(Metallic) Gold

Golden scales cover the body of this majestic dragon, and a regal crest of horns arches backward above wise and piercing eyes.

Gold Dragon

LG dragon (fire)

BASE STATISTICS

CR 7; Size Small; Hit Dice 8d12
Speed 60 ft., swim 60 ft.
Natural Armor +7; Breath Weapon cone, 2d10 fire
Str 17, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Change Shape (Su)

A very young or older gold dragon can assume any animal or humanoid form three times per day as if using polymorph.

Detect Gems (Sp)

A young or older gold dragon can detect gems three times per day. This functions as locate object, but can only be used to locate gemstones.

Divine Aid (Sp)

Once a week, a great wyrm gold dragon can call upon celestial powers for aid. This functions as a miracle.

Fast Flight (Ex)

A young or older gold dragon is treated as one size category larger when determining his fly speed.

Fire Aura (Su)

An old or older gold dragon is surrounded by an aura of fire. All creatures within 5 feet of the dragon take 1d6 points of fire damage at the beginning of the dragon’s turn. An ancient gold dragon’s aura extends to 10 feet. A great wyrm’s damage increases to 2d6. The dragon can activate or suppress this aura as a free action.

Luck (Sp)

Once per day an adult or older gold dragon can touch a gem, usually one embedded in the dragon’s hide, and enspell it to bring good luck. As long as the dragon carries the gem, it and every good creature within a given radius of it (10 ft. per age category) receives a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. If the dragon gives an enspelled gem to another creature, only that bearer gets the bonus. The effect lasts 1d3 hours plus 3 hours per age category of the dragon. This ability is the equivalent of a 2nd-level spell.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp)

A gold dragon gains the following spell-like abilities upon reaching the listed age category. Its caster level for these effects is equal to its Hit Dice, and any save DCs are Charisma-based. A gold dragon can use these abilities at will.

Weakening Breath (Su)

Instead of a cone of fire, a gold dragon can breathe a cone of weakening gas. Creatures within the cone must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 1 point of Strength damage per age category (Will save half).

Age Category Special Abilities Caster Level
Wyrmling Fire subtype, weakening breath
Very young Change shape, detect evil
Young Fast flight, detect gems 1st
Juvenile Bless 3rd
Young Adult DR 5/magic, spell resistance 5th
Adult Frightful presence, luck, daylight 7th
Mature adult DR 10/magic 9th
Old Fire aura, geas/quest 11th
Very old DR 15/magic 13th
Ancient Sunburst 15th
Wyrm DR 20/magic 17th
Great wyrm Divine aid, foresight 19th

ECOLOGY

Environment warm plains
Organization solitary
Treasure triple

Gold dragons are the epitome of virtue. Other metallic dragons revere their gold cousins as the agents of divine forces and the paragons of dragonkind, and often seek them for advice or aid.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

Variant: Crown Dragon (Gold)

[Source]

A crown dragon is a gold dragon with the ability to bestow draconic powers on its vassals.

A crown dragon uses all of the statistics of a gold dragon with the advanced simple template except as noted below.

Alignment: A crown dragon is lawful neutral instead of lawful good.

Special Abilities: An adult crown dragon loses the luck ability and gains the vassal ability described below.

Vassal (Su)

Once per day, an adult or older crown dragon can create a magic jar effect (Will Save DC 10 + ½ the dragon’s HD + its Cha modifier), as per the spell. The dragon must provide a gemstone to serve as a focus for the spell effect, as normal. When using this ability, the dragon can only sense and attack the life forces of dragons. Alternately, the dragon may designate a single living, corporeal creature that is willing to be affected; if it does, the dragon can only sense and attack the life force of that creature. The magic jar effect ends immediately the first time the crown dragon leaves another creature’s body. However, for as long as the dragon inhabits another creature’s body, that body gains the half dragon template (gold dragon variety).

Variant: Feathered Dragon (Gold)

[Source]

A feathered dragon is a feather-plumed gold dragon that shares a kinship with couatls.

A feathered dragon uses all of the statistics of a standard gold dragon except as noted below.

Melee: Append “plus poison” to the damage dealt by a feathered dragon’s bite attack. See Special Abilities, below, for details on a feathered dragon’s poison.

Breath Weapon: A feathered dragon’s breath weapon deals a base of 2d8 fire damage instead of 2d10 fire damage.

Spells: A feathered dragon can cast spells from the cleric list as well as those normally available to a sorcerer. Cleric spells are considered arcane spells for a feathered dragon, meaning the dragon doesn’t need a divine focus to cast them.

Special Abilities: A feathered dragon doesn’t gain the weakening breath special ability, nor does it gain the spell-like abilities of a standard gold dragon. The dragon instead gains the following.

Poison (Ex)

Injury—bite; save: Fortitude, DC equal the save DC of the dragon’s breath weapon; frequency: 1/minute for 1 minute per age category of the dragon; effect: 1 point of Str per age category; cure: 2 consecutive saves.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp)

A feathered dragon gains the following spell-like abilities, usable at will upon reaching the listed age category. Very young—detect evil and detect good; Juvenile—detect chaos and detect law; Adultdetect thoughts; Old—invisibility; Ancient—plane shift; Great wyrm—ethereal jaunt.

Languages: A juvenile or older feathered dragon gains telepathy 100 ft.

Variant: Pyrite Dragon (Gold)

[Source]

A pyrite dragon is a gold dragon with a penchant for mayhem and deception.

When you can breathe fire, you can easily cow them into submission, and no one ever suspects a gold dragon of having such unlikely allies. Even as we speak, I have sent a band of trolls to provoke local heroes and otherwise stir up trouble. I have not yet decided how I will insert myself into the mayhem. I will probably just make it up as I go.

A pyrite dragon uses all of the statistics of a standard gold dragon except as noted below.

Alignment: A pyrite dragon is chaotic neutral instead of lawful good.

Special Abilities A pyrite dragon gains the spell-like abilities of a blue dragon of the same age category instead of gaining the spell-like abilities of a standard gold dragon. A very young pyrite dragon gains the sound imitation special ability of a very young blue dragon. An old pyrite dragon does not gain the fire aura special ability, instead gaining the mirage special ability of an old blue dragon.

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