Legendary Resistance (3/Day) If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Forest Camouflage. The jade dragon has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in forested terrain.
Spellcasting. The jade dragon is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). The dragon has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): Dancing Lights, Friends, Gust, Mending
1st level (4 slots): Alarm, Charm Person, Fog Cloud
2nd level (3 slots): Darkness, Invisibility, Suggestion
3rd level (2 slots): Blink, Gaseous Form, Hypnotic Pattern
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: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) 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 15 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.
Deafening Screech (Recharge 5–6). The dragon unleashes an ear-splitting cry, affecting creatures in a 50-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) thunder damage and becoming deafened for 1 minute on a failed save, or half as much damage and not becoming deafened on a successful one. A deafened creature can can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a successful save.
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.
Cast Spell. The dragon casts a spell of 1st level or lower.
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 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Description
Unique among the lesser gems dragons in many ways, the reclusive jade dragons spend much of their time alone in their treetop lairs, silently observing the world from a distance.
Jade dragons are much unlike the other lesser, or even greater, gem dragons, in terms of appearance, looking more like an oriental dragon than the more common appearance of its kin. They are often described as oriental cousins to the emerald dragons, much to the anger of the jade dragons. Their bodies are long and serpentine, being able to bend and coil freely. Their facial features are vaguely leonine, with a small mane of fur flowing down its neck and around its face. A pair of horns extends from behind the dragon's eyes, curving upwards at the tips, and their snouts possess two long, flexible spines that resemble whiskers, not unlike those of gold dragons. Their limbs are relatively short, leaving the dragons slightly less adept at running and climbing, though they are still capable climbers. A jade dragon's preferred method of locomotion is flying, which they excel at with their sleek body. Unlike the oriental dragons they resemble, jade dragons do possess wings with which they fly.
A jade dragon wyrmling's scales are a pale, light green. As it ages, the scales begin to darken and take on multiple shades of green, all of them swirled around the dragon's body in random patterns.
Watching From Afar. Jade dragons, as with the other lesser gem dragons, prefer to live in solitude. However, they do take interest in the life around them, preferring to watch the creatures within the forest go about their days, while the dragon stays in its nest. If an intelligent creature disturbs the dragon in its home uninvited, it will usually try to convince the creature to leave it alone. Jade dragons are not inherently violent, but can be angered easily by people who insist on visiting or conversing with the dragon despite its objections, and the dragon may resort to violence if its other methods fail. The dragons do not mind sharing a territory with other forest-dwelling dragons, usually leaving their neighbors to their own business as long as they give the same courtesy. If another dragon decides to lair too close to the jade dragon and diplomacy yields no results, then the jade dragon may attempt to forcefully drive the other away if it believes it can come out victorious.
Emerald Envy. The only type of dragon that jade dragons will never acceptably coexist with are emerald dragons. Jade dragons despise their greater gem cousins, jealous of their greater physical might and natural psionic talent. While they would never admit it, it's thought that the jade dragons took up learned spellcasting in an attempt to outdo the emerald dragons in terms of magical prowess. If an emerald dragon invades the forest of a jade dragon, it will not respond with violence, unless the emerald dragon is younger. If the two are similar ages, the jade dragon will instead attempt to subtly manipulate the environment to drive it off. Secretly killing off nearby animals so the emerald dragon loses food, felling trees around the emerald dragon's lair so it is more open to other creatures, and if the opportunity presents itself, requesting the help of adventurers to slay the emerald dragon. A jade dragon will never leave its forest in failure, trying to drive away the emerald dragon until it leaves or one of them dies.
Selective Diet. A jade dragon refuses to eat any sapient life. They consider the consumption of intelligent creatures to be cruel and immoral. As such, they feed only on plants and wild animals. Even when they kill another intelligent creature for other reasons, they will leave it for the animals or plants of the forest to feed on instead.
Peculiar Lairs. A jade dragon's lair is extremely unique amongst dragonkind. Instead of making a home in a cave or burrow like most dragons, jade dragons instead create nests within the branches of large trees. These nests are similar in appearance and construction to the treetop nests of great apes. When jade dragons birth offspring, the wyrmlings remain in the nest until they are old enough to fend for themselves. The mother dragon teaches them how to build their own nests, as well as the ways of spellcasting, and then sends them on their own way when they are ready. A dragon that never learned the method of building a nest may instead nest inside the trunk of a tree until it grows too large to stay there. Ancient jade dragons are too large for any nest to support, and instead simply use the entire tree as its home, sleeping with its body entwined with the trunk and branches. A jade dragon's treasure hoard is usually stored within its nest. Jade dragons value treasure of all kinds, but items made of or containing jade are their most prized. They are willing to trade with other creatures in order to acquire such items. One type of treasure they will never take are emeralds. They abhor the gem just as much as the dragon named after it, and will usually attempt to destroy such an item if they find it. Offering an emerald item as trade with the jade dragon is one of the few ways to assuredly incur its wrath. A jade dragon's treasure is usually stored in its nest, being right next to its hoard at all times. If it does not have a nest, it will instead store it within its residential tree, keeping close watch on it for thieves.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Jade Dragon’s Lair
Jade dragons make their homes in dense forests. Adult dragons create nests in the branches of large trees by creating a foundation of sturdy smaller branches and stones, with layers of leaves on top. Some nests stretch across multiple, close-growing trees. A jade dragon still considers a large area around the nest as its lair.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The dragon chooses a point on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. Grasping vines sprout from the ground in a 20-foot radius centered on that point. The effect is otherwise identical to the entangle spell (save DC 15) and lasts until the dragon uses this lair action again or until the dragon dies.
- Branches shake and fall from a tree of the dragon's choice within 120 feet of it. Any creatures in the tree must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or fall out of the tree. Any creatures under the tree must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary jade dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Sapient creatures within 1 mile of the dragon's lair that do not have proficiency in the Wisdom (Survival) skill have disadvantage on any Survival checks made to navigate the area. Such creatures must make a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Survival) check for each hour they remain in the area. On a failure, a creature loses track of the way it came and gets lost.
- Beasts within 1 mile of the dragon's lair are more docile and friendly than normal, not attacking or fleeing from other creatures unless hungry or threatened.
- Trees within 4 miles of the dragon's lair grow large and healthy, even when in large numbers or unideal conditions.
If the dragon dies, the navigational issues brought on by the dragon's influence end immediately. Beasts return to their normal behavior after a day. The trees remain in their current state, but no longer stay healthy under detrimental conditions.
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