Pontelicus Ver'Krull, Ancient Blue Dragon
Pontelicus Ver'Krull, The Cerulean Queen
STR
29 +9
DEX
10 +0
CON
27 +8
INT
18 +4
WIS
17 +3
CHA
21 +5
Antilife Shell Steel Wind Strike Programmed Illusion Hallucinatory Terrain
Skyfire Splendor-
While the dragon is flying, it has advantage on Dexterity saving throws and attacks of opportunity made against it have disadvantage.
Rising Charge-
When the dragon rolls to recharge its Scourgebolt Breath, each creature within 10 feet of it takes lightning damage equal to twice the number rolled.
Reserved Resistance (3/Day)
If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Its save DCs are reduced by 1 for each expended use of this ability.
Actions
Multiattack.
The dragon makes three attacks, one of which can be with its Sparking Bite, and uses its Frightful Presence.
Sparking Bite.
Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (2d10 + 9) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) lightning damage.
Sandhoned Claw.
Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 9) slashing damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 24).
Ridgetail Sweep.
The dragon sweeps its tail in a 20 foot cone, forcing each creature in the area to succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage and be pushed up to 20 feet away from the dragon, or take half as much damage and be pushed up to 10 feet on a success.
Frightful Presence.
Each creature of the dragon's choice within 120 feet of it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or be Frightened until the beginning of the dragon's next turn, becoming immune to this effect for the next 24 hours on a success.
Shattered Heavens Roar (Concentration).
The dragon roars a challenge to the sky above, carving a rift through which boiling thunderclouds spill.
At the beginning of the dragon's next turn, a cascade of lightning bolts arc down, striking up to four creatures the dragon can see within 120 feet that are not beneath full cover.
Each target must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 44 (8d10) lightning damage, or half as much on a success.
Scourgebolt Breath (Recharge 5–6).
A stream of crackling energy issues forth from the dragon's mouth in a 120 foot long, 10 foot wide line, forcing each creature in the area to succeed on a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 88 (16d10) lightning damage, or half as much on a success.
A creature that fails this saving throw by 5 or more is Paralyzed until the beginning of its next turn.
Reactions
Battle of Wits.
When the dragon is targeted with a ranged attack by a creature it can see, it can throw a creature grappled by it up to 15 feet into the attack's path.
The attacker must succeed on a contested Intelligence (Insight) check against the dragon or have its attack instead target the thrown creature.
Bloodied Breath (1/Day.)
When the dragon is reduced below 241 hit points, it can roll to recharge its Scourgebolt Breath, then immediately use it, if available.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below.
Sand Dive.
The dragon moves up to half its burrow speed. Then, if it started this movement submerged in earth, it can make a Sandhoned Claw attack.
Wither.
The dragon inhales, draining the moisture from a creature grappled by it. The creature takes 11 (2d10) necrotic damage, and each potion and other liquid the target is carrying turns to dust until rehydrated.
Ridgetail Sweep (Costs 2 Actions).
The dragon uses its Ridgetail Sweep.
Skyfury Drop (Costs 2 Actions).
The dragon flies up to half its fly speed, then can drop up to 60 feet into an unoccupied space.
If it does, each other creature within 15 feet is pushed up to 15 feet away and must succeed on a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage for each 5 feet the dragon descended.
Tragically, far too many creatures of this world toil under the oppression of unjust and ill-suited rulers, or aimlessly meander through life without direction or understanding. As any blessed enough to live in the shadow of a mighty blue will eagerly attest, there is no greater joy than a life of purpose, and no judge more just than that which rides with thunder.
Let all mortals know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name who cannot answer the tempest's challenge.
Blue Dragon Lore
Arcana DC 20: The aetheric charges which manifest as a blue dragon's lightning are produced by the collision of two fluids in the dragon's gullet, one vitreous and one resinous, which can produce in their vortices a fulminating torrent of unshackled energy. These fluids degrade near-instantly when extracted, but even in their diminished form make for reagents of incredible potency.
History DC 10: While blue dragons are rarely known to kill without reason (or somewhat more rarely than other chromatics, at least), they never struggle to produce a reason when a vicious mood takes them, particularly if they feel they've been cheated or lied to.
History DC 15: Meetings between blue dragons rarely result in open conflict, as such interactions are governed by a rigid and ritualized observance of status and hierarchy, in which the younger dragon will nearly always defer to the elder.
Within this structure lies plenty of room for veiled slights and subtle power plays, however, and such exchanges are no less tense for all their low likelihood of immediate violence.
Nature DC 10: The graceful aerobatics of blue dragons makes them frighteningly difficult to confront in the air, though those who think to force them to land are often equally frustrated by their ability to swim through sand as though it were water.
Nature DC 15: The scales of a blue dragon crackle violently with crawling static as it builds the necessary charge to release its lightning breath, and by their intensity one can judge to what extent the dragon's reserves have been replenished. or so it is claimed.
Suggested Environments
Blue Dragon Lairs
Blue dragons most typically lair at the edges of sandy deserts, either on a coast or at the base of rocky cliffs where they can range out to meet any passing storms; they are among the most climate-tolerant of any dragons, however, and can be found anywhere outside perhaps the coldest of climes.
While these desert lairs often will have their primary entrance dug beneath the level of the sand, they will nearly always feature an alternate entrance accessible to humanoids, as blue dragons typically keep a substantial staff of servants and retainers.
Veins of inlaid silver often run through the walls and floor of many blue lairs, both for decoration and to extend the threat of the dragon's lightning breath.
Blue Dragon Hoards
Blue dragon hoards resemble private art galleries, museums, and libraries, meant to display the depth of the dragon's intellect, taste, and refinement. Such collections are often highly specific and specialized; water samples drawn from every plane in the multiverse, for instance, or every extant copy of a rare book with detailed biographies of each of their previous owners.
While coin and arcane devices are present in abundance, they are made as invisible as possible, used primarily for utility rather than display. Coin is merely one of the tools with which a blue dragon exerts influence, and far from being piled in the open is generally meticulously accounted for and securely stored in magically warded vaults, often tucked away in extradimensional spaces.
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