Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The brainstealer dragon's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
At will: detect thoughts, levitate
1/day each: dominate monster, plane shift (self only)
Multiattack. The brainstealer dragon makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its tentacles.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage. If the target is large or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15) and must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned until this grapple ends.
Extract Brain. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one incapacitated humanoid grappled by the dragon. Hit: The target takes 44 (8d10) piercing damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the brainstealer dragon kills the target by extracting and devouring its brain.
Mind Blast (Recharge 5-6). The brainstealer dragon magically emits psychic energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or take 59 (10d10 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned 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.
Description
The creature resembles a powerful draconic monstrosity, but even a brief glance shows that it is not - or maybe is more than - a dragon. Its tiny pale purple scales might be the creature's most normal feature. Its wings are hardly more than fleshy layers of skin, and four long tentacles grow out of the neck where the head should be. Two white, bloated, lidless orbs behind the tentacles serve as the creature's eyes.
Brainstealer dragons combine the worst features of mind flayers and dragons, stunning creatures of the deep world with their mind blast and devouring brains with their dreadful tentacles. The resemblance of these monstrosities to two dangerous predators of the depths leads some sages to speculate that their alien appearance is not coincidental. Mind flayer breeding programs occasionally create terrors that even elder brains cannot control. Brainstealer dragons seem to be among those misbegotten progeny.
Lair and Lair Actions
Brainstealer dragons often dwell in the deep, dark places of the world. They commonly make their lairs in the underdark, or at the center of vast cave systems with access to the ocean. Due to their nature, the area surrounding their lair becomes drenched in psychic energy, and tends to attract weak willed beings whom the dragon will happily use as minions, or sustenance.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the brainstealer dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the brainstealer dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Drawing on the latent psychic energy collecting in its cavern, the brainstealer dragon forces up to 3 creatures it can see to break concentration on any spell they are concentrating on, unless each of those creatures succeeds on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw.
- The brainstealer dragon emits a psychic signal that confuses creatures in a 20-foot-radius sphere, centered on a point it can see within 120 feet of it. A creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or become incapacitated until the end of its next turn.
- The brainstealer dragon chooses a 10-foot square on the ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. The ground in that area turns into 3-foot deep acidic slime. Each creature on the ground in that area when the slime appears must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, or sink into the slime and become restrained. A creature can use its action to make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, freeing itself or a creature within reach, ending the condition on a success. A creature that ends its turn in the slime takes 7 (2d6) acid damage. The slime is considered difficult terrain.
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