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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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There is a Legacy version here.

Dragon, Cinder

Source Monster Core 2 pg. 118
Among the largest and fiercest dragons, cinder dragons are typically volatile, demanding respect—even deference—from lesser creatures. Cinder dragons' appearance evokes their flame, often in scales with mixed patterns of red, orange, and yellow. Many cinder dragons dwell in active volcanoes and similarly fiery locales. Cinder dragons prefer treasures that can withstand the heat of their bodies and lairs, with gemstones, gold, and silver common among their hoards.

Members

Adult Red Dragon (Creature 14), Ancient Red Dragon (Creature 19), Cinder Archdragon (Creature 22), Young Red Dragon (Creature 10)

No Icon Alternate Abilities

Some cinder dragons burn more or less fiercely, giving them different abilities than most of their kind. You can adjust a cinder dragon of any age by substituting Draconic Frenzy, Frightful Presence, or Stoke the Flames for any one of the following abilities.

Cloud of Ashes [one-action] (primal) The dragon blows a cloud of ashes and smoke out through their scales, surrounding themself in a 15-foot emanation that lasts until the end of their next turn. All creatures within the cloud become concealed to both sight and scent, and all creatures outside the cloud are concealed to creatures within it. Any creature that enters the area or begins its turn in the area must attempt a Fortitude save with a DC equal to the dragon’s Pyre Breath.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature begins coughing and until the start of its next turn it must succeed at a DC 5 flat check if it attempts any action that requires it to speak, or it loses the action.
Critical Failure As failure, plus it must immediately spend its next action coughing. Inextinguishable Aura (aura, fire, misfortune, primal) 90 feet. Flames burn underwater in this aura and cannot be doused by non-magical water. When a creature within this aura attempts a flat check to end persistent fire damage, it must roll twice and take the worse result.

Inflame Emotions [two-actions] (aura, fire, mental, primal) The dragon sends out a wave of heat that inflames emotions with 90 feet. Creatures within it must attempt a Will save with a DC equal to the dragon’s Frightful Presence DC. Regardless of the results, they are then immune to Inflame Emotions for 1 minute.
Critical Success The creature can spend a reaction to make a melee Strike against a target of its choice.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature immediately makes a melee Strike against a target of the dragon’s choice. The creature cannot use reactions until the start of its next turn.

Dragon

Related Groups Dragon, Adamantine, Dragon, Barrage, Dragon, Bog, Dragon, Brine, Dragon, Cloud, Dragon, Conspirator, Dragon, Coral, Dragon, Crystal, Dragon, Delight, Dragon, Despair, Dragon, Diabolic, Dragon, Empyreal, Dragon, Executor, Dragon, Forest, Dragon, Fortune, Dragon, Horned, Dragon, Magma, Dragon, Mirage, Dragon, Mocking, Dragon, Oath, Dragon, Omen, Dragon, Phase, Dragon, Requiem, Dragon, Resurrection, Dragon, Rime, Dragon, Rune, Dragon, Sage, Dragon, Sea, Dragon, Sky, Dragon, Sovereign, Dragon, Stormcrown, Dragon, Time, Dragon, Umbral, Dragon, Underworld, Dragon, Vizier, Dragon, Vorpal, Dragon, Wailing, Dragon, Whisper, Dragon, Wish, Dragonet, Wyrmwraith
Dragons come in myriad forms, with many having magical abilities or connections to magic. Some dragons draw greater power from magic than others, allowing them to manifest abilities or alter their physiques with prolonged exposure to magic. These dragons become more powerful as they age and strengthen their connections with their magical origins. Scholars debate the classification of these dragons, with some preferring the name magical dragons and others using traditional dragons due to their connection to specific magical traditions. Regardless of their names, these dragons share a number of characteristics: their ability to tap into magical energies, intensified might and cunning as they grow older, and an inclination to hoard vast amounts of treasure and wealth.

Draconic Spellcasters

Each dragon features a sidebar on spellcasting dragons of that type. To make a dragon spellcaster, remove the dragon's Draconic Frenzy and Draconic Momentum abilities, and give them the spells outlined in their sidebar. You can swap out any number of these with other spells, provided you keep the same number of spells for each rank. You might also want to increase the dragon's Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier by 1 or 2 to reflect their mastery of magic.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Draconic Groupings

The broader grouping of dragons is generally sorted into more granular categories, the first of which is based on the four magical traditions. Each dragon falls into one of these large categories, and dragons in a given category share a number of common traits.

Arcane Dragons: These dragons seem to have greater control over magic and their innate abilities. Many arcane dragons have mastery over a certain subset of magic, such as illusions or teleportation. Other arcane dragons have the ability to tap into or manipulate raw magical energies, regardless of their origins. Their bodies tend to be more slender than other dragons due to their reliance on magic for hunting. Their scales generally come in perfect patterns or very organized shapes.

Divine Dragons: While the name might suggest dragons directly related to deific entities, divine dragons instead derive their power from planes other than the mortal Universe. Similar to how a god grants power to a cleric, these dragons receive magical abilities and other influences from another plane. As such, divine dragons are among the most varied of dragons. These dragons generally take on an appearance similar to other native creatures of their influential planes, making it difficult for them to hide their planar connections.

Occult Dragons: At times alien and off-putting and other times alluring and mysterious, occult dragons derive their powers from the inexplicable and unknown. These dragons use magic that seems to exist within the crevices and shadows between other forms of magic. Whether it's due to this strange magical influence or something else, occult dragons are most likely to directly interact with other creatures. While generally sporting similar builds to other dragons, occult dragons make greater use of their wings as supplementary appendages, leaving their forward limbs free to use for other things. Their scales and plating generally feature strange shapes and patterns that are rarely seen in the natural world.

Primal Dragons: While all dragons are fierce and terrifying in their own way, primal dragons seem to embody the most bestial traits among dragons. These dragons derive their power from the magic of the natural world. While primal dragons aren't directly bound to serve nature, many of them choose to act as keepers of their habitats. Primal dragons are generally larger than other dragons and fall back on their instincts more often, making them particularly dangerous when threatened. Their scales typically have less elaborate shapes than other dragons, or will sometimes resemble natural terrain. Some dragons even grow natural features like small plants on their bodies.

Draconic Families: In addition to these classifications, dragons are sometimes grouped into families. These include the enigmatic esoteric dragons, the regal imperial dragons, the space-faring outer dragons, and the mighty skymetal dragons. Draconic families are sometimes made up of dragons with obvious physiological similarities, while other families seem to be made up of dragons of similar color, habitat, behavior, or other traits that make for vague connections. Often, families include dragons of varied magical traditions. As such, the members of a given family are sometimes the subject of debate and scholarly arguments.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Shape-Changing Dragons

Though it's uncommon, some dragons can take humanoid forms. They gain the following ability:

Change Shape [one-action] (concentrate, polymorph); The dragon takes on the appearance of any Small or Medium humanoid. This doesn't change their Speed or attack and damage bonuses with their Strikes but might change the damage type their Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning).