Zombie Dragon

Wednesday, November 27, 2019




"I thought there were few pleasures left in the world that I had not already experienced, certainly none that were worth expending any effort towards. I must confess, though, to the great thrill I felt when I first bound Agorak the Silent to my will. As delicious as it was, it paled in comparison to the joy I felt when I finally had the opportunity to unleash him on my enemies. Nothing quite like a Dragon to put fear into the hearts of Men. So much better if he's Undead!"
Constatin von Carstein, Vampire Lord.
 
Zombie Dragons are the reanimated corpses of long-dead Dragons that were raised from their resting place within the Plain of Bones by the use of powerful Dark Magic.

he Plain of Bones is a harsh and lifeless landscape of multicoloured sand and tainted rock located to the east of the Worlds Edge Mountains, from which protrude huge rib cages of ancient primeval Dragons. This is the place where Dragons of ancient times once came to die, to rest their bones amongst those of their ancestors as they had done for millions of years, before any other sentient beings walked the world.

Here lies the bones of the great ancestral Dragons: skulls the size of castle towers lie mingled with leg bones larger than the mast of an Imperial warship. These bones date from the ancients days of the draconic race. Though today's Dragons are of a lesser breed, they are still incomparably mightier than other races of the world. However, following the arrival of Chaos, the Plain of Bones has since become saturated with large amounts of Dark Magic. This magic eventually contaminated the remains of these Dragons, forcing them to rise once more as the first Zombie Dragons.

Ever since then, Vampires and powerful Necromancers of all kinds have been known to take a pilgrimage to this ancient landscape where they pick through one amongst many Dragon remains. Once he finds a suitable corpse, the Vampire or Necromancer who use the excess Dark Magic that contaminates the land to resurrect the Dragon back to life as his eternal combat mount. These once majestic creatures stagger upright once more with a great despairing roar before stooping to allow their new master to ride atop their powerful shoulders.
 
Animated by Dark Magic, a Zombie Dragon is borne aloft by great tattered wings, its body covered with thick, withered hide. Though in life it once breathed fire capable of melting steel, a Zombie Dragon can only belch forth a cloud of pestilent gas which strips flesh from bones and corrodes armour. A Zombie Dragon's claws and sword-like teeth remain as deadly as they ever were, and is still capable of ripping an armoured knight in half and swallowing his warhorse in one motion. When such a monster is used as a steed by a powerful Vampire Lord, even the greatest heroes quail before the raw might of undeath, for the combined might of Vampire and his Undead Dragon is enough to break the back of any army sent against them. Wreathed in a fog of rot and surrounded by swarms of blood-hungry flies, a Zombie Dragon can turn the tide of a battle purely by dint of its horrific presence.


Terrorgheist



    "I have seen them, at night, flapping their mighty wings across the moon. They call to me, tell me I will join them soon. Herr Doktor Leberknoedel says that I am crazy, but I know that its not true... They will carry me off to my new home, and we will dance round the moon together... Oh yes."
        —Rudi, Great Altdorf Asylum Inmate.

Terrorgheist are the largest and most ferocious bat species to have ever existed, so large and terrifying that they've grown to the size of Dragons.

In the hidden reaches of Sylvania, these titanic bats soar out from their caves to hunt horses, caravans and pegasi under the sickly skies. It is the ambush tactic of the creatures that give them their truly terrifying reputation. A Terrorgheist's vision is poor, so the swooping monstrosity ensures that its prey is rendered motionless by emitting a piercing shriek so loud and unexpected it can stun even a Bretonnian warhorse into paralysis. At that precise moment, the Terrorgheist will dive down, gather up rider and mount in its talons, and return to its lair to glut itself on the warm blood of its victims.

It is the mortal remains of these troglodytic beasts that the Ghoul Kings of the caverns bind to their service. The binding process comes easily to these reclusive Vampires, for Strigoi Ghoul Kings and Terrorgheists have much in common. As Dark Magic swirls around the monstrous cave-creature, a bond of blood is formed between master and beast. Much like any other creature that drinks from a Ghoul King's veins, Terrorgheists have necromantic power running in their blood that can heal even the most severe of wounds.

