Unhatched

The small, skeletal dragon jumps down from the bookshelf where it was reading. It spreads its bony wings laced with brittle, leathery skin and exhales a cloud of choking dust that smells like an ancient tomb.

Small undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 71 (11d6 + 33)
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	18 (+4)	10 (+0)	9 (-1)

Skills Perception +2
Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning
Damage Resistances necrotic, piercing
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Special Traits

• Hatred. Deprived of parental bonds, the unhatched despise those who nurture and heal others. The unhatched has advantage on attacks against a creature whose most recent action was to heal, restore, strengthen, or otherwise aid another creature.
• Minor Magic Resistance (3/day). As a bonus action, the unhatched gives itself advantage on its next saving throw against spells or other magical effects.
• Innate Spellcasting. The unhatched‘s innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring only verbal components:
  • At will: chill touch, minor illusion
  • 1/day: bane
• Undead Nature. The unhatched doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions

• Multiattack. The unhatched makes one bite attack and one claw attack.
• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (3d6 + 2) slashing damage.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic damage.
• Desiccating Breath (Recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales a cloud of choking dust infused with necrotic magic in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 16 (3d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature who fails this save can’t speak until the end of its next turn as it chokes on the dust.

About

Stewed in Necromancy. These unholy dragon whelps were never given the chance to hatch-their mothers were slain, and the eggs which contained them carried off to dark ends. The unhatched dragon egg is stewed in a vile necromantic soup which dissolves the hard shell and melts the creature’s flesh from its bones. It arises from the wretched fluid as an evil, skeletal, draconic whelp, its hollow eye sockets glowing a pale yellow.

More than Dead. In addition to the usual undead characteristics, the unhatched emerge with some minor necromantic magic. If allowed to mature, their magic grows in power, making liches especially fond of unhatched as pets.

Lairs of Death and Knowledge. They are commonly found guarding evil wizard’s lairs, vampire’s resting places, or crypts and tombs of various sorts. Left to their own devices, they actively seek out magical knowledge and can be encountered in ruins containing libraries or other vaults of knowledge. They are cunning opponents, using their illusion magic to draw prey into their lair. The unhatched often band together in groups of three or more.

Alternate Traits and Actions

Source ExpCod (Open Design)

The following changes allow GMs to alter an unhatched without modifying its challenge rating.

• Draconic Hatred. The unhatched harbors intense hatred for the draconic parent(s) that left it unprotected. The unhatched has advantage on attacks against dragons and creatures with a draconic heritage. The unhatched loses its Hatred trait.
• Draconic Magic Resistance. As a bonus action, the unhatched gives itself advantage on its next saving throw against spells or other magical effects originating from a dragon or creatures with a draconic heritage. This trait replaces the unhatched’s Minor Magic Resistance trait.
• Dragon Breath. The unhatched exhales elemental and necrotic infused breath based on the type of egg from which it was supposed to hatch. Each creature in the listed area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking the listed damage plus 6 (1d12) necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. A dragon or creature with a draconic heritage takes 16 (3d10) necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one:
  • Black or Copper: 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide, 11 (2d10) acid damage
  • Blue or Bronze: 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide, 11 (2d10) lightning damage
  • Green: 30-foot cone, 11 (2d10) poison damage
  • Red, Brass, or Gold: 30-foot cone, 11 (2d10) fire damage
  • White or Silver: 30-foot cone, 11 (2d10) cold damage

This trait replaces the unhatched’s Desiccating Breath trait.

• Horrifying Visage. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of the unhatched that can see it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A dragon or creature with a draconic heritage has disadvantage on this saving throw. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending the frightened condition on itself on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the unhatched’s Horrifying Visage for the next 24 hours. The unhatched’s Desiccating Breath action (or Dragon Breath action if that has replaced Desiccating Breath) recharges on 6.
• Necromantic Familiar. The unhatched acts as a familiar to a powerful undead creature. It can communicate with its master while it is within 100 feet of its master. As an action, the unhatched’s master can see through its eye and hear what it hears until the start of the master’s next turn. The master gains the benefits of the unhatched’s darkvision, but the master is deaf and blind with regard to the master’s senses. The unhatched can deliver a spell its master casts with a range of touch as if it had cast the spell. It must be within 100 feet of its master, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when the master casts it. If the spell requires an attack roll, apply the master’s attack modifier for the roll. The unhatched loses its Hatred trait.
• Residual Immunities. The unhatched retains the immunity inherent to the type of dragon it was meant to hatch as. Its immunity depends on the type of dragon egg:
  • Black or Copper: acid
  • Blue or Bronze: lightning
  • Green: poison
  • Red, Brass, or Gold: fire
  • White or Silver: cold

If the unhatched is not from a green dragon egg, it loses its damage immunity to poison.