AC 16 (natural armor)
HP 39 (6d8 + 12; bloodied 19)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 40 ft.
Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 13
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +2
Damage Immunities lightning
Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Draconic
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) piercing damage.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons:
Lightning Breath. The dragon exhales lightning in a 30-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line. Each creature in the area makes a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw , taking 16 (3d10) lightning damage on a failed save or half damage on a success.
Ocean Surge. The dragon exhales a torrent of seawater in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from the dragon.
Combat
While individual dragons have their own personalities and tactics, most rely heavily on their breath weapons. They use them whenever they can, preferably from maximum distance and while flying above their enemies.
When fighting in the open, dragons often circle above their enemies as they wait for their breath weapons to recharge. They only close to melee if their enemies deal significant damage with ranged attacks, or if they can savage an enemy cut off from its allies. Once bloodied , dragons become more aggressive, attacking with bite and claws when their breath weapons aren’t available.
If a dragon is protecting its lair, it utilizes lair features, traps, allies, and architecture such as escape tunnels to keep up a hit-and-run fight, reappearing only when it has a fully-recharged breath weapon. If the dragon is forced into melee combat, it uses its bite and claws against a single foe. If it has legendary actions like Roar and Wing Attack, it uses them to disperse its other enemies.
If reduced to less than one-fourth its hit points while fighting in the open, a dragon flies away. However, it fights to the death to defend its lair, unless it can regain the upper hand through tricks or bargains.
Bronze Dragon Lair Features
The save DC for the following effects is 13 + the dragon’s proficiency bonus. Choose or roll one or more of the following lair features:
1 When a creature first enters the lair, it makes a Wisdom saving throw . On a failure, the dragon is aware of the creature and knows its Destiny (if applicable) as well as its current, most pressing fear.
2 When a creature draws a metal weapon in the lair, it makes a Constitution saving throw . On a failed save, it takes 7 (2d6) lightning damage from a sudden static jolt and can’t take reactions until the end of its next turn.
3 Floors throughout the lair are damp and slippery. A creature that takes the Dash action to move along the ground makes a Dexterity saving throw at the end of its movement, falling prone on a failure.
4 A flooded tunnel leads into a labyrinthine sprawl of underwater passageways. If a creature attempts to navigate these tunnels without the dragon’s invitation, it makes a Wisdom saving throw , becoming lost on a failure.
Names
Ahglynypa, Billowmere, Kaviliath, Marianthamir, Nausticalix, Ruddykin
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Nature check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Bronze dragons are fascinated by the sea. They make their lairs in oceanside cliffs or deep beneath the waves.
DC 15 A bronze dragon’s breath weapon is composed either of lightning or a torrent of seawater.
DC 20 After centuries spent observing the ebb and flow of nature, ancient bronze dragons gain the ability to scry on far-off locations and predict the future.
Fascinated by the endless rhythms of the sea, bronze dragons spend hours studying their seaside dominions, transfixed by the flight paths of birds, the migrations of fish, or the accumulation of sea foam against a mossy rock. Some bronze dragons even make their lairs near humanoid settlements, so as to more closely watch the ships as they sail in and out of port.
Curious and Mysterious. Though fascinated with the natural world, bronze dragons prefer to make their observations from afar. They avoid influencing the objects of their scrutiny, but on the odd occasion they are exposed, bronze dragons make the best of it, asking intrusive questions and analyzing the answers they receive for days on end.
Tests and Trials. When a creature seeks a bronze dragon’s wisdom, the dragon always knows they’re coming. It sets out a number of trials to test the knowledge-seeker, so as to better gauge their motivations before they arrive. Such ordeals rarely involve the dragon appearing personally, but they can be perilous nonetheless.
Butterflies and Hurricanes. No one knows better than a bronze dragon that a small action can have far-reaching consequences. Bronze dragons sometimes dispatch agents to gather specific information about the world around them. This might mean infiltrating a warlord’s inner circle to discover where her warships will sail this season, or exploring the interior of a long-deserted isle. Though such knowledge might seem irrelevant to adventurers bent on saving the world, the dragon requires it to further its efforts to promote the greater good.
1 Pearl diving or hunting for fish
2 Watching from a distance, gathering information
3 In the form of a merfolk paladin, looking for evil to battle
4 With an unusual request
1 Brilliantly colored plants and seaweed
2 Rapidly changing weather: sunny one minute, pouring rain the next
3 Strange echoes of distant music
4 Pearlescent fog
Bronze dragons make their lairs in sea caves, sunken ships, coral reefs, and other aquatic environments.
CR 3–4 bronze dragon wyrmling
Treasure 250 gp, 500 sp, coral gemstone (100 gp), potion of greater healing
CR 5–10 young bronze dragon ; bronze dragon wyrmling with 1d8 + 4 lizardfolk , merfolk , or sprites
Treasure 50 pp, 200 gp, 6 pearls (100 gp), sheaf of spy reports, [[deck of illusions]]
CR 11–16 young bronze dragon with 2 sea hags , sirens (see harpy), or spies
Treasure 3,000 gp, pearl-embroidered hat (750 gp), fine silk cape (250 gp), 3 potions of healing , armor of invulnerability , 1 longsword (with a coral blade; its wielder can breathe water), feather token (anchor)
CR 17–22 adult bronze dragon
Treasure 12,000 gp, 4,000 ep, 20 pearl and coral gemstones (100 gp each), 30 rare books (125 gp each), 3 spell scrolls of eyebite , flesh to stone , and sunbeam , cloak of protection
CR 23–30 ancient bronze dragon ; adult bronze dragon with 2 merfolk knights , merrow mages , or water elementals
Treasure 25,000 gp, sailing ship (10,000 gp), trade goods (5,000 gp), 10 pieces of jewelry (750 gp each), 3 arrows of fiend slaying , instant fortress , 3 chain mail
CR 31+ ancient bronze dragon with marid , sea chimera , or spymaster
Treasure 10,000 pp, 30,000 gp, 4 diamonds (5,000 gp), potion of storm giant strength , dimensional shackles , rod of alertness
Dragons include red and gold dragons, which are huge reptilian fire-breathers that number among the world’s most dangerous monsters. This type includes white dragons , which breathe killing frost, as well as smaller reptilian creatures related to true dragons, such as pseudodragons .