Protean Dragon (3.5e Monster)

Author: Sulacu (talk) Date Created: November 14, 2012 Status: Penguin Editing: Clarity edits only please

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

Protean Dragon

Type:	Dragon [Psionic, Shapechanger]
Environment:	The far realm
Organization:	Solitary
Challenge Rating:	Wyrmling 8; very young 11; young 15; juvenile 18; young adult 21; adult 25; mature adult 28; old 31; very old 35; ancient 38; wyrm 41; great wyrm 45
Treasure:	Triple standard
Alignment:	Usually chaotic evil
Advancement:	Wyrmling 11-14 HD (Large) HD; very young 16-19 HD (Huge) HD; young 21-24 HD (Huge) HD; juvenile 26-29 HD (Huge) HD; young adult 31-34 HD (Gargantuan) HD; adult 36-39 HD (Gargantuan) HD; mature adult 41-44 HD (Gargantuan) HD; old 46-49 HD (Colossal) HD; very old 51-54 HD (Colossal) HD; ancient 56-59 HD (Colossal) HD; wyrm 61-64 HD (Titanic) HD; great wyrm 66+ HD (Titanic) HD
Level Adjustment:	—

Protean Dragons by Age

Age	Size	Hit Dice (hp)	Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha	Base Attack/ Grapple	Attack	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Breath Weapon (DC)	Frightful Presence DC
Wyrmling	L	10d12+50 (115)	19	9	21	20	20	18	+10/+18	+13	+12	+6	+12	4d8 (20)	19
Very young	H	15d12+105 (202)	23	9	25	24	24	21	+15/+29	+19	+16	+8	+16	8d8 (24)	22
Young	H	20d12+180 (310)	25	9	29	27	27	24	+20/+35	+25	+21	+11	+20	12d8 (29)	27
Juvenile	H	25d12+275 (437)	27	9	33	31	31	27	+25/+41	+31	+25	+13	+24	16d8 (33)	30
Young adult	G	30d12+390 (585)	31	9	37	34	34	30	+30/+52	+36	+30	+16	+29	20d8 (38)	35
Adult	G	35d12+525 (752)	33	9	41	38	38	33	+35/+58	+42	+34	+18	+33	24d8 (42)	38
Mature adult	G	40d12+680 (940)	35	9	45	41	41	36	+40/+64	+48	+39	+21	+37	28d8 (47)	43
Old	C	45d12+855 (1,147)	39	9	49	45	45	39	+45/+75	+51	+43	+23	+41	32d8 (51)	46
Very old	C	50d12+1,050 (1,375)	43	9	53	48	48	42	+50/+82	+58	+48	+26	+46	36d8 (56)	51
Ancient	C	55d12+1,265 (1,622)	47	9	57	52	52	45	+55/+89	+65	+52	+28	+50	40d8 (60)	54
Wyrm	T	60d12+1,500 (1,890)	51	9	61	55	55	48	+60/+100	+64	+57	+31	+54	44d8 (65)	59
Great wyrm	T	65d12+1,755 (2,177)	55	9	65	59	59	51	+65/+107	+71	+61	+33	+58	48d8 (69)	62

Protean Dragon Abilities by Age

Age	Speed	Initiative	AC	Special Abilities	Caster Level	SR
Wyrmling	Hover 40 ft. (good), fly 100 ft. (average)	+4	18 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +5 natural, +5 insight), touch 13, flat-footed 18	Embodiment of Knowledge, flux aura, spells, regeneration 5, UDR 10	11th	20
Very young	Hover 40 ft. (good), fly 100 ft. (average)	+6	24 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +10 natural, +7 insight), touch 14, flat-footed 24	Regeneration 10, Ability	14th	23
Young	Hover 40 ft. (good), fly 100 ft. (average)	+7	30 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +15 natural, +8 insight), touch 15, flat-footed 30	Regeneration 15, UDR 15	17th	26
Juvenile	Hover 60 ft. (good), fly 150 ft. (average)	+9	37 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +20 natural, +10 insight), touch 17, flat-footed 37	Embodiment of Ideals, regeneration 20	20th	29
Young adult	Hover 60 ft. (good), fly 150 ft. (average)	+11	42 (-4 size, -1 Dex, +25 natural, +12 insight), touch 17, flat-footed 42	Regeneration 25, UDR 20	23rd	32
Adult	Hover 60 ft. (good), fly 150 ft. (poor)	+13	49 (-4 size, -1 Dex, +30 natural, +14 insight), touch 19, flat-footed 49	Regeneration 30, Ability	26th	35
Mature adult	Hover 60 ft. (good), fly 150 ft. (poor)	+14	55 (-4 size, -1 Dex, +35 natural, +15 insight), touch 20, flat-footed 55	Embodiment of Truth, regeneration 35, UDR 30	29th	38
Old	Hover 80 ft. (good), fly 200 ft. (poor)	+16	58 (-8 size, -1 Dex, +40 natural, +17 insight), touch 18, flat-footed 58	Regeneration 40, Ability	32nd	41
Very old	Hover 80 ft. (good), fly 200 ft. (poor)	+18	65 (-8 size, -1 Dex, +45 natural, +19 insight), touch 20, flat-footed 65	Regeneration 45, UDR 40	35th	44
Ancient	Hover 80 ft. (good), fly 200 ft. (clumsy)	+20	72 (-8 size, -1 Dex, +50 natural, +21 insight), touch 22, flat-footed 72	Regeneration 50, Ability	38th	47
Wyrm	Hover 80 ft. (good), fly 200 ft. (clumsy)	+21	70 (-16 size, -1 Dex, +55 natural, +22 insight), touch 15, flat-footed 70	Regeneration 55, UDR 50	41st	50
Great wyrm	Hover 100 ft. (good), fly 250 ft. (clumsy)	+23	77 (-16 size, -1 Dex, +60 natural, +24 insight), touch 17, flat-footed 77	Regeneration 60, Ability	44th	53

