In a previous post I converted the 1e/3e Oriental Adventure dragons as a group. Thats not strictly speaking 5e compliant. Will expand on that post with individual dragons for each age category.
For context the previous article should be read along with this one as I won’t repeat the introduction and lore for the lung dragons overall here.
Lung dragons all come from the same kind of dragon, therefore, they all have the same wyrmling version – yu lung dragon.
Young Pan Lung (Coiled Dragon)
Innate Spellcasting. The dragon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: detect thoughts, divination, invisibility, minor illusion, plane shift (Any Spirit Realm/Ningen-Do only)
- 3/day each: bane, bless, charm monster, polymorph (self only, humanoid form only)
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Fly. Though wingless, lung dragons can fly magically due to a magic blue pearl embedded in their brains. If removed from the dragon, this pearl loses its magic but is still worth 1,000 gp. The dragon can cease or resume flight as a free action.
Keen Senses. The dragon has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Scaly Command (1/Day). As a bonus action, the dragon commands scaled animals (reptiles and fish) to do its bidding. It operates as an animal friendship spell with the following changes:
- The dragon may target up to 8 animals not just 1.
- The dragon can communicate with any charmed animal as though they shared a language.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is at least one size smaller than the dragon. Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the dragon can’t constrict another target. A creature that starts it turn grappled by the dragon automatically takes 10 (1d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Water Fire. Whenever the dragon is touching or submerged in water, a pan lung can surround itself in an aura of ghostly, flickering, multicoloured flames that cause damage to any creature touching it. Any creature striking the dragon within 5 feet of it deals normal damage, but at the same time the attacker takes 3 (1d6) fire damage The pan lung can dispel the water fire at any time, but it is automatically dispelled by any contact with normal or magical fire. Once the shield is dispelled by fire, the pan lung cannot activate it again for 1 minute.
Innate Spellcasting. The dragon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: detect thoughts, divination, invisibility, minor illusion, plane shift (Any Spirit Realm/Ningen-Do only)
- 3/day each: bane, bless, charm monster, major image, polymorph (self only, humanoid form only), silent image
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Keen Senses. The dragon has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Fly. Though wingless, lung dragons can fly magically due to a magic blue pearl embedded in their brains. If removed from the dragon, this pearl loses its magic but is still worth 1,000 gp. The dragon can cease or resume flight as a free action.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Minion. Greater spirits often punish the spirits of unfaithful human husbands and wives by binding them to the servitude of a pan lung for a number of years — traditionally equal to the number of tears they caused their spouse to shed. A pan lung has a 25% chance of having 2d4 minions per age category under its command. Though they are the spirits of dead humans, they have fully traveled from the Spirit World to the Material Plane with the pan lung and are neither spirits nor undead. The pan lung controls them as if via dominate person spell. An individual minions CR is not higher than the dragon’s CR. Any NPC could be found serving its time with a pan lung.
Scaly Command (2/Day). As a bonus action, the dragon commands scaled animals (reptiles and fish) to do its bidding. It operates as an animal friendship spell with the following changes:
- The dragon may target up to 16 animals not just 1.
- The dragon can communicate with any charmed animal as though they shared a language.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (Escape DC 16) if it is at least one size smaller than the dragon. Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the dragon can’t constrict another target. A creature that starts it turn grappled by the dragon automatically takes 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Water Fire. Whenever the dragon is touching or submerged in water, a pan lung can surround itself in an aura of ghostly, flickering, multicoloured flames that cause damage to any creature touching it. Any creature striking the dragon within 5 feet of it deals normal damage, but at the same time the attacker takes 7 (2d6) fire damage The pan lung can dispel the water fire at any time, but it is automatically dispelled by any contact with normal or magical fire. Once the shield is dispelled by fire, the pan lung cannot activate it again for 1 minute.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
- Tail Attack. If the dragon is not constricting a creature with its tail it may use it to make an attack against a target up to 15 feet away. Use the Constrict attack but the dragon cannot grapple when using it this way.
- Cast a Spell (Costs 3 Actions). The dragon casts a spell from its list of spells, consuming a use of a spell as normal.
Innate Spellcasting. The dragon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 21, +13 to hit with spell attacks). Where applicable, all the dragons spells are cast at 9th level. It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: detect thoughts, divination, invisibility, minor illusion, plane shift (Any Spirit Realm/Ningen-Do only)
- 3/day each: bane, bless, charm monster, major image, polymorph (self only, humanoid form only), silent image
- 1/day each: mirage arcana, phantasmal killer
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Fey. The dragon has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put the dragon to sleep.
