Onyx Dragons
by John Walter BilesAt a distance, Onyx Dragons resemble Black Dragons and tend to live in similar places; once within about 30 feet, it’s easy to tell the difference. Their ties to death make them rather morbid and gloomy rather than being so evil and malevolent as their black cousins. If they lived in the real world, they would spend their time listening to the Cure and posting depressing poems to their live journals. As it stands, they have to settle for philosophising on the shortness of life despite living hundreds of years and the difficulties of motivating yourself when you know you’ll soon die and wondering how humans can stand it when they die virtually the moment they’re born, really. Onyx dragons rarely take a rider, but will often invite human / humanoid creative types to visit in order to entertain each other. Those who can tolerate extremely morbid and depressing poetry can eventually build a strong friendship with an Onyx dragon.
Young Onyx Dragon Level 4 Solo Lurker
Large natural magical beast (aquatic, dragon) XP 875
Initiative +11 Senses Perception +9; darkvision
HP 224; Bloodied 112; see also bloodied breath
AC 22; Fortitude 18, Reflex 20, Will 17
Resist Necrotic 15
Saving Throws +5
Speed 7, fly 7 (clumsy), overland flight 10, swim 7
Action Points 2
M Bite (standard; at-will) | Necrotic
Reach 2; +10 vs. AC; 1d6 + 3 damage, and ongoing 5 Necrotic damage (save ends).
m Claw (standard; at-will)
Reach 2; +8 vs. AC; 1d4 + 3 damage.
M Double Attack (standard; at-will)
The dragon makes two claw attacks.
M Overextended Foe (immediate reaction, when a melee attack misses the dragon; at-will)
The dragon exploits his foe’s mistake: reach 2; +7 vs. Reflex; the dragon treats the target as having –2 to all defences until the end of his next turn.
C Breath Weapon (standard; recharge 5-6 ) | Necrotic
Close blast 5; +7 vs. Reflex; 1d12 + 3 Necrotic damage, and the target loses a healing surge and takes ongoing 5 Necrotic damage (save ends).
C Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied; encounter) | Necrotic
The dragon’s breath weapon recharges, and the dragon uses it immediately.
C Cloud of Darkness (standard; sustain minor; recharge 4-6 ) | Zone
Close burst 2; this power creates a zone of darkness that remains in place until the end of the dragon’s next turn. The zone blocks line of sight for all creatures except the dragon. Any creature entirely within the area (except the dragon) is blinded.
C Frightful Presence (standard; encounter) | Fear
Close burst 5; targets enemies; +5 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dragon’s next turn. After-effect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Nature +9, Stealth +17
Str 16 (+5) Dex 20 (+7) Wis 15 (+4)
Con 16 (+5) Int 12 (+3) Cha 10 (+2)
Adult Onyx Dragon Level 11 Solo Lurker
Large natural magical beast (aquatic, dragon) XP 3,000
Initiative +15 Senses Perception +13; darkvision
HP 560; Bloodied 280; see also bloodied breath
AC 28; Fortitude 24, Reflex 26, Will 23
Resist Necrotic 20
Saving Throws +5
Speed 8, fly 8 (hover), overland flight 10, swim 8
Action Points 2
m Bite (standard; at-will) | Necrotic
Reach 2; +16 vs. AC; 1d8 + 4 damage, and ongoing 5 Necrotic damage (save ends).
m Claw (standard; at-will)
Reach 2; +16 vs. AC; 1d6 + 4 damage.
M Double Attack (standard; at-will)
The dragon makes two claw attacks.
M Overextended Foe (immediate reaction, when a melee attack misses the dragon; at-will)
The dragon exploits his foe’s mistake: reach 2; +14 vs. Reflex; the dragon treats the target as having –2 to all defences until the end of his next turn.
C Breath Weapon (standard; recharge 5-6 ) | Necrotic
Close blast 5; +13 vs. Reflex; 2d8 + 3 Necrotic damage, and the target loses a healing surge and takes ongoing 5 Necrotic damage (save ends).
C Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied; encounter) | Necrotic
The dragon’s breath weapon recharges, and the dragon uses it immediately.
C Cloud of Darkness (standard; sustain minor; recharge 4-6 ) | Zone
Close burst 2; this power creates a zone of darkness that remains in place until the end of the dragon’s next turn. The zone blocks line of sight for all creatures except the dragon. Any creature entirely within the area (except the dragon) is blinded.
