Astral dreadnought

Astral dreadnoughts were gargantuan outsiders that roamed the Astral Plane.
==Description==
Astral dreadnoughts were massive creatures. They had a single, large eye above a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. Instead of hands, they had crab-like pincers, which were incredibly strong and lined with sharp, serrated edges. Their entire body was protected by a layer of strong, spiked armor plates, and their lower half of their body was serpentine. Legend had it that their lower half was infinite, stretching off into the distance.
==Combat==
Astral dreadnoughts were a devastating force in combat. Very few creatures encountered one and lived to tell the tale. Their pincers were strong enough to easily crush a humanoid, and their powerful jaws could chew through even the strongest of armor, even capable of severing a silver cord.
==Abilities==
The eye of an astral dreadnought was capable of nullifying any magic within a cone-shaped area in length and at its widest point. This anti-magic field was identical to the antimagic spell. Astral dreadnoughts projected an aura of fear.
==Ecology==
Astral dreadnoughts fed on the astral projections of travelers. They had little interest in creatures who were physically present on the Astral Plane, unless provoked. They didn't procreate, so their population couldn't grow. Astral dreadnoughts were incredibly rare; in fact, they were so rare that it was debated that only one astral dreadnought existed.
Astral dreadnoughts lacked any sort of digestive system. Instead, anything they consumed was sent to a unique demiplane. This demiplane had a breathable atmosphere and gravity. Magic functioned normally there, and a creature was capable of escaping if strong enough, if they were lucky to even still be alive. The demiplane vanished upon the astral dreadnought's death. Anything within was released into the Astral Plane.
Astral dreadnoughts did not require food, liquid or sleep in order to survive.
==History==
Astral dreadnoughts were originally created by Tharizdun, with the objective of hunting down travelers who searched for portals into the Outer Planes. Setting the ageless creatures loose with their insatiable appetites, Tharizdun hoped to prevent mortals traveling in the Astral Plane from gleaning the secrets of godhood.
==Uses==
The secretion of an astral dreadnought was one of the material components for the powerful spell Waethra's warm welcome, protecting an area against magical travel.
==Appendix==
===Background===
The Manual of the Planes 1st edition in 1987 doesn't actually mention astral dreadnoughts. It mentions only an example of spellcasting in the ethereal plane where an illusionist creates an illusion of an "ethereal dreadnought," referring the reader to the book's cover; no such creature is present in any published material. However, astral dreadnaught is mentioned by name in the "Plane Speaking" article by Jeff Grubb in Dragon magazine 120, and the Q&A section in Dragon magazine 142 states that the creature on the cover of Manual of the Planes 1st edition is, indeed, an astral dreadnought.
===Appearances===
===Gallery===
Manual of the Planes 1E.jpg|The cover of the 1{{st}}-edition Manual of the Planes, which introduced the monster.
1024x768MoP 3.jpg|Promotional wallpaper: Astral Dreadnought.
MotP - Howard Lyon.jpg|The dreadnought once again graces the cover of a Manual of the Planes, this one 4{{th}} edition.
===References===
Category:Immortals
Category:Creatures found in the Astral Plane