Sapphire Dragon

Description

(From Fizban's Treasury of Dragons - 2021):

The thunderous clash of conflict is part of the very nature of sapphire dragons. Militant and territorial, they defend their lairs fiercely, ambushing intruders and plotting assaults against their rivals. The sonic pulse of their breath weapon sows weakness, leaving the victims unable to fight back.

Luminous Blue. Sapphire dragons’ scales and wing membranes show varied shades of blue, ranging from the light tones of a spring sky to the rich, crystalline azure of sapphire gems and compressed glacial ice. In the light, the scales glitter and shine like luminous starbursts. The dragons’ psionic nature is evident in the horn and bone structures of their bodies. Their tail barbs and horn tips are all separate pieces, but they float in place, held aloft by psychic energy while the dragons live. These levitating horns and spines shift slightly with the dragons’ moods, bobbing in amusement or flaring with anger.

Art of War. The warlike sapphire dragons devise strategies and ambushes based on their ability to maneuver underground. A sapphire dragon often refrains from striking immediately, preferring to assess intruders first in order to devise the most advantageous approach to dealing with them.

Sapphire dragons watch for signs of Aberrations and other creatures corrupted by the Far Realm. They frequently ally with emerald dragons, drawing on their kin’s knowledge of occult phenomena to track the influence of the Far Realm. Armed with that knowledge, sapphire dragons stamp out alien influence before it spreads.

People who dwell or delve deep beneath the earth can easily find themselves at odds with a sapphire dragon if they cross into the dragon’s territory. But sapphire dragons sometimes forge peaceful relationships with rock gnomes or deep gnomes, relying on these folk to help protect the territory surrounding their lairs.

Martial Hoards. Sapphire dragons’ favorite prizes are weapons and armor, records of military history and tactics, and magic items that protect against psychic damage or mental intrusion. The centerpiece of a sapphire dragon’s hoard is usually a cataloged, orderly collection of war gear, which can contain ancient relics of immense power.

Creating a Sapphire Dragon

Use the Sapphire Dragon Personality Traits and Sapphire Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of distinctive sapphire dragon characters.

Sapphire Dragon Personality Traits

d8 - Trait

1 - I often fixate on specific historical battles or wars and won’t rest until my hoard contains that conflict’s most significant artifacts.

2 - I am constantly aware of a call from beyond this world. I must prepare to answer that call by amassing powerful arms and armor.

3 - I secretly look forward to adventurers trying to infiltrate my lair. How else could I try out new defenses?

4 - Give me a storied helmet or scimitar over a pile of gold any day.

5 - No creature can outsmart my defenses—if they do, they obviously cheated.

6 - Any creature that can hold their own against me must teach me how—whether they want to or not.

7 - I cannot resist a game of dragonchess—which, I will have you know, my ancestors probably invented.

8 - The sight of blood makes me queasy.

Sapphire Dragon Ideals

d6 - Ideal:

1 - Solitude. A stranger is just an intruder I haven’t dealt with yet. (Neutral)

2 - Preservation. Most creatures cannot be trusted to properly safeguard historically significant artifacts. I can. (Lawful)

3 - Knowledge. The stories surrounding every piece in my collection are as important as the treasures themselves. (Any)

4 - Order. An organized hoard makes me happy—and you don’t want to see me unhappy. (Lawful)

5 - Preparation. Justice and righteousness do not guarantee victory. Planning and tactics do. (Lawful)

6 - Companionship. Sure, my hoard brings me great joy. But the real treasures are the guests who stop by to see it. (Good)

A Sapphire Dragon’s Lair

Sapphire dragons make their homes in extensive cave systems. As they grow older, they make increasingly complex renovations to their lairs, using their inherent magic and natural tunneling abilities to great effect. Eventually, a sapphire dragon’s lair is a dizzying honeycomb of hidden passages, deceptively thin walls, and secret chambers that allow the dragon to travel from one end to the other unseen by intruders. The most secure lairs might feature no accessible entrances or exits at all, with the dragon relying on tunneling or shaping stone to come and go.

The challenge rating of a legendary sapphire dragon increases by 1 when it’s encountered in its lair.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon can take one of the following lair actions; the dragon can’t take the same lair action two rounds in a row:

Awesome Thunder. A thunderous detonation of sound that can be heard up to 300 feet away surrounds one creature in the lair that the dragon can see. That creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 13 ((3d8)) thunder damage and be stunned until the end of its next turn.

