| Climate/Terrain: | Arid/Deserts, dry plains |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Rare |
| Organization: | Solitary or clan |
| Activity Cycle: | Any |
| Diet: | See below |
| Intelligence: | Average to very (8-12) |
| Treasure: | See below |
| Alignment: | Neutral good |
| No. Appearing: | 1 (2-5) |
| Armor Class: | 0 (base) |
| Movement: | 12, Fl 40 (C), Br 5 |
| Hit Dice: | 12 (base) |
| THAC0: | 9 (at 12 HD) |
| No. of Attacks: | 3 + special |
| Damage/Attack: | 2-7/2-7/4-20 |
| Special Attacks: | See below |
| Special Defenses: | See below |
| Magic Resistance: | Varies |
| Size: | G (32' base) |
| Morale: | Champion (16 base) |
| XP Value: | Varies |
Tungsten dragons are a no-nonsense species dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the forces of good. Unfortunately, tungsten dragons usually limit this preservation and expansion to their own domains. They are not fond of intruders, and such unfortunates are usually dealt with harshly unless the dragon can be convinced that said beings are acting in the best interest of the forces of good.
The scales of the tungsten dragon are a deep forest green, flecked with brown at birth. The scales lose their brown flecks and take on a metallic sheen until they become a gleaming green as adults. This metallic sheen dulls considerably after this stage until turning into a dull, flat green as great wyrms.
Tungsten dragons speak their own language and the language common to all ferrous dragons, and 10% of all hatchling tungsten dragons have an ability to communicate with any creature by using telepathy within 60'. The chance to possess this ability increases 5% per age category of the dragon.
Combat: Tungsten dragons believe in eliminating their opponents in whatever manner proves quickest and most effective. In the pursuit of good, they are strong believers in “The ends justify the means”. It is in these dragons' general opinions that since evil will stop at nothing to win, then good must do whatever it can to stop evil from winning.
A tungsten dragon?s breath weapon is a cone of blasting sand 70' long, 5' wide at the dragon's mouth, and 20' wide at the base. Creatures caught in the sand blast must save vs. breath weapon for half damage. A tungsten dragon casts its spells and uses its magical abilities at 6th level plus its combat modifier. At birth, all tungsten dragons are immune to any heat or flame. As they age, they gain the following additional powers:
| young | detect evil/good three times a day |
| young adult | detect lie once a day |
| mature adult | sand cloud (equal to a fog cloud, with the exception that the fog is replaced by swirling sand) twice a day |
| great wyrm | spontaneous combustion. This latter power causes 1-3 targets to suddenly burst into flames, doing an immediate 1d10 + 3 hp damage and 2d4 hp damage on each of the following four rounds, at which point the flames extinguish themselves. An initial save vs. spells is allowed to negate this power, with the save at a -3 penalty if there is only one target, -2 if two targets, and -1 if three targets. All items possessed by the victims must save vs. magical flame every round or be destroyed. This ability can be used only once a day. |
Habitat/Society: Tungsten dragons can be found only in arid, warm climates, ranging from deserts to dry steppes. They spend their entire day patrolling their territories in search of intruders to defeat and wrongs to right.
Tungsten dragons are excellent parents and take care of their young until the juvenile stage, where the young are invited to remain with the family or go and stake their own claims.
Ecology: Like all other dragons, a tungsten dragon can, and will, eat almost anything. They have a particular fondness for a variety of desert plants, but are careful not to unbalance the local ecosystem.
Since tungsten dragons share the same habitat as both the blue and brass dragons, there are often conflicts of interest. The tungsten dragon is nearly a match for the blue dragon, and several tungsten dragons will often band together to be rid of the evil blues. Brass dragons are not looked upon favorably, either, and are usually described as irresponsible, boorish, and not deserving to be considered one of the “good guys”.
| Age | Body lgt.(') | Tail lgt.(') | AC | Breath weapon | Spells (wizard) | MR | Treas. type | XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Hatchling | 3-6 | 2-5 | 3 | 2d6+1 | Nil | Nil | Nil | 1,400 |
| 2 Very young | 6-15 | 5-12 | 2 | 4d6+2 | Nil | Nil | Nil | 2,000 |
| 3 Young | 15-24 | 12-19 | 1 | 6d6+3 | Nil | Nil | Nil | 3,000 |
| 4 Juvenile | 24-40 | 19-26 | 0 | 7d6+4 | 1 | Nil | ½H | 7,000 |
| 5 Young adult | 40-49 | 26-33 | -1 | 9d6+5 | 2 | 12% | H | 12,000 |
| 6 Adult | 49-60 | 33-40 | -2 | 11d6+6 | 3 | 18% | H,S | 13,000 |
| 7 Mature adult | 60-69 | 40-48 | -3 | 12d6+7 | 4 | 24% | I,S | 14,000 |
| 8 Old | 69-78 | 48-56 | -4 | 14d6+8 | 5,1 | 30% | H,S | 15,000 |
| 9 Very old | 78-87 | 56-64 | -5 | 16d6+9 | 5,2 | 36% | H,S,T | 16,000 |
| 10 Venerable | 87-96 | 64-72 | -6 | 17d6+10 | 5,3 | 42% | (H,S,T)×2 | 17,000 |
| 11 Wyrm | 96-105 | 72-80 | -7 | 19d6+11 | 6,3 | 48% | (H,S,T)×2 | 18,000 |
| 12 Great Wyrm | 105-114 | 80-88 | -8 | 21d6+12 | 7,3 | 54% | (H,S,T)×3 | 19,000 |