Homebrew Gem Dragon Species Details
In the first age, when Io yet coiled around all that was and would be, the Ur Dragon shaped three eggs and set them adrift upon the newborn firmament. The first was forged of lustrous metal, beaten and perfected, each scale a promise of law and guardianship. From it hatched Bahamut, the Amalgam, whose breath was judgment and whose wings cast the long shadow of justice. The second was fired in the deep kilns of creation, glazed in violent color and veined with raw earth and storm. From that shell rose Tiamat, many-throated and radiant with ruin, her hunger as boundless as her dominion. Between extremes lay the third egg.
It was not forged, nor fired, but assembled. A mosaic of precious gems—faceted thought, crystallized memory, angles that caught not only light but the majesty of creation. When it cracked, the sound was not thunderous, but instead melodious, notes of harmony and dissidence singing a chorus of creation and destruction.
From it emerged Abzu.
Abzu did not take a throne, nor carve a kingdom. Where Bahamut ruled through order and Tiamat through desire, Abzu descended—into silence and contemplation, into the places betwixt extremes where the liminal realms are closest. He became the keeper of what is hidden rather than what is claimed: psionic currents, forgotten truths, the slow patience of stone and time.
Gem dragons say Abzu does not command them as Bahamut commands, nor demand worship as Tiamat demands fear. He reflects them, facet to facet, consideration and contemplation. In meditation, in the still hum of crystal caverns and astral voids, they do not pray to Abzu. They listen for his teachings, in the rumblings and mutterings of the cosmos. And when a gem dragon finally acts it is said Abzu has turned one more facet of his infinite gaze toward the world.
Gem Dragons are considered a high-born race alongside their Metallic and Chromatic counterparts. High-born Dragons are quadrupedal Draconids with at least one pair of flight capable wings.
Gem Dragon Traits
Creature Type: Dragon
Size: Large (about 15–30 feet tall)
Speed: 40 feet
Draconic Lineage
Your lineage belongs to one of the following a draconic breeds. Choose a gemstone from the table below which is the namesake of your ancestry. Your choice affects your Breath Weapon, Damage Resistance, and other draconic traits as well as your appearance.
Gem Dragon Lineages |
|
|---|---|
|
Dragon |
Damage Type |
|
Amethyst |
Force, Psychic |
|
Crystal |
Cold, Radiant |
|
Emerald |
Fire, Psychic |
|
Moonstone |
Psychic, Radiant |
|
Sapphire |
Lightning, Thunder |
|
Topaz |
Acidic, Necrotic |
Breath Weapon
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with an exhalation of magical energy in either a 15-foot Cone or a 30-foot Line that is 5 feet wide (choose the shape each time). Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 plus your Constitution modifier and Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, a creature takes 1d10 damage of the type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage. This damage increases by 1d10 when you reach character levels 5 (2d10), 11 (3d10), and 17 (4d10).
You can use this Breath Weapon a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Draconic Resistance
You have Resistance to the damage type determined by your Draconic Lineage trait.
Draconic Senses
You have Darkvision with a range of 120 ft, and Blindsight within 30 ft.
Territorial Adaptation
Dragons are well adapted to the environment of their territories. You gain a territorial movement trait according to your draconic lineage.
Shapechanger
As an action, you may assume the form of one of the enlightened races, though none of your game statistics change. You determine the specifics, including your coloration, hair length, sex, height, weight, and may shrink such that you count as a medium or small creature.
You can’t duplicate the appearance of an individual you’ve never seen. Your clothing and equipment aren’t changed by this trait. A species is considered enlightened if they are a player race.
You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert or until you die.
Draconic Magic
You posses the innate magic of your draconic lineage.
Flight
Because of your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can’t use this flying speed if you assume a form that does not have wings.
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