General Rules: Monsters - Dragon, Emerald

Dragon, Emerald (adapted from the Monster Manual II)
Dragon (Air)

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

Special Qualities: Bardic Knowledge, Immunities, SR, Blindsight, Fire Resistance 30, Keen Senses, Planar Travel, Shield of Prudence

Skills: Emerald 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: Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Knowledge (any)(all skills taken individually), Spot, and Search. Dragons cannot purchase skills that are exclusive to a class.

Feats: Emerald 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: Ability Focus, 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 lawful neutral

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

The descendants of Elliðagrimr, emerald dragons are inquisitive, particularly about local history and customs. Often, their knowledge of particular areas surpasses that of the best sage. However, these dragons are also rather paranoid, so developing even a passing acquaintance with one can be quite difficult.

The scales of a wyrmling emerald dragon are translucent and sea green. As it ages, its scales harden and take on every shade of green from deep emerald to mint, and they scintillate in even the dimmest light. An emerald dragon's pupils fade as it ages, so by the time it becomes a wyrm, its ares are featureless, glowing, green orbs.

The typical emerald dragon likes to settle near an area that is at least partly inhabited by civilized beings (particularly fæy), but not so near that its presence becomes generally known. Emerald dragons have been known to make their lairs in the cones of extinct (or seldom active) volcanoes. Emerald dragons nurture their wyrmlings, so any given lair of a young adult or older dragon is likely to include at least one wyrmling.

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).

When attacking, an emerald dragon prefers to blind its opponents with fog cloud and then charge (or if flying, snatch up its opponents). These dragons are the least reluctant of all the gem dragons to engage foes in melee before thoroughly softening them up from a distance.

Against seafaring opponents, an emerald dragon usually either conjures up a storm or uses its tail to smash up all the vessels it can reach, starting with the masts. If the creature is inclined towards leniency, it might merely becalm the ships, leave them fogbound, or snap some of their masts before allowing them to limp to safety. Alternatively, an emerald dragon might simply herd the nearly hapless ships to a location of its choice, thoroughly examine the crew and cargo, and then either loot the vessel or hold the ship and its contents for ransom.

Emerald Dragons by Age

Age	Size	Hit Dice (hp)	Initiative	Speed	Armor Class	Touch	Flat-Footed
Wyrmling	S	6d12+6 (45)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 100 feet (average)	16 (+1 size, +5 natural)	11	16
Very Young	M	9d12+18 (76)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	18 (+8 natural)	10	18
Young	M	12d12+24 (102)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	21 (+11 natural)	10	21
Juvenile	L	15d12+45 (142)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	23 (-1 size, +14 natural)	9	23
Young Adult	L	18d12+72 (189)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	26 (-1 size, +17 natural)	9	26
Adult	H	21d12+105 (241)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	28 (-2 size, +20 natural)	8	28
Mature Adult	H	24d12+120 (276)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	31 (-2 size, +23 natural)	8	31
Old	H	27d12+162 (337)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	34 (-2 size, +26 natural)	8	34
Very Old	H	30d12+180 (375)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 150 feet (poor)	37 (-2 size, +29 natural)	8	37
Ancient	G	33d12+231 (445)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy)	38 (-4 size, +32 natural)	6	38
Wyrm	G	36d12+288 (522)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy)	41 (-4 size, +35 natural)	6	41
Great Wyrm	G	39d12+312 (565)	+0	40 feet; burrow 5 feet; swim 60 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy)	44 (-4 size, +38 natural)	6	44

Age	BAB/Grapple	Bite	2 Claws	2 Wings	Tail Slap	Crush	Tail Sweep
Wyrmling	+6/+2	+8 (1d6+1)	+3 (1d4)	-	-	-	-
Very Young	+9/+9	+11 (1d8+2)	+6 (1d6+1)	+6 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Young	+12/+12	+15 (1d8+3)	+10 (1d6+1)	+10 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Juvenile	+15/+19	+18 (2d6+4)	+13 (1d8+2)	+13 (1d6+2)	+13 (1d8+6)	-	-
Young Adult	+18/+22	+23 (2d6+6)	+18 (1d8+3)	+18 (1d6+3)	+18 (1d8+9)	-	-
Adult	+21/+38	+27 (2d8+8)	+22 (2d6+4)	+22 (1d8+4)	+22 (2d6+12)	DC 25 (2d8+12)	-
Mature Adult	+24/+41	+31 (2d8+9)	+26 (2d6+4)	+26 (1d8+4)	+26 (2d6+13)	DC 27 (2d8+13)	-
Old	+27/+45	+35 (2d8+10)	+30 (2d6+5)	+30 (1d8+5)	+30 (2d6+15)	DC 29 (2d8+15)	-
Very Old	+30/+49	+39 (2d8+11)	+34 (2d6+5)	+34 (1d8+5)	+34 (2d6+16)	DC 31 (2d8+16)	-
Ancient	+33/+57	+41 (4d6+12)	+36 (2d8+6)	+36 (2d6+6)	+36 (2d8+18)	DC 33 (4d6+18)	DC 33 (2d6+18)
Wyrm	+36/+61	+45 (4d6+13)	+40 (2d8+6)	+40 (2d6+6)	+40 (2d8+19)	DC 36 (4d6+19)	DC 36 (2d6+19)
Great Wyrm	+39/+65	+49 (4d6+14)	+44 (2d8+7)	+44 (2d6+7)	+44 (2d8+21)	DC 37 (4d6+21)	DC 37 (2d6+21)

