Play Your 5E D&D Dragons with Big Brain Energy

June 2, 2022

Dragons are immortal creatures who grow in power and size but it is not only their physical stats reaching immense proportions. Mentally dragons are one of the most intelligent creatures in the realms. As a 5E D&D Dungeon Master it can feel a little intimidating to run dragons whose intellect is much more vast than our own. Even DMs with genius level IQs are still not up to par with the intellect of elder dragons.

How smart are your 5E D&D dragons anyway?

In order to run a dragon encounter it is always a good idea to have a number of contingency plans so when the adventurers do something unexpected — and you know they will — you potentially have a plan for whatever transpires.

With Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons there are even more new dragons to choose from and to challenge your 5E D&D players. The one most appealing to me is the Elder Brain Dragon. Not only do mind flayers have some pretty bad ass lore but to have an elder brain take over a dragon takes things to a whole other level. The elder brain dragon is a super dangerous foe with some some serious skills. Only the sneakiest rogue could sneak up on this terrible foe with its passive perception of 28. If this were not enough its breath weapon requires a Constitution saving throw for the psychic damage it deals and even if you succeed you are infested with illithid tadpoles. These do extra damage each round and if you drop to 0 hit points while infected you drop unconscious and begin a transformation into a mind flayer. Truly terrifying.

Using this horrifying dragon could start with some kind of exploration of a new mine or any plot with an opening into the Underdark. People go missing without much explanation all the way to the point the nearby town is completely empty all with very little sign of conflict. Between the intellect devourers and the illithid tadpoles the number of new mind flayers, thralls and servants of the elder brain dragon would swell daily. By the time the party is aware of the threat they could easily be overwhelmed and either require aid or need to be a much higher level. As this dragon is a challenge rating 22 and with the ability to have it paired with mind flayer encounters leading up to it it could easily be some serious end game level ridiculous.

The number of new dragons in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is quite high and WizKids has minis for a large amount of them. There was previously the Sapphire Dragon mini they released a while ago but the stat block was not widely available until this book hit the shelves. Now there are all the gem dragons and the dracohydra, which of course pairs nicely with the Tiamat miniature. There are numerous new dragon minis in as well as dragon themed minis such as the dragonflesh grafter, the dragonblood ooze, draconians and so many others. I knew I needed to have the Elder Brain Dragon in my collection from the moment I saw this beast. It can easily be me made into a full campaign.

Since the illithid operate with intellect devourers, which take people over, and the illithid have the ability to dominate others you could spend a large portion of your campaign fighting more and more talented thralls of the illithids’ will. They could be trying to dominate the surface world or just trying to obtain one singular objective on a smaller scale. A minor encounter of a creature possessed by an intellect devourer could be a ruse or the only clue to a greater threat looming in the shadows to be revealed later. Why not get yourself some new Fizban’s minis from WizKids or from your local gaming store? These beauties are a great addition to a collection or for use at your table.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, stay nerdy!

*Featured image — An elder brain dragon is the nightmarish result of teams of mind flayers who bind a captured dragon, which is then subject to a gruesome transformation as the elder brain latches onto the dragon’s back and digs its tentacles into the dragon’s brain. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]