The Ancient Gold Dragon

An Ancient Gold Dragon is one of the most ancient, powerful, and majestic mortal beings in all of Toril.  By the time a Gold Dragon reaches the Great Wyrm status of its life, it has immense sorcerous power; it augments its innate magical abilities with further magical training as well as divine magic channeled from the Dragon God Bahamut.  A strange but powerful amalgamation of a sorcerer, a wizard, and a cleric, there were few beings in Faerûn who could rival a Gold Dragon's magical power.  Gold Dragons are judicious, wise, and benevolent, but are also often arrogant and can be dismissive of the needs of lesser creatures.  They are dedicated to the fight against evil.  Gold Dragons are the apex of the Draconic race; they are the largest, strongest, and most magically adept of all the Dragons, and there are very few creatures in the multiverse that can go toe-to-toe with a Gold Dragon.  They use Polymorph to assume a humanoid form for the majority their time.  Even when alone in their lairs, Gold Dragons stay polymorphed quite a bit.

Gold Dragons rarely interact with creatures outside of their own Draconic communities.  Gold Dragons use Sending and Teleport spells to visit and communicate with other Gold Dragons throughout the world.  The most powerful of the Gold Great Wyrms is elected as the King of ALL Gold Dragons.  These Kings, referred to as "Your Resplendence," punish fallen Gold Dragons, mediate mating and territorial debates, and bring all Gold Dragons together to protect the Material Plane from catastrophic threats from the Feywild, the Shadowfell, and the Lower Planes.  It is very rare for a Gold Dragon to utilize humanoid agents to help it in tasks; these agents are empowered with a portion of the Gold Dragon's innate magical abilities, rewarding them with the abilities of a Warlock in exchange for helping them search for evil creatures, punish wrongdoers, and enhance their hoards.  Gold Dragons love artistic works of art, like paintings, sculptures, calligraphy, and poetry.  They will often use a beautiful form of Iokharic calligraphy for their own spellbooks.  

Gold Dragons are immense physical specimens, but in combat they oftentimes will rely more of their magical abilities than their physical might.  They will use their weakening breath weapon to sap the energy of those that would face them, put those who resist to Sleep, and banish those that still pose a threat to a magical Maze.  If you somehow manage to avoid the magical skills of the Gold Dragon, you must now contend with its mighty fire breath and powerful claws and tail.  Most Gold Dragons are fairly withdrawn from humanoid society, preferring to improve their magical skills, hunt evil monsters, and spend time with their own kind.  It is extremely rare for a Gold Dragon to turn to humanoids for help.

The alignment of Warlocks that make a Pact with a Gold Great Wyrm are almost always Lawful Good.  Gold Dragons follow a strict hierarchy in their own societies, and they expect their followers to defer to them as well.  Gold Dragons know they are some of the most powerful creatures in Toril.  Only supernatural threats from the Astral Sea or the invincible [monster[Tarrasque[/monster] can pose any significant threat to a Gold Dragon.  Because of this arrogance, some Gold Dragons believe their superiority allows them to ignore the directives of Bahamut and lord over lesser beings.  These Dragons become Imperial Tyrants, enslaving nearby towns and cities and holding them to the impossibly high standards they expect.  Gold Dragons tend not to realize how frail humanoids are by comparison, so fallen Gold Dragons will often ignore the plight of their subjects as they rule.  Warlocks who follow Gold Dragons are not always Good, but they must always be Lawful.

Some secretly evil Warlocks that draw their power from a Metallic Dragon secretly work to subvert and eventually destroy their masters.  Great Wyrms are some of the most powerful creatures on the Material Plane, but they are still mortal, and therefore they can be killed.  However, a Warlock that kills its Draconic patron will lose their magical ability,  so many will prepare an Imprisonment spell to trap their Patron's soul to keep their magical powers.

The magic learned from these erudite creatures focuses on healing and even resurrecting allies, channeling the righteous fury of the Gods to banish evil, reading the thoughts of others, contacting creatures across massive distances or even other planes of existence, and shaping the raw force of magic to damage and contain enemies.

 

Expanded Spell List

The Ancient Gold Dragon lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell.  You also gain the Mage Hand cantrip.  It does not count against the total number of cantrips you know. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.  Additionally, you learn to speak, read, and write Draconic.

