Swarm. The Young Swarm Dragon can enter the space of another creature, which causes the creature to become blinded and obscures it from the vision of all creatures besides the dragon.
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) slashing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) piercing damage.
Gale Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales air in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) bludgeoning damage and being pushed back 20ft on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Assimilate (Recharge 3-4). The dragon calls various creatures native to its habitat to join the swarm. Make a DC 13 survival check to determine if there are any nearby, then roll 3d6+6 to determine how many creatures it assimilates into the swarm, which directly relates to how many HP it gains.
Description
From afar, swarm dragons appear to just be large multicolored scaly or furry dragons, but closer inspection reveals they are composed of almost 200 different creatures, shifting and moving like waves across the dragon's "skin". Swarm dragons can live in any habitat and some of their abilities are affected by their habitat.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Swarm Dragon’s Lair
Swarm dragons can dwell anywhere with a high beast population, but the most common habitat is forests. A land in which a swarm dragon has taken up residence is left barren and silent, with no animals left unassimilated to make noise.
A swarm dragon's goal in life is to absorb as many beasts as it can. The more beasts they assimilate, the more complete they feel. If left unchecked, a swarm dragon could very well grow strong enough to begin absorbing larger and more intelligent creatures. It is theorized that, if allowed to do so, a swarm dragon could grow to contain every living creature in this plane of existence. Throughout the lair of a swarm dragon, swarm members act as scouts, watching any newcomers and reporting back to the swarm.
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 swarm of small beasts emerge, completely surrounding a creature the dragon can see within 30ft of it. The creature must make a DC 15 DEX save or be blinded, deafened, and restrained for one round. The restrained creature can only attack the mini-swarm surrounding it, which has an AC of 10 and 35 HP. If killed before the duration is up, the creature is freed early.
- A flock of birds fly over the lair, dropping chunks of earth on all creatures in a 50ft circular radius centered on the swarm dragon. All creatures within this radius must make a DC 14 DEX save or take 2d8 bludgeoning damage.
- A distracting feeling of being watched overcomes a creature the dragon chooses that it can see. If attempting to concentrate, the target must make a CON saving throw against breaking concentration every turn (unless it is not concentrating, of course) and has disadvantage on WIS (Perception) checks for a round.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary red dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- No creatures with an intelligence higher than 4 can be found within 6 miles of the lair.
- All creatures travelling within 2 miles of the lair must occasionally make DC 12 Survival, Perception, or Nature checks to avoid falling into and getting trapped in an open burrow (such as that of a rabbit). A DC 12 Strength check is necessary (unless assisted) to get out of the burrow, and the creature is blinded while in the burrow.
- Howling gales of wind make all land within one mile of the lair difficult terrain.
If the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
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