Black Lotus Dragon (Creature, dragon)

Dragon (Water)

**Environment**: Warm swamps and underground.

**Organization**: Solitary, pair, or family (2-5)

**Challenge Rating**: Wyrmling 2, Very Young 3, Young 4, Juvenile 6, Young Adult 8, Adult 11, Mature Adult 14, Old 17, Very Old 19, Ancient 20, Wyrm 22, Great Wyrm 24

**Treasure**: Triple Standard.

**Alignment**: Neutral Evil

*I was seeking that fabled plant, the black lotus, in the Sun Band far to the South. I found it, but worse was there with it. The lizardfolk had built a great temple around the fabled plant, a temple to worship their god and king. This beast was a dragon, the size of an elephant if not more. It's eyes a blazing hateful purple, and its scales an oily black.*

*It resembled the black dragon of our lands, except slimmer in build and longer of tail and neck. Unfortunately I was to discover that the physical similarities were not great. Like the black dragons we are familiar with it was impervious to acid, but it also carried with it the stench of death and its breath was as poisonous as the plants that grew in its lair. No acid need I have feared, but its poisons were every bit as deadly if not more so.*

*I managed to escape the beast. Returning equipped with periapts that could absorb and neutralize poison, I managed to slay it when next we met, but it was still a difficult struggle. It lacked many of the powers of a black dragon, but it had those a black dragon does not. It was, I believe, more cunning, and its magical powers were greater than its appearance had led me to expect.*

**Breath Weapon** (Su): A black lotus dragon has a single breath weapon, a cone of poisonous gas. This gas is a poison, and therefore bonuses to saves and immunity to poison apply, and has an initial and secondary damage listed above in Str and Con damage.

**Imbue Toxin** (Su): A juvenile or older black lotus dragon may 1/round imbue its claws with poison. The next time it successfully makes a claw attack before the start of its next turn, the target is afflicted with a poison dealing 1d8 Dex damage as both initial and secondary damage. A fort save can, as usual for poison, resist this damage. Due to its supernatural nature this poison ignores magical immunity to poison or save bonuses specifically against poison due to spells or magic items. The DC is Con based and therefore usually the same as for Breath Weapon although feats can influence these DCs.

**Miasma** (Ex): An adult or older black lotus dragon is surrounded by a miasma of deadly gas. While this gas does not provide cover or concealment it does give a -2 on spot checks through it, into it, or when in it to all creatures other than the black lotus dragon and other black lotus dragons. In addition any creature entering or starting its turn in the miasma must make a Fort save (DC is con based) or take 2d4 Con damage; this is considered a poison for save bonuses and immunity. Any creature which makes or fails its save is immune to that black lotus dragon's miasma for 1 minute.

**Fear Venom** (Su): An old or older black lotus dragon's bite attack carries a supernatural poison. The initial and secondary damage is to be shaken for 2d6 minutes; a successful Fort save will resist this damage (DC is Con based).

**Hexing Gaze** (Su): An ancient or older black lotus dragon's gaze carries a curse. This is a gaze attack that only affects enemies. Any enemy meeting the dragon's gaze must make a Will save (DC is Cha based so the same as Frightful Presence) or suffer a -2 to AC, saves, skill and ability checks, and attack rolls for 1 hour. Any creature affected is immune to that dragon's hexing gaze for 24 hours, but a creature that successfully saves does not gain this immunity. Black lotus dragons are immune to this effect.

**Deadly Miasma** (Su): A great wyrm black lotus dragon's miasma gains a supernatural element to it. Magical immunity to poison, or save bonuses specifically against poison granted by magic effects, do not apply against a great wyrm's miasma. Also should a creature fail its save it takes 4d6 Con damage instead of 2d4 and even on a successful save they still take 2d4. In an area of antimagic or dead magic the deadly miasma ability reverts to the extraordinary miasma ability.

**Skills:** A Black Lotus Dragon treats Hide, Move Silently, and Swim as class skills.