Dragons of Decay and Despair

Habitat: Swamp; Treasure: Relics

Most young black dragons claim a hidden lair—typically a dismal place accessible through deadly ruins or a treacherous bog. They delight in exploiting fearful servants and might terrorize small communities or impress groups of kobolds or troglodytes into their service. Some ally themselves with powerful undead such as death knights and vampires or aberrations such as aboleths and kuo-toa.

Black Dragons

Black dragons delight in suffering and ruin. While other chromatic dragons scheme for power and wealth, these dragons seek to tear down all they see and rule over what remains.

Black dragons are terrifying creatures with curved horns and withered visages suggestive of fiendish skulls. They typically inhabit stagnant swamps, crumbling ruins, or places of magical or environmental corruption. Their acid breath scars their domains, eroding the features from ancient statues and leaving nature with festering wounds.

Black dragons hoard tarnished symbols of hope and relics of fallen empires. The more sought-after the treasure, the more black dragons prize it—particularly if they were responsible for it being lost.

Black Dragon Lairs

Black dragons lurk in dismal ruins, polluted bogs, or other sites gripped by decay.

The region containing an adult or ancient black dragon’s lair is warped by its presence, creating the following effects:

Acrid Haze. Odorous and stifling fog covers the area within 1 mile of the lair, rendering that area Lightly Obscured. Travel for creatures other than the dragon and its allies takes twice the usual time in that area.

Foul Water. Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled. A creature that drinks such water must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have the Poisoned condition for 1 hour.

If the dragon dies or moves its lair elsewhere, these effects end immediately.

Traits

Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.

Actions

Multiattack. The dragon makes three Rend attacks.

Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 10 ft. Hit: 9 (2d4 + 4) Slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) Acid damage.

Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature in a 30-foot-long, 5-foot-wide Line. Failure: 49 (14d6) Acid damage. Success: Half damage.