AC 19 (natural armor)
HP 283 (21d12 + 147; bloodied 141)
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
Proficiency +6; Maneuver DC 21
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +13, Wis +7, Cha +11
Skills Arcana +9, History +9, Perception +7 (+1d6), Stealth +8
Damage Immunities cold
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 20
Languages Common, Draconic, one more
Cloud Strider. The dragon suffers no harmful effects from high altitudes. When flying at high altitude, the dragon can, after 1 minute of concentration, discorporate into clouds. In this form, it has advantage on Stealth checks, its fly speed increases to 300 feet, it is immune to all nonmagical damage, it has resistance to magical damage, and it can’t take any actions except Hide. If it takes damage or descends more than 500 feet from where it transformed, it immediately returns to its corporeal form. It can revert to its true form as an action.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). When the dragon fails a saving throw , it can choose to succeed instead. When it does, some of its scales dissipate into clouds. If it has no more uses of this ability, its Armor Class is reduced to 17 until it finishes a long rest.
Innate Spellcasting. The dragon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (save DC 19). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components.
3/day each: charm person , faerie fire , awaken , geas
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragon attacks with its bite and twice with its claws. In place of its bite, it can use Spit Frost.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d10 + 7) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d8 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage, and the dragon pushes the target 10 feet away.
Rapier (Humanoid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d8 + 7) piercing damage.
Spit Frost. The creature targets one creature within 60 feet, forcing it to make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw . The creature takes 16 (3d10) cold damage on a failure or half damage on a success. On a failure, the creature’s Speed is also halved until the end of its next turn. Flying creatures immediately fall unless they are magically kept aloft.
Breath Weapons (Recharge 5–6). The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons:
Frost Breath. The dragon exhales freezing wind in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in the area makes a DC 21 Constitution saving throw , taking 72 (16d8) cold damage on a failed save or half damage on a success. On a failure, the creature is also slowed until the end of its next turn.
Paralyzing Breath. The dragon exhales paralytic gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
Change Shape. The dragon magically takes the shape of a humanoid or beast, or changes back into its true form. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (dragon’s choice). In the new form, the dragon’s stats are unchanged except for its size. It can’t use Spit Frost, Breath Weapons, Tail Attack, or Wing Attack except in dragon form. In beast form, it can attack only with its bite and claws, if appropriate to its form. If the beast form is Large or smaller, the reach of these attacks is reduced to 5 feet. In humanoid form, it can attack only with its rapier.
REACTIONS
Tail Attack. When a creature the dragon can see within 10 feet hits the dragon with a melee attack, the dragon makes a tail attack against it.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Roar. Each creature of the dragon’s choice within 120 feet that can hear it makes a DC 19 Charisma saving throw . On a failure, it is frightened for 1 minute. A creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. When it succeeds on a saving throw or the effect ends for it, it is immune to Roar for 24 hours.
Wing Attack. The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet makes a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw . On a failure, it is pushed 10 feet away and knocked prone . The dragon can then fly up to half its fly speed.
Windstorm (Costs 2 Actions). Pounding winds surround the dragon in a 20-foot radius. A creature in this area attempting to move closer to the dragon must spend 2 feet of movement for every 1 foot closer it moves, and ranged attacks against the dragon are made with disadvantage . A creature that starts its turn in the windstorm makes a DC 20 Constitution saving throw , taking 5 (1d10) cold damage on a failure. The windstorm lasts until the start of the dragon’s next turn.
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.
Silver 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 Wispy clouds gather within the lair. Once per day, when the dragon uses Windstorm, it can cause the area of the windstorm to become heavily obscured to creatures other than itself.
2 When the dragon uses its Frost Breath, ground inside the area becomes difficult terrain as spears of ice sprout upwards. Fire damage instantly melts the spears, and the spears also melt when the dragon recharges its Breath Weapon.
3 The dragon can target a point on the ceiling with its Spit Frost action, causing icicles to fall to the ground in a 10-foot-radius cylinder. Creatures in the area make a Dexterity saving throw , taking 11 (2d10) cold damage on a failure. A flying creature that fails the saving throw falls to the ground.
4 Thick ice conceals a 30-foot-diameter escape chimney in the ceiling. The silver dragon can shatter the ice by flying through it, causing a harsh wind to blast down the chimney. Medium or smaller creatures flying up the chimney make a Strength saving throw at the end of each of their turns, being pushed back 60 feet on a failure.
Names
Argenith, Rathadaxio, Clauthilia, Moonsilver, Sariov, Silverwing
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or History check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Silver dragons rarely descend from their mountaintop lairs; when they do, they often disguise themselves as humanoids.