C Frightful Presence (standard; encounter) | Fear
Close burst 5; targets enemies; +13 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dragon’s next turn. After-effect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Nature +13, Stealth +21
Str 18 (+9) Dex 22 (+11) Wis 16 (+8)
Con 16 (+8) Int 14 (+7) Cha 12 (+6)
Elder Onyx Dragon Level 18 Solo Lurker
Huge natural magical beast (aquatic, dragon) XP 10,000
Initiative +21 Senses Perception +17; darkvision
HP 860; Bloodied 430; see also bloodied breath
AC 35; Fortitude 31, Reflex 33, Will 28
Resist Necrotic 25
Saving Throws +5
Speed 9, fly 9 (hover), overland flight 12, swim 9
Action Points 2
m Bite (standard; at-will) | Necrotic
Reach 3; +24 vs. AC; 1d10 + 6 damage, and ongoing 10 necrotic damage (save ends).
m Claw (standard; at-will)
Reach 3; +24 vs. AC; 1d8 + 6 damage.
M Double Attack (standard; at-will)
The dragon makes two claw attacks.
M Overextended Foe (immediate reaction, when a melee attack misses the dragon; at-will)
The dragon exploits his foe’s mistake: reach 2; +21 vs. Reflex; the dragon treats the target as having –2 to all defences until the end of his next turn.
C Breath Weapon (standard; recharge 5-6 ) | Necrotic
Close blast 5; +22 vs. Reflex; 3d8 + 5 acid damage, and the target loses a healing surge and takes ongoing 10 necrotic damage (save ends).
C Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied; encounter) | Necrotic
The dragon’s breath weapon recharges, and the dragon uses it immediately.
C Cloud of Darkness (standard; sustain minor; recharge 4-6 ) | Zone
Close burst 2; this power creates a zone of darkness that remains in place until the end of the dragon’s next turn. The zone blocks line of sight for all creatures except the dragon. Any creature entirely within the area (except the dragon) is blinded.
C Frightful Presence (standard; encounter) | Fear
Close burst 10; targets enemies; +22 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dragon’s next turn. After-effect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
C Soul-Eating, Sight-Silencing Darkness (standard; encounter) | Necrotic
Close blast 5; +22 vs. Reflex; 1d10 + 5 necrotic damage, and the target is blinded until the end of the dragon’s next turn. Miss: Half damage, and the target is not blinded.
Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Nature +17, Stealth +27
Str 22 (+15) Dex 26 (+17) Wis 16 (+12)
Con 20 (+14) Int 16 (+12) Cha 14 (+11)
Ancient Onyx Dragon Level 26 Solo Lurker
Gargantuan natural magical beast (aquatic, dragon) XP 45,000
Initiative +27 Senses Perception +22; darkvision
HP 1,190; Bloodied 595; see also bloodied breath
AC 43; Fortitude 39, Reflex 41, Will 35
Resist 30 necrotic
Saving Throws +5
Speed 10, fly 10 (hover), overland flight 15, swim 10
Action Points 2
m Bite (standard; at-will) | Necrotic
Reach 4; +32 vs. AC; 2d8 + 8 damage, and ongoing 15 Necrotic damage (save ends).
m Claw (standard; at-will)
Reach 4; +32 vs. AC; 1d10 + 8 damage.
M Double Attack (standard; at-will)
The dragon makes two claw attacks.
M Overextended Foe (immediate reaction, when a melee attack misses the dragon; at-will)
The dragon exploits his foe’s mistake: reach 2; +29 vs. Reflex; the dragon treats the target as having –2 to all defences until the end of his next turn.
C Necrotic Shadows (standard; sustain minor; recharge 4-6 ) | Necrotic, Zone
Close burst 2; this power creates a zone of necrotic darkness that remains in place until the end of the dragon’s next turn. The zone blocks line of sight for all creatures except the dragon. Any creature entirely within the area (except the dragon) is blinded, and any creature that enters or starts its turn in the zone takes 15 necrotic damage.
C Breath Weapon (standard; recharge 5-6) | Necrotic
Close blast 5; +28 vs. Reflex; 4d8 + 6 necrotic damage, and the target loses a healing surge, and takes ongoing 15 necrotic damage (save ends).
C Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied; encounter) | Necrotic
The dragon’s breath weapon recharges, and the dragon uses it immediately.
C Frightful Presence (standard; encounter) | Fear
Close burst 10; targets enemies; +28 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dragon’s next turn. After-effect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
C Soul-Eating, Sight-Silencing Darkness (standard; encounter) | Necrotic
Close blast 5; +28 vs. Reflex; 2d10 + 6 Necrotic damage, and the target is blinded until the end of the dragon’s next turn. Miss: Half damage, and the target is not blinded.
Alignment Unaligned Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Nature +22, Stealth +33
Str 26 (+21) Dex 30 (+23) Wis 18 (+17)
Con 22 (+19) Int 18 (+17) Cha 16 (+16)