Dragon, Gem, Emerald
| Climate/Terrain: | Tropical, subtropical/Extinct volcanoes |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Very rare |
| Organization: | Solitary or clan |
| Activity Cycle: | Any |
| Diet: | Special |
| Intelligence: | Exceptional (15-16) |
| Treasure: | Special |
| Alignment: | Lawful neutral |
| No. Appearing: | 1 (2-5) |
| Armor Class: | -2 (base) |
| Movement: | 9, Fl 30 (C), Br 3 |
| Hit Dice: | 12 (base) |
| THAC0: | 9 (base) |
| No. of Attacks: | 3 |
| Damage/Attack: | 1-8/1-8/3-18 |
| Special Attacks: | Varies |
| Special Defenses: | Varies |
| Magic Resistance: | Varies |
| Size: | H (20' base) |
| Morale: | Fanatic (17-18) |
| XP Value: | Varies |
Psionics Summary
| Level | Dis/Sci/Dev | Attack/Defense | Score | PSPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| = HD | 2/2/3 | PB,II/M-,TW | = Int | 180 |
Clairsentience - Sciences: aura sight, object reading, precognition; Devotions: all-round vision, combat mind, danger sense.
Telepathy - Sciences: ejection, mind link, probe; Devotions: contact, ESP, life detection, sight link, sound link.
Most emerald dragons prefer telepathic powers.
Emerald dragons are very curious, particularly about local history and customs, but prefer to only observe. They are the most paranoid of the gem dragons, and do not like people get too close to their treasure.
Emerald dragons have translucent green scales at birth. As they age, the scales harden and take on many shades of green. They scintillate in light, and the dragon's hide seems to be in constant motion.
Emerald dragons speak their own tongue and the tongue common to all gem dragons, and 14% of hatchling emerald dragons have an ability to communicate with any intelligent creature. The chance to possess this ability increases 5% per age category of the dragon.
Combat: Emerald dragons usually set up traps and alarms around their lairs to warn them of visitors. They often hide from intruders, using special abilities to observe, and seldom come out to speak. If intruders attack or approach the dragon's treasure, the dragon burrows underneath to surprise its victims, then use breath weapon and claws, seeking to quickly disable as many as it can. If faced with superior forces, the dragon retreats, waiting years for revenge if necessary.
Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: An emerald dragon's breath weapon is a loud, keening wail which sets up a sonic vibration affecting all creatures within 120 feet of the dragon's mouth. Those in the area can save vs. breath weapons for half damage from the painful vibrations. Victims must make a second saving throw vs. breath weapon or be stunned, unable to defend or attack, for three rounds per age level of the dragon, plus 1d4 rounds. Those who successfully save are deafened and disoriented instead, for a like amount of time, and at -1 to attack rolls. Deafness does not protect one from vibratory damage, but pre-vents stunning or additional deafness. An emerald dragon casts spells and uses its magical abilities at 6th level, plus its combat modifier.
Emerald dragons are born with an innate flame walk ability and an immunity to sound-based attacks. As they age, they gain the following additional powers:
Young: audible glamer three times a day. Juvenile: hypnotism three times a day. Adult: Melf's minute meteors three times a day. Mature adult: hold person three times a day. Venerable: animate rock once a day. Great wyrm: geas once a day. Hypnotism and geas are effected by the dragon's skilled rippling movement of its scales.
Habitat/Society: Emerald dragons are reclusive, making lairs in the cones of extinct or seldom active volcanoes. These dragons are protective parents and prefer their young to stay in the lair as long as possible for mutual protection. Emerald dragons sometimes live near sapphire dragons, and they fear the voracious greed of red dragons.
Ecology: Emerald dragons will eat anything, but prefer lizards and giants. They are actively hostile towards fire giants.
| Age | Body Lgt. (') | Tail Lgt. (') | AC | Breath Weapon | Spells W/P | MR | Treas. Type | XP Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Hatchling | 3-9 | 2-7 | 1 | 2d4+1 | Nil | Nil | Nil | 2,000 |
| 2 Very young | 9-18 | 7-14 | 0 | 4d4+2 | Nil | Nil | Nil | 3,000 |
| 3 Young | 18-27 | 14-21 | -1 | 6d4+3 | Nil | Nil | Nil | 5,000 |
| 4 Juvenile | 27-36 | 21-28 | -2 | 8d4+4 | 1 | Nil | ½H,Q×2 | 7,000 |
| 5 Young adult | 36-45 | 28-35 | -3 | 10d4+5 | 1/1 | 15% | H,Q×4,T | 8,000 |
| 6 Adult | 45-54 | 35-42 | -4 | 12d4+6 | 1 1/1 | 20% | H,Q×6,T | 10,000 |
| 7 Mature adult | 54-63 | 42-49 | -5 | 14d4+7 | 1 1/1 1 | 25% | H,Q×8,T×2 | 12,000 |
| 8 Old | 63-72 | 49-56 | -6 | 16d4+8 | 1 1 1/2 1 | 30% | H,Q×10,T×2 | 13,000 |
| 9 Very old | 72-81 | 56-63 | -7 | 18d4+9 | 2 1 1/2 1 1 | 35% | H×2,Q×12,T×2 | 14,000 |
| 10 Venerable | 81-90 | 63-70 | -8 | 20d4+10 | 2 2 1/2 2 1 | 40% | H×2,Q×14,T×3 | 16,000 |
| 11 Wyrm | 90-99 | 70-77 | -9 | 22d4+11 | 2 2 1 1/2 2 1 1 | 45% | H×2,Q×16,T×3 | 17,000 |
| 12 Great Wyrm | 99-108 | 77-84 | -10 | 24d4+12 | 2 2 1 1 1/2 2 2 1 | 50% | H×2,Q×18,T×3 | 19,000 |