Tiamat

(The Dragon Queen, the Chromatic Dragon, Nemesis of the Gods, the Dark Lady, Queen of Chaos, the Undying Queen, Bane of Bahamut, the Avaricious)

Lesser Power of the Nine Hells, LE

PORTFOLIO: Evil dragons, chromatic dragons, evil reptiles, greed, Chessenta
ALIASES: Tchazzar
DOMAIN NAME: Avernus/Tiamat's Lair
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: None
FOES: Bahamut, Gilgeam (dead), Iyachtu Xvim, Ilmater, Marduk (dead)
SYMBOL: Five-headed dragon (Tiamat) or a red dragon against a black mountain (Tchazzar)
WOR. ALIGN.: LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE (also LG, NG, and CG prior to the Godswar)

Tiamat (TEE-a-maht), the Chromatic Dragon, is feared as the legendary Queen of Evil Dragons throughout the Realms. Although few humans, demihumans, or humanoids venerate the Dark Lady, and she is merely propitiated by most of her chromatic wyrm spawn, Tiamat is a divine being in her own right and one whose cult is rapidly spreading across the Realms.

Tiamat's cult was brought to the Realms, along with the faiths of the rest of the Untheric pantheon, when in ancient times the Imaskari wizards kidnapped an entire population of humans and brought them to Faerûn to serve as their slaves. The Mulan peoples, as they came to be known, revered Enlil and his progeny and were taught by their priests that Tiamat was the Queen of Chaos (somewhat of a misnomer) and the Nemesis of the Gods. The Dragon Queen was blamed by the god-kings of Unther for every setback that nation experienced as it rose to greatness and then decayed over the centuries. According to Untheric myths, Tiamat battled Marduk, the Justice Bringer, for centuries. Eventually Marduk destroyed Tiamat's manifestation, but only at the cost of his own permanent exile from the Realms.

While Marduk's cult quickly and quietly faded away into oblivion (with the help of a jealous Gilgeam's priesthood), a small sect of Tiamat's faithful persisted in underground fellowship for centuries, undeterred by the Dark Lady's silence. Gilgeam himself unwittingly helped to maintain Tiamat's tenuous connection with the Realms by continuing to castigate her as the Nemesis of the Gods. When the Untheric pantheon dwindled to a small handful of powers and the god-king Gilgeam's rule degenerated into brutal tyranny, many of Unther's despairing citizens turned in protest to the very enemy that for centuries Gilgeam had held up to be reviled—Tiamat.

In the decades preceding the Time of Troubles, Tiamat's cult slowly rebuilt in ranks and its influence under the leadership of several embittered foes of Gilgeam. In the Year of the Bloodbird (1346 DR), the cultists successfully summoned the Dark Lady, an avatar of Tiamat who could also assume the form of a three-headed incarnation of the Chromatic Dragon, and Tiamat's priests began receiving spells once again after centuries of silence. Over the next dozen years, the cultists and their goddess secretly fomented rebellion throughout Unther, seeking to overthrow the hated Gilgeam. After Ao banished the powers from the planes, Tiamat was forced to manifest her entire Faerûnian aspect in her Untheric avatar. Toward the end of the Time of Troubles, Gilgeam challenged Tiamat to battle and eventually defeated her three-headed incarnation, seemingly destroying the Dragon Queen forever and ending her threat to his eternal rule.

Unbeknowest to the Supreme Ruler of Unther, Tiamat was not destroyed—her essence had simply splintered among three of the most powerful dragons in the region. The greatest of the three, Tchazzar, a great red wyrm, had long aspired to godhood and was revered as the Father of Chessenta by the cult he had carefully cultivated (even to the point of taking on a human persona, becoming a Chessentan king and war hero, and then faking his own death). After destroying and devouring the other two receptacles of Tiamat's essence, Tchazzar was transformed into an avatar of the Chromatic Dragon herself shortly after the end of the Godswar. For several weeks, Tiamat bided her time in avatar form until her spies determined that Gilgeam had been reduced to demipower status in the aftermath of Ao's shake-up. She then ambushed the greatly weakened Gilgeam outside his Ziggurat of Eternal Victory. The battle between Gilgeam and Tiamat raged across the Outer Planes and through Unther, destroying much of Unthalass. Both Tiamat and Gilgeam appeared to be destroyed at the end of their encounter, but in reality only Gilgeam was, and Tiamat had merely experienced the loss of an avatar and a severe reduction in status—the the level of a demipower—due to the divine power she expended to slay Gilgeam.

Just as the battered Tiamat readied to return to Unther in triumph, she was attacked in her lair in the Outer Planes by a company of powerful mortals at the bequest of her ancient enemy Bahamut. In the battle, Tiamat's sole remaining avatar was destroyed. The mortals returned in triumph to Damara, earning that land Tiamat's undying enmity. It would require a full year for Tiamat to create a new avatar, and Tiamat's chance to establish herself as the sole ruler of Unther was lost as the Faerûnian and Mulhorandi pantheons quickly moved to fill the deific vacuum in that nation.

