Black Dragon

Overview

The most evil-tempered and vile of the chromatic dragons, black dragons collect the wreckage and treasures of fallen peoples. These dragons loathe seeing the weak prosper and revel in the collapse of humanoid kingdoms. They make their homes in fetid swamps and crumbling ruins where kingdoms once stood.
With deep-socketed eyes and broad nasal openings, a black dragon’s face resembles a skull. Its curving, segmented horns are bone-colored near the base and darken to dead black at the tips. As a black dragon ages, the flesh around its horns and cheekbones deteriorates as though eaten by acid, leaving thin layers of hide that enhance its skeletal appearance. A black dragon’s head is marked by spikes and horns. Its tongue is flat with a forked tip, drooling slime whose acidic scent adds to the dragon’s reek of rotting vegetation and foul water.
When it hatches, a black dragon has glossy black scale. As it ages, its scales become thicker and duller, helping it blend in to the marshes and blasted ruins that are its home.

Brutal and Cruel

All chromatic dragons are evil, but black dragons stand apart for their sadistic nature. A black dragon lives to watch its prey beg for mercy, and will often offer the illusion of respite or escape before finishing off its enemies.
A black dragon strikes at its weakest enemies first, ensuring a quick and brutal victory, which bolsters its ego as it terrifies its remaining foes. On the verge of defeat, a black dragon does anything it can to save itself, but it accepts death before allowing any other creature to claim mastery over it.

Foes and Servants

Black dragons hate and fear other dragons. They spy on draconic rivals from afar, looking for opportunities to slay weaker dragons and avoid stronger ones. If a stronger dragon threatens it, a black dragon abandons its lair and seeks out new territory.
Evil lizardfolk venerate and serve black dragons, raiding humanoid settlements for treasure and food to give as tribute and building crude draconic effigies along the borders of their dragon master’s domain.
A black dragon’s malevolent influence might also cause the spontaneous creation of evil shambling mounds that seek out and slay good creatures approaching the dragon’s lair.
Kobolds infest the lairs of many black dragons like vermin. They become as cruel as their dark masters, often torturing and weakening captives with poisonous insects before delivering them to sate the dragon’s hunger.

Wealth of the Ancients

Black dragons hoard the treasures and magic items of crumbled empires and conquered kingdoms to remind themselves of their greatness. The more civilizations a dragon outlasts, the more entitled it feels to claim the wealth of current civilizations for itself.

A Black Dragon's Lair

Black dragons dwell in swamps on the frayed edges of civilization. A black dragon’s lair is a dismal cave, grotto, or ruin that is at least partially flooded, providing pools where the dragon rests, and where its victims can ferment. The lair is littered with the acid-pitted bones of previous victims and the fly-ridden carcasses of fresh kills, watched over by crumbling statues. Centipedes, scorpions, and snakes infest the lair, which is filled with the stench of death and decay.

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:

• Pools of water that the dragon can see within 120 feet of it surge outward in a grasping tide. Any creature on the ground within 20 feet of such a pool must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet into the water and knocked prone.
• A cloud of swarming insects fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon chooses within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners and remains until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The cloud is lightly obscured. Any creature in the cloud when it appears must make on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 3d6 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that ends its turn in the cloud takes 3d6 piercing damage.
• Magical darkness spreads from a point the dragon chooses within 60 feet of it, filling a 15-foot-radius sphere until the dragon dismisses it as an action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can’t see through this darkness, and nonmagical light can’t illuminate it. If any of the effect’s area overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell that created the light is dispelled.

Regional Effects

The region containing a legendary black dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:

• The land within 6 miles of the lair takes twice as long as normal to traverse, since the plants grow thick and twisted, and the swamps are thick with reeking mud.
• Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled. Enemies of the dragon that drink such water regurgitate it within minutes.
• Fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the lair.

If the dragon dies, vegetation remains as it has grown, but other effects fade over 1d10 days.

Black Dragon Wyrmling CR: 2 (450 XP)

Medium dragon, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 17

Hit Points: 33

Speed: 30 ft , fly: 60 ft , swim: 30 ft

STR

15 +2

DEX

14 +2

CON

13 +1

INT

10 +0

WIS

11 +0

CHA

13 +1

Saving Throws: Dex +4, Con +3, Wis +2, Cha +3

Skills: Perception +4, Stealth +4

Damage Immunities: Acid

Senses: Blindsight 10 feet, Darkvision 60 feet, Passive Perception 14

Languages: Draconic

Challenge Rating: 2 (450 XP)

Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10 + 2 piercing damage plus 1d4 acid damage.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales acid in a 15-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d8 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Young Black Dragon CR: 7 (2,900 XP)

Large dragon, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 18

Hit Points: 127 (15d10 + 45)

Speed: 40 ft , fly: 80 ft , swim: 40 ft

STR

19 +4

DEX

14 +2

CON

17 +3

INT

12 +1

WIS

11 +0

CHA

15 +2

Saving Throws: Dex +5, Con +6, Wis +3, Cha +5

Skills: Perception +6, Stealth +5

Damage Immunities: Acid

Senses: Blindsight 30 feet, Darkvision 120 feet, Passive Perception 16

Languages: Common, Draconic

Challenge Rating: 7 (2,900 XP)

Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.

Actions

Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 feet, one target. Hit: 2d10 + 4 piercing damage plus 1d8 acid damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 2d6 + 4 slashing damage.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales acid in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 11d8 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Adult Black Dragon CR: 14 (11,500 XP)

Huge dragon, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 19

Hit Points: 195 (17d12 + 85)

Speed: 40 ft , fly: 80 ft , swim: 40 ft

STR

23 +6

DEX

14 +2

CON

21 +5

INT

14 +2

WIS

13 +1

CHA

17 +3

Saving Throws: Dex +7, Con +10, Wis +6, Cha +8

Skills: Perception +11, Stealth +7

Damage Immunities: Acid

Senses: Blindsight 60 feet, Darkvision 120 feet, Passive Perception 21

Languages: Common, Draconic

Challenge Rating: 14 (11,500 XP)

Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

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 feet, one target. Hit: 2d10 + 6 piercing damage plus 1d8 acid damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 2d6 + 6 slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 feet, one target. Hit: 2d8 + 6 bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet 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.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales acid in a 60-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 12d8 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Legendary Actions

The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 + 6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.

Ancient Black Dragon CR: 21 (33,000 XP)

Gargantuan dragon, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 22

Hit Points: 367 (21d20 + 147)

Speed: 40 ft , fly: 80 ft , swim: 40 ft

STR

27 +8

DEX

14 +2

CON

25 +7

INT

16 +3

WIS

15 +2

CHA

19 +4

Saving Throws: Dex +9, Con +14, Wis +9, Cha +11

Skills: Perception +16, Stealth +9

Damage Immunities: Acid

Senses: Blindsight 60 feet, Darkvision 120 feet, Passive Perception 26

Languages: Common, Draconic

Challenge Rating: 21 (33,000 XP)

Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

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: +15 to hit, reach 15 feet, one target. Hit: 2d10 + 8 piercing damage plus 2d8 acid damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 feet, one target. Hit: 2d6 + 8 slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 feet, one target. Hit: 2d8 + 8 bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 19 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.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales acid in a 90-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 15d8 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Legendary Actions

The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 + 8 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Chromatic Dragons

Lifespan

1,200 years

Average Weight

350 to 2,700 pounds

Average Length

12 to 45 feet