General Rules: Monsters - Dragon, Deep

Dragon, Deep (from Monsters of Færûn)
Dragon (Earth)

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

Special Qualities: Cold Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 10, Immunities, SR, Blindsight, Keen Senses

Skills: Deep 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: Deep 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: 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 4; young 6; juvenile 8; young adult 11; adult 14; mature adult 16; old 18; very old 19; ancient 21; wyrm 22; great wyrm 24

Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil

Advancement: Wyrmling 7 - 8 HD (Tiny); very young 10 - 11 HD (Small); young 13 - 14 HD (Medium); juvenile 16 - 17 HD (Medium); young adult 19 - 20 HD (Large); adult 22 - 23 HD (Large); mature adult 25 - 26 HD (Huge); old 28 - 29 HD (Huge); very old 31 - 32 HD (Huge); ancient 34 - 35 HD (Huge); wyrm 37 - 38 HD (Gargantuan); great wyrm 40+ HD (Gargantuan)

Deep dragons are little known on the surface world. They are the hunters of the deep depths under the earth, stalking victims with cunning and patience. Deep dragons are counted as true dragons, even though almost nothing is known about their sire other than his name: Eorðraca. Their sire's whereabouts are unknown, and he doesn't appear in any of the histories of the Three Worlds. Deep dragons acknowledge Eorðraca's primacy, and the Cult of the Dragon reveres him like all of the other sires of dragonkind, but there are those in the Three Worlds who doubt the great wyrm's existence.

Deep dragons are an iridescent maroon when they hatch, darkening to a deep, rich purple and almost black in the dragon's older centuries. Their natural forms are slender and serpentine, with sinuous necks and limbs and narrow wings. they are accomplished shapechangers, gaining the ability to assume different forms as they age - first a legless winged snake form, and then a humanoid form. In these shapes they make their way through narrow tunnels or move about among the other races of the deep.

Deep dragons are great explorers and sometimes venture to the surface world - though usually only in pursuit of stolen treasure, revenge on their foes, or magic to steal. Otherwise, they are found in trapped, well-defended lairs in the dark places under the earth.

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).

Deep dragons love to stalk their victims through the lightless caverns of the underworld. They are wary in battle, but find combat nearly irresistible. They avoid obvious traps and ambushes, but delight in the hunt, pouncing on creatures without warning, and using their spells from under rockfalls.

Deep Dragons by Age

Age	Size	Hit Dice (hp)	Initiative	Speed	Armor Class	Touch	Flat-Footed
Wyrmling	T	6d12+6 (45)	+0	40 feet; fly 100 feet (average); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	17 (+2 size, +5 natural)	12	17
Very Young	S	9d12+9 (67)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (average); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	19 (+1 size, +8 natural)	11	19
Young	M	12d12+24 (102)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	21 (+11 natural)	10	21
Juvenile	M	15d12+30 (127)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	24 (+14 natural)	10	24
Young Adult	L	18d12+54 (171)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	26 (-1 size, +17 natural)	9	26
Adult	L	21d12+84 (220)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	29 (-1 size, +20 natural)	9	29
Mature Adult	H	24d12+120 (276)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	31 (-2 size, +23 natural)	8	31
Old	H	27d12+162 (337)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	34 (-2 size, +26 natural)	8	34
Very Old	H	30d12+180 (375)	+0	40 feet; fly 150 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	37 (-2 size, +29 natural)	8	37
Ancient	H	33d12+231 (445)	+0	40 feet; fly 200 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	40 (-2 size, +32 natural)	8	40
Wyrm	G	36d12+288 (522)	+0	40 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	41 (-4 size, +35 natural)	6	41
Great Wyrm	G	39d12+312 (565)	+0	40 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy); burrow 20 feet; swim 30 feet	44 (-4 size, +38 natural)	6	44

Age	BAB/Grapple	Bite	2 Claws	2 Wings	Tail Slap	Crush	Tail Sweep
Wyrmling	+6/-2	+8 (1d4)	+3 (1d3)	-	-	-	-
Very Young	+9/+6	+11 (1d6+1)	+6 (1d4)	-	-	-	-
Young	+12/+14	+14 (1d8+2)	+9 (1d6+1)	+9 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Juvenile	+15/+18	+18 (1d8+3)	+13 (1d6+1)	+13 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Young Adult	+18/+26	+21 (2d6+4)	+16 (1d8+2)	+16 (1d6+2)	+16 (1d8+6)	-	-
Adult	+21/+31	+26 (2d6+6)	+21 (1d8+3)	+21 (1d6+3)	+21 (1d8+9)	-	-
Mature Adult	+24/+39	+29 (2d8+7)	+24 (2d6+3)	+24 (1d8+3)	+24 (2d6+9)	DC 27 (2d8+9)	-
Old	+27/+43	+33 (2d8+8)	+27 (2d6+4)	+27 (1d8+4)	+27 (2d6+12)	DC 29 (2d8+12)	-
Very Old	+30/+47	+37 (2d8+9)	+32 (2d6+4)	+32 (1d8+4)	+32 (2d6+13)	DC 31 (2d8+13)	-
Ancient	+33/+51	+41 (2d8+10)	+36 (2d6+5)	+36 (1d8+5)	+36 (2d6+15)	DC 33 (2d8+15)	-
Wyrm	+36/+59	+43 (4d6+11)	+38 (2d8+5)	+38 (2d6+5)	+38 (2d8+16)	DC 36 (4d6+16)	DC 36 (2d6+16)
Great Wyrm	+39/+63	+47 (4d6+12)	+42 (2d8+6)	+42 (2d6+6)	+42 (2d8+18)	DC 37 (4d6+18)	DC 37 (2d6+18)

