Underworld Dragon (Ancient)
Level 16Attacks
Abilities
Smoke doesn't impair an underworld dragon's vision; they ignore the Concealed condition from smoke.
If the underworld dragon takes damage from a spell with the cold or water trait, the elemental magic of fire within them is momentarily dampened. Until the end of their next turn, they take a –1 circumstance penalty to attack rolls, and their jaws Strikes don't deal fire damage. This limitation ends if the dragon uses Exploding Red Breath.
Effect: Countered by Water
When an underworld dragon is struck by a weapon made primarily of wood or affected by a spell with the plant or wood trait, the dragon's internal fiery essences are stoked with the added fuel. Their Exploding Red Breath recharges, and the fire damage from the dragon's jaws deals an additional die of damage until the end of the dragon's next turn.
Effect: Fed by Wood
90 feet. DC 35 will
10 feet. Each creature that ends its turn in the aura must succeed at a DC 35 fortitude saving throw or become Fatigued while it remains in the aura.
Frequency one per hour
Effect The dragon infuses their body with adamantine. For the next minute, their melee Strikes are treated as adamantine and ignore half the Hardness of any object hit.
The dragon makes one claw Strike and one tail Strike in either order, each against the same target. If either Strike hits, the dragon can attempt to Grab the target with that limb as a free action. The dragon can have up to three creatures Grabbed or Restrained at a time; one in each of their front claws, and a last with their tail.
(3d10+9)[bludgeoning], DC 37 fortitude
The dragon recharges Exploding Red Breath whenever they score a critical hit with a Strike.
The dragon breathes a blast of fire that explodes in a 30-foot burst within 60 feet, dealing 14d6 fire damage (DC 39 reflex save). Creatures that fail the save also take 3d6 persistent fire damage. The dragon can't use Exploding Red Breath again for .
The dragon plunges their body into the ground, Burrows up to their burrow Speed, and then scorches the land within a 60-foot emanation. Creatures underground or on the surface in the area take 8d6 fire damage (DC 37 fortitude save). A creature that critically fails also becomes Enfeebled 1 for 1 minute.
If there are any imperial dragons who benefited from moving out of their native elemental plane, it's underworld dragons. Once related solely to the element of fire, early underworld dragons harnessed elemental forces through arcane means for reasons no longer remembered. With each subsequent generation, both their arcane power and mastery over the elements grew. Their efforts were later bolstered by their studies in alchemy, which allowed dragons to cultivate themselves even further with various mutagens and elixirs.
Today, though their nature is primarily still connected with the element of fire, an underworld dragon can consume wood with ease, threaten entire regions with quakes, lay claim to the minerals and gems in the rocks and stone, and die to form volcanoes that create more land masses. Some even flippantly snort at the lapping waves of the sea, not fearing any retaliation from the sea dragon nations nor their kings. Though their powers might be relatively weaker than another imperial dragon of the same age, their mastery of many elements and the arcane arts makes underworld dragons formidable opponents.