Greater Night Dragon
by Jamie BatyCoM 92
Night Dragons are chaotic dragons that have become the undead servants of Immortals in the Sphere of Entropy. They are sometimes sent to the Prime Material Plane on missions for their masters. For example, after the destruction of Oceania, Synn (a greater dragon) was allowed to remain and guard an ancient secret in her lair.
Night dragons look like the shadow of a dragon, totally black, except for two eyes that glow slightly. Very faint dark blue or purple shimmers reveal some of the dragon's physical features, such as scales and muscles. Night dragons are solid on the Prime Material Plane.
Night dragons are masters of guile and treachery. They feed on the sorrow they inflict upon their victim. They torment a foe rather than destroy it. Physical combat is not viewed as a means of achieving their goals; lies are far better.
A dragon choosing to become a greater night dragon often is very aware of the cost of selling its soul to Entropy for power. Often this choice is made as a way to gain immortality if challenging the dragon rulers has failed. The power gained by becoming a greater night dragon makes the dragon a fearsome adversary, even for its entropic creators.
The consequences for the dragon choosing this path are significant. Firstly, it will never grow beyond its size at the time of its turn to entropy. Secondly, it becomes very vulnerable to light and subject to turning by clerics. Lastly, they become cut-off from all draconic society- even the most evil of dragons cannot fathom a dragon making this choice. As a result, the new night dragon is an outcast, a betrayer of dragonkind and will be treated as an enemy of dragonkind. The Draconic Immortals agree on few things, but one thing they do agree on is that Night Dragons are an abomination of nature.
Creating a Greater Night Dragon
Greater Night Dragon is an acquired template that can be added to any Dragon of Mature Adult age or older (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A greater Night Dragon uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The dragon's type changes to Undead (Entropy, Extraplanar). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.
Speed: Same as the base creature.
Armour Class: The base creature's natural armour bonus improves by +11.
Attack: A greater night dragon maintains all of the attacks it possessed as a normal dragon.
Full Attack: A greater night dragon maintains all of the attacks it possessed as a normal dragon.
Damage: Greater Night Dragons inflict damage with their attacks as a dragon of their original size and type.
Special Attacks: A Greater night dragon retains all the special attacks of the base dragon and gains those described below. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 greater night dragon's HD + greater night dragon's Cha modifier unless noted otherwise.
Breath Weapon (Su): A greater night dragon may breathe (every 1d4 rounds) a billowing cone of absolute darkness, the range is based on the lesser night dragon's size. Any creature caught within the cone must make a fortitude save or fall unconscious for 10-60 rounds. The absolute darkness thoroughly blocks all light and vision (including darkvision) and any light source within it is snuffed out. The darkness dissipates in 10-60 minutes. A greater night dragon is unaffected by the darkness created by its breath weapon. The save DC is Charisma based.
Night's Domination (Sp): A greater night dragon may envelope an unconscious victim with its wings and force the victim to make a will save. If the save is failed, the victim becomes a fanatic follower of the night dragon and will perform even suicidal tasks for it. The save DC is Charisma based.
The greater night dragon can maintain a telepathic link with its dominated minions, seeing and hearing what they do. There is no limit to the number of victims the greater night dragon may have at one time.
Paralysis (Ex): Any creature hit by the greater night dragon's bite or claw attacks must make a fortitude save or be paralysed for 1d8+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis.
Spells: The greater night dragon casts arcane spells as a sorcerer with a caster level equal to 1/2 its HD. It retains any known spells and special spell selection of the base dragon.
Special Qualities: A greater night dragon retains all the special qualities of the base dragon and gains those described below.
Cover of Darkness (Su): A greater night dragon, as a standard action, may enter the Plane of Entropy through any spot of absolute darkness. It may return to the Prime Plane through any spot of absolute darkness as well.
