Despair Dragon (Adult, Spellcaster)

Level 13

Creature· dragonHugeRemaster

220

Speed

50 ft.

Perception

+25

Fort

+21

Ref

+23

Will

+25

dragon occult

Immunities fear-effects, paralyzed, sleep

Languages common, draconic

Senses darkvision, scent 60 ft. (imprecise)

Skills intimidation +28, athletics +27, deception +26, diplomacy +26, stealth +25, acrobatics +23, occultism +23, society +23

Other Speeds fly 150 ft.

Recall Knowledge DC 31 (arcana)

Attacks

Melee Jaws +25 (magical, reach 15 ft.), Damage 3d10+16 piercing

Melee Claws +25 (agile, magical, reach 10 ft.), Damage 3d8+16 slashing

Melee Tail +23 (magical, reach 20 ft.), Damage 3d6+14 bludgeoning

Abilities

Telepathy 90 feetinteraction

Fearsenseinteraction

The dragon senses all creatures with the frightened condition at the listed range.

+2 Status to All Saves vs. Occult

Consume Fear↺

Trigger A creature within 60 feet loses the frightened condition

Effect The dragon feasts upon the fear that leaves the triggering creature's body, gaining 5d8 temporary Hit Points that last for 1 minute.

Frightful Presence

60 feet. DC 33 will

Unbidden Thoughts↺

Trigger The dragon is critically hit with a weapon or unarmed attack

Effect The attacker's mind fills with visions of their worst fears that overwhelm their senses, and they must choose one of the following results: either the triggering attack becomes a normal success, or the critical hit is unaffected but the triggering creature becomes Frightened 2.

Shrieking Breath◆◆

The dragon lets out a cacophonous sound made of every scream the dragon has drawn from a terrified enemy, dealing 12d6 sonic damage in a 40-foot cone (DC 33 will save). Creatures who fail their Will save must spend the first action of their next turn doing nothing but screaming. The dragon can't use Shrieking Breath again for .

Tongue Decoy

The despair dragon inflates several bladders at the end of its tongue to create the basic form of a creature. This process takes 1 minute to complete, during which the dragon is Off-Guard. If the dragon stops or is interrupted in this process, the bladders deflate, and the dragon must start over. Once the process is complete, the dragon can maintain the inflated bladders indefinitely, and can Dismiss to deflate the bladders and retract its tongue instantly.

The inflated tongue takes the basic

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions, and despair dragons are masters of channeling those feelings of terror and hopelessness for their own benefit. As with other occult dragons, despair dragons are driven by an innate compulsion, in their case, the desire to strike terror in others. Despair dragons tend to settle near settlements, so they have a source of fear to draw from. The most common items in despair dragon hoards are scrolls, tomes, and relics that serve as research material. Through these, despair dragons learn of local folklore, urban legends, and more to better haunt their targets.