Fly. Though wingless, lung dragons can fly magically due to a magic blue pearl embedded in their brains. If removed from the dragon, this pearl loses its magic but is still worth 1,000 gp. The dragon can cease or resume flight as a free action.
Keen Senses. The dragon has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Minion. Greater spirits often punish the spirits of unfaithful human husbands and wives by binding them to the servitude of a pan lung for a number of years — traditionally equal to the number of tears they caused their spouse to shed. A pan lung has a 25% chance of having 4d4 minions per age category under its command. Though they are the spirits of dead humans, they have fully traveled from the Spirit World to the Material Plane with the pan lung and are neither spirits nor undead. The pan lung controls them as if via dominate person spell. An individual minions CR is not higher than the dragon’s CR. Any NPC could be found serving its time with a pan lung.
Scaly Command (3/Day). As a bonus action, the dragon commands scaled animals (reptiles and fish) to do its bidding. It operates as an animal friendship spell with the following changes:
- The dragon may target up to 23 animals not just 1.
- The dragon can communicate with any charmed animal as though they shared a language.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d6 + 10) slashing damage.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (Escape DC 25) if it is at least one size smaller than the dragon. Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the dragon can’t constrict another target. A creature that starts it turn grappled by the dragon automatically takes 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Water Fire. Whenever the dragon is touching or submerged in water, a pan lung can surround itself in an aura of ghostly, flickering, multicoloured flames that cause damage to any creature touching it. Any creature striking the dragon within 5 feet of it deals normal damage, but at the same time the attacker takes 10 (3d6) fire damage The pan lung can dispel the water fire at any time, but it is automatically dispelled by any contact with normal or magical fire. Once the shield is dispelled by fire, the pan lung cannot activate it again for 1 minute.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
- Tail Attack. If the dragon is not constricting a creature with its tail it may use it to make an attack against a target up to 15 feet away. Use the Constrict attack but the dragon cannot grapple when using it this way.
- Cast a Spell (Costs 3 Actions). The dragon casts a spell from its list of spells, consuming a use of a spell as normal.
LAIR ACTIONS & REGIONAL EFFECTS
Both the adult and the ancient lung dragon have access to the same lair actions and regional effects
(NB. These are placeholders only!, still need to work on these).
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The dragon creates fog as if it had cast the fog cloud spell. The fog lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- A blisteringly cold wind blows through the lair near the dragon. Each creature within 120 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) cold damage. Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Once per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The dragon doesn’t need to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical to the control weather spell.
- Within 1 mile of the lair, winds buoy non-evil creatures that fall due to no act of the dragon’s or its allies. Such creatures descend at a rate of 60 feet per round and take no falling damage.
- Given days or longer to work, the dragon can make clouds and fog within its lair as solid as stone, forming structures and other objects as it wishes.
If the dragon dies, changed weather reverts to normal, as described in the spell, and the other effects fade in 1d10 days.
DESCRIPTION
Pan lungs are guardian spirits, assigned by the Celestial Bureau- cracy to protect crypts or temples. The guardianship of a spe- cific location is passed down from generation to generation of pan lungs, so a single family can maintain the same lair for tens of thousands of years.
A pan lung is a long, thin, almost serpentine dragon. As a juve- nile, its scales are gray, but they quickly develop vibrant color, changing hues as the dragon matures. Various shades of red, green, and orange are the most common colors, and a natural oily secretion makes the scales gleam in sunlight. A multicolored mane surrounds its neck, and dark whiskers grow from its snout.
Pan lungs prefer to eat fruits and vegetables, often maintain- ing elaborate gardens that are cultivated by their minions.
Pan lungs prefer to appraise their adversaries before attack- ing, usually by using illusions to distract them or by order- ing minions to engage them in combat. Once a pan lung has evaluated its enemies’ performance, it attacks savagely and defends its charge to the death.
Spirit and Mortal Realms
To give context here is a brief summary of the Spirit Realms referenced by the dragons plane shift ability:
Spirit Realms
The Realms were as follows:
- Chikushudo; Realm of Animals
- Gaki-do; Realm of the Hungry Dead
- Jigoku; Realm of Evil
- Maigo no Musha; The Realm of Lost Heroes, also known as the Realm of Thwarted Destiny
- Meido; Realm of the Dead
- Sakkaku; Realm of Mischief
- Tengoku; The Celestial Heavens
- Toshigoku; Realm of Slaughter
- Yomi; Realm of the Blessed Ancestors
- Yume-do; Realm of Dreams
Mortal Realm
- Ningen-do; Realm of Mortals (not a Spirit Realm)
Banner Credit: “Lung Dragon” by Wayne Reynolds, (c) WOTC.