Gargantuan Dragon (Metallic), Chaotic Good
- AC
- 20
- Initiative
- +12 (22)
- HP
- 332 (19d20+133)
- Speed
- 40 ft., Burrow 40 ft., Fly 80 ft.
| Score | Mod | Save | |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 27 | +8 | +8 |
| DEX | 10 | +0 | +6 |
| CON | 25 | +7 | +7 |
| INT | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| WIS | 15 | +2 | +8 |
| CHA | 22 | +6 | +6 |
Traits
Legendary Resistance (4/Day, or 5/Day in Lair). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three Rend attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of (A) Sleep Breath or (B) Spellcasting to cast Scorching Ray (level 3 version).
Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 15 ft. Hit: 19 (2d10+8) Slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) Fire damage.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5-6). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 21, each creature in a 90-foot-long, 5-foot-wide Line. Failure: 58 (13d8) Fire damage. Success: Half damage.
Sleep Breath. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 21, each creature in a 90-foot Cone. Failure: The target has the Incapacitated condition until the end of its next turn, at which point it repeats the save. Second Failure: The target has the Unconscious condition for 10 minutes. This effect ends for the target if it takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to wake it.
Spellcasting. The dragon casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 20):
At Will: Detect Magic, Minor Illusion, Scorching Ray (level 3 version), Shapechange (Beast or Humanoid form only, no Temporary Hit Points gained from the spell, and no Concentration or Temporary Hit Points required to maintain the spell), Speak with Animals
1/Day Each: Control Weather, Detect Thoughts
Legendary Actions
Ancient Brass Dragon can take 3 Legendary Actions per round, regaining all uses at the start of its turn.
Blazing Light. The dragon uses Spellcasting to cast Scorching Ray (level 3 version).
Pounce. The dragon moves up to half its Speed, and it makes one Rend attack.
Scorching Sands. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 20, one creature the dragon can see within 120 feet. Failure: 36 (8d8) Fire damage, and the target's Speed is halved until the end of its next turn. Failure or Success: The dragon can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
How to run Ancient Brass Dragon
An ancient brass dragon on the party's side is a campaign-defining patron, not a one-scene loaner. Brass dragons hoard conversation, and a 1,000-year-old one has decided over centuries that this party is worth its time. Treat the relationship as a standing account: the dragon answers questions, hosts the party in its desert lair, and occasionally shows up when the favor is large enough. It will not be a flying taxi, and it will not be polite about being asked.
In combat, lead with talking. The dragon arrives, hovers at 80 feet, and asks the enemy commander a question they cannot answer. If they fight anyway, open with Sleep Breath in a 90-foot cone (DC 21 Con) to drop the rank-and-file Unconscious for ten minutes. That gives the party prisoners and the dragon a clear conscience. Save Fire Breath (13d8 in a 90-foot line, DC 21 Dex) for a creature that has already shown it will not yield, and recharge willing. Multiattack is three Rend at +14 for 26 average per hit, with an optional swap for Sleep Breath or a level-3 Scorching Ray.
Out of combat, the spell list is the gift. Detect Magic at will appraises everything the party recovers. Detect Thoughts once a day cracks an interrogation they could not finish. Control Weather, also once a day, is a campaign tool: a ten-minute cast that bends the next several hours of weather over a five-mile radius. Use it sparingly so the party feels the cost when they ask. Shapechange lets the dragon walk among them as a robed historian, which is most of how it prefers to live.
Write the dragon's name and three opinions on a card before session. When the party asks for a favor, consult the card and answer in character. The dragon's consistency is what makes the patronage feel real.
A hostile ancient brass dragon means the party broke a promise to it, and the dragon is settling the account. This is not a slaughter, it is a lesson. Open with the dragon already in the scene, naming the broken promise, naming the witnesses, and offering one chance to make it right. The fight begins when the party refuses or lies poorly. Detect Thoughts at DC 20 means the dragon knows when they lie.
Round one is Sleep Breath, not Fire Breath. The 90-foot cone at DC 21 Con incapacitates on a fail and knocks Unconscious for ten minutes on a second fail. A brass dragon that puts half the party to sleep does not kill them; it strips their gear, lays them on a dune, and lets the survivors think about their choices. Hold Fire Breath for the player who proves they will not stop. 13d8 fire averages 58, and the line is 90 feet by 5 feet, so position to catch two PCs at once.
Legendary actions keep the encounter pressurised. Pounce closes with another Rend, Blazing Light fires Scorching Ray as a third option per round, and Scorching Sands at DC 20 drops 36 fire and halves a target's speed from up to 120 feet away. Legendary Resistance 4 a day (5 in lair) means the party's first three big saves are the dragon's, and they should learn that fast. If Bloodied, the dragon casts Control Weather, raises a sandstorm, burrows at 40 feet, and is gone. Brass dragons do not die over ego.
Have the dragon write its terms in the sand before it leaves, in a script the bard recognises. The party should know exactly what it would take to be forgiven, and exactly how unlikely that is.
Stat block from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 © Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.