General Rules: Monsters - Dragon, Molten

Dragon, Molten (from Draconic Lore)
Dragon (Fire)

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

Special Qualities: Cold Susceptibility, Immunities, SR, Blindsight, Keen Senses, Melt Weapon

Skills: Molten 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: Molten 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: Temperate and warm hills and mountains

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 6; young adult 9; adult 11; mature adult 13; old 15; very old 17; ancient 19; wyrm 20; great wyrm 21

Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil

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

Molten dragons dwell in the boiling lava of active volcanoes, swimming in the liquid rock as an otter might play in a stream. These dragons make their lairs in active volcanoes or underground lava flows. Island chains, which often contain many volcanoes are among their most common habitats.

Wyrmling molten dragons look like small, dragon-shaped rivulets of brilliant white-yellow lava. As they age, their fires dim somewhat and the outer rock becomes more visible. Rœðan, the dragon sire of the molten dragons, resembled nothing so much as a congealed lump of lava or a rock outcropping that random natural forces gave a slightly draconic shape - until it moved. Then the massive armor plates split and blinding orange flame flares through the cracks. Finally, streams of liquid rock flow along its body, revealing its true form as it begins its attack.

Molten dragons are slightly smaller than most of their kin but possess extraordinary strength and toughness. They are poor spellcasters, learning no magic until very late in life, and even then considering it to be unreliable and unfit for common use. Molten dragons are poor flyers, so any specimens seen on the wing are probably close to their lair.

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).

Molten dragons use their breath weapon first, spraying a gout of lava at any targets before landing and attacking with tooth and claw. Molten dragons with spellcasting levels tend to focus on defensive magics, especially those that grant resistance to cold attacks. Stealth and subtlety are not their hallmarks - instead they find pleasure in such things as the taste of their victim charring to ash as they are being eaten.

Molten Dragons by Age

Age	Size	Hit Dice (hp)	Initiative	Speed	Armor Class	Touch	Flat-Footed
Wyrmling	S	3d12+3 (22)	-1	40 feet; fly 80 feet (poor); burrow 20 feet	18 (+1 size, -1 Dexterity, +8 natural)	10	18
Very Young	M	6d12+12 (51)	-1	40 feet; fly 80 feet (poor); burrow 30 feet	20 (-1 Dexterity, +10 natural)	9	20
Young	M	9d12+27 (85)	-1	40 feet; fly 80 feet (poor); burrow 30 feet	23 (-1 Dexterity, +14 natural)	9	23
Juvenile	L	12d12+48 (126)	-1	40 feet; fly 100 feet (clumsy); burrow 30 feet	25 (-1 size, -1 Dexterity, +17 natural)	8	25
Young Adult	L	15d12+75 (172)	-1	40 feet; fly 100 feet (clumsy); burrow 30 feet	28 (-1 size, -1 Dexterity, +20 natural)	8	28
Adult	L	18d12+90 (207)	-1	40 feet; fly 100 feet (clumsy); burrow 30 feet	31 (-1 size, -1 Dexterity, +23 natural)	8	31
Mature Adult	L	21d12+126 (262)	-1	40 feet; fly 100 feet (clumsy); burrow 30 feet	34 (-1 size, -1 Dexterity, +26 natural)	8	34
Old	H	24d12+168 (324)	-1	40 feet; fly 150 feet (clumsy); burrow 30 feet	36 (-2 size, -1 Dexterity, +29 natural)	7	36
Very Old	H	27d12+216 (391)	-1	40 feet; fly 150 feet (clumsy); burrow 30 feet	39 (-2 size, -1 Dexterity, +32 natural)	7	39
Ancient	H	30d12+270 (465)	-1	40 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy); burrow 40 feet	42 (-2 size, -1 Dexterity, +35 natural)	7	42
Wyrm	G	33d12+330 (544)	-1	40 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy); burrow 40 feet	43 (-4 size, -1 Dexterity, +38 natural)	5	43
Great Wyrm	G	36d12+396 (630)	-1	40 feet; fly 200 feet (clumsy); burrow 40 feet	47 (-4 size, -1 Dexterity, +41 natural)	5	47

