Do all dragons get Lair actions? I can't seem to find it specified in the text anywhere.
All is probably a poor word, what I mean is of the chromatic and metallic dragons, who are residing in a lair, do the Ancient, Adult, Young, and Wyrmling all get lair actions, or is it just a certain age and higher (i.e. Adult and Ancient only)?
I am fairly certain all dragons do, except perhaps the wyrmling. I'm not sure Dnd Beyond has added liar actions to everything yet, if you were looking at the monster entries. A dragon may not have liar actions if it hasn't lived in a specific location long enough. Basically if you look in the monster manual under the entry for the dragon type, it should tell you the liar actions it has available.
Thanks both, and yes i do have the monster manual.
something I found online on a forum or subreddit said only legendary creatures would have lair actions, and legendary creatures are specified by having legendary actions. Using that logic only adult and ancients would be able to use lair actions.
I can't find any specific mention about the age of Dragons affecting their Lair status. Lair is usually a placement thing, so it's entirely likely a Young Adult has its own lair - perhaps the regional effects are more tame (and the horde smaller) but I see no issue if the DM wants the fight to happen in the dragon's home nest.
The book itself mentions Lairs for each Dragon type at the type's blurb, below all age-category panels, making no distinction that I can see.
It's quite possibly that if you fight a Wyrmling in a lair, it's its Mother's lair (in which case, you just pissed off a much older dragon - I'd suggest you start running), but since Dragons come out of the egg fully capable of hunting, even Wyrmlings could have lairs.
Regardless, I'd be a little careful about the potency of the Lair's effects compared to the Dragon's CR. Most effects are supplemental, but some deal damage that may be disproportionate to a CR 2 Wyrmling, for example.
Hi Sorce, the confusion sets in because the MM doesn't have the lair actions for dragons in the stat block. As Onyx said they are in a blurb after the stat blocks describing the dragons general attributes/personality and lair descriptions. The lair actions as described don't state what age dragon they pertain to, and none of the dragon stat blocks state that it includes lair actions or not.
Yes, I haven't managed to find any reference on Lair on the Dragons' actual stat block, only the text after the stat block group, which references the dragon type regardless of age. :/
Hmmm,, I was going from the way HotDQ and RoT are written - it puts the Adult Dragons in lairs, the younger ones not - and the concept of lairs are for the older Dragons. The stat blocks dont actually contain the lair actions, they are additional (and now I realised my players got out of a Dragon fight without Lair actions in effect. :P)
Guess it's up to DM's interpretation. Personally I dont think a Wyrmling would have a lair action - the Young ones would be stretching (based on CR and comparing Lair effects), I might reduce the lair effects to lower DCs and the like for a Young Dragon.
We agree, then :) Typical for Adult and Ancient, DM's choice for the others, and be wary of using them for younger ones (because some Lairs can be cheaty and/or fatal).
I like the way HotDQ and RoT handled things as well, but there are exceptions there as well, no? I mean, the last dragon fight of the former is right at an adult dragon's hoard, but I don't recall it referencing Lair actions.
And that happened to be the Dragon they just faced and managed to kill, when I could have used some lovely lair actions to help him escape (and cause chaos!).
"A LEGENDARY CREATURE'S LAIR A legendary creature might have a section describing its lair and the special effects it can create while there, either by act of will or simply by being present. Not all legendary creatures have lairs. This section only applies to legendary creatures that spend a great deal of time in their lairs and are most likely to be encountered there,"
Based on this, I would say that unless the monster in question (in this case a dragon) has legendary actions it cannot use lair actions.
There is a young bronze dragon in one of the Candlekeep Mysteries adventures, and it has lair actions (but not regional effects). This particular adventure is developed & edited by Christopher Perkins and the book's project lead is Jeremy Crawford. There is no indication that this is meant to be an exception to the general rule about dragons & lairs.
Hags have lair actions listed (for all 5 types) in Volo's Guide to Monsters, but not legendary actions. They also have regional effects suggested (but not spelled out in rules terms) in the Monster Manual.
Merrenoloths, a CR 3 monster from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, have lair actions but no legendary actions (or regional effects).
So by example, a creature does not HAVE to be legendary or have legendary actions to have lair actions (or regional effects).
Do all dragons get Lair actions? I can't seem to find it specified in the text anywhere.
All is probably a poor word, what I mean is of the chromatic and metallic dragons, who are residing in a lair, do the Ancient, Adult, Young, and Wyrmling all get lair actions, or is it just a certain age and higher (i.e. Adult and Ancient only)?