Damage Reduction (Su): A greater night dragon's damage reduction changes to X/epic, where X is equal to the dragon's original amount of damage reduction. A greater night dragon's natural weapons are treated as epic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Light Vulnerability (Ex): A greater night dragon is very vulnerable to light. If it is ever exposed to the full light of the sun, it is immediately and irrevocably destroyed. Any light spell cast directly at a greater night dragon causes 1d10 damage per level of spell to the night dragon if the doesn't already have had an affect upon undead.
Turn Resistance (Ex): A greater night dragon cannot be turned by a cleric if it is within 10 miles of its lair or it is on the Plane of Entropy.
Abilities: Increase from the base dragon as follows: Str +8, Dex +6, Int +6, Wis +4, and Cha +10. As an undead creature, a greater night dragon has no Constitution score.
Skills: Greater Night Dragons have a +8 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. It receives a +4 racial bonus to disguise checks. Otherwise, skills are the same as the base dragon.
Feats: Greater night dragons have the same feats as the base creature.
Environment: Plane of Entropy, Any Land on Prime
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +3.
Treasure: Triple standard.
Alignment: Changes to Chaotic Evil.
Advancement: By character class.
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +7.
Sample Greater Night Dragon (former Ancient Red Dragon)
Gargantuan Undead (Fire, Entropy, Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 34d12 (221 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), Fly 200 ft (Clumsy) (40 squares)
Armour Class: 53 (-4 size, +3 Dex, +44 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 50
Base Attack/Grapple: +34/+64
Attack: Bite +52 melee (4d6 + 18 + Paralysis)
Full Attack: Bite +52 melee (4d6 +18 + Paralysis) and 2 Claws +5o melee (2d8 +9 + Paralysis) and 2 wings +50 melee (2d6 +9) and 1 tail slap +50 melee (2d8 +5)
Space/Reach: 20 ft. /15 ft. (20 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Crush, Frightful Presence, Night's Domination, Tail Sweep
Special Qualities: Blindsense, Cover of Darkness, Spell Resistance 28, Damage Reduction 15/epic, Darkvision 120ft., Fire Subtype, Keen Senses, Light Vulnerability, Locate Object, Low-light vision, Spells, Spell-Like Abilities, Turn Resistance, Undead Traits
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +22, Will +28
Abilities: Str 47, Dex 16, Con -, Int 30, Wis 29, Cha 34
Skills: Appraise +40, Bluff +51, Concentration +28, Disguise +44, Diplomacy +40, Gather Information +40, Intimidate +40, Hide +27, Jump +46, Knowledge (Arcana) +38, Knowledge (Planes) +38, Listen +47, Move Silently +39, Search +46, Sense Motive +45, Spot +47, Survival +37
Feats: Alertness, Combat Casting, Empower Spell, Extend Spell, Fly-By Attack, Greater Spell Penetration, Hover, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Snatch, Spell Penetration
Environment: Plane of Entropy
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 26
Treasure: Triple Standard
Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +7
This thoroughly corrupt creature was once a red dragon. In exchange for increased power and the immortality of undeath after failing its challenge of the Moon Dragon, it has become a greater night dragon and a servant of entropy.
Combat
Although a punishing melee combatant, the greater night dragon will often toy with and torment their foes for a great length of time before ever physically fighting them. Once in combat, the greater night dragon will quickly identify the greatest threats, and then shroud the battlefield in absolute darkness. It will strike hard and fast against the biggest threats. If the battle is prolonged, it will breathe and slip into the Plane of Entropy to heal, and then reappear in the same absolute darkness that it departed from.
Blindsense (Ex): Night dragons can pinpoint creatures within a distance of 60 feet. Opponents the night dragon can't actually see still have total concealment against the night dragon.