Age	BAB/Grapple	Bite	2 Claws	2 Wings	Tail Slap	Crush	Tail Sweep
Wyrmling	+3/+1	+5 (1d6+2)	+3 (1d4+1)	-	-	-	-
Very Young	+6/+9	+9 (1d8+3)	+6 (1d6+1)	+6 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Young	+9/+12	+12 (1d8+3)	+10 (1d6+1)	+10 (1d4+1)	-	-	-
Juvenile	+12/+20	+16 (2d6+4)	+13 (1d8+2)	+13 (1d6+2)	+13 (1d8+6)	-	-
Young Adult	+15/+19	+20 (2d6+5)	+18 (1d8+2)	+18 (1d6+2)	+18 (1d8+7)	-	-
Adult	+18/+27	+25 (2d6+7)	+22 (1d8+3)	+22 (1d6+3)	+22 (1d8+10)	-	-
Mature Adult	+21/+34	+30 (2d6+9)	+26 (2d6+3)	+26 (1d6+3)	+26 (1d8+13)	-	-
Old	+24/+43	+35 (2d8+11)	+30 (2d6+5)	+30 (1d8+5)	+30 (2d6+16)	DC 29 (2d8+16)	-
Very Old	+27/+47	+39 (2d8+12)	+34 (2d6+6)	+34 (1d8+6)	+34 (2d6+18)	DC 31 (2d8+18)	-
Ancient	+30/+52	+41 (2d8+14)	+36 (2d6+7)	+36 (1d8+7)	+36 (2d6+21)	DC 34 (2d8+21)	-
Wyrm	+33/+60	+48 (4d6+15)	+43 (2d8+7)	+43 (2d6+7)	+43 (2d8+22)	DC 36 (4d6+22)	DC 36 (2d6+22)
Great Wyrm	+36/+65	+53 (4d6+17)	+48 (2d8+8)	+48 (2d6+8)	+48 (2d8+25)	DC 39 (4d6+25)	DC 39 (2d6+25)

Age	Space/Reach	Fortitude	Reflex	Will	Breath Weapon (DC)	Fear DC	SR	Caster Level
Wyrmling	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+4	+2	+2	2d8, 20-foot cone (12)	-	-	-
Very Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+7	+4	+5	4d8, 30-foot cone (15)	-	-	-
Young	5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet	+9	+5	+6	6d8, 30-foot cone (17)	-	-	-
Juvenile	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+12	+7	+9	8d8, 40-foot cone (19)	-	-	-
Young Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+14	+8	+10	10d8, 40-foot cone (22)	18	13	-
Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+16	+10	+13	12d8, 40-foot cone (23)	20	14	-
Mature Adult	5 feet by 10 feet/10 feet	+19	+11	+14	14d8, 40-foot cone (26)	22	15	1st
Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+22	+13	+16	16d8, 50-foot cone (29)	24	16	2nd
Very Old	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+24	+14	+18	18d8, 50-foot cone (31)	26	17	3rd
Ancient	10 feet by 20 feet/10 feet	+27	+16	+20	20d8, 50-foot cone (34)	28	18	4th
Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+29	+17	+22	22d8, 60-foot cone (36)	30	19	5th
Great Wyrm	20 feet by 40 feet/15 feet	+32	+19	+24	24d8, 60-foot cone (39)	33	20	6th

Age	Strength	Intelligence	Wisdom	Dexterity	Constitution	Charisma	Special Abilities
Wrymling	14	8	9	10	13	10	Fire Immunity, Cold Susceptibiliy
Very Young	16	8	10	10	15	10	-
Young	16	8	10	10	17	10	Melt Weapon
Juvenile	19	10	12	10	19	12	Damage Reduction 5/+1
Young Adult	21	10	12	10	21	12	-
Adult	25	10	14	10	21	12	Damage Reduction 10/+2
Mature Adult	29	12	14	10	23	14	Call Mephit
Old	33	12	14	10	25	14	Damage Reduction 15/+3
Very Old	35	14	16	10	27	16	-
Ancient	38	14	16	10	29	16	Damage Reduction 20/+3
Wyrm	41	16	18	10	31	18	Earthquake
Great Wyrm	45	16	18	10	33	20	Damage Reduction 25/+4

Blindsight (Ex): A molten 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 molten dragon's breath weapon is a cone of lava expelled under great pressure. 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.

Call Mephit (Su): Once per day, a molten dragon can automatically summon 1d4 magma mephits. Summoned mephits automatically return whence they came after an hour.

Cold Susceptibility (Ex): A molten dragon takes double damage from cold except on a successful saving throw.

Crush: A jumping or flying molten 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): Molten dragons are immune to sleep and paralysis effects. Molten dragons are also immune to fire.

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.

Melt Weapon (Ex): Any weapon that strikes a molten dragon is likely to melt. The wielder must make a Reflex save (DC equal to the dragon's breath weapon save) or the weapon suffers 1d6 points of fire damage per age category of the dragon, ignoring hardness. Anyone who makes an unarmed or touch attack against a molten dragon must make a Reflex save (DC equal to the dragon's breath weapon save) or suffer 1d6 points of fire damage per age category.

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: Once per day - earthquake.

Spells: A molten 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: Molten dragons that can cast spells have the Spellcraft skill for free at 1 rank per Hit Die.

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