Adult Red Dragon
Huge dragon · CR 17 · 18,000 XP
19 AC · 256 HP
Roll the Adult Red Dragon
Press a roll button. The dice land here.
The Adult Red Dragon wins on the breath you're waiting for
How to run it. Three Rends a turn at +14, each 1d10 + 8 Slashing plus 2d4 Fire, is about 54 damage a turn against any AC up to 16. That alone is a boss fight. But the moment players remember is Fire Breath: a 60-foot Cone, DC 21 Dexterity save, 17d6 Fire damage.
The breath in numbers. 17d6 averages 59.5, and half of all rolls land on 60 or more. DC 21 is harsh:
| Your Dex save | Chance to save | Expected damage |
|---|---|---|
| +2 | 10% | 56.5 |
| +5 | 25% | 52.1 |
| +8 | 40% | 47.6 |
It recharges on a 5 or 6, a one-in-three chance each turn, so about three turns on average between breaths. There's a 56% chance it's back within two turns.
The choice that matters is the cone. Sixty feet reaches the whole party if they bunch up. Fly first and breathe down on them; the dragon's Speed is 40 feet, Fly 80. Then use Pounce (a legendary action: half its Speed and one Rend) to punish whoever steps out of line.
The common mistake for players is treating its saves like anyone else's. Legendary Resistance lets it turn a failed save into a success three times a day, four in its lair. Cheap save spells early spend those uses, so your big one lands later.
The DM's trick. Every creature in the cone rolls its own save. Roll them all openly. A table of players watching 17d6 hit the mat is the scene they'll tell stories about.
The human angle. A dragon this big is meant to be awe-inspiring, not just dangerous. Keltner and Haidt describe awe as the response to something vast that doesn't fit what you already know. The dragon's size and its breath do that job before anyone rolls. For how anger and dragons meet at the table, see The Dragon's Roar.
Source: Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17(2), 297–314. doi:10.1080/02699930302297
Stat block
- Type
- Huge dragon, chaotic evil
- Armor Class
- 19
- Hit Points
- 256 (19d12 + 133)
- Speed
- 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
- Challenge
- 17 (18,000 XP), proficiency +6
- Immunities
- fire
- Senses
- darkvision 120 ft., blindsight 60 ft., passive perception 23
- Languages
- Common, Draconic
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 10 | 25 | 16 | 13 | 23 |
Adult Red Dragon odds against your Armor Class
Chance to hit, then average damage per attack once misses and critical hits are counted.
| Attack | AC 12 | AC 14 | AC 15 | AC 16 | AC 18 | AC 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rend (+14) | 95% 18.1 dmg | 95% 18.1 dmg | 95% 18.1 dmg | 95% 18.1 dmg | 85% 16.3 dmg | 75% 14.4 dmg |
| Full turn (3 attacks) | 54.3 dmg | 54.3 dmg | 54.3 dmg | 54.3 dmg | 48.8 dmg | 43.2 dmg |
Adult Red Dragon hit points
The stat block uses the average, 256. Rolled, 19d12 + 133 lands anywhere from 152 to 361.
| Hit points | Chance |
|---|---|
| 204 or more | >99% |
| 257 or more | 50% |
| 309 or more | <1% |
| 340 or more | <1% |
Traits
Legendary Resistance. If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three Rend attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of Spellcasting to cast Scorching Ray.
Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 13 () Slashing damage plus 5 () Fire damage.
Fire Breath. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 21, each creature in a 60-foot Cone. Failure: 59 () Fire damage. Success: Half damage.
Spellcasting. The dragon casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks):
Legendary actions
Commanding Presence. The dragon uses Spellcasting to cast Command (level 2 version). The dragon can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Fiery Rays. The dragon uses Spellcasting to cast Scorching Ray. The dragon can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Pounce. The dragon moves up to half its Speed, and it makes one Rend attack.
Other CR 17 monsters
Adult Gold Dragon
Dragon Turtle
Sphinx of ValorThis page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The averages, odds and tables are ours.