Breath Weapon (Su): A greater night dragon may breathe (every 1d4 rounds) a billowing cone of absolute darkness, the range is based on the greater night dragon's size (in this case a 60 ft cone). Any creature caught within the cone must make a fortitude save vs DC 39 (Cha based) or fall unconscious for 10-60 rounds. The absolute darkness thoroughly blocks all light and vision (including darkvision) and any light source within it is snuffed out. The darkness dissipates in 10-60 minutes. A greater night dragon is unaffected by the darkness created by its breath weapon.
Cover of Darkness (Su): A greater night dragon, as a standard action, may enter the Plane of Entropy through any spot of absolute darkness. It may return to the Prime Plane through any spot of absolute darkness as well.
Crush (Ex): This special attack allows a flying or jumping night dragon to land on opponents as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. Crush attacks are effective only against opponents three or more size categories smaller than the night dragon (though it can attempt normal overrun or grapple attacks against larger opponents).
A crush attack affects as many creatures as can fit under the dragon's body. Creatures in the affected area must succeed on a Reflex save vs DC 39 (Cha based) or be pinned, automatically taking 4d6 +27 bludgeoning damage during the next round unless the dragon moves off them. If the night dragon chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attack. Pinned opponents take damage from the crush each round if they don't escape.
Damage Reduction (Su): This greater night dragon has DR15/epic. A greater night dragon's natural weapons are treated as epic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Frightful Presence (Ex): A greater night dragon can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the dragon attacks, charges, or flies overhead. Creatures within a radius of 300 ft are subject to the effect if they have fewer than 34 HD. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a Will save (DC 39) remains immune to that night dragon's frightful presence for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with 4 or less HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds and those with 5 or more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. Night dragons ignore the frightful presence of other dragons.
Keen Senses (Ex): A greater night dragon sees four times as well a human in shadowy illumination and twice as well in normal light. It also has darkvision out to 120 feet.
Light Vulnerability (Ex): A greater night dragon is very vulnerable to light. If it is ever exposed to the full light of the sun, it is immediately and irrevocably destroyed. Any light spell cast directly at a greater night dragon causes 1d10 damage per level of spell to the night dragon if the doesn't already have had an affect upon undead.
Locate Object (Sp): This greater night dragon can use this ability as the spell of the same name, up to 10 times per day.
Night's Domination (Sp): A greater night dragon may envelope an unconscious victim with its wings and force the victim to make a will save (DC 39). If the save is failed, the victim becomes a fanatic follower of the night dragon and will perform even suicidal tasks for it. The save DC is Charisma based.
The greater night dragon can maintain a telepathic link with its dominated minions, seeing and hearing what they do. There is no limit to the number of victims the greater night dragon may have at one time.
Paralysis (Ex): Any creature hit by the greater night dragon's bite or claw attacks must make a fortitude save or be paralysed for 1d8+1 rounds (DC 39, Cha based). Elves have immunity to this paralysis.
Spells: This greater night dragon can cast spells as a 17th level sorcerer. It may cast 6/9/9/9/9/8/8/8/6 spells per day and knows 9/5/5/4/4/4/3/3/2 spells. This greater night dragon can also cast cleric spells and those from the Chaos, Evil, and Fire domains as arcane spells.
Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day
suggestion; 1/day
find the path
Tail Sweep (Ex): This special attack allows this greater night dragon to sweep with its tail as a standard action. The sweep affects a half-circle with a radius of 30 feet, extending from an intersection on the edge of the dragon's space in any direction. Creatures within the swept area are affected if they are four or more size categories smaller than the dragon. The tail sweep automatically deals 2d6 +27 damage. Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage (DC 39).
Turn Resistance (Ex): A greater night dragon cannot be turned by a cleric if it is within 10 miles of its lair or it is on the Plane of Entropy.
Skills: Greater Night Dragons have a +8 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. It receives a +4 racial bonus to disguise checks.
Fire Subtype: This greater night dragon has immunity to fire. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Undead Traits: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any effect that requires a fortitude save unless it also works on objects. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or death from massive damage. It cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing. The creature has darkvision 60 ft. unless otherwise noted.