in.

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