Ancient Gold Dragon Expanded Spells

Majestic Mind

Gold Dragons are incredibly wise and intelligent creatures.  While they are formidable physical combatants, their most powerful weapon is their ability to read the thoughts of those around them.  Gold Dragons can communicate over vast distances using Sending spells and over much shorter distances using a form of telepathy.

Beginning at 6th level, you can telepathically communicate with creatures within 60 feet of you.  This communication is one-way unless they have some form of telepathic communication of their own.  The creature must have an intelligence of 6 or higher and you must share a language to communicate effectively; otherwise, you will only be able to impart basic emotional concepts.

Additionally, your telepathic powers have increased to the point where you can now read the minds of others to a limited extent.  You can cast Detect Thoughts without using a spell slot.  This spell counts as a Warlock spell for you, but it does not count against the total number of spells you know.  You can cast this spell this way a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once) and regain all uses upon taking a long rest.

Weakening Blast

Gold Dragons are extremely powerful creatures that can match almost anything in combat unaided, but one of their most powerful abilities is their secondary breath weapon.  While they can launch a powerful cone of fiery destruction, Gold Dragons more often will expel a cloud of weakening gas that leaves foes sluggish and weakened.  Swords bounce harmlessly off the Gold Dragon's hardened scales while archers lack the strength to fire arrows with any measure of power.  If the weakened targets persist in engaging the Gold Dragon, or if the Gold Dragon decides they are evil creatures deserving of death, if can then follow up with its fire breath.  The sluggish and weakened creatures lack the speed and reflexes to escape and are roasted alive.

At 10th level, you have learned to replicate this effect to a limited extent.  As an action, you can slow and weaken you any creature within 90 feet, almost like a combination of the Ray of Enfeeblement and Slow spells.  A creature targeted must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be weakened.  On a successful save, the target's speed is reduced by half for one round.  On a failed save, the target's speed is reduced by half, its AC is reduced by 2, it deals half damage with all strength or dexterity-based attacks, and has disadvantage on strength and dexterity saving throws and ability checks for one minute.  The creature can attempt to make the saving throw again at the beginning of their turn, ending the effect on success.  You may use this ability twice and regain the ability to do so upon taking a long rest.

Banish the Extraplanar

Gold Dragons will often consort with Angels from the Upper Planes, Lords and Ladies of the Seelie Court from the Feywild, and Primordial Elementals from the  Elemental Planes in order to improve their magical abilities, both Arcane and Divine.  Some fallen Gold Dragons even turn to the Devils of the Nine Hells or malevolent spellcasters from the Shadowfell  On occasion however, these interactions do not go well.  Thus, Gold Dragons have learned to removed extraplanar entities while gaining resistance to their powers.

Beginning at 14th level, you learn the Banishment spell.  It does not count against the total number of spells you know.  You can cast this spell without using a spell slot a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once) and regain all uses upon taking a long rest.  Additionally, you have studied the powers and effects of this spell so intensely that you can no longer be forcefully moved to another plane of existence.  Spells like Banishment, Plane Shift, and Maze simply do not work on you.

Lastly, you can choose a boon from your Patron associated with either the Upper Planes, the Feywild, the Shadowfell, the Elemental Planes, or the Lower Planes.

Angelic Power

You gain the holy power of a Planetar.  You gain resistance to radiant damage, learn to speak, read, and write Celestial, cannot be frightened, and can cast Raise Dead once every seven days without using a Spell Slot.

Devilish Aspect

You gain the aspects of a Devil of the Nine Hells.  You gain resistance to fire damage, learn to speak, read, and write Infernal, cannot be poisoned, and gain advantage on Charisma ability checks with Devils.

Feylike

You gain the wisdom of an Archfey of the Seelie Court.  You gain resistance to force damage, learn to speak, read, and write Sylvan, cannot be charmed, and you gain proficiency in Insight.

Investiture of the Elements

You gain the might of an Elemental.  You learn the Absorb Elements spell.  It does not count against the number of Warlock spells you know.  Additionally, you cannot be Petrified and learn to speak, read, and write the Primordial.  This gives you the ability to communicate with any creature that speaks Aquan, Auran, Ignan, or Terran as well. Lastly, you gain Tremorsense of 30 feet.

Shadowy Nature

You gain the qualities of a Vampire.  You gain resistance to necrotic damage,  you can cast Speak with Dead at will, you can make yourself temporarily incorporeal when a creature attempts to grab you, making you immune to the Grappled condition, and you regain five hit points every time you personally kill an enemy.