Styx Dragon

Dragon (Aquatic, Extraplanar)

Environment: Any Lower Plane

Organization: Solitary (1 dragon, any age), clutch (1d4+1 wyrmlings, very young, young, or juveniles or young adults), family (pair of mature adults and 1d4+1 offspring)

Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 3; very young 4; young 6; juvenile 8; young adult 10; adult 12; mature adult 14; old 17; very old 18; ancient 19; wyrm 20; great wyrm 22

Treasure: Triple standard

Alignment: Always neutral evil

Advancement: Wyrmling 6-7 HD; very young 9-10 HD; young 12-13 HD; juvenile 15-16 HD; young adult 18-19 HD; adult 21-22 HD; mature adult 24-25 HD; old 27-28 HD; very old 30-31 HD; ancient 33-34 HD; wyrm 36-37 HD; great wyrm 39+ HD

Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +5; very young +5; young +5; juvenile +6; others --

Also known as shadowdrakes or darkwyrms, Styx dragons haunt the putrid waters of the River Styx throughout its nearly infinite length. One of the few creatures immune to the harmful effects of the river, Styx dragons swim with impunity across the top layers of all the Lower Planes, feasting on fiends and any other creature they can find and catch.

A Styx dragon has a long, serpentine body with tiny, flipperlike claws that are useless on land and in combat. Its wings are too small to carry it aloft, but help to propel it through the water. Its tail splits into two long, bladed whips that it can use to slash and grab its prey. A Styx dragon's scales are slimy and range from dark brown to rusty red in color. Its eyes glow with a lurid yellow light.

Styx dragons make their lairs by burrowing into the banks of the Styx. They do not like to leave their native plane, but if one is forcibly brought to the Material Plane, it will thrive in fetid water.

Styx dragons normally subsist on the flesh of fiends, but enjoy eating any meat--particularly rotting carrion.

Combat

A Styx dragon's physical attacks are limited: It attacks with the twin blades of its tail instead of claws, it cannot use its wings effectively, and it does not gain tail slap attacks in addition to its tail blades. Its tail blades deal damage as if the dragon were one size category larger than actual, however, as does its tail sweep.

Young and older Styx dragons' natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Breath Weapon (Su): A Styx dragon has two types of breath weapon, a line of acid that persists for 3 rounds (dealing half damage on the second round and one-quarter damage on the third round), or a cone of stupefying gas. Creatures within the cone must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 1 point of Intelligence damage per age category of the dragon.

Amphibious (Ex): Although Styx dragons are aquatic, they can survive indefinitely on land.

Constrict (Ex): With a successful grapple check, a Styx dragon can crush a grabbed opponent, dealing twice its tail blade damage as bludgeoning damage.

Disease (Ex): Any creature hit by a Styx dragon's bite or tail attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC equal to that of the dragon's breath weapon save DC) or contract Stygian wasting. The symptoms of the disease include flesh rotting away and hair falling out. The incubation period is 1 day, and the disease deals 1d6 points of Charisma damage. A victim must make three successful Fortitude saves in a row to recover from Stygian wasting.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a Styx dragon must hit a creature that is at least one size category smaller than itself with its tail blade attack. If it gets a hold, it can constrict in the same round. It can also attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will--curse water; 3/day--control water, deeper darkness, fog cloud; 1/day--feeblemind, hold monster, horrid wilting, mind fog, stinking cloud.

Styx Adaptation (Ex): Styx dragons are immune to the harmful effects of the River Styx, and they can breathe water.

Summon Monster VIII (Sp): Once per day, a great wyrm Styx dragon can summon a fiendish giant squid, 1d3 fiendish giant octopi or Large tojanidas, or 1d4+1 Large water elementals, Huge fiendish sharks, or fiendish giant crocodiles. Aside from the monsters available, this ability is identical to summon monster VIII. Caster level 15th.