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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Dragon, Phase

Source Monster Core 2 pg. 124
No place can contain a phase dragon or even hold their interest for long; their innate arcane connection ties them to teleportation and repositioning magic. Explorers and scholars, phase dragons move about at will, discovering new locales and the arcane secrets of teleportation. They frequently establish multiple lairs in far-flung places they repeatedly visit. Beyond the typical wealth found in lairs, phase dragons tend to keep items of sentimental value from their travels, such as a particularly rare flower from the region or a piece by a local artist.

Members

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

No Icon Alternate Abilities

Some phase dragons’ mastery of teleportation manifests in different ways. You can apply the following adjustments to a phase dragon of any age.

Some phase dragons can appear to be in two places at once. To make a dragon with such an ability, remove flicker from their innate spells and replace Shoo! with either of the following.

Afterimage Jumps [one-action] (illusion, visual) Frequency once per 10 minutes; Effect The phase dragon teleports in a quick series of jumps around their own location, creating three illusory images of themself that are hard to distinguish from the real thing. Any foe targeting the phase dragon with an attack must first succeed at a DC 15 flat check. On a failure, the phase dragon isn’t affected and one of the illusory duplicates is shattered; the DC of the next flat check for Afterimage Jumps is reduced by 5. Any remaining images disappear at the start of the dragon’s next turn.

Second Glance [one-action] (illusion, spellshape, visual) If the phase dragon’s next action is to use an ability or spell with the teleportation trait, they become invisible when they arrive at their destination and leave an illusory duplicate at their initial location. The invisibility ends and the illusory duplicate disappears if the dragon takes a hostile action; if a creature interacts with the false image, including attempting to Strike it; or at the start of the dragon’s next turn, whichever comes first.

Rarely, a phase dragon can tune their forms to be slightly out of phase with reality. To make a dragon with such an ability, remove flicker from their innate spells and replace Portal Strike with the following.

Dematerialize [one-action] (concentrate, polymorph) Frequency once per hour; Effect The phase dragon becomes incorporeal, gaining the incorporeal trait, resistance to all damage (except force, ghost touch, and spirit) equal to half their level (double the resistance against non-magical damage), and immunity to precision damage. If the dragon attempts a Strike against a creature with any circumstance bonuses to AC (such as from a shield or cover), reduce that bonus by 2. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until the phase dragon Dismisses it.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Phase Dragon Spellcasters

Phase dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Phase Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 28, attack +20; 4th liminal doorway, unfettered movement; 3rd clairaudience, haste, safe passage; 2nd blur, dispel magic, humanoid form; 1st ant haul, force barrage, tailwind; Cantrips (4th) detect magic, figment, message, read aura, telekinetic projectile

Adult Phase Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 33, attack +25; As young phase dragon, plus 6th scrying, wall of force; 5th banishment, dispel magic, sending; 4th mirage; Cantrips (6th) detect magic, figment, message, read aura, telekinetic projectile

Ancient Phase Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 40, attack +32; As adult phase dragon, plus 8th dispel magic, pinpoint, teleport; 7th contingency, energy aegis, retrocognition; 6th disintegrate; Cantrips (8th) detect magic, figment, message, read aura, telekinetic projectileo

Phase Archdragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 45, attack +37; As ancient phase dragon plus 10th freeze time, gate; 9th detonate magic, implosion, metamorphosis; Cantrips (10th) detect magic, figment, message, read aura, telekinetic projectile

Sidebar - Related Creatures Zehanlian

Early in her life in Kyonin, the young phase dragon Zehanlian became captivated by aiudaras. Now that they’re her primary interest, she relentlessly delves into the secrets of these elf gates. A cadre of assembled adventurers and staff aid her, establishing safe camps at each new destination an elf gate leads them to while she and a band of mostly elven scholars focus on her studies. Zehanlian’s travels recently brought her to the planet Castrovel, where she established a lair with easy access to the magical transit hub Telasia.

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, Mirage, Dragon, Mocking, Dragon, Oath, Dragon, Omen, 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).