Ancient Opal Dragon (Ver. 1)

Gargantuan Dragon (Gem), chaotic neutral

  • Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
  • Hit Points 332 (19d20 + 133)
  • Speed 20 ft. walk, burrow 30 ft., 30 ft. swim, fly 80 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
25 (+7) 14 (+2) 25 (+7) 22 (+6) 20 (+5) 20 (+5)
  • Saving Throws DEX +9, CON +14, WIS +12, CHA +12
  • Skills Arcana +13, Deception +12, Insight +12, Perception +12, Stealth +9, Sleight of Hand +9
  • Damage Resistances fire, psychic
  • Senses truesight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 28
  • Languages Common, Draconic, telepathy 120 ft.
  • Challenge 22 (41,000)

Legendary Resistance (3/day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Tunneler. The dragon can burrow through solid rock at half its burrowing speed and can leave a 20-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake.

Warp Perception (1/day). The dragon can cast mirage arcane, requiring no spell components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability.

Spellcasting (Psionics). The dragon casts one of the following spells, requiring no spell components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 21):

At will: Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Invisibility
1/day each: Detect Thoughts, Dispel Magic, Etherealness, Major Image, Mislead

Actions

Multiattack. The dragon makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 18 18 (2d10 + 7) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) psychic damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage.

Mind Bending Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales a wave of illusory mist in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Intelligence saving throw. The Dragon chooses one of the following effects.

On a failed save, the creature is under the effects of the Phantasmal Force spell with the following changes. The possible damage is increased to d6 per round and the visible phenomenon can be no larger than a 20-foot cube instead of a 10-foot cube.

Bonus Actions

Change Shape. The dragon magically transforms into any creature that is Medium or Small, while retaining its game statistics (other than its size). This transformation ends if the dragon is reduced to 0 hit points or uses a bonus action to end it.

Psychic Step. The dragon magically teleports to an unoccupied space it can see within 60 feet of it.

Legendary Actions

The Ancient Opal Dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Ancient Opal Dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Claw. The Ancient Opal Dragon uses the Claw action.

Psionics (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon uses Psychic Step or Spellcasting.

Prismatic Steam (Costs 3 Actions). The dragon creates a dancing mote of multicolored steam around a creature it can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 42 (12d6) fire damage.

Lair Actions

When fighting inside its lair, the Ancient Opal Dragon can take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Ancient Opal Dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:

Beguiling Whisper. The dragon telepathically whispers to one creature within range of the dragon's telepathy. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round. A creature charmed in this way obeys to the best of its ability any command the dragon issues that isn't directly harmful to the creature.

Distort Perceptions. The dragon attempts to alter the perceptions of one creature it can see within its lair. That creature must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (4d10) psychic damage and have disadvantage on saving throws until the start of its next turn.

Vanish. The dragon becomes invisible until initiative count 20 on the next round.

Regional Effects

The region surrounding a legendary Opal Dragon's lair is warped by the Opal Dragon's magic.

Crystal Profusion. Natural stone within 6 miles of the lair grows plentiful crystal formations and veins of opal gemstones.

Steam Sight. Hot springs and geyser within 6 miles of the lair become conduits for the dragon's psionic presence. As an action, the dragon can cast the clairvoyance spell, requiring no spell components and targeting any area of fire or lava in that region.

Subtle Obstruction. Rocks within 6 miles of the dragon's lair sometimes move of their own accord, usually when no one is watching. Often the rocks obstruct the approach to the emerald dragon's lair, with boulders moving to block narrow defiles, way-markers tumbling off the path, or smaller stones shifting beneath travelers' feet to send them tumbling down slopes or into rivers.

Thriving Wildlife. Giant lizards are attracted to the area within 6 miles of the lair and settle there in large numbers.

If the dragon dies, the population of giant lizards near the lair returns to normal levels over the course of 1d10 days. Rocks immediately stop moving of their own accord. The existing abundance of crystals and opals remains, but new ones form at a normal rate.

Credit: Vera Velichko

Credit: Angelina Perotti

Info

Ancient Opal Dragon

Opal Dragons, like emerald dragons are curious, cunning, and manipulative. The wield psionic power to weave illusions to deceive and disorient. They cloak their own presence so they can observe other creatures without being discovered as they collect information on everything from local cultural practices to supernatural occurrences. However, unlike their emerald kin, they tend towards a more chaotic nature. Opal dragons love taunting and tricking locals of the area where they reside. They also often follow a nomatic lifestyle. Wherever opal dragons go, trickery and odd happenings ensue. While manipulative, trickey, and chaotic opal dragons are not prone to violence and usually only cause harm in deffence of their tressure or young.

Prismatic White

A wyrmling opal dragon's scales are a solid, reflective white, but they develop into prismatic shards of opalecent that refelct the full specturum of visible light as the dragon ages. Eventually, the scales become translucent and shimmer in the light, rippling as the dragon moves. Opal dragons are adorned with rounded spikes hovering above the body that resemble feathers. The dragon's and fether like spikes move and shift along the back and tail to mirror the dragon's mood. The spikes may puff out if the dragon is excited or angered and relax if the dragon is calm or comfortable.

Chaotic Mirages

Opal dragons like to move from place to place chausing mischief and chaos. They use their ability to shape landscapes with illusion to make ominous castles pop up over night or an army of clay soldiers appear in the horizon as if they are about to attack.

Opal dragons often try to lure creatures into their lairs and keep them trapped in ilusions for days before letting them go safely.

Traiding in Riddles

Opal dragons love riddles and find new ones very amusing. Answering a riddle from an opal dragon can help garner their respect, these dragons might offer up riddles as way of testing adventurers. Additionally, if one is able to provide an opal dragon with a riddle they haven't heard they may offer them a piece of their material tressure because trikery is much more valuble to them than any material wealth. The rewards might be even greater if the dragon cannot come up with an answer themself. New ideas on how to use illusions to trick poeple may also have the same effect.

___ Hords

TBD

Hey folks! This homebrew dragon is basically a variation of the Ancient Emerald Dragon from Fizbans Treasury of Dragons that leans more heavily into the illusion element and adds some enchantment flavor. I would love feedback especially since this is my first monster homebrew above CR 20 so I'm not exactly sure if the CR is high enough. Thanks for taking a look!

Note: I realize that the invisibility at will is pretty powerful and I'm not sure if I'll keep it since it conflicts with the 'Vanish' Lair action. I might switch it with Pass Without Trace or just give a light cloaking ability. It could be something like "As an action, the dragon can become mostly transparent but not invisible. As a result, all perception checks made to see this creature are made at disadvantage."

I have made an updated version. here is the Ver. 2 Link: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/fKu17UxLAuL7