Stoner Dragon
Created by Mike Persinger
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVE: 9?; 1? burrowing through rock; 6?
burrowing through earth
HIT DICE: 7-9
% IN LAIR: 45%
TREASURE TYPE: H, Q (x2)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 claws and 1 bite
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6/1-6/5-20
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Missiles (boulder
breath weapon), breath weapon, spell
use, high intelligence
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Acute senses, saving-
throw bonuses, low armor class, weapon
breaking
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Very
ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral
SIZE: L (35? long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
CHANCE OF:
Speaking: 100%
Magic-use: 100%
Sleeping: 50%
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 10 HD: VIII/4,800 + 14
per hit points; 11-12 HD: IX/7,200 + 16
per hit point
This solitary dragon inhabits rocky,
deserted areas, and often makes its lair
inside a cave with two or more exits. The
stone dragon eats rocks for sustenance,
with gems being considered delicacies.
They rarely interfere with the affairs of
men, though when confronted they can
prove very helpful or harmful. Stone
dragons share the same general character-
istics that all dragons do, but they lack
wings. Instead, stone dragons can leap five
times per day as if using the first-level
magic-user spell jump.
Stone dragons are gray in color, each
looking very much like a clump of rocks. If
located in rocky terrain, a stone dragon
has a 55% chance of blending in with the
rocks, effectively concealing itself. Sharp
weapons do half damage and must save vs.
crushing blow on contact with such crea-
tures, breaking and doing no damage if
they fail; missile weapons must also save
or be destroyed. Blunt weapons do full
damage and will not break. Stone dragons
save vs. fire and acid at - 1, and take + 1
hp damage per die of damage done on
these attacks. Stone dragons save vs. cold
at + 1, with damage being - 1 per die.
Earth-based spells that normally have no
saving throw do only half damage or have
half the effect against a stone dragon; for
example, animated rocks and conjured
earth elementals only do half damage
when they hit, and earthquake has a 1 in
16 chance of killing a stone dragon. Earth-
based spells that do allow a saving throw
do half or no damage to stone dragons,
depending on the dragon?s saving throw.
Flesh to stone and mud to rock (and their
reverses) have no effect on stone dragons.
The stone dragon has three breath
weapons, each usable three times per day.
The first breath weapon shoots 5-10 large
(3? diameter) rocks from its mouth. These
rocks are waste products of the dragon?s
diet. These rocks are expelled at a rate of
one per segment, so one rock may be
targeted at any opponent (thus, up to 10
people can actually be targeted, assuming
10 rocks are available). The range for
hitting targets is 2?/4?/6? for short/
medium/long range. A target must be at
least 1? away from the dragon to be fired
upon. The rocks have a +2 bonus to hit,
and each rock does 2-7 hp damage. Note
that normal missile range ?to hit? penalties
still apply.
The second weapon available to the
stone dragon is a gas cloud 5? wide, 6?
long, and 3? deep which loses effective-
ness after one round. This acts like a slow
spell for as many rounds as the dragon
has hit dice. A successful save vs. breath
weapon means that the spell has no effect.
The stone dragon is immune to its own
breath weapon, but it is not immune to a
magic-user?s slow spell.
The third breath weapon is also a gas
cloud 5? wide, 6? long, and 3? deep that
loses its effectiveness after one round.
Failure to save vs. breath weapon indicates
that the victim has turned to stone. The
effects of this are permanent, though the
usual magical methods may be used to
reverse the petrified victim?s condition.
Stone dragons prefer gems over the
more common types of treasure, and will
readily trade other treasures for them,
sometimes paying a price twice the item is
worth.
Upon reaching the fifth age category, a
stone dragon receives the ability to cast
stone shape once per day. At the seventh
age category, he may cast it twice per day.
At the eighth age level, the stone dragon
may cast a statue spell once every two
days with no chance of system shock
failure.
Additionally, all stone dragons receive
the following spells, each gained at succes-
sive age categories starting from very
young age: allies, shatter, passwall, trans-
mute rock to mud, wall of stone, conjure
earth elemental, stone tell, and earth-
quake. Allies is a spell-like power that acts
as a charm monster spell and takes one
turn to cast. It affects only rock-based
creatures (i.e., rock reptiles, xorn, umber
hulks, earth elementals, etc.). The creature
gets a saving throw to avoid the effects.
All other information on this spell is treat-
ed as the charm monster spell.