Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Spider Climb. The dragon can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Magic Resistance. The dragon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Herald of Chaos. Having achieved Ancient status, the dragon now carries a fragment of Limbo inside. Whatever terrain it is currently in contact with, is terraformed into that of Limbo within a 5 foot radius. When the Dragon remains in an area of less than 1000 feet for over 60 days, it that terrain becomes the focal point of a new Lair.
Elemental Chaos Adept. The dragon can breathe all four elements as regular creatures would breathe air without pain or penalty.
Word of Chaos. Having achieved Ancient status & not destroyed itself with it's own chaotic tendencies, the dragon gains the ability to utter the word of chaos in draconic once per day while in Limbo. Non-chaotic creatures within 40 feet (12 meters) and who are native to the caster's plane who heard it are afflicted with various effects. These could include deafness for up to half a minute, becoming stunned for several seconds, suffering confusion for up to 10 minutes, or even slain outright, whether they are alive or undead. Those who are hardy creatures suffer less than those who are weak, but those more powerful than the caster are unaffected.
Furthermore, on the dragon's home plane of Limbo, non-chaotic creatures not native to the plane are immediately banished, returning to the home planes. This occurrs whether they the hear the word or not, but they could resist with an act of will (DC 28 intimidation). Banished beings were unable to return for a full day.
Multiattack. The dragon uses Frightful Presence and makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks.
Frightful Presence. The dragon casts Fear, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18). The dragon can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 18 When rolling for damage, roll piercing damage (2d10 + 7) piercing damage.
Rebellious Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 18 When rolling for damage, roll piercing damage (2d10 + 7) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) elemental damage type determined by rolling a d8.
Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +16, reach 15 ft. Hit: 18 (2d8 + 9) Slashing damage plus 11 (2d10) Lightning damage. The Dragon may choose to have the element change from lightning to another element, if so, roll a d8.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage.
Chaotic Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage. On a hit roll a d12 to determine the number of additional targets that will receive (2d6 + 7) lightning damage. The Dragon can choose to influence where the additional lightning is target.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage
Anarchist Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage. On a hit, the target creature must pass a (DC 17 CON save) or it cannot take actions that are considered Lawful by the DM's discretion on it's next turn. It can keep making constitution saving throws to end the condition at the end of their turn.
Prismatic Breath (Recharge 5–6). The Dragon breath weapon has 6 charges, after expending all 6 charges, it must take an action to recharge the breath by rolling a d6. The dragon exhales a burst of brilliant fluctuating particles in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw. For each target, roll 1d8 to determine which color ray affects it, consulting the Prismatic Rays table.
| 1d8 | Ray |
|---|---|
| 1 | Red. Failed Save: 12d6 Fire damage. Successful Save: Half as much damage. |
| 2 | Orange. Failed Save: 12d6 Acid damage. Successful Save: Half as much damage. |
| 3 | Yellow. Failed Save: 12d6 Lightning damage. Successful Save: Half as much damage. |
| 4 | Green. Failed Save: 12d6 Poison damage. Successful Save: Half as much damage. |
| 5 | Blue. Failed Save: 12d6 Cold damage. Successful Save: Half as much damage. |
| 6 | Indigo. Failed Save: The target has the Restrained condition and makes a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If it successfully saves three times, the condition ends. If it fails three times, it has the Petrified condition until it is freed by an effect like the Greater Restoration spell. The successes and failures needn’t be consecutive; keep track of both until the target collects three of a kind. |
| 7 | Violet. Failed Save: The target has the Blinded condition and makes a Wisdom saving throw at the start of your next turn. On a successful save, the condition ends. On a failed save, the condition ends, and the creature teleports to another plane of existence (DM’s choice). |
| 8 | Special. The target is struck by two rays. Roll twice, rerolling any 8. |
Spellcasting (Chaotic). The dragon casts one of the following spells, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19):
At will: dancing lights, guidance, alter self
3/day each: color spray, divination, grease, absorb elements, antagonize, chaos bolt, cure wounds, enemies abound, inflict wounds, greater restoration, protection from law, hallucinatory terrain, invisibility, bane, counterspell, & dispel law.
1/day each: mislead, chaotic plane shift
Change Shape. The dragon magically transforms into any creature that is Medium or Small, while retaining its game statistics (other than its size). This transformation ends if the dragon is reduced to 0 hit points or uses a bonus action to end it.
Chaotic Step. The dragon magically teleports to an unoccupied space it can see within 60 feet of it. For the elemental aftermath of both the space they left and the unoccupied space entered, roll a d8 to determine the effect on terrain. The changes are limited to the size of the Chaotic Dragon itself.
