- This article is about the psionic gem dragon. For the obsidian dragon of Oerth, see obsidian dragon at the Great Library of Greyhawk.
The obsidian dragon is the most intelligent of the gem dragons, but also the most dangerous.
Description[]
Appearance and personality[]
Like all true dragons, Obsidian dragons grow from small wyrmlings to gargantuan great wyrms. As hatchlings, their scales are rough, dark grey, and distinct from each other, but as they grow, their scales change to solid black and smooth to point that individuals scales are difficult to distinguish.[1]
Obsidian dragons, though extremely intelligent, are also arrogant, quick to anger, and cruel, being known to toy with their prey before finishing it.[1]
Abilities[]
Like other true dragons, obsidian dragons radiate a fear-inducing aura. They are creatures of fire, immune to its effects but vulnerable to those of ice and cold. They also possess the ability to innately shift themselves from the Material Plane to the Inner Planes at will. The breath weapon of obsidian dragons is a cone of fire.[1]
By the time they are young, obsidian dragons begin to develop natural psionic powers, at first being able to use firefall, and then biofeedback as juveniles, burning ray as young adults, whitefire as adults, wall of ectoplasm as mature adults, ectoplasmic armor as old dragons, flaming shroud as very old dragons, and plane shift as ancients, of which they can use thrice each day. They gain the use of mind store as wyrms and genesis as great wyrms, both of which they may use once each day.[1]
Additionally, obsidian dragons manifest mind thrust/thought shield as their attack/defense modes, and gain powers similarly to a psion of the Metacreativity discipline.[1]
Combat[]
Obsidian dragons are unafraid of combat, making rapid analyses of their opponents in seconds and attacking accordingly; or, more rarely, retreating to avoid or ambush foes too powerful for them to quickly overpower. They prefer to start combat using their breath weapon and rang attacks, before closing to use physical attacks to finish enemies off. A tactic they particularly favor is snatching and enemy and plane shifting to the Plane of Fire or their demiplane (if the latter's environment is hostile enough).[1]
Ecology[]
Obsidian dragons prefer warm mountainous or underground environments (such as by volcanoes); many are known to make their lairs in coal mountains found in the Elemental Plane of Fire. The exception being the great wyrms, who use their genesis power to make their own demiplanes.[1]
History[]
Some obsidian dragons, like all gem dragons, lived at the Ruby Palace of their deity Sardior. At some point their leader, the thane Seradess, was killed by the Master of Gem Dragons for reasons unknown, and all obsidian dragons were expelled from his court. Their evil nature, exceptional among gem dragons, is often connected to this fall from grace. The obsidian dragons have been avoided and opposed by the other gem dragon species since that time.[2]
Notable obsidian dragons[]
- Seradess, the obsidian dragon thane.[2]
Publication history[]
D&D 3rd edition[]
The obsidian dragon appeared uniquely in the 2003 web article Psionic Bestiary: Obsidian Dragon.
The name "obsidian dragon" was previously used for an unrelated species of dragon native to the World of Greyhawk, appearing in Dragon #146 (Jun 1989), p.The Dragon's Bestiary: All dragons, great and small. For this creature, see obsidian dragon at the Great Library of Greyhawk.
