Fantasy NPC: End-Of-Kings, The Anarchist Dragon

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End-Of-Kings, The Anarchist Dragon

A long and sinuous dragon, with burnished amber scales and strikingly emerald eyes.

CR 10; 9,600 XP

CN Large Dragon

Init +10; Senses darkvision 120 ft., blindsense 60 ft., scent; Perception +17

Defense
AC 24, touch 15, flat-footed 24 (+4 Dex, +2 insight, +9 natural, –1 size)

hp 136 (13d12+52)
Fort +14, Ref +14, Will +13; +8 resistance bonus against mind-affecting effects

Defensive Abilities mind blank, preternatural cunning; DR 5/magic; Immune paralysis, sleep; Resist electricity 30, fire 30; SR 21

Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average), swim 20 ft.

Melee bite +17 (2d6+5), 2 claws +17 (1d8+5), tail slap +17 (2d6+5)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite and tail slap)

Special Attacks breath weapon (60 ft. line, 13d6 electricity and fire damage, DC 20 Reflex for half), inspire zeal

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +14)

Constant—greater magic fang (+1 enhancement, all natural and unarmed attacks), mind blank

At Will—mage hand, modify memory (DC 18, once per day on each creature affected), prestidigitation, unseen servant

1/day—mass modify memory (6th level, DC 20, affects up to 13 creatures at once)

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 19

Base Atk +13; CMB +18; CMD 34 (38 vs trip
Feats Acrobatic Steps, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Nimble Moves

Skills Bluff +20, Climb +12, Disguise +17, Fly +18, Knowledge (nobility) +19, Linguistics +19, Perception +17, Perform (oratory) +17, Sense Motive +17, Stealth +16, Swim +12

Language Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarf, Elf, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Ignan, Infernal, Protean, Sylvan, Terran

SQ change shape (Tiny, Small, Medium, or Large animal, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or undead; shapechange, monstrous physique II or undead anatomy II), skilled linguist

Breath Weapon (Su) End-Of-Kings has a breath weapon that takes shape of a 60-ft. long beam of intensely hot light, scorching anything in its path, dealing electricity and fire damage (half on a successful Reflex save, DC 20). The saving throw DC is Constitution-based.

Inspire Zeal (Su) End-Of-Kings can inspire other creatures with her fiery speeches against the tyranny and hierarchy, granting those who listen to her speaking for at least 10 minutes +2 morale bonus to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and AC, and 10 temporary hit points for the next 24 hours as long as they truly believe in the cause presented to them. This is a language-dependent, mind-affecting compulsion effect that can be ended prematurely with calm emotion spell.

Preternatural Cunning (Su) End-Of-Kings seems to act as if could predict things that are going to happen, or maybe merely reacts to them faster than anyone else, gaining +2 insight bonus to AC, saving throws, and initiative checks, and never loses her Dexterity bonus to AC unless physically restrained.

Skilled Linguist (Ex) End-Of-Kings can retrain any language known for another with a day of exposure and study.

End-Of-Kings is a dragon with a mission—toppling monarchies and other strictly hierarchical rulers and governments. Unlike many other revolutionaries, she does not offer any solutions afterwards, seeking neither to take over, nor proposing alternatives. Taking down kings and queens is her sole goal, her sole dedication. The fate of the subjects and citizens of the states she undermines is of little concern to her—not out of actual malice, though, merely inability to empathize with humanoids. As a mighty dragon, she is simply unable to comprehend the little monkeys' lack of capacity for survival on their own and their dependence on community to thrive.

Her typical modus operand is to infiltrate a kingdom in a mundane guise (or not so mundane, she pretended to be a restless ancestor a few times), identify the trouble makers, the disowned, the downtrodden, the malcontent, and persecuted, and slowly inspire the fires of defiance until they explode into an outright rebellion. Rarely, she attacks the monarchs directly, though she is not above dealing the final strike when needed. Numerous times, just after the first rebellion succeeded, she turned on her erstwhile allies trying to establish themselves as the new overlords in the place of the deposed tyrant. She never does it before it actually happens, even if she knows that the motives of her allies are ulterior.

While she does accumulate hoards from various sources—sometimes treasuries of kingdoms that fell into anarchy through her machinations, sometimes spoils of markets crashed as a side effect of political instability—she spends them to finance new revolutions.

Ending kings is her dedication and life goal, but she is not above other pastimes—she does enjoy art and comforts of civilization, and she occasionally takes lovers, usually passionate about her revolutionary lifestyle, though a few times she fell for people she fought against—it did not prevent her from accomplishing her goals. At least once, however, she managed to crash a monarchy by convincing a reluctant princess-heir she romanced to abandon her realm, with the following succession crisis splintering the kingdom.