Ancient Coral Dragon
Gargantuan dragon, neutral evil
- Armor Class 22 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 385(22d20 + 154)
- Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 25 (+7) 14 (+2) 24 (+7) 22 (+6) 18 (+4) 21 (+5)
- Saving Throws Dex +9, Int +14, Wis +13, Cha +12
- Skills History +14, Insight +11, Perception +11,
- Damage Immunities thunder
- Condition Immunities deafened
- Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21
- Languages Common, Draconic
- Challenge 22 (41,000 XP)
Amphibious The dragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance. If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15ft., one target. Hit 18 (2d10 + 7) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) thunder damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 20ft., one target. Hit 16 (2d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Sonic Blast (Recharge 5-6). Melee Weapon Attack: The dragon exhales a blast of pure sonic energy in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 77 (22d6) thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 14 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Coral Dragon
Reclusive and fiercely territorial, coral dragons patrol the coasts near their lairs, wreaking havoc on wayward merchant ships and bursting from the water to surprise richly-laiden pirate fleets. Curious and jealous in the extreme, these dragons can be found in island archipelagos, nesting in deep-sea shipwrecks, and in the ruins of forgotten ports.
Coral dragons are easily recognizable by their sleek bodies, which are missing many of the horns and frills which define their inland brethren. Built for swimming through water as easily as they fly through air, coral dragons have strangely ridged faces which allow them to dart through water at an incredible speed.
A coral dragon's scales are beautifully iridescent and are generally bright variatons on oranges and reds, leading to the occasional nickname of 'orange dragons' by coastal civilizations. When a coral dragon gets older, these scales are worn down to a smooth polish akin to a stone from a river, which flash and shift in color as they move through the deep. It's often said the last thing many pirate ships have seen is a sudden flash of bright orange color among the shifting blue of the ocean as the dragon maneuvers into position around their ship.
Jealous Collectors. A coral dragon is fascinated by the twisted remains of the many civilizations and ships which can be found beneath the waves and along coasts, and is driven by a desire to explore, possess, and control these sites. This urge often puts them into conflict with races who ply their trade on the sea or attempt to live in ruined ports, as coral dragons often consider the area around their treasure (such as the seas above an ancient shipwreck) as their territory, and will rip apart even ships completely unaware of the waters they pass through.
In combat, coral dragons often take their foes by surprise, appearing suddenly to deliver a devastating attack, and then become elusive, utilizing their maneuverability in the waves to dart in and out, seizing sailors who fall into the deep or plucking masts from ships as they fly low to the decks. They are sometimes impetuous, desiring to drive intruders away from their discoveries as soon as possible, and are known for pressing an attack rather than retreating easily.
2
Vain Lords of the Sea. Coral dragons often employ the services of mortal races. This generally takes the form of an initial curiosity, an interest in a particularly scholarly mortal historian or a clever pirate captain, which leads the dragon to offer riches and employment. The dragon, unencumbered by mortal aging, often draws all the information out of their ward as they can through long conversations, and as they overtake their pets in knowledge quickly bore of them. As such, there's a high turnover of assistance in the ranks of the coral dragon's 'apprentices'.
Coral dragons often also employ many underlings and warriors who have no useful information, simply to take inventory, guard treasures, and entertain them. The lair of a coral dragon, often placed in some sunken temple or shipwreck, are well-guarded by both traps and loyal followers, often made up of merfolk or other aquatic races, and even the occasional water elemental.
Custodians of History. Coral dragons enjoy forgotten wrecks and ruins, but they particularly are desirous of the forgotten treasures which lay inside. They collect anything of value, prizing particularly ancient treasures over newer hoards, and bury them in the sands around their lairs, sometimes using small chests of coin to lure adventurers or divers near enough to their hoards to seize them or the ships which bear them.
A Coral Dragon's Lair
Coral dragons make their lairs in places of great historical significance, generally underwater, though they have been known to dwell in coastal caves or even ruined ports. Using their sonic powers, they excavate the sunken temples and shipwrecks, carefully crafting a home for themselves.
All around a coral dragon's lair, the water responds to their very commands. Localized whirlpools circle and guard their treasures, sand billows up to obscure the dragon's movement, and light plays on the many treasures of the dragon to blind would-be intruders. If a coral dragon is attacked around their lair, it will generally refuse to retreat, using its far superior maneuverability to do lightning-fast strikes at attackers and taking full advantage of the darkness of the ocean to blind its movements.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- A whirlpool sweeps around a creature, seeking to fling it away and confuse it. One creature that the dragon can see within 120 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked 15 feet in a direction of the dragon's choosing.
- A cloud of sand is disturbed from the ocean's surface and sweeps around the dragon's lair. A 20-foot-square area centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet is considered heavily obscured for one minute.
- Light plays off of the sand and through the bright colors of the coral nearby, blinding nearby adventurers. Any adventurers within a 30-foot-radius sphere of a point the dragon can see within 120 feet must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary coral dragon's lair is changed by the very presence of the dragon, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- The sea within 6 miles of the lair shimmers and reflects light more than usual, creating an interesting display of color beneath the waves.
- Coral and plant life grow at an increased rate within 6 miles of the lair. The plant life grasps and grows towards intruders, making all ability checks to navigate through the area be at disadvantage.
- Waves surge and move in strange and unpredictable patterns in a 3 mile radius of the lair. Anyone swimming within the area on the surface moves at half their normal swimming speed.
If the dragon dies, the sea loses the light effects and waves within an hour of the death. The coral and plant life quickly begin to subside and disappear within 1d4 days.