Magic Resistance. The dragon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Legendary Resistance (1/day). Whenever the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Aberrant. For the purposes of determining this creature's type, it counts as both a dragon and an abberation. If an ability can only affect a specific creature type, this creature will be an eligible recipient of the effect as long as it can function on either aberrations or dragons. However, features that provide benefits that depend on a target creature's type, such as a ranger's favored enemy feature, are not cumulative if they could affect both aberrations and dragons.
Dual Minded. The dragon has advantage on wisdom (perception) saving throws and intelligence checks. However, it has disadvantage on any wisdom, intelligence, or charisma saving throws made to avoid psychic damage. Any time another creature rolls an ability check for the purpose of dealing psychic damage to the dragon, they may gain advantage.
Psychic Amplifier. If the dragon takes any psychic damage, all creatures within 120 feet of it must succeed on a DC 18 intelligence saving throw or take the same amount of psychic damage that was dealt to it, including the extra damage it suffers due to its vulnerability.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The dragon can innately cast telekinesis (spell save DC 18) at will, requiring no components. Its spellcasting ability is intelligence.
Multiattack. The dragon can make 3 attacks, each made with any of its melee weapons. A bite attack takes up two of these attacks.
Action Name.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19(5d4 + 7) piercing damage and 5(2d4) acid damage. The target must also succeed on a DC 17 constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the start of the dragon's next turn. The creature is also paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12(2d4 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail/Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 12(2d4 + 7) bludgeoning damage. The target must also succeed on a DC 14 dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Mind-Breaking Presence (Recharge 6). The dragon assaults the minds of those around it with maddening visions of aberrant horrors beyond human comprehension. 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 suffer one of the random effects shown below. Roll a D8 to determine the effect they suffer.
1-2. The target is frightened of the dragon and must use its turn to flee from it. It cannot voluntarily move towards the dragon unless it ends such a move at least as far from the dragon as it previously was, and as long as it never moves within 15 feet of the dragon unless it started within that distance. For its action, it may only take the dash, dodge, or disengage action.
3-4. The target experiences hallucinations that generate both visible and audible effects. It and only it can perceive these hallucinations, the nature of which is determined by the DM. The target may discern wether a given object or effect is real or fake with a successful DC 18 intelligence (investigation) check, although it will not learn what is really in the illusion's place.
5-6. The target acts as if it was the target of the confusion spell and automatically failed the saving throw. This effect is not considered magical, and effects such as counterspell and dispel magic will not disrupt it once it has been activated.
7-8. The target is paralyzed. Each time it takes damage while paralyzed in this way, it may attempt a DC 18 wisdom saving throw, ending the effect on a success.
A creature may repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature ends the effect on itself by any means or succeeds its saving throw, it becomes immune to this dragon's mind-breaking presence for the next 24 hours.
Psychic Rend (Recharge 6). The monster lets loose the cries, pleas, and angry swears of the consciousnesses trapped inside of it, releasing a 90-foot long, 5-foot wide line of psychic energy from its mouth. Each creature within that line must attempt a DC 18 dexterity saving throw, 30(12d4) psychic damage and 30(12d4) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage of each type on a success. If a creature fails their saving throw, it acts as if it was chosen as the target of a confusion spell (spell save DC 18).
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains all spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Tail/Tentacles. The dragon uses its tail/tentacles action.
Telekinesis. If the dragon is currently concentrating on a telekinesis spell, it exerts its will on the last creature or object that it chose as a target, as described by the spell. It may not choose a new target when moving an object using this legendary action, nor may it activate the spell if it was not already active when this legendary action is attempted. If no telekinesis spell is currently active, or if the last creature or object that was chosen as a target is no longer within range or visible to the dragon, this legendary action fails, and the action is wasted.
Wing Attack. The dragon beats its wings vigorously. Each creature within 10 ft. of the dragon must succeed on a DC 20 dexterity saving throw or take 14(2d6+7) bludgeoning damage and fall prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed. Once used, this legendary action cannot be used again until the end of the dragon's next turn.
Description
Not even the most powerful of creatures are immune to the corrupting influence of the far realm. When the mysterious plane of madness spreads its touch to the lair of a dragon, it will undergo a metamorphosis into a nightmarish horror the likes of which even a mind flayer would be wise to fear. A dragon that undergoes a transformation into an aberration sees its scales transformed into chitinous plates, its teeth into insect-like mandibles and feelers akin to tiny illithid tentacles, and a multitude of tiny, glowing yellow eyes. It grows tentacles lined with small teeth all across its body, the longest appearing at its wingtips and just behind its horns. It is a horrible, aberrant abomination that vaguely resembles a dragon.
