
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

All Creatures
Abilities | Monsters | NPCs
All | Families | Templates
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Dragon, Fortune

Source Monster Core pg. 116
Fortune dragons have the innate ability to draw upon the raw magical energies that surround them. They constantly use these magical energies to empower their magical abilities and even their bodies, as the energy can heal wounds. A fortune dragon has a typical build for an arcane dragon, but their bodies sport a striking feature: their treasure. The dragon's nature of drawing upon magic causes coins, gems, and, most notably, magical items to cling to their body like iron drawn to magnets. A dragon constantly pulls magical energies from the items attached to their body and makes use of these energies to cast spells. The magical energies that flow through a fortune dragon constantly flow through the dragon's items as well, and in many cases, the items melt from the heat produced in this process. Fortune dragons are seekers of novel experiences. This desire for originality leads fortune dragons to approach visitors of other ancestries with curiosity, though this initial interest quickly wanes if a visitor lacks exciting qualities.

Members

Adult Fortune Dragon (Creature 14), Ancient Fortune Dragon (Creature 19), Young Fortune Dragon (Creature 10)

Sidebar - Locations Fortune Dragon Lairs

A fortune dragon's lair typically holds a much larger hoard than other dragons collect. These hoards are full of relatively worthless relics, objects, and armaments drained of all of their magical energy, and finding useful treasures among them requires a lot of effort. Fortune dragons are particularly protective of their rarest treasures and will either bury them deep within their hoard or keep them directly attached to their bodies, where the treasure is safest. A fortune dragon will unleash their full fury to protect their hoard from any outsiders, regardless of the person's standing.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Fortune Dragon Spellcasters

Fortune dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Fortune Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 30, attack +22; 4th flicker, translocate, vision of death; 3rd aqueous orb, grease, haste; 2nd invisibility, mist, web; 1st gust of wind, item facade, phantasmal minion; Cantrips (4th) electric arc, figment, prestidigitation, shield, telekinetic hand

Adult Fortune Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 36, attack +28; As young fortune dragon, plus 6th cursed metamorphosis, teleport, wall of force; 5th howling blizzard, scouting eye, toxic cloud; Cantrips (6th) electric arc, figment, prestidigitation, shield, telekinetic hand

Ancient Fortune Dragon

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 45, attack +37; As adult fortune dragon, plus 9th detonate magic, falling stars, phantasmagoria; 8th arctic rift, disappearance, uncontrollable dance; 7th contingency, energy aegis, planar palace; Cantrips (9th) electric arc, figment, prestidigitation, shield, telekinetic hand

Sidebar - Related Creatures Lethiliss

Initially drawn to the Calphiuak Mountains of New Thassilon in northwestern Avistan by the magical power of ancient runelords, the fortune dragon Lethiliss spent several decades gathering magical artifacts. During Earthfall, one of these artifacts activated, locking Lethiliss in a magical stasis that only broke millennia later. They now spend much of their time traveling the region to track down magical relics for their collection and to learn more about the modern world.

Dragon

Related Groups Dragon, Adamantine, Dragon, Conspirator, Dragon, Diabolic, Dragon, Empyreal, Dragon, Horned, 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).