b'Dragon, Cave, Young \n'b'  Family:   Dragon - Cave  \n'b'  Large   dragon ,  neutral evil  \n'b'  Armor Class  17 (natural armor)  Hit Points  189 (18d10 + 90)  Speed  40 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 20 ft.\n'b' STATS STR: 23 (+6) DEX:  12 (+1)  CON:  21 (+5)  INT:  10 (+0)  WIS:  12 (+1)  CHA:  14 (+2)  \n'b'\n'b'\n'b'\n'b'\n'b'\n'b'\n'b'  Saving Throws   Dex  +5,  Con  +9,  Wis  +5,  Cha  +6  Skills   Perception  +9,  Stealth  +5  Damage Immunities  poison  Condition Immunities   blinded ,  poisoned   Senses  blindsight 30 ft., tremorsense 90 ft., passive  Perception  19  Languages  Common, Darakhul, Draconic  Challenge  9 (5,000 XP)  Proficiency Bonus  +4 \n'b' SPECIAL TRAITS \n'b'\n'b'  Darkness Shroud . The cave dragon naturally suppresses  light  near it. Bright light within 30 feet of the dragon becomes dim light, and dim light within 30 feet becomes nonmagical darkness. If this shroud overlaps bright light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell creating the light is dispelled. \n'b'  Magical Tunneler . The cave dragon can burrow through nonmagical unworked earth and stone. While doing so, the dragon can choose whether to leave the material it moves through undisturbed or leave a 5-foot diameter tunnel in its wake. \n'b'  Spiked Climb . The dragon uses its spikes to hold itself in place while climbing, allowing it to climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. If it climbs upside down on a ceiling or suspends itself on a vertical surface while leaving its claws free, it can\xe2\x80\x99t use the Ruff Spikes  reaction . \n'b'\n'b' ACTIONS \n'b'\n'b'  Multiattack . The dragon makes one Bite  attack  and two Claw attacks. \n'b'  Bite .  Melee Weapon Attack : +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.  Hit : 17 (2d10 + 6) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage. \n'b'  Claw .  Melee Weapon Attack : +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.  Hit : 13 (2d6 + 6) slashing damage. \n'b'  Poison Breath (Recharge 5\xe2\x80\x936) . The dragon exhales a cone of black, poisonous gas in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17  Constitution  saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 42 (12d6) poison damage and is  poisoned  for 1 minute. On a success, a creature takes half the damage and isn\xe2\x80\x99t  poisoned . A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. \n'b'\n'b' REACTIONS \n'b'\n'b'  Ruff Spikes . When a creature moves to a space within 5 feet of the cave dragon, the dragon flares its many feelers and spikes. The creature must succeed on a DC 17  Dexterity  saving throw or take 4 (1d8) piercing damage and be prevented from entering that space. \n'b'\n'b' ABOUT \n'b' Covered in black spikes, the dragon\xe2\x80\x99s eyeless head swings from side to side. Darkness creeps from its strange, eel-like hide, spreading like ink in water. \n'b' Apex predators of the underworld, cave dragons are the stuff of nightmare for creatures with little else to fear. They can speak, but they value silence, speaking rarely except when bargaining for food. \n'b'  Born to Darkness . Eyeless, these dragons have long, thin spikes that help them navigate tunnels or seal passages around them, preventing foes from outflanking them. Their stunted wings are little more than feelers, useful in rushing down tunnels. Their narrow snouts poke into tight passages, which their  tongues  scour free of bats and vermin. Young cave dragons and wyrmlings can fly, poorly, but older specimens lose the gift of flight. Cave dragon hide is more like eel skin than reptilian scales, and it grows mottled with brown and black as it ages. \n'b'  Ravenous Marauders . Cave dragons are always hungry and ready to eat everything. They devour undead, plant creatures, or anything organic. When feeding, they treat all nearby creatures as both a threat and the next course. Alliances they make only last so long as their allies make themselves scarce when the dragon feeds. They can be bribed with food as easily as with gold, but other attempts at diplomacy typically fail. Cave dragons do form alliances with peoples of the underworld, joining them in battle against enemies, but there is always a price to be paid in flesh, bone, and marrow. Wise allies keep a cave dragon well fed. \n'b'  A Hard Life . Limited food underground makes truly ancient cave dragons almost unheard of. The eldest tend to die of starvation after stripping their territory bare of prey. Their nigh-endless hunger leaves the ancients the most likely of cave dragons to form alliances, especially with allies that promise\xe2\x80\x94and deliver\xe2\x80\x94food. On occasion, cave dragons climb to the surface to feed, but their earthbound, plodding pace leaves them outcompeted by other predators or unable to keep up with swift or flying prey. They prefer tight tunnels where they can ambush and outmaneuver prey. \n'b'  Edible Hoards and Vertical Lairs . Due to the scarcity of food in their subterranean world, a cave dragon\xe2\x80\x99s hoard may consist largely of food sources:  bat  colonies, enormous beetles, carcasses in states of decay, a cavern infested with shriekers, and whatever else the dragon doesn\xe2\x80\x99t immediately devour. Cave dragons are fond of bones and items with strong taste or smell. Vast collections of bones, teeth, ivory, and the shells of huge insects litter their lairs, arranged like artful ossuaries. Large vertical chimneys serve as nesting sites for eggs and are popular resting places when a cave dragon sleeps within its lair. Chimneys just wide enough to hold young cave dragons make preferred ambush sites, as the dragons\xe2\x80\x99 tough spikes  help  hold them in position until prey passes beneath. The oldest cave dragons also retreat to vertical chimneys near nesting sites or within their lairs to die in peace. Stories claim that enormous treasures are heaped up in these ledges, abysses, and other inaccessible locations.'