Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Innate Spellcasting. The Steel Dragon's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma. It can innately cast the following spells (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit), requiring no material components and are cast as lvl 5 spells:
1/day each: suggestion, charm person, Dominate person, Geas, Modify Memory, Hold Person, Sleep
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: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) 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 18 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.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales acid in a 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Paralyzing Breath. The dragon exhales paralyzing gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed 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.
Change Shape. The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).
In a new form, the dragon retains its alignment, hit points, Hit Dice, ability to speak, proficiencies, Legendary Resistance, lair actions, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, as well as this action. Its statistics and capabilities are otherwise replaced by those of the new form, except any class features or legendary actions of that form.
The 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.
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 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 21 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.
Description
Steel dragons prefer human form to their own, so they're rarely seen in their natural forms. They routinely use their special abilities to infiltrate human society, typically masquerading as nobles, merchants, sages, scholars, wizards, and other intellectuals. Endlessly curious about the art, culture, history, and politics of civilized races, steel dragons live among humans and similar beings. Though they keep their true nature secret from the people with whom they mingle, they can always recognize each other.
When a steel dragon hatches, its scales are a deep blue-gray color with steely highlights. As it grows to adulthood, its color lightens to a lustrous burnished steel, and its shine increases as it continues to age. In human form, a steel dragon always has one steel-gray feature, such as hair, eyes, or nails. In rare cases, this feature may be a ring, tattoo, or other ornamentation. In its natural form, a steel dragon smells of wet steel.
Steel dragons also prefer to dine in human form, but since they need to eat much more than humans do to maintain their true body mass, they make monthly trips to hunt in dragon form. These absences are always explained away in terms consistent with the roles they take in human society. For example, a steel dragon in the guise of a historian might claim to be exploring records in another city's library.
Steel dragons prefer treasure that they can carry in their human forms, such as jewelry, valuable coins, and magic items usable by Medium-size creatures. Additionally, Steel dragons are known to invest in property rather the create massive hoards and they are known to also collect works of art, antiquities, books, finery. They hate creatures that disrupt normal life in cities or despoil natural hunting grounds. Within a city, they usually rely on local authorities to deal with troublemakers, though they are quite capable of dealing out their own justice when such authorities cannot be relied upon to do so. Steel dragons tend to prefer swifter forms of justice in the wilderness.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Steel Dragon's Lair
Since they prefer human form, steel dragons rarely live in caves. Instead, they are normally found in urban environments and they choose humanoid dwellings such as mansions or castles. Such a home need not be opulent, but it must be large enough to accommodate a strongroom that will hold all the dragon's treasure. Additionally, Steel dragons are known to have a number of different Lairs throughout the cities that they call home in case their identity is revealed.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon creates fog as if it had cast the fog cloud spell. The fog lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- A creature the dragon can see within 120 feet of it burst must make a DC wisdom save or burst into laughter per Hideous Laughter.
The dragon can choose at any time to teleport to one of their secondary lairs. These secondary lairs do not have lair actions or effects.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary steel dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.
- Once per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The dragon doesn’t need to be outdoors; otherwise, the effect is identical to the spell weather.
- Within 500 feet of the lair, street lighting is brighter than normal and the streets seem to be cleaner.
- Within the lair, the dragon can set illusionary sounds like music as well as create illusionary guest or servants that do not have any combat or guarding role.
If the dragon dies, changing weather reverts to normal, as described in the spell, and the other effects fade in 1d10 days.
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Posted May 29, 2019Source for lore: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions Monster Manuals and Draconomicons
Steel dragons are Acid Immune and Poison Resistant. Their breath weapons reflect this with Line of Acid and Cone of Poison Gas. To say they are Lawful Good is probably more of a misnomer, as they have difficulty with authoritarian leadership, which puts them at odds with Golds and Silvers. More accurately, they are closer to Chaotic/Neutral Good.
They also retained their Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution while in Human form (they always chose humans because they are fascinated by them). Because of this, they avoid melee combat when possible, because a punch as a human will still feel like getting hit by a dragon...because that's what they are. They also do not want to reveal this as they prefer full immersion as humans and will prefer to fight with spells. Even if their human form takes on Cleric or Paladin classes (Divine Magic), they are still considered to be Arcane casters. If they are losing too badly in a fight, they will teleport away.
While in Human form, they are also immune to Divination magic that specifically targets dragons, as they are considered Human and not Dragons (though they always know that they are in fact dragons). They can also make their human forms age normally, without the use of additional magic to do so. These are gifts from Lord Ao Himself.
Also while in Human form, they can use their Frightful Presence, except it takes the form more like Thaumaturgy, where they can use it to command presence in a room - no matter how busy. They can use it to Calm Emotions of a crowd, and can either incite riots or stop one entirely. They can also use it to obscure themselves, causing others to have difficulty focusing on them.
They only live 1 life at a time, and rarely if ever revert back to their draconic form. Think of it like extreme method acting. They go full immersion.
Steel dragons only assume their draconic form at the end of their human life. They also don't need to eat as much as a dragon does while in human form, despite actually being a dragon. They spend a couple of years as a dragon to socialize with other Steel dragons and to procreate. At the end of their human life, they undergo meditation, called The Vaulting - where they bottle up all the memories of that past life and put them in a mental vault. They then choose a new human life, unencumbered by memories of the past life.
Over the course of a human life, they produce at least one Great Work, often of art. They store this in their secret lair, and over many lifetimes, they will amass their own hoard (called The Composition). When the dragon reaches the end of its draconic life, its Soulbond (a mortal they have bonded with as a true friend, often a long lived race such as Elves, and of whom they will reveal their true nature with), will help them disperse their hoard over the world, giving it away without bias (like dropping it on the street, giving it away, etc...for the betterment of all). Once that is complete, the Steel Dragon enters what is called The Reflection, where they experience all of their past lives and memories. Once that is complete, Lord Ao tests their Wisdom. Should they pass, they become part of Him. Should they fail, they are reborn to do it all over again.
A Soulbond is someone that will always help them, especially when gathering intel during their Vaulting (as they forget literally everything, except their Soulbond and the fact that they are a dragon). They also have numerous Agelinked people around the world, that act as sort of spies, but because of The Vaulting, they always forget these people exist. They do however receive dreams when they take on their new human life, that detail what is going on in the world. This aids them in choosing their new life.
For all intents and purposes however, a Steel dragon in Human form, IS human. If they die in human form, they simply pretend to be dead until they are alone, then teleport away and prepare for their new life. They eat, laugh, and love as human. When they inevitably outlive their human family, it hurts. They can also father/mother normal humans while in human form, not half-dragons, dragonborn, or anything of the sort. Just normal human offspring.
A Soulbond will never reveal the family of a previous life to them though, as that would defeat the purpose.
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Posted Jun 1, 2019This is a great homebrew for a steel dragon. I would just change the Paralyzing Breath to a Poison Breath, poison immunity to poison resistance, add acid immunity, and make it lawful neutral instead of lawful good. Little nitpicks, though. Great work!
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Posted Jun 27, 2019Steel Dragons don't leave their human form often. their treasures are crafted by their humanoid form, they go through cycles of human lives, storing the memories and reliving them all at the end. they can procreate with humans without creating half-dragons.
They also have the ability to maintain their draconic resistance in polymorph form meaning they don't have to drop the form