References[]
| True dragons | |
|---|---|
| Metallic dragons | Gold • Silver • Bronze • Copper • Brass • Mercury • Mithral • Nickel • Orium • Platinum |
| Ferrous dragons | Chromium • Cobalt • Electrum • Iron • Nickel • Steel • Tungsten |
| Chromatic dragons | Black • White • Blue • Green • Red • Brown • Gray • Orange • Pink • Purple • Deep • Rainbow • Salt • Yellow |
| Gem dragons | Amber • Amethyst • Beljuril • Emerald • Jacinth • Jade • Moonstone • Sapphire • Pearl • Topaz • Crystal • Obsidian • Ruby |
| Lung dragons | Chiang lung ⟨River dragon⟩ • Li lung ⟨Earth dragon⟩ • Lung wang ⟨Sea dragon⟩ • Pan lung ⟨Coiled dragon⟩ • Shen lung ⟨Spirit dragon⟩ • T'ien lung ⟨Celestial dragon⟩ • Tun mi lung ⟨Typhoon dragon⟩ • Yu lung ⟨Carp dragon⟩ |
| Planar dragons | Adamantine • Arboreal • Astral • Axial • Battle • Beast • Blazewyrm • Blight • Chaos • Chole • Concordant • Deathmask • Ectoplasmic • Elysian • Ethereal • Frostforged wyrm • Gloom • Hellfire wyrm • Howling • Mirage • Oceanus • Pact • Pyroclastic • Radiant • Rust • Shadow • Styx • Tarterian • Wretch |
| Arcane dragons | Hex • Tome |
| Spelljamming dragons | Moon/lunar • Star/celestial • Sun/solar |
| Epic dragons | Force • Prismatic • Time |
| Catastrophic dragons | Avalanche • Blizzard • Earthquake • Tornado • Typhoon • Wildfire • Volcanic |
| Miscellaneous true dragons | Abyssal drake • Albino wyrm • Aquatic • Cerilian • Cloud • Cobra • Coin • Dzalmus • Greyhawk • Hawkdragon • Incarnum • Jabberwock • Mist • Night • Paper • Phase • Rattelyr • Sand • Scintillating • Sea • Song • Stellar • Stone • Sunwyrm • Vishap |
| Dragon psychoses | Nameless • Ravening • Riddled • Spellhoarding • Wandering |
| Draconic transformations | Air • Ascendant • Brainstealer • Hidecarved • Elder brain |
| Lesser dragons | |
| Elemental drakes | Air • Earth • Fire • Water • Ice • Magma • Ooze • Smoke |
| Felldrakes | Crested • Horned • Spitting • Spiked |
| Greater drakes | Arsalon • Barautha ⟨Spitting drake⟩ • Ermalkankari ⟨Stone drake⟩ • Kavainus • Mardallond ⟨Mead drake⟩ • Retchenbeast • Rivilithis • Trilligarg ⟨Chameleon drake⟩ • Vallochar ⟨Web drake⟩ • Vandalraug |
| Miscellaneous drakes | Ambush • Black firedrake • Crystal • Demon • Glacierdrak • Gravewyrm • Dragonne • Guard • Faerie • Mind • Portal • Rage • Shadow • Space • Storm • Vulture • Wyvern |
| Dragonets | Amphitere • Common dragonet • Crow's-nest • Draken • Faerie • Firedrake • Geyser • Ice Lizard • Kodragon • Minidragon • Mole • Pavillion • Pseudodragon |
| Landwyrms | Desert • Forest • Hill • Jungle • Mountain • Plains • Swamp • Tundra • Underdark |
| Linnorms | Corpse tearer • Dread • Flame • Forest • Frost • Gray • Land • Rain • Sea • Swamp • Stygian |
| Wurms | Cave • Forest • Grassland • Hill • Lava • Mountain • River • Sand • Sea • Storm • Swamp • Tundra |
| Miscellaneous lesser dragons | Dragon eel • Dragon tortoise • Dragon turtle • Dragonnel • Dweomervore • Hatori (Tylor) • Ibrandlin • Rock wyrm • Scalamagdrion • Sea serpent • Sea wyrm • Ssvaklor • Sunwyrm • Velroc • Wyvern |
| Related creatures | |
| Dragonbloods | Draconic creature • Dragonborn of Bahamut • Dragonspawn • Half-dragon (Drow-dragon (shadow) • Drow-dragon (deep)) • Kobold (Dragonwrought • Urd) • Weredragon • Zar'ithra • Zekyl |
| Hybrid monsters | Dracimera • Dracolisk • Mantidrake • Wyvern drake |
| Undead dragons | Dracolich • Dragonwight • Ghast • Ghost • Ghostly • Ghoul • Guardian • Hoarder • Mummy • Skeletal • Spectre • Rathrea • Vampiric • Wight • Wrath • Zombie |
| Miscellaneous related creatures | Abishai • Dracon • Draconian • Dracohydra • Dracosphinx • Dracotaur • Dragonborn • Dragonkin • Fire dragon • Fume drake • Gargouille • Hai Riyo • Krolli • Lesser Cetus • Mantidrake • Pleuda • Sirrush • Ssvaklor • Vishap • Ukuyatangi ⟨Jungle Hydra⟩ |