FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: -2
MOVE: 6"/30" (MC: E); 150" on Astral plane
HIT DICE: 13-15
% IN LAIR: 40%
TREASURE TYPE: H, S, T, U, V
NO. OF ATTACKS: 4 claws, 1 bite, and 1
tail strike
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4/3-12/2-16
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon, spell
use, bite severs astral cord, surprises on roll of 1-9 on 1d10 in Astral
plane, six attacks per round, high intelligence.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Never surprised, acute
senses, saving-throw bonuses, low armor class, magic resistance
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (80' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: See below
CHANCE OF:
Speaking: 99%
Magic Use: 99%
Sleeping: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: 13-14 HD: X/13,250 +
18 per hit point; 15 HD: X/17,550 + 20 per hit point
The astral dragon is,
as its name implies,
a native of the Astral
plane. It is also one
of the most powerful of all dragons
because of certain special abilities allied
to
its usual dragon advantages. The dragon
is
of the same cloudy silver color as the
Astral plane, thus enhancing its surprise
value on its home territory. Also, its
vision
can penetrate the silvery blur to a distance
of 10 miles, so it cannot be surprised
in
turn. The astral dragon can traverse the
planes at will, as if using plane shift,
at a
rate of one plane per round. In physical
shape, it resembles a gold dragon or high-
er Oriental dragon, as it lacks wings
and is
whiplike and thin. On the Prime Material
plane, a special organ in its head allows
this dragon to fly; it has great difficulty
walking on surfaces in gravity, however.
Surprisingly, the astral
dragon can move
very fast on the Astral plane, at 150?
per
round (an ability perhaps related to the
unusual movement abilities of the githy-
anki,
as per page 72 of the Manual of the
Planes). Its body
is so supple that it can tie
itself in a knot, and it can bend so that
the
head and the spike-tipped tail, as well
as
the four clawed feet, can be brought to
bear against a single opponent. Although
they need little food, astral dragons
like to
gorge themselves ? githyanki war parties
being favorite prey.
The bite of the astral dragon is its most
dreaded attack. The bite itself does 2-16
hp damage, but when the dragon?s jaws
hit, there is a 20% chance that a victim?s
silver cord (if present) will be severed,
as
if it were struck by a githyanki?s special
silver sword. Individual astral
travelers
are usually separated from their group
and thus slain. If the spell-caster responsi-
ble for the trip (using astral spell
or the
like) is the one slain, the entire party
dies
in one blow. For this reason, magic-users
and characters endowed with psionic
abilities are primary targets when an
astral dragon battles a party in the Astral
plane. The astral dragon can sense the
use
of psionic or psionic-like
powers (as per
page 78 in the DMG) in any
opponent
within a range of 240?. The dragon cannot
use psionics itself and is not immune
to
psionic attacks, though it gains a + 6
sav-
ing throw vs. psionic blast.
The astral dragon may use its breath
weapon six times per day. This breath
weapon, a cylinder of magical force 180?
long by 10? wide, affects characters caught
in its radius in the same manner as a
feeblemind spell if a saving throw
vs.
breath weapon is failed. This effectively
short-circuits spell-casters and psionics-
users (including creatures such as mind
flayers) and may effectively strand the
party in the Astral plane. Since movement
in the Astral plane is based upon intelli-
gence, this also means that affected char-
acters can go no faster than 30? per round.
Worse yet, victims cannot come up with
battle tactics, and the DM must take this
into account during combat.
The birth of an astral dragon is far dif-
ferent from that of ordinary dragons.
A
female astral dragon lays one 5?-diameter
egg every few hundred years, then carries
it with her for many years more. Over
time, the egg swells to 10? across, and
a
hole opens at one end through which the
infant dragon can emerge. Since there
are
no regular caves or other lairs on the
Astral plane, the dragon?s egg becomes
its
lair. As the dragon gets older and larger,
the egg continues to grow at a slow pace
until it is 30? across and very thin,
though
still strong (how this is accomplished
has
never been resolved). The egg is the same
color as astral space, making it virtually
invisible unless one is within 30? of
it or if
peering in the darkened open end. It has
AC -2 and takes 30 hp damage in order
to break a hole in it large enough for
a
man to pass through. Young astral dragons
use their eggs for treasure storage until
more suitable lairs are found later in
life.
The astral dragon and its egg are always
linked by some magical mental link; an
astral dragon traveling to other planes
or
other parts of the Astral plane can always
find its way back to its lair, even during
a
psychic wind. When an astral dragon
enters adulthood, it leaves its egg for
another lair ? often the abandoned for-
tress or dwelling of another race of crea-
tures (usually githyanki).
An astral dragon is one of the most
powerful spell-casters of all dragons.
A
very young astral dragon has the spell
repertoire of a 1st~level magic-user,
the
next age has that of a 2nd~level magic-user,
and so on, so that an ancient astral dragon
is equivalent to an 8th-level magic-user
in
spell ability. Further, for every 200
years
of age beyond 401 years (when the astral
dragon becomes ancient), the dragon gains
another level of spell ability. Younger
astral dragons typically spend a great
deal
of time on the Prime Material plane,
where they are able to age quickly, and
tend to pass more time in the Astral plane
as they grow older. Ancient astral dragons
almost never leave the Astral plane, and
they have no known limits on their life
spans. There are reports of an astral
dragon with the powers of a 12th-level
Wizard who was able to create magical
items, and more powerful dragons are
hinted at in legends among the githyanki.
An astral dragon can vary its spells
through scrolls and spell books, being
capable of learning any spell a normal
magic-user can. The dragon?s claws are
slender and supple enough to enable the
dragon to open and read scrolls, and the
beast can cast any spell from a magic-
user?s scroll.
The astral dragon is, like all dragons,
driven by its greed for acquiring treasure,
and thus travels the planes looking for
it.
Its neighbors, the githyanki, are favorite
targets; the ornate armor and weapons
of
the githyanki, being both magical and
gem-
encrusted, are a dragon?s dream treasure.
It is said that old and ancient astral
dragons have more githyanki magical
items and treasure than even the largest
githyanki castle has. The gear of githzerai
raiding parties and astral travelers is
also
much enjoyed. The treasure troves of
astral dragons are the richest of any
in
magical items, though due to the nature
of
the Astral plane, many of these items
seem
nonmagical until they are taken to the
Prime Material plane. Those items that
can
be used by an astral dragon are usually
carried with it on its travels.
Astral dragons are subject to a strange
and rare disease, astralomitis,
that elimi-
nates the dragon?s ability to travel back
and forth between the planes.
This ailment has a 1% chance per plane
shift of
striking the dragon when it reaches a
plane other than the Astral plane. Once
the dragon discovers that it is perma-
nently separated from its home plane,
it
often goes insane, savagely attacking
any
and all creatures around it. Spell-casting
of
any sort is impossible to the dragon in
its
frenzied state, but its breath weapon
is
unaffected, and the strength of its mad-
ness causes all of its physical attacks
to do
double damage. The sick dragon fights
unceasingly for 2-5 days without rest,
then
collapses and dies within 1-4 hours. No
known cure exists for this disease, except
for a wish spell. If the astral dragon
can
return to the Astral plane via a portal
or
someone else?s spell (which must overcome
the dragon?s innate magic resistance),
its
illness and madness subside, although
the
dragon will never again be able to travel
to
other planes.
| Dragon magazine | Monster Manual III | - | Dragon's Bestiary | Dragon #134 |