Long before the material plane was formed, during a time when the First Gods warred for control over Creation, there was the Far Realm, and deep within its seething cauldron of bubbling protoplasm and formless thoughts the Idea of Dragonkind was born. Like every whimsy concocted by unfocused minds, the Idea was vague and formless, but at the same time it was something new and distinct, and the limit of its power and potential was yet unknown. Born from the maleficent consciousness of the Far Realm, the Protean Dragons were the very first of the Primeval Dragons, and their ever-changing vestiges gave birth to many later Primevals.

Protean dragons hail from a time when the young Multiverse was heavily tainted by the evil of its creators. It was the terror of the First Gods that shaped the warped geometry of the Far Realm, which in turn infected the neonate Dragonkind with the Idea of Evil; the very first Idea that had ever been conceived. As an infant perceiving the vagaries of existence for the first time, the Protean Dragons sought to understand themselves and their environment and in so doing they cemented their form. Protean Dragons mirror the bizarre, the insane and the downright grotesque inherent in the Far Realm, and are horrifying to look at. More than any other primeval dragon that spawned from them, Protean dragons embody the cerebral, and the power of the mind over the body. Born from thoughts and ideas, their own consciousness determines and defines the extent to which they can alter their shape. Because of this, a Protean dragon is ever greedy for knowledge and power, stopping at nothing to continually increase both. Unlike most dragons, even primeval ones, Protean dragons are mostly indifferent to the lure of wealth and riches, though they value objects that can aid them in their quest for further enlightenment.

A Protean dragon's body is clad in purulent scales whose colours and patterning varies from a dark gray to a mottled stale blue, usually consisting of thinner blue scale covered in a jagged coat of additional obsidian scale that is mostly prevalent around the necks and crowns of the dragon. A multitude of black wings extend from the secondary scale coat along the dragon's back, usually four, six or even more with a consistency and appearance more befitting that of scaly fins rather than wings, losing opacity towards their tips and tapering into tendrils of translucent, smoky fibers that disperse into the atmosphere around them. They only use their wings to maneuver in the air and increase their speed, instead relying on the power of their minds and a multitude of ventral canals lining their underside expelling gases to generate buoyancy in the air. Protean dragons fly clumsily, but hover above any sort of solid surface with surprising ease.

A fully matured Protean dragon has three heads, much like a chimera of sorts. Its main head represents knowledge, its right head, ideals, and its left and final head, truth. It is believed that from its Embodiment of Ideals - the hope, faith and life that now resounds through the Upper Plains - the first of the Olympus dragons were born, whereas the first of the Lethus dragons is the product of its Truth - dark epiphany, the finality of death, and darkness that denies all. Its Knowledge purveys through all of the primeval elemental dragons, such as the Calefact and the Gelidus dragons.

No records of Protean dragons entering the material plane have ever been discovered.

Combat

A Protean dragon’s natural weapons and any weapons it wields are treated as chaotic and evil-aligned as well as epic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Composite Creature: Despite having up to three heads, each with a separate consciousness, a protean dragon is considered a single creature and gains a single turn each round. Each head gets a separate standard action, though the dragon may take a full-round action in part or as a whole. If the dragon makes a double move, or takes any other action that takes a full round, at least one of the dragon's heads loses its standard action for the round.

A protean dragon takes damage and makes Reflex and Fortitude saves as a single creature, but status effects that allow a Will save are resolved independently for each head. Since every head may exert control over the body, a protean dragon retains its ability to move and act as long as at least one of its heads it not stunned or otherwise indisposed.

Breath Weapon (Su): The main head's breath weapon is a cone of corrosive Far Realm essence, which eats away at organic matter and reduces it to protomatter. Any organic creature that takes damage from the breath weapon will find its body eaten away, taking 2d6 points of damage per age category of the dragon at the start of every turn. This effect persists until the target dies or the corrosive effect is removed completely. Stopping it requires a restoration (wyrmling - very young), greater restoration (young - juvenile) or complete restoration (young adult or higher). A wish or miracle also stops the effect.

Immunity to acid does not provide immunity to this breath weapon, but halves the damage taken.

