Living Shadow. While in dim light or darkness, the dragon has resistance to 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.
Vampiric Weaknesses. The dragon has the following flaws:
Forbiddance. The vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Harmed by Running Water. The dragon takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. While in sunlight, the dragon takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls, and ability checks.
Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the dragon’s heart while it is Incapacitated in its resting place, the dragon is Paralyzed until the stake is removed.
Misty Escape. When it drops to 0 hit points outside its resting place, the dragon transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the Shapechanger trait) instead of falling unconscious, provided that it isn't in sunlight. If it can't transform, it is destroyed. While it has 0 hit points in mist form, it can't revert to its true form, and it must reach its resting place within 24 hours or be destroyed. Once in its resting place, it reverts to its true form. It is then paralyzed until it regains at least 1 hit point. After spending 1 hour in its resting place with 0 hit points, it regains 1 hit point.
Regeneration. The dragon regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn't in sunlight. If the dragon takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't function at the start of its next turn.
Spider Climb. The dragon can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Create Spawn. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampiric dragon's bite attack rises as a Vampire Spawn 1d4 days after death.
If a vampiric dragon instead drains its victim's Constitution to 0, the victim immediately returns as a Vampire Spawn if it had 4 or fewer Hit Dice and as a Vampire if it had 5 or more Hit Dice. In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the command of the vampiric dragon that created it and remains enslaved until its master's death.
A dragon slain by a vampiric dragon by draining its Constitution score to 0, returns as a vampiric dragon under the command of the vampiric dragon that created it. Dragons slain by a vampiric dragon's Bite, rise instead as mindless zombie dragons.
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. Can swap any number of its claw attacks to attempt to pin a creature one or more sizes smaller than it, target gains the Prone and Grappled conditions.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. If the target is Prone and Grappled, they must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or reduce their Constitution score by 2 (1d4). The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +15to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 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.
Charm. The dragon targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the dragon, the target must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or be Charmed by the vampire. Each time the dragon or the dragon’s companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the vampire is destroyed, is on a difference plane of existence than the target, or takes a bonus action to end the effect.
Children of the Night. The dragon magically calls 5 (2d4) Swarm of Bats or Swarm of Rats, provided that the sun isn’t up. While outdoors, the vampire can call 10 (3d6) Wolf instead. The called creatures arrive in 2 (1d4) rounds, acting as allies of the dragon and obeying its spoken commands. The beasts remain for 1 hour, until the vampire dies, or until the vampire dismisses them as a bonus action.
Shadow Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales shadowy poison in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 77 (22d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A Humanoid reduced to 0 hit points by this damage dies, and an undead Shadow rises from its corpse and acts immediately after the dragon in the initiative count. The Shadow is under the dragon's control.
Shapechanger. If the dragon isn't in sunlight, it can use its action to polymorph into:
Cloud of Mist. The dragon turns into a cloud of mist the same size as the dragon, or back into its true form. While in mist form, the dragon can't take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. It is weightless, has a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can do so without squeezing. It has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight.
Humanoid. The dragon turns into a humanoid of its choice. In this form it still benefits from all its special traits but can only perform its Charm, Children of the Night, Shapchanger and Multiattack (3 attacks) actions and gains any actions befitting the form it takes.
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 covers the area with smoke causing the area to be heavily obscured for 1 round, and can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Description
Shadow dragons are true dragons that were either born in the Shadowfell or transformed by years spent within its dismal confines. Some shadow dragons embrace the Shadowfell for its bleak landscapes and desolation. Others seek to return to the Material Plane, hungry to spread the darkness and evil of the Plane of Shadow.
Vampiric dragons are the unfathomable result of dragons undergoing transitions to become potent, blood-sucking undead. Of the few such terrors that exist, most underwent the transition willingly. There are many reasons for a dragon to become a vampire, fear of death and increased power chief among them.
An unholy combination, Shadow Vampiric dragons, also known as Shampiric dragons, are among the strongest creatures in the realms. Nearly unkillable in darkness, these apex predators can command armies of undead whilst sulking nearly invisibly in the shadows.
Lair and Lair Actions
The darkness-loving Shampire dragons amass their hoards and army of undead in large pitch black spaces. However, a space controlled by a Shampire dragon is easy to recognize if you know what to look for. A perpetual black fog coats the ground of a Shampire dragon’s space, carrying an potent aroma of death and decay. The fog-covered space is inhabited by all sorts of undead thralls under the dragon's command. Any non-magical light brought into this space is snuffed out, and magical light shines half at bright (The light is at most dim light and only shines as far as bright light would usually shine) ie: Light would only shine dim light for 20 feet and Dancing Lights sheds no light as it doesn't emit bright light regularly.
At the center of its space, a shampiric dragon chooses wide open space it can fly in for it's hoard and cages or other such holding spaces to hold large creatures the dragon may feed off of. While their lairs are rarely hidden, they are always packed with undead which drive away or kill most who dare get close whilst warning the dragon of something's presence.
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:
- Necrotic fog becomes more potent in a 20-foot radius centered on a point on the ground that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. That area becomes heavily obscured, and each creature there must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or receive 18 (4d8) necrotic damage or half as much on a success. The fog spreads back across the floor when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- Undead arms erupt out of the ground around one creature the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The creature must succeed a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be Restrained by undead reaching up from the ground. The target can attempt to free itself for an action on its turn by passing a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Another creature can attempt to free the target by using it's action to make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Alternatively, if the hands take 25 damage they will let go. (AC 12, immune to necrotic). The hands automatically retreat back into the ground when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
- Crimson fog billows around one creature the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary green dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Within 2 miles of its lair, the dragon leaves no physical evidence of its passage unless it wishes to. Tracking it there is impossible except by magical means.
- Rodents and bats within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair serve as the dragon’s eyes and ears. Large game are strangely absent, hinting at the presence of an unnaturally hungry predator.
- An army of undead surround the lair and follow the direct commands of the dragon.
If the dragon dies, the rodents and bats lose their supernatural link to it. The necrotic fog dissipates to nothing. The undead yet remain and now act independently. More intelligent undead may try to enthrall the weaker ones creating their own small army of what remains.
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