Of Many Minds. When undergoing its transformation, an aberrant dragon sprouts several independent brains, each extremely intelligent and capable of powerful psychic ability as well as perfect coordination with each other. However, each of the many brains in the dragon's body has some form of intense insanity from being exposed to the many horrors that the far realm has to offer. They will madly attack anything that moves with an intense hatred for all existence, including their own. These minds all suffer intense agony from the transformation and the ongoing exposure to the evils of the far realm.
Mockeries of Life. These dragons still exhibit some draconic behavior, though with disgusting, aberrant twists. They often bully the less powerful creatures of the surrounding lands into bringing them things such as food and treasure. However, these attempts are often futile, as most of the creatures that they encounter are wild beasts, and the rest are often unable to understand the dragon's twisted language. Aberrant dragons also keep hoards like they would have before being corrupted. However, these hoards mostly consist of random rubble and foliage that the dragon thought to be somehow special in its mad conquest. Aside from this, the trinkets found in its hoard include forgotten or cast-off organs, random curios and memorabilia of towns destroyed by the dragon, and the corpses and equipment of those who fell prey to the beast, damaged or otherwise. These twisted mockeries still remember a small amount of draconic, although only enough to communicate basic ideas, with the possible additions of a few esoteric words that would usually prove useless. They have completely forgotten common with the possible exception of a handful of random and unrelated words, and are only truly fluent in deep speech.
Lair and Lair Actions
An aberrant dragon typically resides in Lovecraftian hellscapes heavily influenced by the far realm's maddening touch. It hunts for food in the form of disgusting amalgamations and horrible affronts against nature, and it happily devours them without even knowing what they are. Over the course of its bizarre, alien existence, its dual minds have plunged into a state of madness, and it has lost all capacity for trust and love. Thus, it is incredibly difficult to secure the creature's compliance.
Over the course of its life, an aberrant dragon will develop mastery over its domain. Its psychic influence grows and spreads throughout its cavernous lair until it can shape the very fabric of reality throughout its domain. Changes can occur for miles outside of its home, turning the landscape around it into a madness-inducing scene right out of a Lovecraftian horror film.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Aberrant Dragon may take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- All of the creatures within the dragon's lair act as if targeted by a confusion spell (spell save DC 18).
- The dragon creates an incredibly detailed illusion that can be perceived by all creatures within its lair. This illusion can extend no further than the boundaries of its lair, although it may consist of as many effects as can fit within the given space. Such illusions may include visible, audible, aromatic, or even palpable effects, almost indistinguishable from reality, although they have no physical mass, and they can only interface with creatures that have some kind of nervous system. These illusions are unable to physically interact with any substantial objects. All of these illusions will disappear at the end of the round.
- The dragon may summon a mass of writhing tentacles from any point it can see within its lair. All surfaces within a circle with a 15-foot radius centered on this point become difficult terrain, and any creature that touches such a surface must succeed on a DC 18 dexterity or strength saving throw (their choice) or become grappled by that surface. While a creature is grappled in this way, they are also restrained. A creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. The tentacles will disappear after one minute, freeing all creatures grappled by them.
Regional Effects
The region containing an Aberrant Dragon's lair is touched by the chaotic madness of the far realm, which can create one or more of the following effects:
- Flora and fauna within 5 miles of the dragon's lair will mutate, becoming progressively more alien the closer one gets. Grass might be replaced with minuscule tentacles or hooklike hairs like those found on an insect's legs, small vermin may sprout extra eyes or bear elongated appendages, and trees could start growing to form gravity-defying patterns that make it seem almost like there is no true floor, to name a few out of nigh infinite possible changes.
- Illusory effects, visible, audible, and fragrant in nature, will randomly appear within 3 miles of the dragon's lair. These illusions are considered magical in nature, and all creatures will be able to perceive them. A successful DC 15 intelligence (investigation) check is needed to discern whether an effect near the dragon's lair is illusory or not.
- Each time a creature completes a long rest within 1 mile of the dragon's lair, it must roll a D20 and modify the result by its wisdom modifier. On a 10 or higher, nothing happens. On a result of 2-9, the creature suffers a random form of short-term madness (see the Dungeon Master's Guide). On a result of 1 or lower, the creature suffers a form of long-term madness (see the Dungeon Master's Guide)
If the aberrant dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 30d12 days.
Previous Versions
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Posted Dec 16, 20221.1 update: Better word choice for the illusion lair action, removal of the annoying mythic actions description