Embodiment of Knowledge: Born from the maelstrom of ideas that is the Far Realm, the main head of a protean dragon is filled with immense amounts of knowledge and data. This head casts spells as a wizard of a level equal to the protean dragon's caster level. All spells cast by a protean dragon are still, requiring no somatic movements.

The Embodiment of Knowledge knows all standard spells up to the highest level it can cast (core spells, Spell Compendium, and generally most non-epic spells that do not hold specific origins), and gains 2 extra spell slots per spell level, as well as the extra slots gained for having a high Intelligence score.

If an arcane spell is cast in the vicinity of the protean dragon that the Embodiment of Knowledge has prepared, it may spend an immediate action to automatically nullify the spell, at the cost of that readied spell.

Embodiment of Ideals: Born through introspection and appraisal of the nature of the world, the second head of a protean dragon emerges from its form once it reaches Juvenile age. It siphons of ideas that are the byproduct of the Gods, and gains an intrinsic understanding of the divine, providence, and the passage of fate. The Embodiment of Ideals casts spells as an archivist of a level equal to the protean dragon's caster level.

The Embodiment of Ideals knows all standard divine spells up to the highest level it can cast, same as the Embodiment of Knowledge knows all arcane. It gains 2 extra spell slots per spell level, as well as the extra slots gained from having a high Intelligence score.

If a divine spell is cast in the vicinity of the protean dragon that the Embodiment of Ideals has prepared, it may spend an immediate action to automatically nullify the spell, at the cost of that readied spell.

Embodiment of Truth: Born through self-reflection and a search for mental and theurgical enlightenment, the third head of a protean dragon emerges from its form once it reaches Mature Adult age. The Embodiment of Truth manifests powers as a psion of a level and manifester level equal to the protean dragon's caster level.

The Embodiment of Truth knows all standard powers up to the highest level it can manifest. It gains 2 extra power points per caster level.

The Embodiment of Truth emits an aura that reads the surface thoughts of any creature within 100 feet. Every creature within range must make a Will save at the start of every round. If a creature's save fails, the prothean dragon has a +20 competence bonus to attack rolls, AC, and saving throws against that creature. Succeeding on a save will render a creature immune to the aura for one round. Creatures that are immune to mind-affecting effects merely get a +10 bonus to the save.

To engage a Mature Adult or higher protean dragon, purging the aura before engaging it is a must. A successful dispel against the Embodiment of Truth's aura will suppress it for 1d4+1 rounds.

Flux Aura (Ex): A protean dragon radiates an aura that mutates anything within reach, making it difficult for any enemy to approach it while maintaining its form and sapience. For as long as any creature remains within the protean dragon's natural reach, it takes 1d6 points of damage per age category the dragon has every round, as their physiologies start to undergo rapid, uncontrollable mutations, and must make a Fortitude save each round. If the creature fails one save against this effect, he becomes effectively confused from the excruciating pain until 2d4 minutes after it leaves the aura completely. If the creature fails a second Fortitude save or its hit points drop below 0 while within the protean dragon's reach, its rapid mutation culminates in the Half-Farspawn template (Lords of Madness p151). Its confusion becomes permanent insanity and it will lash out in its madness until fully restored or destroyed. While remaining within range of the aura, a creature in this stage of mutation will continue functioning regardless of damage taken, though it will instantly incur the full effects of its injuries once it leaves the aura. The mutations brought on by a protean dragon's aura are permanent, though a greater restoration or wish can remove them, along with the insanity effect.

A creature mutated and rendered insane by a protean dragon's aura must make a Will save after every 24 hours or have its alignment change one step towards chaotic evil (first towards evil, then towards chaotic) as their minds are slowly broken apart and restructured by the mutation. Once the creature becomes chaotic evil (or if it was already chaotic evil to begin with) the insanity effect disappears after another 24 hours. Once the insanity stops, the change into Half-Farspawn will be complete, and is irreversible except by using two wish spells; one to restore the creature's body, and the other to restore its mind and alignment.

Any creature immune to form-altering effects is immune to the effects of the aura, and cannot gain the Half-Farspawn template. Creatures that cannot normally gain the Half-Farspawn template, such as outsiders, are also immune to the effects of the aura but not the damage. The mutation simply kills them when their hit points drop below 0.

A protean dragon's flux aura extends beyond its reach, creating an area of wild transmutation out to a certain distance depending on their age category. In this area, spells cast of the transmutation school or powers manifested of the psychometabolism discipline are subject to the effects of Wild Magic (see About Planes). The protean dragon's own spells and powers are unaffected by its aura. More to come.

Table: Protean Dragon's Flux Aura

Age	Aura Radius		Age	Aura Radius
Wyrmling	60 ft.		Mature Adult	750 ft.
Very Young	90 ft.		Old	1,000 ft.
Young	120 ft.		Very Old	1,500 ft.
Juvenile	200 ft.		Ancient	2,000 ft.
Young Adult	300 ft.		Wyrm	3,000 ft.
Adult	500 ft.		Great Wyrm	1 mile

Regeneration (Ex): Bla bla regeneration bla.

Universal Damage Resistance (Ex): A protean dragon's preternaturally tough body reduces all damage dealt to it by the amount on the table above.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Monsters