Adult Yellow Dragon

Selfish and cunning, yellow dragons hold dominion over seaside cliffs, salt flats, and coastal marshes. They are secretive and elusive in the extreme, opting to take a clever and subtle approach to problem solving rather than relying solely on draconic might. A yellow dragon is easily recognized by its elongated narrow jaws, oversized claws, and its slender body. Yellow dragons vary in color from brilliant hues of sunny yellow to flaxen shades of wheat. Their scales are much smaller than that of a typical dragon and are constantly being replaced, giving their skin a texture more akin to a snake than a lizard. This smooth scale pattern also allows them to more easily navigate through water and dirt.

 The Missing Dragons. Ancient lore holds true that all the chromatic dragons were born from Tiamat, the queen of dragons. The more common varieties of chromatic dragon (white, black, red, green, and blue) were all made in the image of their mother, who has a draconic head of each color. However, there are other varieties of chromatic dragon that have a more mysterious origin. Purple, orange, and yellow dragons did not originate from Tiamat, but they certainly do exist. This quandary has divided scholars for ages, but there are two prevalent theories about their origin. Some think Tiamat may have experimented with her children before unleashing them upon the world, trying to create even stronger breeds. Secondary-color crossbreeds could have bred true with each other, starting new branches of the dragon family tree. Sages also speculate as to the possibility of another chromatic dragon deity, Tiamat’s sister perhaps, arrayed with heads of yellow, orange, purple, and other crossbred colors. Tiamat may have destroyed her sibling eons ago, but not before the creation of dragons in the image of their deceased progenitor.

Selfish. Yellow dragons are incredibly selfish, even by the standards of other chromatic dragons. Many scholars believe the primary reason they have become so obscure is due to the fact that during the war waged by dragons against the giants, the yellow dragons offered no help. In fact, yellow dragons were said to remove themselves from the conflict entirely, not willing to risk their lives for the benefit of their kind. This led to them being reviled by other dragons and ultimately to the destruction of many yellow dragon lands. To this day, the yellow dragons keep to themselves, knowing that should they ever make their presence known they will be surrounded by enemies.

Cunning Trappers. Unlike most other dragons, even in their oldest stages of life, the yellow dragon prefers to use ambush tactics and traps when engaging in battle. They are not as physically powerful as some of their other draconic cousins, but yellow dragons are extremely fast and capable of traveling through water, sand, and rock with relative ease. They use this unique mobility to their utmost advantage and will only ever take a fight they know will end in victory. A favorite trap of theirs is to dig a cone-shaped pit with steep sides, then bury themselves at the bottom. When prey inevitably stumbles into such a trap, the yellow dragon then moves its wings, causing the pit to collapse.

Isolationist. Due to the fact that yellow dragons are hated by most for being dragons, and hated by other dragons for their actions throughout history, they have become quite isolated. They speak a strange dialect of Draconic unique to yellow dragons and will typically not learn any other languages since they have no desire to communicate with anyone outside of their own kind. This adds another layer of complexity to encountering a yellow dragon. If an individual approaches without an understanding of their language, even if they use magic such as the tongues spell to communicate, the yellow dragon is unlikely to trust or respect them.

Credit to Dungeon Dad

Yellow dragons craft their layers meticulously using massive claws to carve and burrow underground dens that suit their needs precisely. Their favorite place to nest is within coastal cliffs that provide easy access to the sea.

The area surrounding a yellow dragon's lair is plagued by strong winds that carry salt in their wake. This causes any stones or structures in the area to erode and become very smooth over time. Anything made of metal is also more prone to rust and decay.

Anywhere near the dragon’s lair is bound to be filled with clever and unique traps to deter or kill any unwanted intruders.

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 air within a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it becomes saturated with fine salt. All creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have their lungs filled with salt air, dealing 11 (2d10) poison damage and knocking the creature prone.
• A jet of hot saline air bursts from the floor, ceiling, or wall of the dragon’s lair targeting a single creature who must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) fire damage and be blinded until the end of their next turn.
• The ground collapses into a sinkhole beneath the feet of a single creature within 60 feet of the dragon. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained until the end of their next turn.

Regional Effects

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

• High velocity winds ravage the landscape within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
• Any body of water within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair becomes salty. Containers holding water also become salty and undrinkable for most creatures if they remain within this radius for more than 24 hours.
• The area within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair becomes a salt flat, killing off all vegetation in the area and eventually flattening the surfaces of hills and marshes into an encrusted sheet of fine rock salt. .

 If the dragon dies, any water that would not typically have salt in it returns to normal within 1d10 days and the winds return to normal immediately.