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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Dragon, Omen

Source Monster Core pg. 123
Fate is a fickle matter on Golarion. Even with prophecy broken on the world, there are ways to look to the immediate future or acquire a vague sense of long-term events. Omen dragons are bound to see the future—nebulous though it might be—at all times. Visions of the future hound them like a quiet song that never stops playing in their minds. While an omen dragon can focus on or ignore the music of fate at any time, the song plays all the same. At a glance, omen dragons resemble other occult dragons in appearance, save for the mirror-like interior membrane of their wings. An omen dragon's wings offer glimpses into the future. These glimpses are cloudy and vague, but generally correct, if only technically. Omen dragons have a natural compulsion to share the futures they see. These dragons have no compunctions about what the visions show and share their knowledge equally with innocent villagers as they do with wicked tyrants.

Members

Adult Omen Dragon (Creature 11), Ancient Omen Dragon (Creature 16), Young Omen Dragon (Creature 7)

Sidebar - Related Creatures Gurvallinn

The omen dragon Gurvallinn has become a common sight in the Eye of Dread region of Avistan. The reemergence of the lich Tar-Baphon brought about many dangers for the region. Gurvallinn, beset by countless portents, travels between the nations of the region to share his visions with locals, though many of these warnings are vague, making acting on the information difficult.

Sidebar - Locations Omen Dragon Lairs

Omen dragons maintain multiple lairs, as if different futures require a distinct lair. Each lair has a smaller hoard than that of a typical dragon, but these hoards seem to be more impactful. In addition to riches, an omen dragon hoards items of significance. These could be fabled weapons, cures for a plague yet to happen, or other items that the dragon has seen in a vision and recognizes as important. Many desperate travelers make the journey to these lairs in hopes of finding the miraculous item that will solve their problems. Omen dragons are open to sharing these items, but if the dragon is unsure of the item's purpose, the visitor needs to assure the dragon of the item's fate and not some unforeseen future possibility.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Omen Dragon Spellcasters

Omen dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Omen Dragon

Occult Prepared Spells DC 25, attack +17; 3rd dream message, hypercognition; 2nd clear mind, status, stupefy; 1st command, fear, protection; Cantrips (3rd) daze, detect magic, know the way, message, read aura

Adult Omen Dragon

Occult Prepared Spells DC 30, attack +22; As young omen dragon, plus 5th locate, wave of despair; 4th clairvoyance, confusion, read omens; 3rd locate; Cantrips (5th) daze, detect magic, know the way, message, read aura

Ancient Omen Dragon

Occult Prepared Spells DC 39, attack +31; As adult omen dragon, plus 7th never mind, visions of danger, warp mind; 6th repulsion, scrying, truesight; 5th sending; Cantrips (7th) daze, detect magic, know the way, message, read aura

Dragon

Related Groups Dragon, Adamantine, Dragon, Conspirator, Dragon, Diabolic, Dragon, Empyreal, Dragon, Fortune, Dragon, Horned, Dragon, Mirage
Dragons come in myriad forms, with many having magical abilities or connections to magic. Some dragons draw greater power from magic than others, allowing them to manifest abilities or alter their physiques with prolonged exposure to magic. These dragons become more powerful as they age and strengthen their connections with their magical origins. Scholars debate the classification of these dragons, with some preferring the name magical dragons and others using traditional dragons due to their connection to specific magical traditions. Regardless of their names, these dragons share a number of characteristics: their ability to tap into magical energies, intensified might and cunning as they grow older, and an inclination to hoard vast amounts of treasure and wealth.

Draconic Spellcasters

Each dragon features a sidebar on spellcasting dragons of that type. To make a dragon spellcaster, remove the dragon's Draconic Frenzy and Draconic Momentum abilities, and give them the spells outlined in their sidebar. You can swap out any number of these with other spells, provided you keep the same number of spells for each rank. You might also want to increase the dragon's Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier by 1 or 2 to reflect their mastery of magic.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Draconic Groupings

The broader grouping of dragons is generally sorted into more granular categories, the first of which is based on the four magical traditions. Each dragon falls into one of these large categories, and dragons in a given category share a number of common traits.

Arcane Dragons: These dragons seem to have greater control over magic and their innate abilities. Many arcane dragons have mastery over a certain subset of magic, such as illusions or teleportation. Other arcane dragons have the ability to tap into or manipulate raw magical energies, regardless of their origins. Their bodies tend to be more slender than other dragons due to their reliance on magic for hunting. Their scales generally come in perfect patterns or very organized shapes.

Divine Dragons: While the name might suggest dragons directly related to deific entities, divine dragons instead derive their power from planes other than the mortal Universe. Similar to how a god grants power to a cleric, these dragons receive magical abilities and other influences from another plane. As such, divine dragons are among the most varied of dragons. These dragons generally take on an appearance similar to other native creatures of their influential planes, making it difficult for them to hide their planar connections.

Occult Dragons: At times alien and off-putting and other times alluring and mysterious, occult dragons derive their powers from the inexplicable and unknown. These dragons use magic that seems to exist within the crevices and shadows between other forms of magic. Whether it's due to this strange magical influence or something else, occult dragons are most likely to directly interact with other creatures. While generally sporting similar builds to other dragons, occult dragons make greater use of their wings as supplementary appendages, leaving their forward limbs free to use for other things. Their scales and plating generally feature strange shapes and patterns that are rarely seen in the natural world.

Primal Dragons: While all dragons are fierce and terrifying in their own way, primal dragons seem to embody the most bestial traits among dragons. These dragons derive their power from the magic of the natural world. While primal dragons aren't directly bound to serve nature, many of them choose to act as keepers of their habitats. Primal dragons are generally larger than other dragons and fall back on their instincts more often, making them particularly dangerous when threatened. Their scales typically have less elaborate shapes than other dragons, or will sometimes resemble natural terrain. Some dragons even grow natural features like small plants on their bodies.

Draconic Families: In addition to these classifications, dragons are sometimes grouped into families. These include the enigmatic esoteric dragons, the regal imperial dragons, the space-faring outer dragons, and the mighty skymetal dragons. Draconic families are sometimes made up of dragons with obvious physiological similarities, while other families seem to be made up of dragons of similar color, habitat, behavior, or other traits that make for vague connections. Often, families include dragons of varied magical traditions. As such, the members of a given family are sometimes the subject of debate and scholarly arguments.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Shape-Changing Dragons

Though it's uncommon, some dragons can take humanoid forms. They gain the following ability:

Change Shape [one-action] (concentrate, polymorph); The dragon takes on the appearance of any Small or Medium humanoid. This doesn't change their Speed or attack and damage bonuses with their Strikes but might change the damage type their Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning).