In Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen, your party will have to rise to face the dreaded Dragon Armies that have invaded Krynn. But, those who stand up to the Dragon Queen Takhisis must be warned that the Dragon Armies have their own champions, elite soldiers who lead their troops in battle.

One such champion goes by the moniker Red Ruin and specializes in airborne combat atop a draconic mount. Let's take a look at what this elite enemy has in store for your party!

• The Red Dragon Army's flying ace
• Dragon army dragonnel
• Facing off against Red Ruin
• Dragonnels in combat
• Using Red Ruin in your game

The Red Dragon Army's Flying Ace

Red Ruin has earned quite the name for herself during her time with the Red Dragon Army. Adorned in red plate, this commander of the army's airborne dragonnel unit attained her name from her devastating effectiveness atop her flying draconic mount.

Though she rarely speaks or removes her dragon-shaped helm, Red Ruin has become a pillar of leadership in the Dragon Army. She uses sharp hand signals to direct her troops in combat and is frequently found on the front lines of the battle, where the fighting is thickest.

Dragon Army Dragonnel

It's impossible to talk about Red Ruin without her trusty steed, the dragon army dragonnel. Dragonnels are related to dragons, who share the same general appearance and exhibit similar traits. Fully grown dragonnels are Large size, making them capable airborne mounts for Dragon Army personnel.

Though they are dangerous, intelligent beasts, they lack the pure, magical might that imbues their chromatic and metallic dragon cousins. The dragonnels employed by the Red Dragon Army originate in a volcanic region of Ansalon, which suffuses them with fire resistance and fire-augmented claws, though not a fiery breath weapon toted by red dragons. Dragonnels are intelligent enough to understand Common, but their more animalistic nature means they are incapable of speech.

The dragonnels used by the Red Dragon Army are slightly different from the dragonnel found in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Their fire resistance and the fire damage included in their Rend attack set them apart from their brethren, as does the Dragon Army's armor, which bumps their AC from 13 to 16.

Facing Off Against Red Ruin

Engaging in aerial combat with Red Ruin (CR 10) and her dragonnel mount (CR 3) will surely be a nail-biting experience for your party. When the stakes of the encounter are falling hundreds of feet to your death, everyone will be highly appreciative of the wizard that just so happened to stock feather fall that day.

As befits an aerial ace proficient at mounted combat, Red Ruin certainly has some tricks up her sleeve to gain the upper hand in battle. She has abilities akin to the Mounted Combatant feat, which make her even more effective while riding her dragonnel into combat:

• Mounted Combat Master allows her to redirect attacks targeting her mount.
• Mounted Evasion allows her and her mount to avoid taking any damage when they succeed in a Dexterity saving throw or half damage even if they fail.

These defensive features, combined with resistance to fire damage and 20 AC from her plate and shield, make Red Ruin a tough enemy to put down.

When it comes to dishing out damage, Red Ruin doesn't lack offensive options. Within melee range, Red Ruin can attack with her Ember Lance three times per turn and specializes in knocking enemies out of the air with her attacks. These strikes are made even more dangerous when combined with her Draconic Devotion feature, which allows her to attack with advantage as long as she can see a dragon. Seeing as her favored mount, dragonnels, are considered dragons, this means she'll be attacking with advantage quite often. At a distance, she's just as deadly thanks to her Explosive Hand Crossbow, which fires crossbow bolts that dish out a devastating blast to creatures within the area of effect.

Prepare Yourself for Aerial Battle

Facing off against Red Ruin is most likely to happen while she is mounted on a flying dragonnel. If your players are also on flying mounts and plan on engaging in an aerial battle, it's recommended to read up on how mounted combat works, as well as how falling in combat works.

Dragonnels in Combat

These dangerous creatures make ideal mounts for the Red Dragon Army. They're fast, vicious, and perfectly match the army's color scheme. Perfect branding aside, dragonnels are extremely useful mounts because of their flying speed of 60 feet and Flyby ability, allowing it to swoop in for an attack, then soar out of an enemy's reach without provoking opportunity attacks. Furthermore, as dragonnels are intelligent creatures, they retain their own turns in the initiative order.

This can allow Red Ruin to prepare an attack for when her dragonnel swoops into melee range, deliver the blow, and escape unscathed. One thing to note here is that Red Ruin would only get one attack instead of the three indicated in her Multiattack ability. This is because Multiattack specifies the action must be made on the creature's turn, which doesn't apply here.

Using Red Ruin in Your Game

In Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen, Red Ruin serves as a commander in the Red Dragon Army. But, with a slight tweak to her lore and stat block, you can bring this aerial ace into just about any campaign setting.

Campaigns Without War

As a military commander serving in the army, Red Ruin is able to lead her troops without verbal commands. Instead, her forceful presence, elite skills, and tactical mind allow her to coordinate attacks with a few simple hand gestures.

In order to convey this prowess in campaigns without an ongoing war, you could have Red Ruin appear as a bounty hunter tasked with hunting down the party. An imposing figure in red armor that swoops in on a dragonnel will have no trouble securing contracts, and her implacable nature will ensure she's not swindled during contract negotiations.

If the party has gotten on the wrong side of a rival with deep pockets, they could find themselves pursued by a silent figure in red armor who always seems to strike at the most inopportune moment and escapes when the element of surprise has been lost.

Campaigns Without Flying Mounts

If your setting doesn't include flying mounts and instead uses flying vehicles, consider giving Red Ruin a proficiency in handling her vehicle:

Vehicle Proficiency. If you have proficiency with a certain kind of vehicle, you can add your proficiency bonus to any check you make to control that kind of vehicle in difficult circumstances.

You could also tweak her Mounted Combat Master and Mounted Evasion abilities to apply to vehicles instead of mounts. Finally, revising her Draconic Devotion to instead grant advantage on attacks with the vehicle's weapons can ensure that Red Ruin is an equally effective pilot as she was dragon rider.

Take to the Skies

When playing in the Dragonlance setting, it goes without saying there will be an opportunity to saddle up a dragon and clash with other dragon riders in high-stakes aerial combat. If this sounds like it might tickle your fancy, dragon battles in the sky await in Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen!

Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.