Chaotic Counter. The dragon uses it's chaotic magic to affect the damage type of an incoming spell attack. Roll a d8 to determine which damage type the attack is altered to for that specific casting.
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.
Pounce. The dragon moves up to half its Speed, and it makes one Rend attack.
Chaotic Claw. The dragon makes one Chaotic Claw attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Chaos Unleashed (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon uses Chaotic Step or Spellcasting.
Starlight Strike (Costs 3 Actions). The dragon releases a searing beam of starlight at a creature that it can see within 60 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 38 (11d6) radiant damage.
Description
Long thought extinct, Chaos Dragons had instead fled into obscurity to escape the ever-expanding lawfulness of realms which they despised down to their very souls. Chaos dragons were by definition creatures of chaos, and they essentially sought to undermine and destabilize society and civilization in general. The ones that tended towards good did so in order to promote positive change, while evil ones wished simply to spread violence and destruction. Above all else they wished for life to continue filled with random chance, impulse, spontaneity, and above all individual uniqueness. To have this imposed upon by lawful beings was considered the greatest possible offense to their race & culture. For this very reason they have never once had any kind of leadership, the only uniting belief that all sentient beings should have freedom from any kind of collective authority.
Chaos dragons were native to Limbo, but were also reported to live in the Abyss, Arvandor, Brightwater, Dragon Eyrie, Gates of the Moon, Supreme Throne and Warrior's Rest. Chaos dragons were known to live alone, in groups of up to five individuals while young, or as full families consisting of a mated pair and their offspring. Chaos dragons always spoke the Draconic language, and those that tended towards good often spoke Celestial, while those that tended towards evil often spoke Abyssal. In Limbo there was no need for common.
Chaos dragons have the typical draconic build, with muscular limbs and powerful wings, a serpentine neck and a mouth full of sharp teeth, and a jagged-edged tail, but their scale patterns and markings varied wildly between individuals. Even their coloration is never in any kind of typical fashion. Additionally, some speculated that such markings changed over time. No two Chaos dragons have EVER looked alike, even if directly related by clutch. Often a Chaos Dragon can become unrecognizable to how it was last seen just a few days before, a variety they relish in rather than feeling distress. In fact their features seem to pull from every single type of draconic race that has ever lived. Even the way their lives progress is steeped in Chaos itself, for their very lifespans & maturation rate are subject to Chaos. Some have spent centuries as infants, others a few weeks as adolescents, an hour as an adult, or several millennia as an Ancient Great Wyrm. This has made telling the true "chronological" age of Chaos Dragons practically impossible, with only the unique personality of each one giving a glimpse into their age by what historical events they were present for.
Due to how this race manifested & seemingly went extinct, some believe them a mutation of Dragonkind. Possibly even a result of experimentation by Daurgothoth himself, under the enraptured guidance of Mystra. The theory goes that in order to create a race of living dracoliches, he first had to endeavor to create a wholly unique race of living dragons. But there are holes in this theory, as it does not explain the Chaos Domain from which these Dragons appear to derive their power from.
Shimmering with chaotic energy and brimming with life, chaos dragons enjoy an innate spiritual connection to the Limbo Plane that suffuses their bodies as well as their personalities with chaos. Though they prefer to live in rural, desolate, or any uncivilized regions, many of them are among the most unpredictable of dragonkind, ranging anywhere from altruistic, optimistic, & noble to.... hedonistic, pessimistic, & bloodthirsty.
Inner Chaos
When they hatch, chaos dragons have translucent scales, with a few white or multicolored crystalline points, allowing the Chaos Dragon Wyrmlings to blend in to Elemental Chaos in the face of danger. This lasts for about a minute while their souls attune to their native plane of Limbo. As they age, their scales can turn to any color in existence with a prismatic sheen to match. The oldest crystal dragons have scales of perfect clarity that bend and refract light, sometimes making them difficult to see clearly.
The chaotic energy of Limbo shimmers in chaos dragons’ scales. It glows like starlight between their bodies and the spines and horns that hover close to their heads and backs. These horns shift with the dragon’s mood: bristling with anger, lying back with fear or suspicion, and rippling in side-to-side waves with amusement or joy. The scent of these creatures also fluctuates with their mood, a remnant of when the race once sought asylum in the Feywild.
Method in Madness
Many chaos dragons study the other planes, recording their observations peered through the veil of Elemental Chaos which conceals Limbo. None who are born outside of Limbo may knowingly choose to teleport there, only able to stumble across it by chance. Any visitors to Limbo or major events across the planes are up to every individual of Limbo to choose on their own if they wish to intervene. Wise Chaos Dragons read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace & without the taint of law.
