Aberrant Form. The Xenodragon's type is Dragon/Aberration.
Lurker in the Shadows. The Xenodragon has advantage on Stealth while within Darkness or Dim Light. While within Darkness, the Xenodragon also gain +10 to it's Stealth check.
Ambush Predator. If the Xenodragon attacks a surprised Creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, it deals an additional 2d8 damage with each attack.
Acid Blood. Whenever the Xenodragon takes damage aside from Psychic or Fire, each creature within 10ft. of the Xenodragon must make a Dexterity Saving Throw DC 18, taking 9 (2d8) Acid Damage on a Failure.
Amphibious. The Xenodragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If the Xenodragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Multiattack. The Xenodragon can use its Terrifying Presence. It then makes two attacks with it's Claw and two attacks with it's Vestigial Claw or make one Bite attack and one Tail attack.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage. A Creature struck by this attack becomes Grappled by the Xenodragon (escape DC 18). While Grappled in this way it is also Restrained. For each Creature currently Grappled by the Xenodragon, it may make one less Claw attack.
Vestigial Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d12 + 7) piercing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Restrained Creature Grappled by the Xenodragon. Hit: 74 (12d10 + 14) piercing damage. A Creature hit by this attack must make a Constitution Saving Throw DC 18 or be infected with a disease; a microscopic Xenodragon Egg.
A host can carry only one Xenodragon egg to term at a time. Over one week, the egg moves to the chest cavity, gestates, and forms a Xenodragon Wyrmling. In the hour before giving birth, the host starts to feel unwell, its speed is halved, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. At birth, the Xenodragon Wyrmling chews its way through vital organs and out of the host’s chest in 1 round, killing the host in the process.
The Disease can be cured by way of Greater Restoration or similarly powerful healing magic.
Terrifying Presence. Each creature of the Xenodragon'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 Xenodragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
The Xenodragon 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 Xenodragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Unnatural Speed. The Xenodragon moves up to it's speed.
Tail Strike. The Xenodragon makes a tail attack. If the attack hits, the Target is also knocked prone.
Predatory Strike (Costs 2 Actions). The Xenodragon makes up to 2 Claw attacks.
Description
Xenodragons are the horrific result of a parasitic entity taking on the form of a mighty Dragon. Able to reproduce only through the deaths of other Creatures, Xenodragons are fortunately few in number. Often referred to as the "Perfect Predator", Xenodragons are known for relentlessly hunting their prey, using their unnaturally dark scales to disappear into shadows before mercilessly ambushing their prey.
Xenodragons take the traditional draconic form and twist it with aberrant mutations. Their heads are long oblongs with a tough chitinous crown. Inside their massive jaws is a secondary mouth, often referred to as the "inner mouth". This inner mouth is enhanced with vast musculature, similar to that of a chameleon and is capable of rapidly pistoning out, puncturing even the thickest armour and tearing into the vitals beneath. The inner mouth also has the secondary effect of implanted Xenodragon eggs into the flesh of it's victims.
Enhanced Perceptions. The Xenodragon lacks obvious eyes, yet it's perceptions are undeniably sharp. Xenodragons never attack a Creature implanted with a Xenodragon egg, indicating that they can somehow sense the egg. Xenodragons possess some method of sensing both pheromones and subtle air movements around them, making it near impossible to sneak by one.
Deadly Reproduction. Xenodragons are incapable of reproducing by themselves, instead requiring a living host to their young. A Xenodragon will attempt to capture and implant an egg into a Living Host. Due to the vast physical trauma inflicted through the Implantation process, only the strongest hosts will suffice. Once Implanted, the Egg will incubate over the course of a week, at the end of which the Xenodragon Wyrmling will burst out of the Host's chest cavity, killing them.
Dwellers in the Dark. Xenodragons usually live deep underground, using their acids to create their strange organic lairs in otherwise impenetrable stone. Xenodragons will often take over a Mind Flayer Colony or be coaxed into living nearby by the Flayers. It is therefore surmised that Mind Flayers and Xenodragons have some kind of connection, perhaps that of Creator and Creation, although nobody is certain. Xenodragon lairs are made of a strange, resin-like polymer that forms ribbing and strange asymmetrical tunnels. These alien tunnels connect to various chambers that the Xenodragon uses to store Creatures it has Implanted, trophies from kills or other treasures.
Hoarders of Strength. Xenodragons have an obsession with collecting items of Predatory Power. A Xenodragon might claim all the possessions of a particularly ferocious warrior, sentient weapons or other powerful artefacts. Xenodragons often leave their lairs to complete "hunts" of other powerful or legendary creatures, bringing back trophies of the Xenodragon's kill. Xenodragons take immense pleasure in collecting the Skulls of other Dragons and claiming their hoards.
Lure of Challenge. Due to their eternal search for worthy foes to Implant with Eggs, a Xenodragon will raid and pillage nearby villages and towns, intentionally inflicting as much damage and chaos as possible, while leaving enough survivors to draw adventurers and mighty heroes to it's Lair. Left alone, a Xenodragon will devastate an entire kingdom and leave the few survivors in abject terror of it. Eventually, a Xenodragon will find creatures of sufficient Fortitude to survive Implantation and will begin to grow it's colony.
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The Xenodragon is a very different Dragon Encounter. Unlike most Dragons, the Xenodragon utterly lacks a Breath weapon. As such, it will struggle against multiple opponents. This is remedied by its very high stealth capabilities. A Xenodragon will almost always ambush the party, unless they are particularly observant. The Xenodragon has relatively poor mental scores, representing it's more predatory nature. This does not mean the Xenodragon is stupid, far from it. The Xenodragon knows that it is weak to mental spells and will prioritize downing Spellcasters before doing what it does best; dueling tough characters. The Xenodragon relies entirely on attack rolls to deal it's main damage. Setting up for a Bite attack is it's primary focus. It can do this either by grabbing creatures during it's turn, or using it's legendary actions to setup a Bite attack just before it's turn.
The Xenodragon's primary goal when fighting is to implant one or more eggs into a Creature. If a Fight begins turning against it, the Xenodragon will flee, using it's superior speed, legendary action movement and high stealth score to vanish. A Xenodragon will ideally fight either in the darkest hours of the early morning, in a pitch black cave or other dark area, to make the best use of it's stealthiness.
The Xenodragon's glaring weakness are it's saving throws, it must largely rely on it's Legendary Resistances and lucky rolls to avoid many debilitating effects. When in it's Lair, using it's "Resin Engulfing" lair Action to disable spellcasters is also a valid tactic. The Xenodragon can easily rip a Spellcaster apart with it's bite attack, but then it leaves it's preferred prey, Fighters and Barbarians, free to attack it without consequence.
Lair and Lair Actions
Xenodragons live in deep caverns, lightless ravines or within complex hive-like structures. A Xenodragon's lair is an alien maze of organic tunnels and chambers buried within the earth. The lair is in pitch darkness, with many hidden nooks and crannies for the Xenodragon to hide in. The Lair is bereft of other creatures save for the Xenodragon and it's brood.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Xenodragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the Xenodragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Any non-magical light source inside the Lair is extinguished and Magical darkness spreads from a point the Xenodragon chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere until the Xenodragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it.
- The Xenodragon causes a thick globule of Resin-like polymer to fall from the Ceiling above a Creature. That Creature must make a Dexterity Saving Throw DC 16 or become engulfed in the Resin. An engulfed Creature is Restrained, Grappled and Incapacitated. A Creature can use it's action to remove the Resin from the engulfed Creature. At the end of the Engulfed Creature's turn, it may make a Strength Saving Throw DC 16 to escape the Resin.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary Xenodragon’s lair is warped by the Xenodragon’s presence, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Animals within 6 miles of the lair are incredibly skittish and fearful. Even Apex Predators will flee rather than fight.
- Effects that Create Light of any kind have their radius and duration halved while within 1 Mile of the Lair
- Creatures within 6 Miles of the Lair feel as if they are being followed. The feeling increases the closer the Creature moves towards the Lair.
If the Xenodragon dies, the effects fade over 1d10 days.
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