Mod | Save | ||
---|---|---|---|
STR | 22 | +6 | +6 |
DEX | 10 | +0 | +5 |
CON | 22 | +6 | +6 |
Mod | Save | ||
---|---|---|---|
INT | 8 | -1 | -1 |
WIS | 12 | +1 | +6 |
CHA | 12 | +1 | +1 |
Ice Walk. The dragon can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, Difficult Terrain composed of ice or snow doesn’t cost it extra movement.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day, or 4/Day in Lair). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Multiattack. The dragon makes three Rend attacks.
Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +11, reach 10 ft. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) Slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) Cold damage.
Cold Breath (Recharge 5–6). Constitution Saving Throw: DC 19, each creature in a 60-foot Cone. Failure: 54 (12d8) Cold damage. Success: Half damage.
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature’s turn, the dragon can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The dragon regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Freezing Burst. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature in a 30-foot-radius Sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet. Failure: 7 (2d6) Cold damage, and the target’s Speed is 0 until the end of the target’s next turn. Failure or Success: The dragon can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Frightful Presence. The dragon casts Fear, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14). The dragon can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Pounce. The dragon moves up to half its Speed, and it makes one Rend attack.
I don't like this idea that dragons need to. "Cast" the Fear spell in any way in order to enact Frightful Presence. I'm not sure about the original 1974 D&D, but I do know that as far back as AD&D 1st edition, dragon fear was just something that happened because of the majestic awesomeness that is a fully grown adult dragon. I know this was probably done for simplicity sake, but it also implies that creatures that are immune to magical fear or have advantage on spell effects will more readily avoid this effect as described in the 2024 monster manual. Whereas, in the older editions, these individuals would still have a very good chance of being frightened, because dragon fear as always been meant to simply be an aspect of the creature itself, not some sort of outright spell casting. They are dragons. They are scary.
I get it, but from a "system mechanics" viewpoint, nothing destroys a group's fun like being forced to sit there for 2 hours of combat while your martial/hand-to-hand character is "too afraid of the dragon" to do anything.
Using the Fear spell also made a problem specifically for the White Dragon, since his charisma is low and it made the DC low.
Like I get it that being afraid is a huge problem for melee characters, so I can understand it’s mechanically balance, but thematically the White Dragon is less scary? This is weird to me.
Edit: it’s in the 2014 version as well.