Topaz Dragons

Topaz dragons tend to be unfriendly and selfish. Though they are not malevolent, their erratic behavior makes any dealings with them unpleasant and dangerous.

Basic Information

Anatomy

A topaz dragon has scales that form smooth, flat curves, gently encircling its body and wings, glisten in the light unnaturally. They have fin-like protrusions that stick from the top of their heads and jut towards their spines, which helps make the topaz dragon more water-dynamic, and lance-like spikes that protrude from the sides of their tails. Their scales are some of the thinnest among dragon kind, allowing them to be more flexible at the cost of their protective hide, though their physical training and dominance allows them to mostly compensate for this loss.

Growth Rate & Stages

A topaz wyrmling’s scales are a murky, almost milky auburn or dull yellow with orange highlights. As it ages, its color slowly brightens until its individual scales become scarcely visible. From a distance, the creature looks as if it had been sculpted from pure topaz. A topaz dragon’s pupils fade as it ages, so by the time it becomes a great wyrm, its eyes resemble glowing orbs of fire.
They are considered wyrmlings for the first five years, very young until age 15, reach the juvenile stage at 25 years, and become sexually mature at 50 years, being considered fully adult at 100. They are considered mature at 200, old at 400, very old at 600, and ancient at 800 years. Beyond 1,000 they are considered wyrms, and great wyrms after 1,200 years.

Ecology and Habitats

Topaz dragons lair on secluded beaches or caves below the waterline.
A topaz dragon, for all of its love of the sea's spray and their choice of lair location, absolutely hates getting wet. To this end, their psionic energies are bent to the command of moisture, and their breath is designed to sap water from the air and dehydrate anything within it. Most of these modifications are used to keep themselves as dry as possible.
These dragons love to lounge on outcroppings that are lashed by waves and wind-blasted sea spray. Of course, such vantages also allow them to spot passing prey, such as sharks and large squids.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Topaz dragons exclusively live off of sharks, dolphins and other large aquatic creatures that live within their territory.

Civilization and Culture

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Topaz dragons generally dislike intruders, but they prefer to begin any potential confrontation with conversation. They quickly attack intruders who prove either hostile or boring.
The topaz dragon is not a studied or particularly charismatic creature, content with what knowledge they can gain naturally and not really caring about any lesser creature or culture. Instead, the topaz dragon prides itself as being one of the quickest, most reflexive of all draconic kind, its body a finely honed machine that can react to any threat with a primal, ferocious rage. They enjoy displaying this physical superiority if given the slightest excuse, using it to "deal" with their intruders and prey. Usually they rely on non-lethal force for clearly outclassed foes, wanting them to spread tales of the dragon's glory and power so that no one is foolish enough to come and try to fight the topaz in their lair. The dragon's psionic energies are bent in helping achieve this physical dominance, used to realign and heal the great beast in the midst of combat, and making the blows of lesser beings have less impact.
The topaz dragon actually hates interacting with other beings, even other dragons of their color. Other beings are too talkative, too foolish, too greedy, too prideful or too rancid with their unique scents for the dragon to stand their presence for more than mere hours, and the dragon takes extreme measures to ensure that no one decides to force their company on them. They build their lairs in underwater air pockets contained within caverns deep below the water's surface, they start and spread rumors of a hostile monster to drive away potential settlers from their lands, and they attack all vessels that dare sail across their territory, especially fishing ships that could potentially harm their food supply. Really, the only people that the dragon would get along with are monks who have taken a vow of silence, and who allow themselves to be licked "clean" by the dragon each day or swished around in the dragon's maw to eliminate their scents... so very, very few people over all.
If the topaz dragon is bested or assisted by a mortal, they might grant a very, very begrudging boon to them. Often something minor, but definitely useful. If the mortal refuses to accept this boon or force the dragon into their service, a topaz dragon will begin to become curious about them, and slowly begin to accept and sometimes even welcome the mortal's presence. Rare is the mortal that can claim to be a topaz dragon's friend, and if one can truly lay claim to such a boon they will benefit from the topaz dragon's deeply suppressed nurturing and protective instincts, and gain a defender that that will jealously protect them beyond all reason.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Gem Dragons

Adult Topaz Dragon

Huge dragon, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 23

Hit Points 350 28d12+168

Speed 40ft Fly: 150ft Burrow: 5ft Swim: 60ft

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STR

31 0

DEX

10 0

CON

23 +6

INT

22 +6

WIS

23 +6

CHA

22 +6

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Skills Swim +16, Deception +12, Diplomacy +12, Arcana +12, History +12, Nature +12, Religion +12, Perception +12, Investigation +12

Damage Resistances Fire; Bludgeoning, Piercing, And Slashing From Nonmagical Weapons

