A Decadent End

"Best to keep your wits about you when nearing the Krags of Elridon. The dwarves there have been fighting these drakes for decades now - they're unsure of where they came from. But they've given them a name, after their late king: Midas Drakes." -High Curator Nevanon Allujant

Drake of Wealth. The origins of these drakes are unknown to most and many theorized how they came to be, but one thing is certain: they are not natural. Theorized to have been created for the natural wealth they create when felling a creature, a midas drake then becomes quite a boon; as its bite has the ability to turn any creature unfortunate enough into a statue of solid gold.

Bane of the Mountain. While midas drakes reside in mountainous areas, it is because of this that Dwarves have such a sour relationship with them. If the midas drake was smart enough to communicate, things might be different, but because it consumes the ore indiscriminately and kills anything on sight, it is at constant war with Dwarven societies. Most dwarven homes usually have a running bounty pool on one -- or many! -- midas drakes in their mines. It is believed their attraction to ore is deeply rooted in their physiology, but they covet gold most of all. It is why many adventurers are warned to carry less coin near the kraggy mountains of Elridon, less they be ambushed by a drake having caught the scent a mile away.

Echos of Power. While not a true dragon in the sense that it is born naturally, the midas drake is a terrifyingly ferocious draconic being for its size. Ranging anywhere from 7-8' at the shoulder in height, these creatures easily tower over most humanoids. The length of these creatures usually extends to about 14-15' as well. The echos of dragons linger in its blood, giving it exceptional resistance to heat, as it has been known to bathe in pools of lava, or molten gold. It's blackened hide has been known to be so resilient, that most cuts don't hit muscle or flesh unless they score a wound greater than a few inches deep. And those that have fought it in combat have noted it to be a creature that ambushes its prey to guarantee the kill - and if it cannot, then it will spew molten gold over its quarry to lock it in place and kill it with ease.

Flocks of Gold. While traditional dragons hate this distant abominable cousin, midas drakes keep to themselves. While they may not reside in packs, they do converge amongst one another once a year to mate. The females of which lay oblong eggs with shells made of pure gold in clutches. It is during this season that midas drakes converge and socialize in their own way. While it is a mystery how long these drakes live, perhaps the clutches tell of their life spans. One such documentation of an event told scholars that should a midas drake live long enough, its size and stature become more draconic with age as the elders were seen to be much larger and stronger than normal midas drakes.

Midas Drake

Large Dragon, Unaligned

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• Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 168 (16d10 + 80)
• Speed 40 ft., climb 40ft., burrow 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	14 (+2)	20 (+5)	2 (-4)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)

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• Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +9, Int +0, Cha +3
• Skills Stealth +6, Perception +6
• Damage Immunities fire, poison
• Condition Immunities poisoned, petrified
• Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 60ft., passive Perception 16
• Languages -
• Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

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Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the midas drake has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it surprised.

Pounce. If the midas drake moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the midas drake can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

Tunneler. The midas drake can burrow through solid rock at half its burrow speed and leaves a 10-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake.

Actions

Multiattack. The midas drake makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) Piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) Fire damage. If the target is a creature is must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature magically begins to turn to gold and is restrained. It must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends. On a failure, the creature is petrified until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) Slashing Damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) Bludgeoning Damage.

Molten Gold Breath (Recharge 5–6). The midas drake exhales a 30-foot cone of molten gold. Each creature in the cone must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On a failed save, a creature is also restrained by the hardening gold. A creature can make a DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check as an action, freeing itself or a creature within reach from the gold on a success. The gold has AC 17 and 30 hit points, and it is immune to fire, poison, and psychic damage. A creature killed by this damage is petrified as a golden statue until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Midas Drake, Elder

Huge Dragon, Unaligned

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• Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 212 (17d12 + 102)
• Speed 40 ft., climb 40ft., burrow 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
25 (+7)	16 (+3)	23 (+6)	8 (-1)	19 (+4)	14 (+2)

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• Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +11, Int +4, Cha +7
• Skills Stealth +8, Perception +9
• Damage Immunities fire, poison
• Condition Immunities poisoned, petrified
• Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 120 ft., passive Perception 19
• Languages Commonly Dwarvish and one other language.
• Challenge 15 (13,000 XP)

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Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the midas drake has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it surprised.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the midas drake fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Pounce. If the midas drake moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the midas drake can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

Tunneler. The midas drake can burrow through solid rock at half its burrow speed and leaves a 15-foot-diameter tunnel in its wake.

Actions

Multiattack. The midas drake can use its Paralyzing Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d10 + 7) Piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) Fire damage. If the target is a creature is must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature magically begins to turn to gold and is restrained. It must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends. On a failure, the creature is petrified until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) Slashing Damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) Bludgeoning Damage.

Paralyzing Presence. Each creature of the drake's choice that is within 120 feet of the drake and aware of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become paralyzed for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the drake's Paralyzing Presence for the next 24 hours.

Molten Gold Breath (Recharge 5–6). The midas drake exhales a 60-foot cone of molten gold. Each creature in the cone must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 54 (12d8) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On a failed save, a creature is also restrained by the hardening gold. A creature can make a DC 19 Strength (Athletics) check as an action, freeing itself or a creature within reach from the gold on a success. The gold has AC 18 and 30 hit points, and it is immune to fire, poison, and psychic damage. A creature killed by this damage is petrified as a golden statue until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Legendary Actions

The Elder Midas Drake can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Elder Midas Drake regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Detect. The drake makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.

Tail Attack. The drake makes a tail attack.

Flailing Burrow (Costs 2 Actions). The drake burrows into the ground in a violent circling motion, whipping its tail and battering anything surrounding it. Each creature within 15 feet of the drake must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or take 21 (4d6 + 7) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The drake can then move up to its burrow speed.

Midas's Lair

The midas drakes lair is usually deep underground in caverns rife with ore and molten rock, they may take abandoned dwarven holds for their own if they're mines are still rich with gold and other precious metals. They're also known for setting up in places that red dragons would also likely make their home in. It isn't uncommon for red dragons to battle these drakes for the right of a lair, but usually the dragon wins these bouts. While the drake does not force creatures into servitude, there is an abundance of fire and earth elementals that seem to linger near the lair of a midas drake.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the elder drake takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:

• The elder drake lets loose an earth-shattering roar audible out to 300 feet. Any creature within 30 feet of the elder drake must succeed a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 18 (4d8) thunder damage and become deafened. A creature takes half as much damage and isn't deafened on a success. A creature is deafened until initiative count 20.

• A tremor shakes the lair in a 60-foot radius around the drake. Each creature other than the drake on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.

• Volcanic gases form a cloud in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the drake can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is incapacitated.

Regional Effects

The region containing a legendary midas drake's lair is warped by the drake's innate magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:

• A large population of earth and fire elementals populate the region within 1 mile of the drake's lair.

• Golden statues of various different creatures sit all around within 1 mile of the drake's lair.

• Ore deposits within 6 miles of the drake's lair are richer in resources. Crystals also grow in large clusters out of the rock.

If the drake dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days. The existing abundance of crystals remains, but new crystals form at a normal rate.