Ancient Forrest Dragon

Sometimes called Leaf Wings or Grass Scales, the children of Renira dwell within the vast jungles and ancient forests of the Hidden Continent. They descend from the fifth child of the Rainbow Serpent, Renira, the Queen of Green, the proclaimed Goddess of Plants and Animals.

Of all the great dragon bloodlines, the Forest Dragons are perhaps the strangest.

As a kingdom, they are best described as neutral—though even that description may imply a degree of political interest that they simply do not possess. Easily recognized by their magnificent, multicolored scales, which resemble the brilliant plumage of the jungle birds among which they live, these dragons have little interest in the wars, rivalries, and territorial disputes that consume the other dragon tribes.

They simply… do not care.

While other dragons have raised armies, conquered kingdoms, and torn one another apart over ancient grudges, the Forest Dragons spend their days pursuing what they affectionately refer to as “the finer things in life.”

And by that, my young flame, they mean fruit.

Yes.

Fruit.

The Forest Dragons are the only known dragon bloodline in all of Terra that does not consume meat. Instead, they spend their days wandering through the endless treetop canopies of the Hidden Continent, searching for the sweetest fruits the jungle has to offer. When they are not eating, they are sleeping. When they are not sleeping, they are eating again.

Some have been known to spend entire days suspended from the branches in hammocks woven from vines and their own claws, drifting peacefully beneath the jungle canopy while the world passes them by.

Even the disappearance of their divine ancestor, Renira, seems to have caused them remarkably little concern.

Unlike the other children of the Rainbow Serpent, the Forest Dragons never appointed an interim monarch to lead their people. There were no succession wars. No great councils. No armies marching beneath banners of mourning.

They simply continued on as they always had.

Sleeping.

Eating.

And occasionally arguing over who had found the ripest mango.

You may find their indifference amusing, my young flame, but do not allow their leisurely nature to fool you.

For beneath those colorful scales lies one of nature's most terrifying creations.

The Forest Dragons possess a gift shared by no other known dragon bloodline: naturally occurring toxins within their bodies.

Their bite alone can deliver a poison so horrendous that even the mightiest warriors may be reduced to writhing agony before death finally claims them. Yet their venomous bite is perhaps the lesser of their weapons.

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:

• Grasping roots and vines erupt 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 difficult terrain, and each creature there must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by the roots and vines. A creature can be freed if it or another creature takes an action to make a DC 15 Strength check and succeeds. The roots and vines wilt away when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
• A wall of tangled brush bristling with thorns springs into existence on a solid surface within 120 feet of the dragon. The wall is up to 60 feet long, 10 feet high, and 5 feet thick, and it blocks line of sight. When the wall appears, each creature in its area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature that fails the save takes 18 (4d8) piercing damage and is pushed 5 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. A creature can move through the wall, albeit slowly and painfully. For every 1 foot a creature travels through the wall, it must spend 4 feet of movement. Furthermore, a creature in the wall’s space must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw once each round it’s in contact with the wall, taking 18 (4d8) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Each 10-foot section of wall has AC 5, 15 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, resistance to bludgeoning and piercing damage, and immunity to psychic damage. The wall sinks back into the ground when the dragon uses this lair action again or when the dragon dies.
• Magical 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 Forest dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:

• Thickets form labyrinthine passages within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. The thickets act as 10-foot-high, 10-foot-thick walls that block line of sight. Creatures can move through the thickets, with every 1 foot a creature moves costing it 4 feet of movement. A creature in the thickets must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw once each round it’s in contact with the thickets or take 3 (1d6) piercing damage from thorns.
  Each 10-foot-cube of thickets has AC 5, 30 hit points, resistance to bludgeoning and piercing damage, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to psychic and thunder damage.
• Within 1 mile 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. In addition, it ignores movement impediments and damage from plants in this area that are neither magical nor creatures, including the thickets described above. The plants remove themselves from the dragon’s path.
• Rodents and birds within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair serve as the dragon’s eyes and ears.

If the dragon dies, the rodents and birds lose their supernatural link to it. The thickets remain, but within 1d10 days, they become mundane plants and normal difficult terrain, losing their thorns.