Chaos dragons’ connection to the Chaotic forces of Limbo fosters an inconsistent, unpredictable attitude in most of these dragons. They sometimes adopt the abandoned eggs or hatchlings of other dragons; or destroy the clutch of another species on sight. But they fiercely oppose lawful forces in their home territories, which sometimes leads nearby societies & organized kingdoms of differing politics or cultures to put aside their mutual enmity to hunt them. Chaos dragons remain a threat to the rule of law, or to any one entity, trying to gain universal power over all life... even an ancient God, a Great Old One, or one who has recently attained Godhood.
Glittering Hoards
For their treasure hoards, chaos dragons prize diamonds and baubles that refract light, collections of rare instruments, works on anarchy, and beautiful works of art. When it comes to magical treasure, they seek items and spells that protect from any kind of enslavement, obliterate or manipulate laws of the universe, or channel positive energy for healing and negative energy for destruction.
Creating a Chaos Dragon
Use the Chaos Dragon Personality Traits and Chaos Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of distinctive Chaos Dragon characters.
Chaos Dragon Personality Traits
| d8 | Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | If you’re not a cop, tyrant or lawful loser, let’s talk! |
| 2 | Are you comfortable? Can I spice up your life for you? Just let me know what chaos can do for you, okay? |
| 3 | Jokes are as valuable as any gemstone and more fun to share. |
| 4 | No matter what I breathe, I will champion anarchy until my very last breath. |
| 5 | The wisdom of chaos enriches our lives with unpredictable adventure. |
| 6 | All play and no work—those are the words I live by. |
| 7 | Those who would enslave others must die, God or not! |
| 8 | You come into MY lair? Tread on MY freedom? And you call ME criminal?! |
Chaos Dragon Ideals
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Exploration. Yesterday is already known. Today is for something new. (Chaotic) |
| 2 | Empathy. It’s a gift to share in another’s joy, even if sometimes you must bear their pain, too. (Good) |
| 3 | Hospitality. We all live exciting lives—it would be a shame not to share our lives with others. (Neutral) |
| 4 | Determinism. Our destinies may already be written, but we will write the journey ourselves. (Any) |
| 5 | Fun and Games. Play is learning, but without the boredom. (Chaotic) |
| 6 | Control. The only rule is that there are no rules. (Chaotic) |
Chaos Dragon Adventures
The Chaos Dragon Adventure Hooks table offers suggestions for stories and adventures involving chaos dragons.
Chaos Dragon Adventure Hooks
| d8 | Adventure Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | A towering palace of random structures from various cultures, Elemental Chaos and non-euclidean geometry that was once the abode of an ancient chaos dragon is found deserted, with no clue as to whether its master will return or whether some other creature has claimed it. Yet the arcane hurricane still churns above the lair. |
| 2 | Prismatic particles rain from the sky in a beautiful but dangerously confusing display. Rumors quickly spread that a chaos dragon is responsible. |
| 3 | A chaos dragon invites the greatest Kings & Lords to it's home, hoping to gather them all for mass murder to sew anarchy. |
| 4 | A chaos dragon intent on exploring a new world of the Material Plane has acquired a magic ship for the journey and now just needs a brave crew. |
| 5 | A chaos dragon who has guarded a mountain pass for decades unexpectedly retires to Limbo. Monstrous forces immediately move into the area—and might take control of the pass unless the dragon can be convinced to return. |
| 6 | A royal heir goes missing while secretly visiting a chaos dragon. The heir’s family, the heir’s friends, and the dragon all want to find the heir, but no faction trusts the others. |
| 7 | A chaos dragon seeks bold adventurers to steal an egg from an ancient white dragon who is infamously lawful in alignment, as a prank. |
| 8 | A chaos dragon has ripped open holes to each of the Elemental Planes, creating flash Elemental Chaos that encroaches upon inhabited lands of lawful beings. |
Connected Creatures
Chaos dragons are among the most anti-social and hospitable of dragons. They are equal parts mysterious, contemplative, and mischievous, making it difficult to know what to expect of them.
