Amphibious. The dragon can breathe both air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Metal Sense. An adult nickel dragon can sense nickel in any form, that is within 120 feet of it.
Toxic Miasma. The dragon exudes a toxic miasma in a 10-foot radius aura around itself. Creatures other than the dragon who start or end their turn in this aura must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save they are poisoned for 1 hour, or until they succeed on another Constitution saving throw at the end of one of their turns. Creatures immune to the poisoned condition are also immune to this effect.
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: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) 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 16 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 Weapon (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses its breath weapon.
Acid Breath. The dragon exhales acidic gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (13d6) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. In addition, nonmagical armor worn by the target is partly dissolved and takes a permanent and cumulative −1 penalty to the AC it offers. The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces its AC to 10.
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 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Description
A nickel dragon's scales are a nickel/charcoal gray at birth, turning metallic gray at adulthood, then turning bright, metallic white at ancient age. Generally speaking, they are the weakest of the ferrous dragons, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. Interestingly, nickel dragons are the only ferrous dragons that can't shape change. Why this is, no one truly knows.
Innate Spellcasting. If a nickel dragon gains the ability to innately cast spells, it can cast each one once per day, requiring no material components. It can cast certain spells based on its age category, as shown below:
Young (spell save DC 13). blindness/deafness, create or destroy water
Adult (spell save DC 16). blindness/deafness, create or destroy water, hunger of hadar, plant growth
Ancient (spell save DC 18). blindness/deafness, create or destroy water, hunger of hadar, plant growth, vitriolic sphere
Telepathy. All nickel dragons have a 10% chance of being born with 60 feet of telepathy. However, once they reach adult age, they automatically gain telepathy to a range of 60 feet.
Lair and 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 chooses a point on the ground it can see within 120 feet of it. A 20-foot-radius, 20-foot-high cylinder of watery filth centered on that point erupts from the ground until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature in the cylinder when it appears or that ends its turn there must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The cylinder is difficult terrain.
- Tendrils of roiling muck extend from the dragon's lair to grasp up to three creatures of the dragon's choice that it can see within the lair. A targeted creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- A bubble of swamp gas erupts in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within its lair. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
The region containing a legendary nickel dragon's lair is warped by the dragon's magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- The land within 6 miles of the lair takes twice as long as normal to traverse, since the plants grow thick and twisted, and the swamps are thick with reeking mud.
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled. Enemies of the dragon that drink such water regurgitate it within minutes.
- Fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the lair.
If the dragon dies, vegetation remains as it has grown, but other effects fade over 1d10 days.
Comments