Living Shadow. While in dim light or darkness, the dragon has resistance to all damage that isn’t force, psychic, or radiant.
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the dragon can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the dragon has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
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 plus 9 (2d8) necrotic 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 19 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.
Shadow Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales a shadowy flame in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 81 (18d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
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.
Create Shadow(Costs 3 Actions). The dragon summons 1d4 20x20 foot cubes of darkness within 120 feet of the dragon.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Shadow Dragon’s Lair
Shadow dragons lair in dark caves and deep subterranean chambers far from the sun. They favor high mountain vales accessible only by flying, caverns in cliff faces, and labyrinthine dark caves in mountains. Shadow dragons love vertical heights in their caverns, flying up to the ceiling to latch on like bats or slithering down dark crevasses.
A legendary shadow dragon’s innate magic deepens the darkness in the area around its lair. Mountain caverns are darkened by the shadow dragon’s presence. A shadow dragon can often detect intruders by the way the light enters its lair.
A shadow dragon rests on high rocky shelves and cliffs in its lair, the floor around it a treacherous morass of broken stone, hidden pits, and slippery slopes. As foes struggle to move toward it, the dragon flies from perch to perch and destroys them with its shadowy breath.
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:
- Suffocating darkness fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The darkness spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. Each creature in the fog when it appears must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that ends its turn in the fog takes 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The darkness otherwise lasts until the dragon uses this lair action again or until the dragon dies.
- Jagged stalactites shards fall from the ceiling, striking up to three creatures underneath that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The dragon makes one ranged attack roll (+7 to hit) against each target. On a hit, the target takes 10 (3d6) piercing damage.
- The dragon creates an opaque wall of darkness on a solid surface it can see within 120 feet of it. The wall can be up to 30 feet long, 30 feet high, and 1 foot thick. When the wall appears, each creature within its area is pushed 5 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. Each 10-foot section of the wall has AC 5, 30 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. The wall disappears when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary shadow dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Dark fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Eclipses are common within 6 miles of the lair, and as you get closer, all natural light vanishes.
- Shadowy walls block off areas in the dragon’s lair. Each wall is 6 inches thick, and a 10-foot section has AC 5, 15 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage.
If the dragon wishes to move through a wall, it can do so without slowing down.
If the dragon dies, the fog and eclipses fade within 1 day. The dark walls fade over the course of 1d10 days.
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