Ancient Chaos Dragon Connections
| d4 | Connected Creatures |
|---|---|
| 1 | An Order of Lawful aligned Paladins has discovered an arcane hurricane surrounding an Ancient Chaos Dragon's lair. The Paladins attack the area aggressively, unaware that the dragon is spying on them—and intends to strand them in Limbo at some point in the future. |
| 2 | An ancient chaos dragon is stalked by a villainous ranger who has already claimed a dozen draconic trophies. |
| 3 | An ancient chaos dragon ruthlessly raids the same colony of Mind Flayer from one plane to another, having grown enraged at the callous enslavement & lawful evil they leave in their wake. Now Mind Flayers are scheming to kill the dragon. |
| 4 | A community of outcast bhaalspawn reveres an ancient chaos dragon as the champion of their chaotic hideout. Such worship amuses and flatters the dragon, who keeps the bhaalspawn safe as long as they never try to murder it and leads them to locations where lawful creatures are plentiful. |
Chaos Dragon Lairs
Chaos dragons seek out rural, picturesque locations without any nearby civilization to build their lairs. Then, like anarchists seeking out oppression to rebel against, they spend much of their lives redecorating, trapping, and enhancing the beauty of their lairs.
Chaos dragons’ lairs are often found in deep cavernous expanses, dizzying mountain peaks, and hostile deserts. Some resemble junkyards, with numerous piles of partial structures ripped from the various planes the lair has teleported to over the years. Though elements and found structures are the most common materials they use in the construction of a lair, crystal and other precious minerals feature prominently in certain areas. In this way, no two chaos dragons’ hoards can ever possibly stay the same over time, let alone be the same as another of their race.
Chaos Dragon Lair Features
Get imaginative, you creatively bankrupt square. Throw things together that normally would never be within miles of each other.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Chaos Dragon’s Lair
Chaos dragons dwell almost exclusively in Limbo, after having been almost hunted to extinction on other planes of existence. In the aftermath of the spellplague, all Chaos Dragons & other inhabitants of limbo agreed to let their realm hide within the Elemental Chaos itself, undetected. When they do choose to enter any other plane, the Lair is always a brief one hidden away in a cave that can manifest & vanish within a day. Where they construct impossible structures reminiscent of castles but open to the sky. Glittering crystals scattered about their lairs glow with gathered starlight, and caves or tunnels beneath the fluctuating elements provide protected areas for their hoards. They use their burrowing ability to dig blinds and secret passages throughout their lairs, allowing them to move easily—and potentially unnoticed.
The challenge rating of a legendary chaos dragon increases by 11 when it’s encountered in its lair.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon can take one of the following lair actions; the dragon can’t take the same lair action two rounds in a row:
Frightening Whisper. The dragon telepathically whispers to one creature within range of the dragon's telepathy. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round. A creature frightened in this way stays away to the best of its ability, even capable of fleeing into danger.
Chaos Passage. The dragon can open a passage through a wall of elemental chaos that is up to 5 feet thick, creating an opening up to 30 feet wide and high. It can create as many passages as it wants, out of whatever elements it wants, & destroy them at will in any manner it wishes.
Starlight’s Gleam. The dragon chooses a point it can see in the lair. Gleaming starlight radiates from that point to fill a 10-foot-radius sphere with dim light. Each creature other than the dragon in that area when the light appears must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d12) radiant damage and be outlined in the glow. Attack rolls made against an outlined creature have advantage, and the creature can’t hide or benefit from being invisible. The starlight and the glow around any creature fades on initiative count 20 on the next round.
Regional Effects
The region surrounding a legendary chaos dragon’s lair is altered by the dragon's magic, creating one or more of the following effects:
Chaotic Skies. The skies above a chaos dragon's lair are in the constant turmoil of an arcane hurricane. While the lair itself dwells within the calm of the eye, the arcane hurricane creates difficult terrain for those approaching the lair. The longer the lair has been in effect, the more chaotic the storm becomes, fluctuating daily in size up to a 6 mile radius of effect.
Chaotic Terrain. Fissures of Elemental Chaos will cause plant life to rapidly flourish or decay. Crystals will emerge from the ground one day, only to shatter or even explode that very same day. Crystal size is determined by d4 and crystal explosion damage uses a d8 to determine the element, then a d10 for damage.
Icy Sight. Ice and quartz within 6 miles of the lair become conduits for the dragon’s chaotic presence. As an action, the dragon can cast the clairvoyance spell, requiring no spell components and targeting any ice or quartz crystals in that region.
Chaotic Energy. Any creature that finishes a long rest within 6 miles of the lair regains or loses two additional spent Hit Dice. Flip a coin.
Thriving Wildlife. Animal populations flourish within 6 miles of the lair. Creatures of Limbo may even manifest after d12 days. Ability checks made to forage for food by hunting, fishing, or trapping in that area are made with advantage.
If the dragon dies, the animal population near the lair returns to normal levels over the course of 1d10 days. The increased Hit Die recovery ends immediately. The existing abundance of quartz crystals remains, but new crystals form at a normal rate.
Previous Versions
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