Shadow dragons are a form of evil true dragons.[2][3]
Description[]
Physically seeming insubstantial, shadow dragons have dark and translucent scales that help them camouflage into the darkness around them. Shadow dragons are often mistaken for black dragons, but their horns point backwards. A long fringe of spines emerges from the back of their neck, and their powerful tail features a swimming fin.[3]
Abilities[]
Shadow dragons are physically weak compared to other dragons. For example, even at great wyrm stage, shadow dragons are, in terms of raw physical strength, below a white dragon, the weakest of the chromatic dragons, at the same stage.[5][6]
They have a frightful presence like other dragons and a number of abilities that allow them to be stealthy and move fast. They start with a predisposition towards mundane hiding, sneaking, and jumping. They aren't exactly fast flyers but can move unusually fast on their feet for dragons.[4]
Senses[]
Like any other true dragon, shadow dragons have sharp hearing and sight capable of low-light vision and darkvision. They also have blindsense.[7]
Breath[]
A shadow dragon's breath is a cone of shadows. Creatures caught in it lose parts of their vitality, skills, and spells, possibly permanently, all while temporarily empowering the dragon.[6]
Magic[]
As they age, shadow dragons learn an increasing number of magical abilities to hide from enemies and enhance their movement. They can hide away in shadows, even those in otherwise well-lit areas, and learn over their lives to cast mirror image, dimension door, nondetection, and shadow walk.[4]
Once at great wyrm stage, they can fill a large area with darkness. Once this ability is used, a battle becomes a one-sided matter in favor of the shadow dragon. The darkness is impossible to disperse with light, magical or not. Creatures without ties to the Plane of Shadow are practically blind as long as they remain in the area that encompasses a radius of 100 yards (91 meters). Those with ties to the plane are largely unaffected. This ability is usable multiple times.[4]
Like many other true dragons, they develop sorcerer abilities with at least the potential to learn spells usually only open to divine casters as well as from the Chaos, Evil and Trickery domains.[8]
A shadow dragon has very strong spell resistances and very hard scales. As it grows, it gains an increasingly stronger resistance against spells and non-magical physical attacks. Their scales are hard even among dragons and grow only harder with age. All shadow dragons have an outright immunity against life-sapping effects.[4]
Combat[]
A shadow dragon stalks its prey from the shadows, stalking its prey for hours before striking and never fighting fair. When it attacks, it uses globes of darkness to disorient its foes and shadow walk to gain the perfect position for its breath weapon.[3] It fights in many of the ways typically done by true dragons: biting, clawing, bludgeoning with its wings and/or its tail, crushing on an enemy and sweeping with its tail.[9]
Notable Shadow Dragons[]
Danazharil in his lair.
- The Shadow of the Dark Six is sometimes depicted (usually in Droaam) as a shadow dragon.[10]
- Danazharil is a member of the Talons of Tiamat who has dwelled in the Black Well of Argonnessen for 1,300 years.[11]
Appendix[]
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External Links[]
- Shadow dragon article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
References[]
- ↑ unknown (2025). Monster Manual 5th edition (revised). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 275. ISBN 978-0-7869-6954-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014). Monster Manual (5th Edition). (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Bruce R. Cordell, et al. (November 2008). Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 199. ISBN 978-0-7869-4980-9.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Andy Collins, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt (2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 191–192. ISBN 0-7869-2884-0.
- ↑ Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 77. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Andy Collins, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt (2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 191. ISBN 0-7869-2884-0.
- ↑ Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 69. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ Andy Collins, James Wyatt, and Skip Williams (November 2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 192. ISBN 0-7869-2884-0.
- ↑ Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 68–69. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, & James Wyatt (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 70. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
- ↑ Scott Fitzgerald Gray & Nicolas Logue (October 2007). “Lethal Locations: Dragons of Eberron”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #360 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 24.