Abyssal Awakening (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If Ashardalon would be reduced to 0 hit points, his current hit point total instead resets to 455 hit points, he recharges his Breath Weapon, and he regains any expended uses of Legendary Resistance. Additionally, Ashardalon can now use the options in the “Mythic Actions” section for 1 hour. Award a party an additional 135,000 XP (270,000 XP total) for defeating Ashardalon after his Abyssal Awakening activates.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If Ashardalon fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Unusual Nature. Ashardalon doesn’t require food or drink.
Magic Resistance. Ashardalon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Ashardalon's weapon attacks are magical.
Flyby. Ashardalon doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when he flies out of an enemy's reach.
Aura of Flames. Ashardalon is surrounded by an aura of flames, which extends out to 20 ft. from him in every direction and moves with him. When a creature enters this aura on a turn or starts its turn there, or when Ashardalon's movement causes a creature to enter the aura, it takes 11 (2d10) fire damage. A creature can only take this damage once per turn. Flammable objects in the aura that aren't being worn or carried are ignited.
Heart of the Abyss. Ashardalon has a living balor willingly functioning as his heart. The balor is behind total cover and permanently incapacitated. Whenever a creature hits Ashardalon with a melee attack, it takes 9 (2d8) lightning damage as the balor's power retaliates.
Multiattack. Ashardalon makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) piercing damage plus 13 (2d12) force damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) lightning damage. If the target is a Huge or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 20) and is restrained until this grapple ends. Ashardalon can have only one creature grappled this way at a time.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 27 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Demonic Breath (Recharge 5–6). Ashardalon exhales a whirling torrent of chaotic abyssal energy in a 300-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 27 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 56 (16d6) fire damage and 56 (16d6) lightning damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage.
Spellcasting. Ashardalon casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 25):
2/day each: erupting earth (cast at 6th level), magic missile (cast at 6th level), hold monster
1/day each: earthquake, forcecage
Ashardalon 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. Ashardalon regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Lightning Claw. Ashardalon makes one Claw attack, which deals an additional 13 (3d8) lightning damage on a hit. If this attack scores a critical hit, roll its damage dice three times instead of twice.
Spellcasting (Costs 2 Actions). Ashardalon uses Spellcasting.
Exploding Slam (Costs 2 Actions). Ashardalon makes one tail attack. Hit or miss, the target and each creature within 15 ft. of it must make a DC 27 Strength saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 11 (2d10) force damage and 11 (2d10) fire damage, and is knocked prone. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage, and isn't knocked prone.
If Ashardalon's Abyssal Awakening trait has activated in the last hour, he can use the options below as legendary actions.
Demonic Bite. Ashardalon makes one Bite attack, which deals an additional 13 (3d8) lightning damage on a hit. If this attack scores a critical hit, roll its damage dice three times instead of twice.
Abyssal Teleport (Costs 2 Actions). Ashardalon magically teleports, along with any equipment he is wearing or carrying, up to 240 feet to an unoccupied space he can see. Any creature within 20 ft. of him when he teleports must make a DC 27 Dexterity saving throw or take 36 (8d8) fire damage. Any flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried are ignited.
Description
The terrible red dragon Ashardalon is spoken of in legends across the multiverse for his terrible rampages, which turned lush grasslands into ashen plains and caused mighty citadels to be swallowed up in the earth. As he awakened his dragonsight, he recruited a balor demon named Ammet, the Eater of Souls, to help him drain the power of his echoes on other worlds. When he was struck a mortal blow to the heart, he replaced the injured organ with the balor. This transplant has lent a fiendish cast to his features, and his eyes glow with demonic flame. A secretive cult of Ashardalon’s followers and spawn serves him on the Material Plane, furthering the dragon’s schemes to attain godhood.
Ashardalon himself resides in a planar lair on the Astral plane. His lair is a treacherous and terrifying landscape, made of sharp rocks and black crags, all surrounded by a lake of fire. In his lair is a mountain of treasure, comprised of millions of coins and dozens of magic items collected from various worlds on the Material plane. From his lair he communicates with his servants and followers on other worlds, furthering his goal to attain true godhood, and he uses the many color pools on the Astral sea to traverse the planes.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Ashardalon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; he can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Magma erupts from a point on the ground Ashardalon can see within 120 feet of him, creating a 20-foot-high, 5-foot-radius geyser. Each creature in the geyser’s area must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- Tremors shakes the ground around three creatures Ashardalon can see within the lair. The ground bursts open, and the creatures must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or fall inside and be restrained until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Glowing magical energy swirls across the Ashardalon’s scales, granting him resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- Any creature that took damage from the Ashardalon’s breath weapon on his previous turn immediately takes 10 (3d6) fire damage and 10 (3d6) lightning damage, as the breath weapon’s energy lingers and clings to its targets.
Regional Effects
The region on the Astral Sea containing Ashardalon’s lair is warped by the his magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally warm and tainted by sulfur.
- Rocky fissures within 1 mile of Ashardalon’s lair form portals to the Abyss, allowing demons into the region to dwell nearby.
- A chaotic storm of abyssal winds, a mile in diameter, swirls around Ashardalon's lair. Wind roars in the area and the energies of the Abyss suffuse the air. All Wisdom (perception) checks that rely on hearing have disadvantage, and creatures allied to Ashardalon in the area deal an additional 1d10 lightning, fire, or poison damage with their attacks.
If Ashardalon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
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