Cave Dragon, Young

Its eyeless head swings from side to side in the narrow corridor as darkness creeps from its strange eel-like hide, spreading like ink in water and snuffing out even magical lights.

Young Cave Dragon
CR 7

XP 3,200
NE Medium dragon (earth)
Init +1; Senses blindsense 180 ft.; Perception +10

DEFENSE

AC 22, touch 10, flat-footed 22 (+12 natural)
hp 100 (8d12+48)
Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +8
Immune acid, paralysis, sleep, sonic; SR 15

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft.; earth glide
Melee bite +15 (2d6+10), 2 claws +13 (1d6+3), and 2 wings +13 (1d4+3)
Special Attacks breath weapon (30 ft. cone, poison DC 20, 1d6+3 Strength damage; sonic 6d6 sonic), ruff spikes, spells
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; +3 concentration)

3/daydarkness

Spells Prepared (CL 1st; +3 concentration)

1stcure light wounds, deathwatch, protection from good
0thbleed (DC 12), detect magic, mending, read magic

Domains Evil, Knowledge

STATISTICS

Str 24 Dex 10 Con 22 Int 12 Wis 14 Cha 15
Base Atk +8; CMB +15; CMD 25 (29 vs. trip)
Feats Cleave, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Multiattack, Power Attack
Skills Bluff +10, Climb +15, Diplomacy +10, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +11, Knowledge (local) +10, Linguistics +7, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +15, Survival + 9; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +4 Stealth
Languages Draconic, Undercommon

ECOLOGY

Environment any underground
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure double

A cave dragon is always hungry and ready to eat absolutely everything. While they do speak Undercommon and a debased form of Draconic, they do so rarely—generally only when bargaining for food. They occasionally act as mercenaries in the eternal warfare between the races of the deep earth. A hungry cave dragon uses its long-range darkvision to spot prey long before they notice it, creating zones of darkness or deeper darkness. Ruff spikes seal the passage around it, denying foes any chance of outflanking it. Their wings have withered away to little more than another set of limbs, useful to rush down tunnels. They are barely able to fly, and the effort it requires makes them clumsy fliers at best. Earth glide lets them attack from unexpected directions.

Eyeless creatures, they have long feeler-like spikes that help them navigate through tunnels. Their vestigial wings serve as an additional set of legs, and their narrow snouts pokes into narrow passages that their tongues scour free of bats and vermin. They are entirely creatures of hunger although quite intelligent. A cave dragon can be bribed with food as easily as with gold. They claim entire cavern systems as their own.

Cave dragons are especially fond of bones and items with strong taste or smell. They devour undead, plant creatures, or anything organic. When feeding, they treat all nearby creatures as a threat. Limited food deep underground means fewer age categories. The eldest die of starvation. A few escape to the surface, but lack of flight and sunlight weakness means that they are at a terrible disadvantage.

Cave dragon coloration darkens with age, but always provides good camouflage against stone: white like limestone, yellow, muddy brown, then black at adult and older categories. Mature adult and old cave dragons sometimes fade to grey again. Stories that claim cave dragon scales are invisible to darkvision are unfounded, but they are said to be an important element in fuligin dyes.

Cave dragons have no permanent society. They gather each year or each decade (no one is sure) to mate and to protect their eggs at certain spawning grounds. There, the oldest cave dragons retreat to die in peace. Wild legends claim that enormous treasures are heaped up in these ledges, abysses, and other inaccessible locations. Large vertical chimneys seem popular as nesting sites. Cave dragons often befriend derro and occasionally work with drow against the darakhul.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Midgard Bestiary for Pathfinder RPG, (c) 2012 Open Design LLC; Author: Adam Daigle with Chris Harris, Michael Kortes, James MacKenzie, Rob Manning, Ben McFarland, Carlos Ovalle, Jan Rodewald, Adam Roy, Christina Stiles, James Thomas, and Mike Welham.

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