| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 27 | +8 | +8 |
| DEX | 12 | +1 | +7 |
| CON | 29 | +9 | +15 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| WIS | 17 | +3 | +9 |
| CHA | 19 | +4 | +10 |
Legendary Resistance (3/Day, or 4/Day in Lair). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Master of the Shifting Earth. The sand dragon can burrow through sand, loose earth, and soft stone without leaving tunnels unless it chooses. Terrain it moves through becomes unstable until the end of the dragon’s next turn.
Burrowing Colossus. Creatures standing on ground the dragon moves beneath must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. Structures in the area take damage as if struck by a siege weapon.
Siege Scales. The dragon deals double damage to objects and structures made of stone, earth, or packed material.
Multiattack. The dragon makes one bite, two claw attacks, and one tail attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) fire damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Cataclysmic Sand Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales a storm of superheated sand in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 72 (16d8) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
Additional effects on a failed save:
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The area becomes heavily obscured until the end of the dragon’s next turn.
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The ground becomes difficult terrain for 1 minute.
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Creatures take 14 (4d6) piercing damage at the start of their next turn as abrasive sand scours them.
Sand Dive. If the dragon is on sand or loose earth, it can burrow up to half its burrow speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Tunnel Collapse (Recharge 6). When the dragon burrows beneath a creature it can sense, it can force that creature to make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage and is restrained until the end of its next turn as sand collapses around it.
The sand dragon can take 3 (4 in Lair) legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Sand Surge. The dragon moves up to half its burrow speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Tail Slam. The dragon makes one tail attack.
Collapse (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon causes the ground in a 20-foot-radius area it can sense to destabilize. Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 18 (4d8) bludgeoning damage and be restrained until the end of their next turn.
Erupt (Costs 3 Actions). The dragon erupts from beneath the ground at a point it can sense within 30 feet. Each creature within 10 feet must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage and falling prone on a failure, or half damage on a success.
Description
An adult sand dragon is no longer merely a creature of the desert—it is the desert made willful and cruel. Where a wyrmling hunts and a young dragon claims territory, an adult sand dragon reshapes entire regions through its presence alone. Trade routes die, cities sink, and ancient ruins are unearthed only to be swallowed again by shifting sands.
Many who have survived an encounter insist the dragon never truly appeared at all—only the ground collapsing, the air burning, and death rising from below.
Appearance
Adult sand dragons are vast, wingless behemoths with long, serpentine bodies that move like living fault lines beneath the earth. Their scales have fully hardened into jagged, stone-like plates, cracked and layered as if carved by centuries of wind and heat. These plates grind together as the dragon moves, producing a low, thunderous rumble that can be felt through the soles of one’s feet.
Their horned skulls resemble ancient fossilized predators, worn and scarred, often bearing broken or blunted ridges from years of burrowing through stone. Their eyes glow with a deep amber light, burning steadily even through walls of sand. When they breathe, the air ignites with scouring heat as superheated sand and sparks erupt from their jaws.
Behavior
An adult sand dragon is patient beyond mortal comprehension. It may stalk prey for days, mapping vibrations, testing defenses, and collapsing escape routes before ever revealing itself. It prefers to attack settlements, caravans, and fortifications not for hunger alone, but to assert dominance and expand its domain.
Unlike younger sand dragons, adults rarely retreat once engaged. They emerge again and again from different angles, reshaping the battlefield with every movement. To fight an adult sand dragon is to fight the ground itself, as tunnels collapse, sandstorms rise, and footing becomes treacherous.
Lairs
An adult sand dragon’s lair is a sprawling subterranean labyrinth stretching for miles beneath the desert. These tunnels often pass beneath cities, ancient empires, and long-buried temples, causing foundations to crack and structures to collapse without warning.
Its hoard is immense but scattered—buried vaults of gold, fossilized treasures, melted relics, and artifacts fused into glassy sand. No single chamber holds the hoard; instead, it is woven throughout the lair, making theft nearly impossible.
Dominion & Regional Influence
The presence of an adult sand dragon warps the desert around it. Sinkholes form overnight, sandstorms move unnaturally, and once-stable dunes begin to wander. Beasts migrate away from the region, while desperate scavengers and cultists are drawn to the chaos.
Some desert cultures come to worship adult sand dragons as gods of destruction or inevitability, offering sacrifices at collapsing shrines in hopes of appeasement.
Relationship with Other Dragons
Adult sand dragons are solitary rulers. They tolerate no rivals within their domain and will collapse tunnels, poison hunting grounds, or deliberately draw prey away to starve younger challengers. Only ancient sand dragons can contest their claim—and such battles leave scars on the land that last for centuries.
Legends & Omens
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A sudden silence in the desert is said to mark an adult sand dragon passing beneath the sands.
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Caravans destroyed without bodies are believed to have been swallowed whole.
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Some claim the dragon’s path can be traced by lines of shattered ruins appearing days apart.
Adventure Hooks
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A major trade city is slowly sinking, its leaders desperate to stop the unseen cause.
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A cult seeks to awaken an adult sand dragon beneath an ancient capital.
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A rival nation attempts to weaponize the dragon by redirecting its hunting grounds.
Lair and Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the sand dragon can take one of the following lair actions:
Shifting Sands.
A 30-foot-square area of ground becomes quicksand until the next round. Creatures entering or starting their turn there must succeed on a DC 23 Strength save or be restrained.
Tunnel Collapse.
A section of ceiling collapses in a 20-foot-radius area. Creatures must make a DC 23 Dexterity save or take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
Sandstorm Veil.
A swirling sandstorm fills a 40-foot-radius sphere, heavily obscuring the area until initiative count 20 on the next round.
Regional Effects
The region within 6 miles of an adult sand dragon’s lair is warped by its presence:
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Unstable Ground. Sinkholes and sudden collapses appear without warning.
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Restless Sands. Sandstorms form rapidly and move against prevailing winds.
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Dead Routes. Caravans instinctively avoid the region; animals refuse to cross it.
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Buried Ruins Rise. Ancient structures surface briefly before collapsing again.
If the dragon dies, these effects fade over 1d10 days.
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