Beguiling Whisper. The dragon telepathically whispers to one creature within range of the dragon’s telepathy. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the dragon until initiative count 20 on the next round. A creature charmed in this way obeys to the best of its ability any command the dragon issues that isn’t directly harmful to the creature.

Stone Passage. The dragon touches a section of stone up to 30 feet in any dimension. The dragon can shape the stone to open or close a passage through a wall, as long as the wall is less than 10 feet thick.

Regional Effects

The region surrounding a legendary sapphire dragon’s lair is altered by the dragon’s magic, creating one or more of the following effects:

Crystal Profusion. Natural stone within 6 miles of the lair grows plentiful crystal formations and veins of sapphire gemstones, particularly underground.

Stony Sight. Natural stone within 6 miles of the lair is a conduit for the dragon’s psionic presence. As an action, the dragon can cast the clairvoyance spell, requiring no spell components and targeting any natural stone formation in that region.

Telepathic Enhancement. The dragon’s psionic energy enhances the mental powers of other creatures. Any creature capable of telepathic communication has its telepathy range doubled while within 1 mile of the lair. This includes creatures with innate telepathy and magical telepathy such as the Rary’s telepathic bond spell.

Thriving Wildlife. Giant spiders (a sapphire dragon’s favorite prey) are attracted to the area within 6 miles of the lair and settle there in large numbers.

If the dragon dies, the population of giant spiders in the region returns to normal levels over the course of (3d8) days. The enhancement of telepathic abilities ends immediately. The existing abundance of crystals and sapphires remains, but new ones form at a normal rate.

(From 2nd Edition AD&D Monstrous Manual - 1991):

While not actively hostile, sapphire dragons are militantly territorial and initially distrustful of anyone who approaches.

These beautiful dragons range from light to dark blue, and sparkle in the light, even at birth. Sapphire dragons are often mistaken for blue dragons, unless someone recalls the latter’s preferred arid environment.

Sapphire dragons speak their own tongue and the tongue common to all gem dragons, and 16% of hatchling sapphire dragons have an ability to communicate with any intelligent creature. The chance to possess this ability increases 5% per age category of the dragon.

Combat: Sapphire dragons generally observe intruders before deciding what to do with them, unless known enemies such as drow or dwarves are present. If others are not actively hostile the dragon attempts conversation and spell use to determine their intentions and convince them to leave. If the dragon or its treasure is threatened, it attacks immediately with breath weapon, spells, and physical attacks. It uses psionics or other special abilities to escape if its life is in jeopardy.

Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: This dragon’s breath weapon is cone of high-pitched, almost inaudible sound, 75 feet long, 5 feet wide at the dragon’s mouth, and 25 feet wide at the base. Creatures caught by the blast can save vs. breath weapon for half damage from the sound’s disruption, and must make a second saving throw vs. breath weapon or be affected by fear, fleeing the dragon in panic for two rounds per age level of the dragon, plus 1d6 rounds. This is a metabolic effect, and creatures unaffected by magical fear still suffer from the effects if they fail their save. Deafness does not protect one from the breath weapon’s damage, though it prevents fear effects. A sapphire dragon casts spells and uses magical abilities at 7th level, plus combat modifier.

Sapphire dragons are born with immunity to all forms of fear, as well as immunity to web, hold, slow, and paralysis. As they age, they gain the following additional powers:

Young: continual light three times a day. Juvenile: stone shape three times a day. Adult: anti-magic shell once a day. Mature adult: passwall six times a day. Venerable: wall of stone three times a day. Great wyrm: sunray three times a day.

Psionics Summary

Level = HD

Dis/Sci/Dev = 2/2/4

Attack/Defense = PB,EW/M-,IF

Score = Int

PSPs = 200

Clairsentience — Sciences: clairaudience, clairvoyance; Devotions: know direction, radial navigation.

Psychokinesis — Sciences: disintegrate, molecular rearrangement, telekinesis; Devotions: animate shadow, control lights, molecular manipulation, soften.

Psychoportation — Science: any; Devotion: any.

Most sapphire dragons use psychoportive powers.

Habitat/Society: Sapphire dragons live deep underground and often place their treasure in caverns accessible only through magic or psionics. They sometimes share territory with emerald dragons.

Sapphire dragons treat their young well, but force them to leave and find their own territory as soon as they are young adults.

Ecology: Sapphire dragons consider giant spiders a great delicacy and often hunt them. Deep dragons, drow, dwarves, mind flayers, and aboleth are great enemies of sapphire dragons.