Mithral Dragons
Mithral dragons are the most powerful of the metallic dragons (though golds are loath to acknowledge the mithrals' superiority). They have an uncanny ability to sense the future, and often experience visions of events that are to come; often these visions come as a result of their studying and pondering, as they usually offer their services to deities, religious causes, or other great endeavours.
As natives of the Astral Sea, mithral dragons are rarely seen on the Material Plane, unless something specific has driven them there. This always has something to do with the cause to which the dragon has devoted itself, and it usually disappears as soon as its purpose is finished. Ancient mithral dragons are said to guard religious sites of primeval origin on the material plane. No one knows the contents of these sites, and no one has had the courage to find out.
Most often, a mithral dragon will devote itself to Bahamut and offer its services to him, but other more unorthodox (they prefer the term "enlightened") dragons will devote themselves to Io, the god from which Bahamut and Tiamat were created. These dragons can be more unpredictable, and their alignments can shift toward neutral or even evil.
Because of their extraplanar origin, mithral dragons are immortal. They age as a normal dragon, but they cannot die of old age and they never reach the Twilight stage of a normal dragon's development. As a result, mithrals can be encountered that are tens of thousands of years old.
Mithral dragons only speak when they believe what they have to say is of vast importance. Even when they do speak, they don't think that tiny mortal minds can comprehend the vastness of their calling or the importance of their mission (no matter what their mission happens to be), so their speech tends to be condescending, though not in an overtly insulting way.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can't use the same effect two rounds in a row.
* The dragon can choose up to 6 creatures that it can see that are within 30 feet of it. Those creatures must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by beams of radiance and take (5) 1d10 radiant damage.
* The dragon glimpses the future, so it has advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until initiative count 20 on the next round.
* The dragon's scales reflect an intense otherworldly light in a 20-foot radius around it. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary iron dragon's lair is warped by the dragon's magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.
* The area for 6 miles around the dragon's lair turns into a lush paradise, even if it lives in a place where plants don't normally grow.
* Within 1 mile of the lair, beasts with 4 Intelligence or less and that are not hostile to the dragon become the dragon's zealous guards and spies. They alert the dragon to threats, and defend the dragon with their lives.
* Whenever a creature with at least 5 Intelligence finishes a long rest within 1 mile of the lair, it must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, it involuntarily glimpses the future in the form of a short vision.
When the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days. Plants remain where they have grown, unless they don't normally grow in that terrain.
Physical Characteristics
A mithral dragon's scales are snow white when it first hatches, and darken to silver as it ages; older dragons retain some snowy color in the form of intricate white striations that follow their musculature. Their scales glow faintly.
The long spikes on a mithral dragon's head appear to form a sort of crown, and smaller spines work their way down its neck, across its back, and all the way down its tail. These spikes stand on end whenever the dragon is excited, and especially when it is angered.
Mithral dragons are extremely muscular, and their scales follow the lines of their musculature, which makes the muscles pop even further.
An older mithral dragon's wings sometimes appear to be made of raw radiant energy rather than flesh.
Tactics
Mithral dragons only fight when and where they want to. If a dragon doesn't isn't looking for a fight and is attacked, it will attempt to halt its attackers with its Time Stop Breath and flee. That is, unless its attackers are directly trying to oppose the dragon's goals or its cause, in which case the dragon counterattacks fiercely and without mercy. However, even in these situations, the dragon will only attack if it is advantageous for it to do so.
If the dragon does fight, it will choose an area with lots of obstructions and difficult terrain, so that it can most effectively utilize its teleportation ability. It uses its foresight to determine the most powerful foes and target them first, using its Time Stop Breath or teleportation to get into advantageous positions. A mithral dragon then prefers to spread its attacks across all of its foes, rather than focus down a single one, (especially if the dragon has the Dimension Strike dragon feat.)
Terrain and Lairs
Mithral dragons prefer their home plane, living in the domains of deities. While in these places, they maintain their loyalty to any deities they serve, no matter whose domain they happen to live in. If an "enlightened" mithral dragon can do so, it will try to find places that retain a remnant of Io's influence so that it can attune to the dead god's will and exact it. Mithral dragons will lie in wait for centuries or millenia waiting to hear the call of a deity or cause to which they are willing to pledge themselves; when the call comes, the dragon responds with exactness and determination. Trying to talk a mithral dragon out of its cause is like trying to teach a manticore table manners. But the manticore won't burn you to a crisp with its breath weapon.
On the Material Plane, mithral dragons don't favor any particular terrain. That said, if a mithral dragon does make a lair on the Material Plane, it will try to find a place where it can attune to the will of deity, which usually happens best in abandoned temples or other important religious areas. If one of these areas cannot be found, the dragon may settle for a mine where it can attempt to read gemstone deposits, and there glean glimpses of future events.