Damage Immunities Cold

Condition Immunities paralyzed

Senses Darkvision 800 ft., Blindsight 240 ft., passive Perception 22

Languages Draconic

Challenge 19

Immunity to sleep. Magic can't put a gem dragon to sleep.
Water Breathing. Topaz dragons breathe water as readily as air.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The dragon's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). The dragon can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
2/day each: feather fall
3/day each: fog cloud, control winds Thought Shield. The dragon's thoughts can't be read by telepathy or other means unless they allow it. They also have resistance to psychic damage, and whenever a creature deals psychic damage to them, that creature takes the same amount of damage that they do. Legendary Resistance (3/Day): If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

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Actions

Multiattack: The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Tail: Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence: Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 180 ft. of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become Frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Dehydration Breath (Recharge 5-6): The dragon exhales a dehydrating 50-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes (16d8) dessication damage. On a successful save, they take half damage. In addition, this effect evaporates one cubic foot of water per hit point of damage dealt.
Planar Travel. As an action, the dragon can travel between the Material Plane and their home plane. Ego Whip (9/Day). As an action, the dragon rapidly lashes the mind of an enemy within 150 ft., debilitating its confidence. The target takes 1d4 points of Charisma damage, or half that amount (minimum 1 point) on a successful DC 16 Intelligence saving throw. A target that fails its save is also dazed for 1 round.
Mind Thrust (36/Day). The dragon divines the most vulnerable portions of their opponent’s mind and overload it with a glut of psychic information.
This attack deals 1d6 points of damage per caster level (maximum 5d6). The target receives an Intelligence save (DC 20) for half damage. This attack has no effect on creatures without an Intelligence score.

Reactions

Mental Barrier (5/Day). The dragon projects a field of improbability around itself, creating a fleeting protective shell. They gain a +4 deflection bonus to Armor Class.

Legendary Actions

The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action maybe used at a time, and may only be made at the end of a different creature's turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the beginning of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (perception) check.
Tail attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Body realignment (2 actions). The dragon's natural magic ripples along itself, allowing the dragon to recover from wounds in the middle of battle. The dragon is immediately healed of 31 (7d8) damage.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects. The dragon drains all moisture from a line of land, creating a dehydrating, debilitating wall. The dragon makes a line that is 50 feet long and 5 feet wide that is built in 10 foot contiguous sections as the dragon desires.
Creatures who start their turn in this wall or who move through it for the first time on their turn must make a DC 15 constitution saving throw or be dealt 14 (4d6) necrotic damage and have their remaining movement reduced by 15 feet. On a successful save, the creature is dealt half as much damage and their movement is not reduced. Creatures immune to necrotic damage automatically succeed on this saving throw. This wall remains until the dragon uses its next lair action or the dragon dies.
The dragon rapidly dehydrates a target creature, draining them of their stamina. One target creature is forced to make a DC 15 constitution saving throw, being dealt 14 (4d6) necrotic damage and suffering from one level of exhaustion on a failed saving throw. On a successful saving throw, the target suffers half damage and they do not suffer any exhaustion.
The dragon releases some of the moisture it has absorbed in an aquatic pulse, knocking creatures away from a target point before the water rapidly evaporates once more. Creatures within 50 feet of the target point must make a DC 15 strength saving throw, and on a failed save they are pushed 30 feet straight away from the point of origin. The dragon automatically passes this saving throw.

A topaz dragon's lair is located within a coastal cavern, its entrance underwater and the main chambers in a large, dry underground refuge. The lair is often secure, with only the aquatic entrance leading into it, and any smaller entrances act as mere air holes that are too small for most other creatures to crawl through. The dragon keeps very few markings within its lair, and the tunnels it makes are often winding and chaotic, designed to confuse intruders and either force them to wander around until the dragon returns and takes care of them, or to frustrate them enough that they leave.

Regional Effects

A legendary topaz dragon's lair is warped by the dragon's magic, creating one or more of the following effects.
Their lair is bone-dry, despite its watery entrance. Non-magical liquid will evaporate and disappear within five minutes of becoming exposed to this air unless the liquid's container is brought out of the lair. Water within a mile of the lair itself will feel strangely dry.
The lair will feel strangely off, as if the energies are slightly unbalanced and discordant, and (if the dragon has its way) will make those that spend too long in the lair nauseous, and give intruders an urgent desire to leave.
The stone of the lair will become encrusted with yellow and orange gem, multi-faceted and glowing brightly. Any aquatic beast that comes in contact with this stone will become mentally connected with the Topaz dragon, who can use this connection to hunt the creature, and to temporarily look through their eyes and scout out the area around its lair.

This stat block is for a dragon around 100-800 years. For dragons of different age categories, check out the following:
Newborn Topaz Dragon (0-5 years)
Topaz Dragon Wyrmling (5-25 years)
Young Topaz Dragon (25-100 years)
Ancient Topaz Dragon (800 years or older)