Shadow Dragon
Shadow dragons are true dragons that were either born in the Shadowfell or transformed by years spent within its dismal confines. The transformation to a shadow dragon happens over a period of years, during which time a dragon's scales lose their luster and fade to a charcoal hue. Its leathery wings become translucent, its eyes paling to pools of opalescent gray. The longer a creature remains on the Shadowfell, the more it accepts the plane's malaise. As months and years pass for a dragon on the Shadowfell, it becomes aware of the transformation being wrought upon it, and yet can do nothing to prevent it.
Within Neverember's Vault
The shadow dragon beneath the Brandath crypt was once a gold dragon named Aurinax, tasked with keeping Dagult Neverember's embezzled treasure safe along with the Dragonstaff that maintains Ahgairon's dragonward around the city. However, when the dark wizard Halaster's experiments with the Shadow Weave opened up portals to the Shadowfell throughout Undermountain, one also appeared in the Vault, catching Aurinax while he slept and transforming him into the monster that he is today.
A Shadow Dragon's Lair
Shadow dragons lair in forlorn places and the deep gloom of subterranean caverns, often near portals to the Shadowfell, where their corrupting transformation took place. They rarely leave their lairs, except under cover of darkest night, as they find the lights of the outside world abhorrent - indeed, they are weaker in bright light than they are in darkness.
Throughout the lair complex, the twisted remains of fallen souls from the Shadowfell roam - these Grasping Shadows desperately seek to drag the living into the darkness with them.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Shadow spreads from a point the dragon chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The shadow spreads around corners. In this sphere, bright light becomes dim light, and dim light becomes darkness.
- Lights within the lair flicker and darken for a moment, and 1d4 Grasping Shadows appear in unoccupied spaces that are in dim light or darkness. If the entire lair is lit with bright light, nothing happens.
Shadow Dragon
Large Dragon, chaotic evil
- Armor Class 19 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 212 (25d10 + 75)
- Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 22 (+6) 14 (+2) 17 (+3) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 19 (+4)
- Saving Throws DEX +6, CON +7, CHA +8
- Skills Perception +8, Stealth +8
- Damage Vulnerabilities Fire, Radiant
- Damage Resistances Necrotic, Poison
- Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Frightened, Petrified, Poisoned
- Senses Blindsight 30 ft., Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 18
- Languages Common, Draconic
- Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Legendary Resistance (2/day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Living Shadow. While in dim light or darkness, the dragon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and resistance to all nonmagical damage that isn't fire, force, psychic, or radiant.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the dragon has disadvantage on attack roles, ability checks, and saving throws.
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the dragon can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Spellcasting. The dragon is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no somatic or material components to cast its spells. The dragon has the following sorcerer spells prepared:
1st level (4 slots): charm person, command, detect magic, silent image
2nd level (3 slots): blur, crown of madness, detect thoughts
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, counterspell, hypnotic pattern
4th level (3 slots): confusion, sickening radiance(*)
5th level (2 slots): enervation, hallow
(*) When the dragon casts sickening radiance, shadows spread instead of dim, greenish light, and creatures take necrotic damage instead of radiant damage. On a failed save, creatures shed darkness in a 5-foot radius, making bright light into dim light and dim light into darkness.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) necrotic damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Shadow Walk. When in dim light or darkness, the dragon can teleport up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see that is also in dim light or darkness.
Shadow Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon can only use this ability when it is at or above half its maximum hit points. The dragon exhales shadowy fire in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target also suffers a point of exhaustion.
A humanoid reduced to 0 hit points by this damage dies, and an undead shadow rises from its corpse and acts immediately after the dragon in the initiative count. The shadow is under the dragon's control.
Beam of Shadow (Recharge 5–6). The dragon can only use this ability when it is below half its maximum hit points. The dragon emits a beam of pure darkness that is 100 feet long and 5 feet wide in a direction it chooses. Each creature in the line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 56 (16d6) necrotic damage and is thrown 10 feet away from the dragon landing prone. On a success, a creature takes half as much damage and is not thrown. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target also suffers a point of exhaustion.
Reactions
Bloodied Breath (1/day). The first time the dragon is reduced to fewer than half its maximum hit points, it lets out a shriek of rage and tendrils of dark energy explode from its body in a 15-foot radius. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 28 (8d6) necrotic damage and is thrown 10 feet away from the dragon. On a successful save a creature takes half as much damage and isn't thrown. A creature within 5 feet of the dragon makes this saving throw at disadvantage. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature also suffers a point of exhaustion.
In addition, the dragon summons three Grasping Shadows in unoccupied spaces within 30 feet of it, and is stunned until the end of its next turn.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Shadow Walk. The dragon uses its Shadow Walk ability.
Claw Attack. The dragon makes a claw attack.
Spellcasting (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon casts a spell.
- A tremor shakes the lair in a 60-foot radius around the dragon. Each creature other than the dragon on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Regional Effects
The region containing a corrupted shadow dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Magical light sources inexplicably fail for a few seconds each day within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair.
- Moonless nights are supernaturally dark within 1 mile of the lair, preventing darkness from being illuminated by nonmagical light sources.
- Twisted shadows within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair take shape, as Grasping Shadows appear to roam the world above on the darkest nights. If the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
Grasping Shadows
These fallen souls attack in packs, desperately seeking to drag the living into the darkness with them. They cling to their targets, slowly sapping them of their strength and will to live, until their helpless, immobilized prey is consumed by the ravenous hunger of the void.
Grasping Shadow
Medium undead, neutral evil
- Armor Class 14
- Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) 8 (-1) 4 (-3)
- Saving Throws DEX +5, CON +3
- Skills Stealth +4
- Damage Vulnerabilities Fire, Radiant
- Damage Resistances Acid, Cold, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
- Damage Immunities Necrotic, Poison
- Condition Immunities Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Unconscious
- Senses Darkvision 60, Passive Perception 10
- Languages --
- Challenge 1/2 (100XP)
One With the Dark. While in dim light or darkness, the grasping shadow can take the Hide action as a bonus action. While the grasping shadow remains motionless in dim light or darkness, it is indistinguishable from ordinary shadows.
Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. The shadow also cannot cling to an enemy, and detaches from any enemy it is clinging to at the start of its turn.
Swarming Shadow. The grasping shadow has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the shadow's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. The shadow otherwise has disadvantage on attack rolls.
Ravenous Void. Any creature with a grasping shadow clinging to it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw at the start of its turn, or have its Strength score reduced by 1d4-1 (minimum 1). The target dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest.
If the creature has more than one grasping shadow clinging to it, this effect only occurs once, but the creature makes its saving throw with disadvantage.
Actions
Cling. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) necrotic damage, and the grasping shadow clings to the target. While the shadow clings to the target, the target's speed is reduced by half, and at the start of each of the shadow's turns, the target takes 3 (1d4 + 1) necrotic damage.
While clinging to the target, the shadow cannot attack, and the shadow moves with the target whenever the target moves, requiring none of the shadow's movement. The shadow can detach itself by spending 5 feet of its movement on its turn. A creature, including the target, can detach the shadow either by using its action or by hitting the shadow with an attack.