Mithral dragons are the most powerful of the metallic dragons (though golds are loath to acknowledge the mithrals' superiority). They have an uncanny ability to sense the future, and often experience visions of events that are to come; often these visions come as a result of their studying and pondering, as they usually offer their services to deities, religious causes, or other great endeavours.
As natives of the Astral Sea, mithral dragons are rarely seen on the Material Plane, unless something specific has driven them there. This always has something to do with the cause to which the dragon has devoted itself, and it usually disappears as soon as its purpose is finished. Ancient mithral dragons are said to guard religious sites of primeval origin on the material plane. No one knows the contents of these sites, and no one has had the courage to find out.
Most often, a mithral dragon will devote itself to Bahamut and offer its services to him, but other more unorthodox (they prefer the term "enlightened") dragons will devote themselves to Io, the god from which Bahamut and Tiamat were created. These dragons can be more unpredictable, and their alignments can shift toward neutral or even evil.
Because of their extraplanar origin, mithral dragons are immortal. They age as a normal dragon, but they cannot die of old age and they never reach the Twilight stage of a normal dragon's development. As a result, mithrals can be encountered that are tens of thousands of years old.
Mithral dragons only speak when they believe what they have to say is of vast importance. Even when they do speak, they don't think that tiny mortal minds can comprehend the vastness of their calling or the importance of their mission (no matter what their mission happens to be), so their speech tends to be condescending, though not in an overtly insulting way.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can't use the same effect two rounds in a row.
* The dragon can choose up to 6 creatures that it can see that are within 30 feet of it. Those creatures must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by beams of radiance and take (5) 1d10 radiant damage.
* The dragon glimpses the future, so it has advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws until initiative count 20 on the next round.
* The dragon's scales reflect an intense otherworldly light in a 20-foot radius around it. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary iron dragon's lair is warped by the dragon's magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.
* The area for 6 miles around the dragon's lair turns into a lush paradise, even if it lives in a place where plants don't normally grow.
* Within 1 mile of the lair, beasts with 4 Intelligence or less and that are not hostile to the dragon become the dragon's zealous guards and spies. They alert the dragon to threats, and defend the dragon with their lives.
* Whenever a creature with at least 5 Intelligence finishes a long rest within 1 mile of the lair, it must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, it involuntarily glimpses the future in the form of a short vision.
When the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days. Plants remain where they have grown, unless they don't normally grow in that terrain.
Physical Characteristics
A mithral dragon's scales are snow white when it first hatches, and darken to silver as it ages; older dragons retain some snowy color in the form of intricate white striations that follow their musculature. Their scales glow faintly.
The long spikes on a mithral dragon's head appear to form a sort of crown, and smaller spines work their way down its neck, across its back, and all the way down its tail. These spikes stand on end whenever the dragon is excited, and especially when it is angered.
Mithral dragons are extremely muscular, and their scales follow the lines of their musculature, which makes the muscles pop even further.
An older mithral dragon's wings sometimes appear to be made of raw radiant energy rather than flesh.
Tactics
Mithral dragons only fight when and where they want to. If a dragon doesn't isn't looking for a fight and is attacked, it will attempt to halt its attackers with its Time Stop Breath and flee. That is, unless its attackers are directly trying to oppose the dragon's goals or its cause, in which case the dragon counterattacks fiercely and without mercy. However, even in these situations, the dragon will only attack if it is advantageous for it to do so.
If the dragon does fight, it will choose an area with lots of obstructions and difficult terrain, so that it can most effectively utilize its teleportation ability. It uses its foresight to determine the most powerful foes and target them first, using its Time Stop Breath or teleportation to get into advantageous positions. A mithral dragon then prefers to spread its attacks across all of its foes, rather than focus down a single one, (especially if the dragon has the Dimension Strike dragon feat.)
Terrain and Lairs
Mithral dragons prefer their home plane, living in the domains of deities. While in these places, they maintain their loyalty to any deities they serve, no matter whose domain they happen to live in. If an "enlightened" mithral dragon can do so, it will try to find places that retain a remnant of Io's influence so that it can attune to the dead god's will and exact it. Mithral dragons will lie in wait for centuries or millenia waiting to hear the call of a deity or cause to which they are willing to pledge themselves; when the call comes, the dragon responds with exactness and determination. Trying to talk a mithral dragon out of its cause is like trying to teach a manticore table manners. But the manticore won't burn you to a crisp with its breath weapon.
On the Material Plane, mithral dragons don't favor any particular terrain. That said, if a mithral dragon does make a lair on the Material Plane, it will try to find a place where it can attune to the will of deity, which usually happens best in abandoned temples or other important religious areas. If one of these areas cannot be found, the dragon may settle for a mine where it can attempt to read gemstone deposits, and there glean glimpses of future events.
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