Eclipse Dragon (Creature, dragon)

Dragon (Fire)

Environment: Warm mountains and underground.

Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2–5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (2-5).

Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 3; very young 4; young 5; juvenile 7; young adult 10; adult 13; mature adult 15; old 18; very old 20; ancient 21; wyrm 23; great wyrm 25

Treasure: Standard

Alignment: Always lawful evil.

As told above eclipse dragons and dawn dragons were made by a priest-king from the eggs of red dragons. This would prove the destruction of one of the Great Kingdoms of Man and a harbinger of the beginning of the rule of dragons.

Eclipse dragons are physically very weak for their size, weaker even than dragons significantly smaller than them. They strive to make up for it with their keen minds, but too often their physical failings prove the end of them. They are but shadows; the evil of red dragons given its own form. They are more methodical, and calculating in their corruption than their ancestors, but that is all they are the greedy shadows of a red dragon.

Physically eclipse dragons look identical to dawn dragons at birth, but as they age certain traits begin to diverge. Where a dawn dragon grows continually lighter, and eclipse dragon’s scales darken as they age till they are the deep red of dried blood and their golden necks and wings fade to a dark gray. Their eyes, at birth shining like the full moon become empty black pits. Not only does color begin to differentiate the two dragons but their hornlets, which shrink to next to nothing in dawn dragons, grow into a series of horns and their ear frills expand becoming larger than those of red dragons. Their claws and teeth blacken till they look like polished ebony.

Eclipse dragons are oddities amongst their kin for several reasons. First due to some accident in their creation they deceive magic into believing them to be good. Were that not enough, they also lack a breath weapon of any sort, something only rarely encountered in the world of dragons. Other oddities are their extremely potent magical resistance, which proves useless against arcane powers and psionics, only capable of warding off the divine magic that was used in their creation. They are also capable of channeling divine, not arcane, power although the source of their spells is unknown (many suspect Tiamat). Lastly the eldest eclipse dragons are able to make unholy pacts with mortals granting humanoids vile powers in return for service and loyalty.

**Special Abilities**

**Divine Spell Resistance (Su)**: An eclipse dragon’s SR only applies against Divine spells and the spell-like abilities of Outsiders with the Good subtype. It has no effect on psionics, spell-like abilities (except as noted above), or spells cast by arcane casters.

**Mask of the Divine (Su)**: An eclipse dragon has an Aura of Good as a cleric/paladin/incarnate/outsider (good) of its Hit Dice. In addition they do not radiate evil under *Detect Evil*. For any other magical and supernatural effects eclipse dragons are considered whichever of good and evil is more beneficial to them, this means they may use magic items that require the good alignment, take no damage from *Unholy Blight* or *Holy Smite*, do not receive extra damage from a paladin’s smite evil or a holy weapon, etc. They may also freely cast Exalted spells and spells of the good descriptor.

**Alternate Form (Su)**: A very young or older eclipse dragon may, 3/day, assume the form of any medium or smaller humanoid. It may remain in this form until it chooses to assume a new form or return to its natural form.

**See in Darkness (Su)**: A juvenile or older eclipse dragon may see in darkness, even magical darkness, as easily as the light of day.

**Dark Pact (Su)**: An ancient or older eclipse dragon may enter into dark pacts with willing humanoids whose HD do not exceed the dragon’s age category + its Charisma modifier. The humanoid is sworn to obey one command of the dragon’s (as per the spell *suggestion*) but in return gains 2 bonus Vile feats of the dragon’s choice that they qualify for and a +2 profane bonus to Str, Con, Int, and Cha. The effects of this pact end after 1 week, or if the dragon is slain. Entering into this pact is a highly evil act that requires accepting all of one’s soul’s darkness and giving it free reign; any creature who accepts such a pact has their alignment immediately become evil. As the act of willfully accepting one’s own darkness is required for the pact to be completed a creature cannot be tricked into completing the pact and will automatically know that accepting the pact is an unquestionably evil act.

**Spell-like Abilities**: 3/day: *Morality Undone* (adult or older); 1/day: *Charm Monster* (old or older); 1/week: *Mind Rape* (great wyrm).

**Skills**: An eclipse dragon treats Bluff, Disguise, and Heal as class skills. They gain a bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks equal to their age category.