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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Dragon, Mirage

Source Monster Core pg. 121 1.1
Mirage dragons are masters of illusion magic and use their powers to deceive others and further their own agendas. In addition to their magical prowess, mirage dragons possess a number of additional features to help them on hunts or mislead attackers, such as their camouflaging scales and a hallucinatory breath that can confound multiple foes at once. Mirage dragons are vain and egotistical figures. They ultimately care more about themselves than others.

Members

Adult Mirage Dragon (Creature 13), Ancient Mirage Dragon (Creature 18), Mirage Archdragon (Creature 22), Young Mirage Dragon (Creature 9)

No Icon Alternate Abilities

While some mirage dragons tend toward melee combat, others rely more on their magic to confound enemies. To create a variant mirage dragon, replace Lunging Bite with one of the following.

Afterimage [free-action] (arcane, illusion, spellshape) Frequency once per hour; Requirements The mirage dragon’s next action is to cast invisibility; Effect As the dragon turns invisible, they leave an illusory duplicate of themself in their original position that lasts for 1 minute. A creature that determines the duplicate is an illusion doesn’t necessarily know the mirage dragon is invisible, and one that can see their invisible form doesn’t necessarily know the duplicate is an illusion. When the mirage dragon Strides or Flies, they can Sustain the illusion as a free action to have it Stride or Fly up to 60 feet, speak through the illusion, or make a claw Strike using the dragon’s spell attack modifier for the attack roll. This Strike deals the same amount and type of damage as an illusory creature spell heightened to the dragon’s highest spell rank. The mirage dragon can Dismiss the illusion.

Phantasmal Terror [two-actions] (concentrate, emotion, fear, illusion, mental, visual) The dragon either temporarily appears to be in multiple places at once or grows to Gargantuan size to frighten their foes. Each enemy within a 120-foot emanation who can see the mirage dragon must attempt a Will save (with a DC equal to the dragon’s Captivating Display).
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target is frightened 1.
Failure The target is frightened 2 and can’t use reactions until the start of the dragon’s next turn.
Critical Failure As failure, but frightened 3.

Reshape Terrain [two-actions] (arcane, concentrate, illusion) The mirage dragon blends illusion and reality in a 25-foot emanation. A creature that enters the area must succeed at a Will save (the same DC as the dragon’s Captivating Display) or treat the area as difficult terrain. Creatures who attempt a save against this effect use the same outcome if they leave and reenter the area.

On its turn, the archdragon can Sustain this effect to move the illusions up to 35 feet each, or to swap spots with any illusion that is within 30 feet of itself. Any duplicate that is more than 60 feet away from the archdragon disappears.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Dijansi

The village of New Lipror in southern Jalmeray is home to a secret: it doesn't exist. The mirage dragon Dijansi initially created the illusory village as a form of entertainment. Eventually, the village drew curious travelers, whom Dijansi convinced to maintain the village's secret and to give her their treasures and adoration. Dijansi now uses the village to draw more patrons to satisfy her desire for riches and attention.

Sidebar - Locations Mirage Dragon Lairs

A mirage dragon's lair is filled with the typical treasures one would expect from a dragon. Unlike the hoards of other dragons, a mirage dragon takes care to polish every coin, gem, and precious metal to a mirror shine. These reflective items are placed methodically throughout the lair, allowing the dragon to see themself from all angles at any time. In addition to the typical riches, mirage dragons also keep mirrors in their hoards to better scratch their narcissistic itches. Mirage dragons tend to keep lairs in natural environments, which are better suited for their camouflage. These lairs are generally near lakes and other large bodies of water that serve as an additional natural mirror for the dragon.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Mirage Dragon Spellcasters

Mirage dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Mirage Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 27, attack +20; 4th confusion, vision of death; 3rd disguise magic, enthrall, hypnotize; 2nd embed message, revealing light, see the unseen; 1st item facade, phantasmal minion, ventriloquism; Cantrips (4th) daze, detect magic, light, prestidigitation, read aura

Adult Mirage Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 35, attack +27; As young mirage dragon, plus 6th mislead, phantasmal calamity; 5th false vision, sending, telekinetic haul; 4th vapor form; Cantrips (6th) daze, detect magic, light, prestidigitation, read aura

Ancient Mirage Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 43, attack +35; As adult mirage dragon, plus 8th disappearance, hallucination, hidden mind; 7th contingency, mask of terror, project image; 6th truesight; Cantrips (8th) daze, detect magic, light, prestidigitation, read aura

Mirage Archdragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 45, attack +37; As ancient mirage dragon plus 10th manifestation; 9th phantasmagoria, resplendent mansion; Cantrips (10th) daze, detect magic, light, prestidigitation, read aura

Dragon

Related Groups Dragon, Adamantine, Dragon, Barrage, Dragon, Bog, Dragon, Brine, Dragon, Cinder, 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, 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).