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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Dragon, Horned

Source Monster Core pg. 119
The magic that flows through primal dragons can manifest more animalistic or bestial features in a given type of dragon. Notably among these are the massive paired horns of the horned dragon. While their bulky frames, natural coloration, and prominent ridged scales are all remarkable in their own way, it's the horns that are most obvious and striking at first glance. Horned dragons use their horns to impale their prey in a quick and brutal display of their might. They are generally contemplative and have a fixation on knowledge and self-discipline, traits belied by their bestial appearance. As a result, horned dragons are generally more open to speaking with outsiders.

Members

Adult Horned Dragon (Creature 12), Ancient Horned Dragon (Creature 17), Young Horned Dragon (Creature 8)

Sidebar - Related Creatures Athervox

As horned dragons are contemplative and seek scholarly endeavors, Athervox is no different. An astronomer by trade, this great horned dragon maintains an observatory near Senara in the Whisper Woods of Cheliax. There, she struck a deal with House Thrune where she agreed to instruct a handful of apprentices. After a few years of instruction, these “apprentices” vanished one night, taking volumes of the dragon's crucial notes—a slight she has not forgotten and for which she plans to seek vengeance.

Sidebar - Locations Horned Dragon Lairs

Horned dragon lairs are generally found within forests and swamps, but these sites can vary. Some horned dragons keep lairs within caves; others within hollowed trees or underneath the roots of large tree systems; some dragons even keep lairs among forest canopies. Their hoards are typically well kept, organized, and filled with tomes of lore and scrolls of magic, along with antiquities they collect for their own inscrutable reasons. Many of these treasures come from across the globe, and many an adventurer has survived an encounter with a horned dragon by stroking their ego and plying them with rare artifacts or lost lore from ancient cultures.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Horned Dragon Spellcasters

Horned dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Horned Dragon

Primal Prepared Spells DC 26, attack +20; 3rd dispel magic, slow, veil of privacy, wall of thorns; 2nd humanoid form, one with plants, sound body; 1st gust of wind, vanishing tracks, ventriloquism; Cantrips (3rd) detect magic, know the way, light, read aura, tangle vine

Adult Horned Dragon

Primal Prepared Spells DC 33, attack +26; As young horned dragon, plus 5th dispel magic, toxic cloud, veil of privacy; 4th hydraulic torrent, mountain resilience, unfettered movement; Cantrips (5th) detect magic, know the way, light, read aura, tangle vine

Ancient Horned Dragon

Primal Prepared Spells DC 39, attack +33; As adult horned dragon, plus 8th desiccate, punishing winds; 7th execute, mask of terror, veil of privacy; 6th field of life, tangling creepers, truesight; Cantrips (8th) detect magic, know the way, light, read aura, tangle vine

Dragon

Related Groups Dragon, Adamantine, Dragon, Conspirator, Dragon, Diabolic, Dragon, Empyreal, Dragon, Fortune, Dragon, Mirage, Dragon, Omen
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).