Orange dragons are amphibious ambush predators that lurk in rivers and lakes in tropical regions.  The presence of one tends to bring water travel though an area to a halt due to their almost compulsory habit of attacking any vessel they find in their domain. Crafty, territorial, and sadistic, orange dragons attack creatures for the sheer joy of hearing screams of pain or terror.

They greatly resemble winged alligators or crocodiles, having an elongated and flat snout, large plate-like scales, and spiky frills that run from the crown of their heads back along their backs to the tip of their tails.  An orange dragon's powerful tail is relatively flat, serving as a paddle to propel them through the water.  Their feet are webbed, and bare hooked claws.  When walking on land, an orange dragon walks low to the ground, it's stocky legs splayed.

Territorial Tyrants. Orange dragons make their lairs in warm, wet climates, such as jungles and rain forests.  Specifically, they are drawn to large bodies of freshwater.  Their affinity for such habitats can lead to an orange dragon coming into competition with a green or black dragon, though any such competition is usually short-lived, with the larger and more powerful orange dragon driving its competition either out of its territory, into subservience, or into an early grave.  An orange dragon will quickly establish itself as the tyrannical ruler of its domain, demanding tribute or sacrifices from any settlements.  Those offered as tribute to the dragon are fortunate if the dragon merely kills and eats them.  Most are not so lucky.

Sadistic Tastes. Orange dragons will attack for food and treasure, but they need no such excuse.  They will attack creatures simply for the sport of inflicting pain.  One of an orange dragon's favorite tactics is to bathe its opponents in its breath weapon before retreating to a safe spot in which to watch the effects on its victim.  Even if it is busy with some other tasks, an orange might pause to unleash its breath weapon on a band of travelers merely to bask in their screams of agony.  Such casual cruelty is an orange dragon's favorite pastime.

Amphibious Hunters. Just like the crocodiles they resemble, orange dragons spend much of their time in and under water.  Their preference is to to attack from ambush,  rising suddenly from the water to grab hold of prey with their powerful jaws or douse them with their terrible breath weapon.  If they see a boat, they will inevitably tip it over, even if this means going out of its way to do so.  If the creatures aboard scream, they may incite the dragon to further acts of cruelty.  If no scream is heard, the dragon may lose interest and move on to find something else to torment.

An orange dragon's lair is typically a complex burrow on the muddy bank of a river or lake.  Their burrows will always be partially flooded, and may have entire sections completely submerged.  The walls of its nest are damp and hot, the air within unpleasantly muggy and smelling of earth and oil.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• The dragon causes solid earth to become flowing mud in a a 40-foot cube centered on a point it can see withing 120 feet of it.  Nonmagical earth of any sort in the area becomes an equal volume of thick, flowing mud that remains until the dragon uses this lair action again.  The ground in that area becomes muddy enough that creatures can sink into it. Each foot that a creature moves through the mud costs 4 feet of movement, and any creature on the ground when the dragon uses this lair action must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw.  A creature must also make the saving throw when it moves into the area for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. On a failed save, a creature sinks into the mud and is restrained, though it can use an action to end the restrained condition on itself by pulling itself free of the mud.  If the dragon uses this lair action on a ceiling, the mud falls. Any creature under the mud when it falls must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 18 (4d8) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

When the dragon uses this lair action again, the mud formed from its previous use of this lair action reverts to solid earth. Any creature in the mud when it transforms must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save, a creature is shunted safely to the surface in an unoccupied space. On a failed save, a creature becomes restrained by the solid earth. A restrained creature, or another creature within reach, can use an action to try to break the earth by succeeding on a DC 20 Strength check or by dealing damage to it. The earth has AC 15 and 25 hit points, and it is immune to poison and psychic damage.

• Pools of water that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it surge outward in a grasping tide.  Any creature within 20 feet of such a pool must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet into the water and knocked prone.
• The dragon creates a 20-foot-radius sphere of fog centered on a point it can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. It lasts until theh next initiative count 20 or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.

Regional Effects

The region containing a legendary orange dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:

• Within 1 mile of its lair, the dragon leaves no evidence of its passage unless it wishes to, making it impossible to track except by magical means.  In addition, the dragon can pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.
• Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled; warm and tasting of oil.  Enemies of the dragon that drink such water regurgitate it within minutes.
• Quagmires form in the area within 6 miles of the dragon's lair.  A quagmire can be identified with successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check.  A quagmire is difficult terrain, and a creature traveling through it must spend its action on each of its turns to make a DC is 14 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to avoid sinking in the muck.  On a failure, the creature begins to sink in the quagmire's quicksand-like mud, and must make a Strength (Athletics) check to free themselves.
  • First Failure: The creature is restrained by the mud (escape DC 14)
  • Second Failure: The DC to escape the restraint increases to 17.
  • Third Failure: The DC to escape the restraint increases to 20.
  • Beyond Third Failure: The creature begins suffocating until it escapes the mud.

If the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.