Age	Space/Reach	Fortitude	Reflex	Will	Breath Weapon (DC)	Fear DC	SR	Caster Level
Wyrmling	2½ feet by 2½ feet/5 feet	+6	+5	+6	2d8, 15-foot cone (14)	-	-	-
Very Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+7	+6	+7	4d8, 20-foot cone (15)	-	-	-
Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+10	+8	+10	6d8, 30-foot cone (18)	-	-	-
Juvenile	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+11	+9	+11	8d8, 30-foot cone (19)	-	-	1st
Young Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+14	+11	+14	10d8, 40-foot cone (22)	22	21	3rd
Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+16	+12	+15	12d8, 40-foot cone (24)	23	24	5th
Mature Adult	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+19	+14	+18	14d8, 50-foot cone (27)	26	26	7th
Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+21	+15	+19	16d8, 50-foot cone (29)	27	28	9th
Very Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+23	+17	+22	18d8, 50-foot cone (31)	30	29	11th
Ancient	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+25	+18	+23	20d8, 50-foot cone (33)	31	31	13th
Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+28	+20	+26	22d8, 60-foot cone (36)	34	32	15th
Great Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+30	+22	+28	24d8, 60-foot cone (37)	35	34	17th

Age	Strength	Intelligence	Wisdom	Dexterity	Constitution	Charisma	Special Abilities
Wrymling	11	14	13	10	13	12	Charm Immunity, Cold Resistance 10, Detect Magic, Fire Resistance 10, True Seeing
Very Young	13	14	13	10	13	12	Snake form, three times per day
Young	15	16	15	10	15	14	Humanoid form, three times per day
Juvenile	17	16	15	10	15	14	Each form, four times per day
Young Adult	19	18	17	10	17	16	Damage Reduction 5/+1
Adult	23	18	17	10	19	16	Freedom of Movement
Mature Adult	25	20	19	10	21	18	Damage Reduction 10/+1
Old	27	20	19	10	23	18	Transmute Rock to Mud
Very Old	29	22	21	10	23	20	Damage Reduction 15/+2
Ancient	31	22	21	10	25	20	Passwall
Wyrm	33	24	23	10	27	22	Damage Reduction 20/+3
Great Wyrm	35	24	23	10	27	22	Stone Shape

Blindsight (Ex): A deep 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 deep dragon's breath weapon is a cone of flesh-corrosive gas. 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. Creatures caught in the area can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage, the DC is listed on the tables above.

Cold Resistance (Ex): Deep dragons have cold resistance 10.

Crush: A jumping or flying deep 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.

Fire Resistance (Ex): Deep dragons have fire resistance 10.

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.

Humanoid Form (Su): A deep dragon can polymorph self into a humanoid form three times per day at young age, and four times per day at juvenile age. It can alter the size, shape, hue, and features of its bipedal form to resemble an alvar, duergar, dwarf, half-orc, hobgoblin, human, orc, or any similar creature of Medium size.

Immunities (Ex): Deep dragons are immune to sleep and paralysis effects. Deep dragons are also immune to charm effects.

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.

Snake Form (Su): A deep dragon can assume its serpentine legless form three times per day at a very young age and four times per day at a juvenile age. This form is the same size as the dragon, but able to move through smaller tunnels because it has no legs. The dragon's Armor Class worsens by -6 in this form. It moves at 30 feet, flies at 10 feet (poor), and swims at 30 feet. It loses all claw attacks in this form but can constrict opponents, dealing damage depending upon its size as follows: Small 1d8; Medium 2d6; Large 2d8; Huge 3d6; and Gargantuan 3d8.

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.

True Seeing (Su): Deep dragons have a permanent form of true seeing (as the spell).

Spell-Like Abilities: At will - detect magic, freedom of movement; three times per day - transmute rock to mud; twice per day - passwall, stone shape.

Spells: A deep 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. Deep dragons can also cast cleric spells and those from the Earth, Evil, and Trickery domains as arcane spells.

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

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