Age	Space/Reach	Fortitude	Reflex	Will	Breath Weapon (DC)	Fear DC	SR	Caster Level
Wyrmling	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+6	+5	+7	2d6, 20-foot cone (14)	-	-	-
Very Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+8	+6	+8	4d6, 30-foot cone (16)	-	-	-
Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+10	+8	+11	6d6, 30-foot cone (18)	-	-	1st
Juvenile	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+12	+9	+13	8d6, 40-foot cone (20)	-	-	3rd
Young Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+15	+11	+15	10d6, 40-foot cone (23)	23	20	5th
Adult	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+17	+12	+17	12d6, 50-foot cone (25)	25	22	7th
Mature Adult	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+19	+14	+19	14d6, 50-foot cone (27)	27	22	9th
Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+21	+15	+21	16d6, 50-foot cone (29)	29	25	11th
Very Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+23	+17	+23	18d6, 50-foot cone (31)	31	26	13th
Ancient	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+25	+18	+25	20d6, 60-foot cone (33)	33	28	15th
Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+28	+20	+28	22d6, 60-foot cone (36)	36	29	17th
Great Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+29	+21	+29	24d6, 60-foot cone (37)	37	31	19th

Age	Strength	Intelligence	Wisdom	Dexterity	Constitution	Charisma	Special Abilities
Wrymling	13	14	15	10	13	14	Bardic Knowledge, Planar Travel, Sonic Immunity
Very Young	15	14	15	10	15	14	-
Young	17	16	17	10	15	16	Greater Invisibility
Juvenile	19	18	19	10	17	18	Fog Cloud
Young Adult	23	18	19	10	19	18	Damage Reduction 5/+1
Adult	27	20	21	10	21	20	Legend Lore
Mature Adult	29	20	21	10	21	20	Damage Reduction 10/+1
Old	31	22	23	10	23	22	Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Nondetection
Very Old	33	22	23	10	23	22	Damage Reduction 15/+2
Ancient	35	24	25	10	25	24	Sculpt Sound
Wyrm	37	26	27	10	27	26	Damage Reduction 20/+3
Great Wyrm	39	26	27	10	27	26	Shield of Prudence

Bardic Knowledge (Ex): An emerald dragon has the bardic knowledge ability of a bard whose level is equivalent to the dragon's Hit Dice.

Breath Weapon (Su): The emerald dragon's breath weapon is a cone of keening sonic energy. 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. In addition to making a Reflex saving throw against sonic damage, each creature within the cone must make a Fortitude saving throw at the same DC or be deafened for 1d4 rounds plus 1 round per age category of the dragon.

Crush: A flying or jumping emerald 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): Emerald dragons have fire resistance 30.

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): Emerald dragons are immune to sleep and paralysis effects. Crystal dragons are also immune to sonic damage and harmful sonic 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.

Planar Travel (Su): Emerald dragons have the ability to travel between the worlds once per day. They may travel to any of the Three Worlds or any of the Færie Realms.

Shield of Prudence (Sp): A great wyrm emerald dragon can extend its awareness a few fractions of a second into the future. This ability gives it a +6 insight bonus to Armor Class for 6 hours. If it is caught flat-footed, it still gains a +4 insight bonus to Armor Class. Shield of prudence is usable three times per day.

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

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will - legend lore; three times per day - clairaudience/clairvoyance, fog cloud, greater invisibility, nondetection, sculpt sound; save DC 10 + spell level + dragon's Charisma modifier.

Spells: An emerald 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.

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.

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

Notes: The most obvious note is that the emerald dragon as presented here does not have psionic powers. I know that many people consider the psionic nature of the gem dragons to be their defining feature, but I don't use psionics in the Three Worlds campaign setting (or any other D&D campaign settings for that matter) in part because they don't fit the flavor of the campaign and in part because the psionics rules for D&D are all terrible. Despite this, I wanted versions of the gem dragons in the Three Worlds campaign setting, so I made this non-psionic version. If you are looking for a psionic version of an emerald dragon, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Instead of psionics, this version of the emerald dragon has spellcasting abilities like a sorcerer and spell-like abilities. I also replaced their psionic object reading ability with the bardic knowledge ability, as that is thematically more aligned with the Three Worlds setting. I also modified the planar travel ability of the gem dragons to line up better with the cosmology of the Three Worlds campaign setting.

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