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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Dragon, Despair

Source Monster Core 2 pg. 122
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions, and despair dragons are masters of channeling those feelings of terror and hopelessness for their own benefit. As with other occult dragons, despair dragons are driven by an innate compulsion, in their case, the desire to strike terror in others. Despair dragons tend to settle near settlements, so they have a source of fear to draw from. The most common items in despair dragon hoards are scrolls, tomes, and relics that serve as research material. Through these, despair dragons learn of local folklore, urban legends, and more to better haunt their targets.

Members

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

No Icon Alternate Abilities

Despair dragons can develop different ways of using fear to their advantage. You can apply the following adjustments to a despair dragon of any age.

Despair dragons who specialize in whipping a populace into hysteria using urban legends and regional fears can shape this terror into a semi-physical form. To make a dragon with this ability, replace Unbidden Thoughts with the following.

Manifest Fear [two-actions] (auditory, concentrate, illusion, manipulate, mental, olfactory, visual) The despair dragon creates an illusory image of a creature referenced in local superstition. This functions as illusory creature, heightened to a rank equal to half the dragon’s level. The damage die of the illusory creature’s Strikes increases to d6s against creatures with the frightened condition. Some despair dragons can implant false memories in the minds of others. To make a dragon with this ability, replace Draconic Momentum with the following.

Cursed Memories (aura, mental, misfortune, occult) 90 feet. Creatures near a despair dragon can't trust their own minds. When any creature in the aura attempts a skill check to Recall Knowledge, they must roll twice and take the lower result.

The best place to sow fear is from the shadows. To make a dragon with this ability, replace Draconic Frenzy with the following.

Lights Out [two-actions] (darkness, occult) The despair dragon belches an impenetrable darkness that encompasses a 30-foot emanation. Light does not enter the area and any non-magical light sources, such as a torch or lantern, do not emanate any light while inside the area, even if their light radius would extend beyond the darkness. This also suppresses magical light of a spell rank equal to half the dragon's level or lower. Light can't pass through, so all creatures in the area except for the dragon can't see outside.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Despair Dragon Spellcasting

Despair dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Despair Dragon

Occult Prepared Spells DC 28, attack +20; 4th darkness, nightmare; 3rd mind reading, noise blast, slow; 2nd paranoia, stupefy, ventriloquism; 1st command, ill omen, sleep; Cantrips (4th) detect scrying; Cantrips (6th) detect magic, figment, haunting hymn, message, telekinetic projectile

Adult Despair Dragon

Occult Prepared Spells DC 33, attack +25; As young despair dragon, plus 6th mislead, phantasmal calamity; 5th strange geometry, synaptic pulse, wave of despair; 4th detect scrying; Cantrips (6th) detect magic, figment, haunting hymn, message, telekinetic projectile

Ancient Despair Dragon

Occult Prepared Spells DC 40, attack +32; As adult despair dragon, plus 8th canticle of everlasting grief, hidden mind, pinpoint; 7th mask of terror, visions of danger, wave of despair; 6th scrying; Cantrips (8th) detect magic, figment, haunting hymn, message, telekinetic projectileo

Despair Archdragon

Occult Prepared Spells DC 45, attack +37; As ancient despair dragon plus 10th fabricated truth; 9th overwhelming presence, phantasmagoria, wails of the damned; Cantrips (10th) detect magic, figment, haunting hymn, message, telekinetic projectile

Sidebar - Related Creatures Thyndred

Not many bother to ask the name of the unassuming elven librarian in the archives of Pangolais, but only a precious few know her true identity. When she descends into the dampness of her underground lair, she resumes the form of the despair dragon Thyndred. She is careful to avoid notice while above the surface, but she has found that a well-placed scroll—or perhaps a timely nightmare—can have quite the influence on the alreadydraconian workings of the Umbral Court. This gradual escalation of distress among members is particularly nourishing for Thyndred.

Dragon

Related Groups Dragon, Adamantine, Dragon, Barrage, Dragon, Bog, Dragon, Brine, Dragon, Cinder, Dragon, Cloud, Dragon, Conspirator, Dragon, Coral, Dragon, Crystal, Dragon, Delight, 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 - Additional Lore Dragon Gods

The legends say that within the chaos at the birth of the existence were born two dragons, Apsu and Sarshallatu. Together, they had seven children. Each of these children represents and holds dominion over a different fundamental truth. Yluma, Turvu, Garhaazh, and Brixori each have a connection to arcane, divine, primal, and occult magic respectively. Gaasham is a dragon of creation, while Dahak is a dragon of destruction, though some have come to associate benevolence and wickedness respectively with these dragons. Finally, Otilaz is connected to death, the inevitable fate of most creatures, draconic or otherwise. More information on these gods is found in Pathfinder Lost Omens Draconic Codex.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Great Dragons

While other draconic creatures like drakes and linnorms exist, the magical connection of the dragons in these pages has earned them a distinct place among draconic classifications. While terms like high dragons, magical dragons, primordial dragons, source dragons, traditional dragons, and others have been used by scholars throughout time to classify these dragons, the most common term is great dragons. Most commoners are aware of the term great dragon, but less are aware of specific nuances between great dragons and their draconic cousins. As such, the term great dragon can often get thrown around whenever a somewhat draconic creature larger than a human makes an appearance.

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).