Epic Dragons
Like other dragons, epic dragons are gigantic, winged, reptilian creatures. The epic dragons fall entirely outside the commonly accepted categories of chromatic and metallic dragons, and may originate on another plane of existence. They are further distinguished from the common dragons described in the Monster Manual by their tremendous size (even at hatching), their longer life span (with corresponding greater increases in power as they age), and their mastery of unusual energy forms.
While common dragons are easily categorized by alignment and temperament, epic dragons display much more individual variation in these areas. Epic dragons are usually neutral, pursuing their on interests rather than the great causes of alignment conflict. Some are extremely selfish and ill-tempered, while others are as beneficent as gold dragons. Like other dragons, however, almost all epic dragons covet and hoard wealth.
All epic dragons speak Draconic.
| Epic Dragon Age Categories | |
|---|---|
| Category | Age (Years) |
| Wyrmling | 0-10 |
| Very young | 11-30 |
| Young | 31-50 |
| Juvenile | 51-100 |
| Young adult | 101-200 |
| Adult | 201-400 |
| Mature adult | 401-800 |
| Old | 801-1,200 |
| Very old | 1,201-1,600 |
| Ancient | 1,601-2,000 |
| Wyrm | 2,001-2,400 |
Combat
Epic dragons share all the combat characteristics of standard dragons, as described in the Monster Manual. Even wyrmling epic dragons are Huge, however, and are capable of making tail sweep and crush attacks. Although there is no size category larger than Colossal, the oldest epic dragons have a greater reach and deal more damage with their attacks than other Colossal dragons, as shown on the Epic Dragon Face & Reach table below.
| Epic Dragon Face & Reach | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size | Face | Reach |
| Huge | 10 ft. by 20 ft. | 10 ft. |
| Gargantuan | 20 ft. by 40 ft. | 15 ft. |
| Colossal | 40 ft. by 80 ft. | 15 ft. |
| Colossal+ | 40 ft. by 80 ft. | 20 ft. |
| Epic Dragon Attacks | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 1 Bite | 2 Claws | 2 Wings | 1 Tail Slap | 1 Crush | 1 Tail Sweep |
| Huge | 2d8 | 2d6 | ld8 | 2d6 | 2d8 | 2d4 |
| Gargantuan | 4d6 | 2d8 | 2d6 | 2d8 | 4d6 | 2d6 |
| Colossal | 4d8 | 4d6 | 2d8 | 4d6 | 4d8 | 2d8 |
| Colossal+ | 8d6 | 4d8 | 4d6 | 4d8 | 8d6 | 4d6 |
| Epic Dragon Breath Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size | Line¹ | Cone² |
| Huge | 100 ft. | 50 ft. |
| Gargantuan | 120 ft. | 60 ft. |
| Colossal | 140 ft. | 70 ft. |
| Colossal+ | 160 ft. | 80 ft. |
| ¹ A line is always 5 feet high and 5 feet wide.
² A cone is as high and wide as its length. | ||
Wyrmling epic dragons possess certain abilities that common dragons do not acquire until later in life, including frightful presence, spellcasting, and spell resistance. An epic dragon with a caster level above 20th gains the Improved Spell Capacity feat as a bonus feat once for every three caster levels above 20th. Any epic dragon can choose epic feats for which it otherwise meets the prerequisites. Epic dragons also have access to all feats available to non-epic dragons.
Empower Spell-Like Ability: An epic dragon can apply theEmpower Spell feat to one of its spell-like abilities that it can use at least twice per day. If the dragon has limited use of the spell-like ability (3/day, for example), the empowered ability uses up two uses of the ability. If the dragon can use the ability at will, there is no cost for empowering the ability. The dragon does not need to specify a spell-like ability when it chooses this feat; it can apply the feat to any spell-like ability it possesses.
Maximize Spell-Like Ability: The dragon can apply the Maximize Spell feat to one of its spell-like abilities that it can use at least three times per day If the dragon has limited use of the spell-like ability (3/day, for example), the maximized ability uses up three uses of the ability. If the dragon can use the ability at will, there is no cost for maximizing the ability. The dragon does not need to specify a spell-like ability when it chooses this feat; it can apply the feat to any spell-like ability it possesses.
Epic dragons fly even faster than common dragons, and can cover greater distances.
| Epic Dragon Overland Flying Speeds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| - Flight Speed- | |||
| 250 feet | 300 feet | 350 feet | |
| One Hour | |||
| Normal | 40 miles | 50 miles | 60 miles |
| Hustle | 80 miles | 100 miles | 120 miles |
| One Day | |||
| Normal | 320 miles | 400 miles | 480 miles |
Except as noted here, epic dragons conform to the general information that applies to all dragons given in the Monster Manual.