HEX DRAGON

"The dragon's scales ripple with eldritch might, with faint glowing runes pulsing in time. Deep purple in colour, the dragon's horns corkscrew above a pair of cunning emerald eyes. "

Hex dragons are cruel manipulators, infamous for their love of corruption, betrayl, and decay. Many conspire with undead creatures, either as allies or overlords. From the depths of caverns, dark forests, and fetid swamps they spin webs of deception and temptation, luring the unsuspecting with promises of magical lore and power. Few of their pawns survive such encounters and fewer still ever suspect a dragon was behind their dark bargains.

Hex dragons have long, segmented bodies and a multitude of small but needle-sharp teeth. A pair of emerald eyes stare out from sunken pits in their heads, with corkscrewing horns rising from their crown. When young, their bodies are pale and fleshy like maggots, but as they age their skin darkens and their rolls of fat give way to muscle, until by adulthood they are lean and strong. Shortly after hatching, hex dragons begin to develop their telling marks, dozens of small runes that appear across their scales. As they age, these runes grow brighter and brighter, burning with an eldritch fire in their later years. Their voices are high-pitched, melodious, and sweet as poisoned honey.

Like most dragons, hex dragons can eat almost anything. when given a choice, however, they are quite picky, even ritulistic, about their food, some going so far as to only eat specific organs from specific creatures during specific phases of the moon.

Hex dragons speak Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Infernal, Orc, and Undercommon.

COMBAT

Hex dragons scorn a fair fight. One might try and weaken its foes by sending in dominated allies or waves of undead, then fly in and blast the survivors with poison and spells from above. Another might use its magic to deceive enemies into attacking each other, making liberal use of enchantment spells and its alternate form ability. A third might follow a party in the guise of a harmless animals for weeks before ambushing its prey at the perfect moment, using Mass Hold Person to force some of the party to watch hopelessly while the rest are leisurely butchered.

Even when injured or killed, hex dragons are dangerous foes and the curses they bestow when enraged or dying are the stuff of legends.

• Alternate Form (Su):-
  Arcane dragons can assume another form 3 times a day as a standard action. See Alternate Form
  
• Bite:
  Bite attacks deal the indicated damage on the age table + the dragon's Strength bonus. The dragon can also use its bite to snatch opponents if it has the Snatch feat.
  See Age Table for damage and the DC.
  
• Blindsense (Ex):
  Hex dragons can detect opponents up to 60ft.
  More Details

• Breath Weapon - Putrid Venom (Su):
  A hex dragon has one type of breath weapon, a line of putrid venom. All within the area of effect suffer the listed amount of Constitution damage on failed Fortitude saves. As with normal poisons, another save against the same DC is required a minute later to avoid suffering the same Constitution damage again.
  See Age Table for damage and the DC.
  
• Claws:
  Claws deal the age table indicated damage + half the dragons Strength bonus (round down). The dragon can also use claws to snatch an opponent if they have the Snatch feat. Claw attacks are secondary attacks, suffering a -5 penalty on the attack roll. Many dragons learn the Multiattack feat to lessen this penalty to a -2.
  See Age Table for damage and the DC.
  
• Crush (Ex):
  See Crush.
  See Age Table for damage and the DC.
  
• Damage Reduction:
  Young Adult and older dragons have Damage Reduction.
  See Age Table for damage reduction
  
• Frightful Presence (Ex):
  Hex dragons have an aura of Frightful Presence.
  More Details
  
• Graceful Flight (Ex):-
  Hex dragons fly with good manoeuverability. See Graceful Flight.
  
• Grappling:
  Dragons do not usually favour grappling, though their Crush attack (and Snatch feat, if they have it) use normal grapple rules. See Grappling.
  
• Immunities (Ex):
  See Immunities.
  
• Keen Senses (Ex):
  See Keen Senses.
  
• Physical Frailty (Ex):-
  Arcane dragons are less effective in melee than true dragons. See Physical Frailty.

• Retributive Curse (Su):
  On any round in which a hex dragon is injured (taking Hit Point or ability damage), the dragon may curse one of the opponents who injured it as a free action.
  See Age Table for level gained.
  More Details.
  
• Spell Resistance (Ex):
  See Spell Resistance.
  See Age Table for spell resistance.
  
• Tail Slap:
  The dragon can slap 1 opponent each round with its tail. A tail slap deals the age table indicated damage plus 1.5x dragon's Strength bonus (round down) and is treated as a secondary attack.
  See Age Table for damage and the DC.
  
• Tail Sweep (Ex):
  See Tail Sweep.
  See Age Table for damage and the DC.
  
• Vile Resistances (Ex):
  Hex dragons receive a +4 bonus on saves versus death effects, enchantment spells, and spells and effects that deal negative energy damage. They are immune to disease and poison.
  See Age Table for level gained.

• Wing:
  The dragon can slam opponents with its wings even when flying. Wing attacks deal the age table indicated damage plus half the dragon's Strength bonus (round down) and are treated as secondary attacks.
  See Age Table for damage and the DC.

SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES

Hex dragons spell-like abilities depend on its age. It gains those abilities indicated for its age plus all previous ones. See Dragon Spell-Like Abilities.

At will:-

• Deathwatch (Wyrmling or older)

3 per day:-

• Suggestion (Very Young or older)

1 per day:-

• Geas/Quest (Young Adult or older)
• Mass Hold Person (Old or older)
• Wail Of The Banshee (Wyrm or older)

SPELLS

Hex dragons automatically know all Enchantment and Necromancy spells on the sorcerer spell list. They can also cast spells from the Knowledge cleric domain as sorcerer spells. When the hex dragon becomes a Great Wyrm, their age grants them no more spells known or spells per day than a level 20 sorcerer, but improves spells with effects depending on Caster Level.
See Age Table for Caster Levels.

HEX DRAGON LAIRS

Young hex dragons lair in large huts constructed by charmed or otherwise coerced servants far out in the wilderness, lavishly furnished despite their isolated locales and decorated with death imagery. As the dragons age, they either enslave a larger workforce to construct even grander palaces (some eventually growing to resemble small cities in the middle of nowhere) or they find large natural caverns underground and have their slaves carve suitably ostentatious frescoes and pilasters into the walls. Either way, hex dragon lairs are hellish places filled with strange odours, smoking vats and braziers, pickled specimen jars, and mummified corpses.

HEX DRAGON AGE TABLES

Age Tables:

 HEX DRAGON PAGE 2

Based on the entry in the Dragon Magazine #343 May 2006 by Jake Manley