DC 15 A silver dragon’s breath weapon can take two forms: a blast of freezing air or a cloud of paralytic gas.
DC 20 Silver dragons are creatures of the sky. The eldest of them can transform into clouds and summon magical windstorms.
Silver dragons are graceful, majestic dragons that adopt humanoid forms to mentor good-hearted humanoids. They see potential for greatness everywhere, but demand nothing less than perfection from themselves and their students.
Tutors to Smallfolk. Once they grow to full adulthood, silver dragons often take humanoid form to serve as teachers to particularly gifted students. Being so long-lived gives the dragons time to become experts in a variety of fields, and they may pass on their knowledge of art, swordplay, various crafts, or spellcasting to their students. Once a silver dragon selects a protege, it will not rest until its lessons are complete. If the student’s conviction wavers, the dragon may take drastic measures to keep its pupil on track—often to the student’s chagrin.
Hoarders of Art and History. Silver dragons decorate their lairs with objects that remind them of their favorite students: a perfectly crafted blade, a masterwork painting, or even a collection of top-quality alchemical supplies. In addition to such keepsakes, a silver dragon might collect items of historical significance, such as the mast of a warship used in a pivotal battle, a renowned queen’s wedding dress, or a battlement from a castle demolished centuries ago.
Social Butterflies. Silver dragons can’t stand extended isolation and will travel immense distances to visit others of their kind. Without such interactions, a silver dragon may take humanoid form and befriend humanoids passing through its domain. Travelers who aren’t sufficiently receptive to this talkative stranger may find themselves face-to-face with a wrathful dragon.
1 In the form of an elf ranger who cares for this area
2 In humanoid form, emerging from a frozen lake
3 With knowledge and advice about the party’s quest
4 Angered by a recent killing in its domain
1 An ancient roofless tower on a peak, its door frozen shut
2 Swirling winds: if a creature not hostile to the dragon falls, the winds carry it gently to the ground
3 Gray skies, except for a clear patch above a particular peak
4 A field of snow, untouched except for four draconic footprints
Silver dragons live in caverns on mountaintops, often at elevations high enough to be shrouded in clouds.
CR 3–4 silver dragon wyrmling with 1d8 + 4 dragonbound warriors (see warrior ), ice mephits , or mountain dwarf soldiers (see soldier )
Treasure 3,000 sp, 5 quartz gemstones (10 gp each), 2 curios (huge stone throne and weightless boulder), potion of cold resistance , 12 +2 crossbow bolts
CR 5–10 young silver dragon ; silver dragon wyrmling with 1d4 berserkers , faerie dragons , or snowmen (see scarecrows )
Treasure 750 gp, 2,000 sp, 3 sets of stylish clothes (100 gp each), 3 silver and amber bracelets (125 gp each), 2 curios (ship’s wheel marked with a famous ship name, map of another world), spell scrolls of alter self and misty step , robe of eyes
CR 11–16 young silver dragon with 2 elktaurs (see centaur ), knights , or yetis
Treasure 2,000 gp, 5,000 sp, topaz (500 gp), 10 silver idols (75 gp each), silver ewer (250 gp), 3 curios (giant sword stuck into ground, two magical doors that teleport passers to the other), bag of holding , ring of telekinesis
CR 17–22 adult silver dragon
Treasure 10,000 gp, 12 pieces of jewelry (750 gp each), masterpiece play (2,500 gp), 3 curios (historically famous sword, the first clumsy painting of a master artist, sentient and speaking boulder), 2 oils of sharpness , 2 potions of supreme healing , berserker axe , fairy tale book (acts as rod of security )
CR 23–30 ancient silver dragon ; adult silver dragon with 2 werebears , fey knights , or unicorns
Treasure 25,000 gp, 20 pearls (100 gp each), 3 life-sized silver statues of famous paladins (7,500 gp each), hammer that belonged to a famous smith, 4 arrows of fey slaying , 3 beads of force , giant slayer (rapier), ring of fire resistance
CR 31+ ancient silver dragon with holy knight , mage , or young silver dragon
Treasure 10,000 pp, diamond necklace (25,000 gp), 2 ruby bracelets (7,500 gp), cloth-of-gold royal robe (7,500 gp), masterpiece painting of a past king (2,500 gp), 3 curios (warhorn that signaled a famous battle charge, broken staff of a famous archmage, 30-foot-long key), oil of sharpness , universal solvent , +3 rapier (named Jack Frost, made of unmelting ice; its wielder gains a fly speed of 60 feet)
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 .