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
I would imagine the wyrmling doesn't, but I'm not sure on the young dragons.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
I am fairly certain all dragons do, except perhaps the wyrmling. I'm not sure Dnd Beyond has added liar actions to everything yet, if you were looking at the monster entries. A dragon may not have liar actions if it hasn't lived in a specific location long enough. Basically if you look in the monster manual under the entry for the dragon type, it should tell you the liar actions it has available.
Ancient and Adult Dragons do, Young and Wyrmlings do not.
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Wary the wizard who focuses on homebrew, for he can create nightmares that you wouldn't even dream of
Thanks both, and yes i do have the monster manual.
something I found online on a forum or subreddit said only legendary creatures would have lair actions, and legendary creatures are specified by having legendary actions. Using that logic only adult and ancients would be able to use lair actions.
Just not sure if that is correct.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Yes, legendary actions and lair actions are two different things.
Just as example, Hags have regional effects and lair actions (VGM), but not legendary actions.
I can't find any specific mention about the age of Dragons affecting their Lair status. Lair is usually a placement thing, so it's entirely likely a Young Adult has its own lair - perhaps the regional effects are more tame (and the horde smaller) but I see no issue if the DM wants the fight to happen in the dragon's home nest.
The book itself mentions Lairs for each Dragon type at the type's blurb, below all age-category panels, making no distinction that I can see.
It's quite possibly that if you fight a Wyrmling in a lair, it's its Mother's lair (in which case, you just pissed off a much older dragon - I'd suggest you start running), but since Dragons come out of the egg fully capable of hunting, even Wyrmlings could have lairs.
Regardless, I'd be a little careful about the potency of the Lair's effects compared to the Dragon's CR. Most effects are supplemental, but some deal damage that may be disproportionate to a CR 2 Wyrmling, for example.
Lair actions are built into the stat blocks (in the MM). As I said, only the Adult and Ancient ones have Lair actions.
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Wary the wizard who focuses on homebrew, for he can create nightmares that you wouldn't even dream of
Hi Sorce, the confusion sets in because the MM doesn't have the lair actions for dragons in the stat block. As Onyx said they are in a blurb after the stat blocks describing the dragons general attributes/personality and lair descriptions. The lair actions as described don't state what age dragon they pertain to, and none of the dragon stat blocks state that it includes lair actions or not.
How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Yes, I haven't managed to find any reference on Lair on the Dragons' actual stat block, only the text after the stat block group, which references the dragon type regardless of age. :/
Has it been explained somewhere that I've missed?
Hmmm,, I was going from the way HotDQ and RoT are written - it puts the Adult Dragons in lairs, the younger ones not - and the concept of lairs are for the older Dragons. The stat blocks dont actually contain the lair actions, they are additional (and now I realised my players got out of a Dragon fight without Lair actions in effect. :P)
Guess it's up to DM's interpretation. Personally I dont think a Wyrmling would have a lair action - the Young ones would be stretching (based on CR and comparing Lair effects), I might reduce the lair effects to lower DCs and the like for a Young Dragon.
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Wary the wizard who focuses on homebrew, for he can create nightmares that you wouldn't even dream of
We agree, then :) Typical for Adult and Ancient, DM's choice for the others, and be wary of using them for younger ones (because some Lairs can be cheaty and/or fatal).
I like the way HotDQ and RoT handled things as well, but there are exceptions there as well, no? I mean, the last dragon fight of the former is right at an adult dragon's hoard, but I don't recall it referencing Lair actions.
And that happened to be the Dragon they just faced and managed to kill, when I could have used some lovely lair actions to help him escape (and cause chaos!).
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Wary the wizard who focuses on homebrew, for he can create nightmares that you wouldn't even dream of
Chaos can be fun. :p
Don't forget the Lair Actions, people!
MM page 11 states:
"A LEGENDARY CREATURE'S LAIR
A legendary creature might have a section describing its lair and the special effects it can create while there, either by act of will or simply by being present. Not all legendary creatures
have lairs. This section only applies to legendary creatures that spend a great deal of time in their lairs and are most likely to be encountered there,"
Based on this, I would say that unless the monster in question (in this case a dragon) has legendary actions it cannot use lair actions.
There is a young bronze dragon in one of the Candlekeep Mysteries adventures, and it has lair actions (but not regional effects). This particular adventure is developed & edited by Christopher Perkins and the book's project lead is Jeremy Crawford. There is no indication that this is meant to be an exception to the general rule about dragons & lairs.
Hags have lair actions listed (for all 5 types) in Volo's Guide to Monsters, but not legendary actions. They also have regional effects suggested (but not spelled out in rules terms) in the Monster Manual.
Merrenoloths, a CR 3 monster from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, have lair actions but no legendary actions (or regional effects).
So by example, a creature does not HAVE to be legendary or have legendary actions to have lair actions (or regional effects).