Clockwork War Dragon

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points 178 (17d10 + 85)

Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 80 ft.

STR

23 (+6)

DEX

16 (+3)

CON

21 (+5)

INT

10 (+0)

WIS

8 (-1)

CHA

19 (+4)

Saving Throws DEX +7, CON +9, WIS +3, CHA +8

Skills +8, +7, +4

Damage Resistances Fire, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Adamantine

Condition Immunities , , , ,

Senses 30 ft., 120 ft., Ethereal Vision -- the Clockwork War Dragon can see into the Ethereal Plane, Passive Perception 18

Languages Telepathy 120 ft. or line of sight. Can receive thoughts, but cannot communicate via telepathy.

Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +4

Immutable Form. The clockwork war dragon is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Magic Resistance. The clockwork war dragon has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons. The clockwork war dragon's weapon attacks are magical.

Actions

Multiattack. The clockwork war 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) fire damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.

Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The clockwork war dragon exhales fire in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity (Acrobatics) saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Cunning Action. The clockwork war dragon can take a bonus action on each of its turns to take the , , or action.

Reactions

Clockwork Stalwarcy. If the clockwork war dragon is knocked prone, it immediately rights itself without a movement penalty. It executes a counter-knockdown, and the attacker that knocked it prone must make a DC 17 Strength (Athletics) saving thrown or be knocked prone themselves.

Legendary Actions

The clockwork war 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 dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Force Eye Beams. Glowing red darts of Ethereal force launch out of the clockwork war dragon's eyes. Each dart hits one creature of its choice that it can see within 120 ft. Each dart deals 1d4 + 1 force damage to its target. The darts strike simultaneously.

The clockwork war dragon prioritizes unconscious targets with its eye beams, inflicting 2 failed Death Saves on an Eye Beam attack.

Death Spiral Tail Launch. The clockwork war dragon launches its tail at any target within 30ft. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) piercing damage. The target must make a DC 17 Saving Throw or be knocked prone. Once the attack is complete, the tail retracts back into the clockwork war dragon's body.

The clockwork war dragon prioritizes unconscious targets with its tail launch attack. If the attack renders an attacker unconscious or if the victim is already unconscious, then upon a successful attack, the tail skewers the victim and retracts, bringing the body to its metal jaws. The clockwork war dragon then bites the quarry in half, killing it instantly.

Spike Launch. Each creature within 15ft. of the clockwork war dragon must make a DC 17 Dexterity (Acrobatics) saving throw, taking 8 (2d8) piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

Description

The terrible clockwork war dragon is part flat-black scaly flesh, part clockwork, in the shape of a dragon, designed as a killing machine from days long past. Once awakened, the construct goes active.

The construct, absent any coded telepathic commands from its long-dead makers, will rampage until destroyed. At one time, these creatures had extensive programming, but the relentless march of time has degraded its ability to function as an intelligent war machine. While it can leap and fly about, if it "decides" that a target needs neutralizing, it will engage in bite-range combat at the expense of using the landscape or aerial combat to its advantage.

Once in combat, the clockwork war dragon fights to the death.

Stalk Mode

Sometimes, due to its malfunctioning thought process, the construct will go into "stealth" mode and skulk about an area, usually at night. It will decide which creature in this arbitrary area poses the greatest threat and attack from the shadows, opening with a breath weapon attack.

The Tragic Nature of the Clockwork War Dragon

While it can receive telepathic communication, its creators designed the construct to respond to an encoded language. They did not give the clockwork war dragon the ability to speak back. However, over the centuries, this tragic monster "leaks" strange visions of symbols, a trait it acquired to make sense of the relentless loneliness it developed after its creators abandoned it.

If an expert in Arcana or Medicine examines the corpse of the construct once it is defeated, a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Medicine) will reveal the flesh of the creature was at one point an actual dragon, the brain removed in the process of magically fusing its body with the construct.