Grey Dragons - Devoted to the Dark
/In the world of dragons, there are many ancestral reasons why the beasts hoard their gold or other treasures. I've lifted the veil on Steel and Titanium dragons, who become masters of magic or bastions of an ideal. What of the chromatic dragons? Are they the destructive visions of agony from bedtime stories? Most are, but they don't have to be.
I can't think of a better way to open 2021 than to talk about the most unusual breed of chromatic dragons. A brief note before going ahead, that eagle eyed readers probably noticed by now. Apotheosis Studios is an international company, and I am an avid writer based in Jolly-Old England. What you are reading about are GREY dragons, which are the same as GRAY dragons. Spelling is weird.
Grey Dragons
Sometimes referred to as badlands dragons, or Ascetics of the Stone, the grey dragon is a wellspring of knowledge about one very specific topic: Evil Deities. The great mother of chromatic dragons is usually who they follow, but religious devotion to any Evil Aligned god or goddess is what pulls a grey dragon's interest.
The slender beast has a gaunt face and judging eyes. The skin over its wings are incredibly thin, nearly see-through. This makes the deep grey skin easier to blend into their mountain bluff, or grey rocky surrounding all the easier. Their thin, dextrous neck makes them able to see in most directions whilst also making camouflaging themselves into the rock face all the easier.
Ancient grey dragon stats - generated on homebrewery
Warped Devotion
From an early age, the grey dragon is curious. Their thirst for knowledge is rivalled only by titanium dragons. In their frantic search for meaning, as they grow their skills in predation and deviousness, the grey dragon will usually find forbidden writing in the hoards of dragons they plunder or holdfasts of humanoid towns that they pillage. The nature of evil deities are something they're drawn to when rooting through their possessions.
Their ancestral heritage to the mad dragon goddess is the usual deity they're drawn to. In other cases, a dragon may wander with tribes of orcs or raiding societies and fall interested with the gods of war. A dragon spying on a guild of thieves may start to avidly read about gods of trickery and deception. Once they find a force they respect, they'll bring about their own twisted interpretation of those ideals.
Adult Grey Dragon Stats
This makes each grey dragon's manner and temperament so wildly different between each one you meet. In a deep cave on the mountains bordering a city, a grey dragon could be tricking people into bad deals to appease the god of lies, while another is foaming at the mouth, eager to appease the goddess of conquest.
Grey Dragon Lairs
Grey dragons nest in low mountain slopes, scrublands, and sand wastes. Anywhere where the ground is parched or the elevation is high, where they can best use their grey exteriors to blend with the surroundings.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties) the dragon takes a lair action to take one of the following effects:
The dragon calls on their deities' aid. A 20ft cylinder of light that originates on a point the dragon can see. All creatures in the cylinder must make a DC 15 Dexterity Saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) radiant damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one.
The dragon glares at one creature it can see and extends its stony will onto it. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution Saving throw or have its speed reduced to 5 until next initiative count 20.
Region Effects
Young Grey Dragon and Grey Dragon Wyrmling stats
Within 6 miles of a dragon that venerates a Lawful Evil god, any damage that would be dealt to a creature with a weapon attack, other than the dragon itself, deals 1 extra damage.
Within 6 miles of a dragon that venerates a Neutral Evil god, whenever a creature rolls a Charisma based skill checks made to a creature other than the dragon, they get a +1 bonus to that check.
Within 6 miles of a dragon that venerates a Chaotic Evil god, weather patterns over the skies are unpredictable, changing between extreme states at a moment's notice.
Fade to Grey
Players can never be sure the motives of a grey dragon. Their quest may lead them to one who's heading a cult, or perhaps the party may be at the mercy of devotees to a force lost to time, and only a grey dragon can reveal the truth, at a steep cost. Now we want to hear from you. How would you use grey dragons in games you GM? What dark gods would you have them worship? Let us know in the comments below or on our discord server.
Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, he writes about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out himself. On Youtube, he can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Follow his Twitter @IzzetTinkerer.