In death, a Terrorgheist becomes a nightmare made real. Guided by its master's will, the monstrosity creaks through the clouds above the battlefield on blotch-skinned pinions, its rotten flesh and withered organs open to the night air. It is the deathly shriek of an unliving Terrorgheist that is perhaps its most fearsome aspect. As the magics of undeath are worked upon the beast, its cry is transformed from a simple but shockingly loud noise into a barrage of eldritch power. Some say the Terrorgheist's shriek is nothing less than the screams of the damned, channelled directly from the Realm of Chaos. It matters little to the Terrorgheist's prey, for so devastating is its sonic attack that it can cause a man to die of fright in an instant. By venting this noise as it dives down upon its prey, a Terrorgheist can cripple an enemy regiment moments before it slams into the reeling survivors, slaughtering the rest with disease ridden tooth and claw. Even when the Terrorgheist is slain, these creatures have a violent tendency to explode upon their deaths. Due to their ferocity, Terrorgheist are a highly favourable mount amongst many Undead factions.

The Tarrasque


The legendary tarrasque is possibly the most dreaded monster of the Material Plane. It is widely believed that only one of these creatures exists, though no one can predict where and when it will strike. 

A scaly biped, the tarrasque is fifty feet tall and seventy feet long, weighing hundreds of tons. It carries itself like a bird of prey, leaning forward and using its powerful lashing tail for balance. Its cavernous maw yawns wide enough to swallow all but the largest creatures, and so great is its hunger that it can devour the populations of whole towns.

Legendary Destruction.
The destructive potential of the tarrasque is so vast that some cultures incorporate the monster into religious doctrine, weaving its sporadic appearance into stories of divine judgment and wrath. Legends tell how the tarrasque slumbers in its secret lair beneath the earth, remaining in a dormant state for decades or centuries. When it awakens in answer to some inscrutable cosmic call, it rises from the depths to obliterate everything in its path.

Damage Immunities fire, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing from non magical weapons 

Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned

Magical Resistance
Legendary Resistance. If the tarrasque fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Magic Resistance. The tarrasque has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. 

Reflective Carapace. 
Any time the tarrasque is targeted by a magic missile spell, a line spell, or a spell that requires a ranged attack. Sometimes the tarrasque is unaffected. On a 6, the tarrasque is unaffected, and the effect is reflected back at the caster as though it originated from the tarrasque, turning the caster into the target.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: one target. Hit: slashing damage. Horns. Melee Weapon Attack: reach 10ft., one target. Hit: piercing damage. Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: reach 20ft., one target. Hit: bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must keep its balance or be knocked prone.

Multiattack.
The tarrasque can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes five attacks: one with its bite, two with its claws, one with its horns, and one with its tail. It can use its Swallow instead of its bite.

Bite.
Melee Weapon Attack: one target. Hit piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it is grappled. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the tarrasque can't bite another target.

Siege Monster.
The tarrasque deals huge damage to objects and structures.

Frightful Presence.
Each creature of the tarrasque's choice within 120 feet of it and aware of it must succeed in resisting its presence or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can try to resist, with disadvantage if the tarrasque is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the tarrasque's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. 

Swallow.
The tarrasque makes one bite attack against a Large or smaller creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target takes the bite's damage, the target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the tarrasque, and it takes acid damage. If the tarrasque takes a large strike or more from a creature inside it, the tarrasque must try to hold it in or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the tarrasque. If the tarrasque dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using 30 feet of movement, exiting prone.

LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The tarrasque can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time. The tarrasque regains spent legendary actions after some time. Attack. The tarrasque makes one claw attack or tail attack. Move. The tarrasque moves up to half its speed. Chomp (Costs 2 Actions). The tarrasque makes one bite attack or uses its Swallow.