Illusory Dragon

• Level: 8th-level
• School: Illusion
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 feet
• Components: S, M (a jade circlet worth at least 1,500 gp)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Description

Illusory Dragon allows you to create a terrifying, shadowy dragon that can instill fear and unleash a breath attack, all while being entirely illusory.

Effects:

• Illusory Dragon Creation:

  • You create a Large illusory dragon in an unoccupied space within range. The dragon seems real, including sounds and visual effects, but it is an illusion. Creatures can attempt to disbelieve the illusion by making an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC.

• Breath Weapon:

  • As a bonus action on your turn, you can command the dragon to exhale a blast of energy in a 60-foot cone originating from its mouth. Choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, or poison.
  • Each creature in the cone must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 7d6 damage of the chosen type, or half as much on a successful save.

• Fear Effect:

  • When a creature first sees the dragon or starts its turn within 30 feet of it, it must make a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of the dragon for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Components:

• Somatic (S): You need to make gestures to form and control the illusion.
• Material (M): A jade circlet worth at least 1,500 gp is required to cast the spell.

Strategic Applications:

• Crowd Control: The fear effect of the illusory dragon can incapacitate or at least hinder multiple enemies at once, especially those who fail their saving throws.
• High Damage Output: The breath weapon can deal significant damage to multiple creatures in a wide area, making it useful for large battles.
• Psychological Warfare: The illusion’s realistic nature can deceive enemies into believing they are facing a real dragon, potentially causing panic or tactical errors.

Limitations:

• Concentration: The spell requires concentration, meaning it can be disrupted if you take damage.
• Intelligence Saves: The effectiveness of the breath weapon is mitigated by Intelligence saving throws, which some creatures may have high bonuses against.
• Disbelief: Creatures that succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check may recognize the dragon as an illusion, weakening its effectiveness.

Notes:

• Illusory Dragon is an excellent choice for spellcasters who want to dominate the battlefield with a combination of psychological fear and high area damage.

• The spell can be especially effective against creatures with low Intelligence or Wisdom scores, making them more susceptible to the illusion’s effects.

• The ability to choose the damage type of the breath weapon adds versatility, allowing you to exploit vulnerabilities in specific creatures.

• Ideal For: High-level illusionists, wizards, and sorcerers looking to control large-scale encounters or disrupt enemy forces with fear and damage.