Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
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: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 20 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:
Fire Breath. The dragon exhales fire in an 90-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Sleep Breath. The dragon exhales sleep gas in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or fall unconscious for 10 minutes. This effect ends for a creature if the creature takes damage or someone uses an action to wake it.
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 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 22 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.
A Brass Dragon’s Lair
A brass dragon’s desert lair is typically a ruin, canyon, or cave network with ceiling holes to allow for sunlight.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- A strong wind blows around the dragon. Each creature within 60 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from the dragon and knocked prone. Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.
- A cloud of sand swirls about in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners. Each creature in it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded 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.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary brass dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Tracks appear in the sand within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair. The tracks lead to safe shelters and hidden water sources, while also leading away from areas that the dragon prefers to remain undisturbed.
- Images of Large or smaller monsters haunt the desert sands within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. These illusions move and appear real, although they can do no harm. A creature that examines an image from a distance can tell it’s an illusion with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Any physical interaction with an image reveals it to be an illusion, because objects pass through it.
- Whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 30 feet of a water source within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair, the dragon becomes aware of the creature’s presence and location.
If the dragon dies, the tracks fade in 1d10 days, but the other effects fade immediately.
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Posted Oct 28, 2021I'm a little curious why someone would want to make these bosses and not NPCs. Aren't brass dragons meant to be friendly?
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Posted Dec 1, 2021If you polymorph into a legendary creature then you do not get legendary actions, lair actions or regional effects; however this means that legendary resistances are retained.
It doesn't matter; when your polymorph into a dragon then Change Shape back into a humanoid, you retain the dragon's hitpoints, legendary resistances and Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma ability scores. You still don't gain any of the creature's class features, but you're a much beefier version of that basic creature.
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Posted Jan 27, 2022# justiceforbarnaby
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Posted Apr 7, 2022Despite having a 17 CR, I think an adult gold dragon is a little bit better than the ancient brass dragon when going stat for stat.
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Posted Apr 20, 2022You could turn back into a humanoid that looks like your old self, but you lose all of your class features if you allow yourself to let the spell fully take hold. That being said, you can dispel True Polymorph if your hit points get low and suddenly be a level 20 PC of whatever class you were before.
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Posted May 3, 2022People saying this is too weak have not looked closer at sleep breath, or rather tpk breath.
10 minutes can be used to take every party member one by one and drop them 200 feet into lava, they die. If one makes the dc21 save, fight them normally, for the line aoe is easy to avoid hitting the rest of the party with. It is a little understatted, but still stronger than a single pc. The only way would be for them to waste actions slapping their own teammates for small amounts of damage to wake them up. And what if the dragon simply grabs every sleeping party member and flies off?
Of course, it will rarely be a villain, because it is good-aligned, but what if one defies this?
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Posted Jun 21, 2022How would a brass dragon react to a mute a person?
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Posted Jan 27, 2023Why can it shapeshift? That doesn’t make any sense.
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It does if you’re familiar with metallic dragon lore. They all like to change into smaller creatures for various reasons. Silvers love being and interacting with humans, Bronze take animal forms, Brass probably to talk with more people, Coppers are entertainers and tricksters, and Gold probably for scholarly pursuits or as a disguise to be left alone.
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Posted Jan 27, 2023The limitations on True Polymorph is why Shapechange is better to use on yourself. Unless you want to be a dragon permanently and don’t mind giving up your class features.
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Posted Feb 15, 2023then you use side kick rules to level up but you still have the hp, legendary resists ,int wis cha, and lair actions. lol got the idea and had to share it dont know if this would be allowed by rules but i thought it would be funny
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Posted Oct 8, 2023Beep beep
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Posted Sep 21, 2024Good thing DMs exist! It does not matter whether specific rules exist or not. Part of the DM's job is to shut down silly loopholes like this.
In other words, it's not an oversight. It's a silly corner case. The designers cannot possibly include fine print for every possible interaction, or the book would be ten thousand pages. They have to trust that the DM will be in charge of the game, not rules-lawyering players.
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Posted Jan 24, 2025I used a Brass Dragon for one of the main patrons in my campaign. I named the fool King Alcinuos. Kinda combined the talkative nature of a brass dragon and the jokey, prank-pulling personality of a copper dragon. Huge hit with my players.
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Posted Mar 3, 2025I think the nature of the Dragon matters a lot in the challenge. Brass Dragons are storytellers, they are social. They are going to have friends and allies.
In my campaigns Brass Dragons live in giant mountain complexes with a hierarchy of Brass dragons. Their hordes are libraries and museums maintained by Kobolds. To gain better access to information and treasures of art and culture, they facilitate trade passing through specific parts of their territory. They might even be considered allies of a nearby kingdom.
Even in the Draconomicon it describes a group of Brass Dragons chasing off a Red Dragon. A Brass Dragon isn't going to stand and fight to the death alone. They are going to have friends, they are going to try and escape a situation that is bad for them and fight it under better terms, when there are more of them.
There are always Rogue Brass Dragons, ones that turn evil, but even they would immediately seek out allies so they wouldn't have to fight alone.
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Posted Mar 23, 2025Why does this thing have such little charisma? Its favorite thing to do is talk, and it has talked for centuries at this point, but some random humanoid could achieve an even higher charisma without any magical items