Tiamat has by no means given up her plans for acquiring increased power in the Realms and has already elevated herself in status to lesser power again. In Unther, her cult continues to foment unrest, one of many factions seeking power in that shattered land. In Chessenta, Tiamat continues to expand the ranks of her faithful in her guise as Tchazzar, the Invincible Warrior and the Father of Chessenta. (Tchazzar's symbol is a red dragon against a black mountain.) In Vaasa, the Dragon Queen slowly gathers a flight of dragons about the ruins of Castle Perilous in preparation for the day she seeks revenge against the heroes of the Bloodstone Lands.

As her first step toward achieving these goals, Tiamat has targeted the Cult of the Dragon for incorporation into the ranks of her worshipers. The Dragon Queen views this powerful organization with tentacles stretching throughout Faerûn as a godless sect awaiting the adoption of an appropriate divine patron such as herself. She has recently manifested one avatar as the Undying Queen in response to pleas of one member of the Cult of the Dragon (who thought he was calling upon the "essence of all dracoliches") and has begun setting herself up to be the first deity to be worshiped by the previously secular Cult as a whole. Although she expects significant resistance from the Dragon Cult's entrenched leaders, she expects her followers to infiltrate and co-opt the Cult's vast network over the next decade, elevating her further to intermediate power status in the Realms.

Tiamat is on the brink of joining the Faerûnian pantheon. Her only opposition lies in Iyachtu Xvim, who feels her tyrannical leanings impinge much too closely on his own ambitions and portfolio. She will officially join the pantheon by sometime between the end of the Year of the Tankard (1370 DR) and the middle of the Year of the Unstrung Harp (1371 DR).

Tiamat is a greedy, vain, and arrogant demipower who embodies all of the strengths of her chromatic progeny but few of their weaknesses. She is entirely focused on the acquisition of personal power and wealth and views mortals as hapless pawns in her struggles with other deities. She can be charming and fey when necessary, but her self-serving, evil, reptilian nature is readily apparent to those who look.

Tiamat's Avatar (Fighter 25, Cleric 25, Wizard 25)

Tiamat has favored two forms throughout Unther's long history: the Dark Lady and the Chromatic Dragon. In the wake of her recent setbacks and in view of her future plots, the Dragon Queen has developed a third form known as the Undying Queen. All of Tiamat's forms draw their spells from all spheres and schools save the spheres of chaos and sun. She rarely uses anything but the reversed forms of healing and necromantic spells on anyone save herself.

The Dark Lady appears as a human sorceress of Mulan ancestry with long, dark hair and dark robes. She has a fey beauty, a seductive smile, and totally black eyes.

The Chromatic Dragon is a nightmarish amalgamation of a monstrous draconic body on four stubby legs that has five writhing necks and heads, each corresponding to one of the species of chromatic dragons. Each head's color runs the length of the neck and into the forepart of her body as strips, gradually blending to three stripes of gray, blue-green, and purple over her back and hindquarters, then merging into a muddy dark brown tail. Her underbelly and legs are greenish white fading into her upper body colors. Traditionally Tiamat's heads are colored red, green, blue, black, and white, but in fact the Chromatic Dragon can have many different subsets of heads, as long as there are no more than five total, each head's color and powers are unique, and each corresponds to an evil chromatic dragon species found in the Realms. For example, other known colors manifested by the Chromatic Dragon have included yellow and brown. In Chessenta, the Chromatic Dragon typically appears with a single red head and neck in keeping with Tiamat's guise as Tchazzar.

The Undying Queen is an undead manifestation of the Chromatic Dragon, a sort of multiheaded dracolich. It has skeletal wings and glowing points of light floating in shadowy eye sockets rather than normal draconic eyes.

Dark Lady
AC -12; MV 15; HP 199; THAC0 -4; #AT 1 or 2/1
Dmg 1d10+8+energy drain (+8 STR) or by weapon+8 (+8 STR)
MR 75%; SZ M (6 feet)
STR 21, DEX 20, CON 23, INT 19, WIS 20, CHA 24
Spells P: 12/12/11/11/9/8/4, W: 5/5/5/5/5/5/5/5/4
Saves PPDM 2, RSW 3, PP 4, BW 4, Sp 4

Chromatic Dragon or Undying Queen
AC -12; MV 18, Fl 90 (C), Br 9, Sw 30, Jp 6; HP 199, THAC0 -4; #AT 5+special
Dmg See below
MR 75%; SZ G (500 feet—body 280 feet, tail 220 feet)
STR 21, DEX 20, CON 23, INT 19, WIS 20, CHA 24
Spells P: 12/12/11/11/9/8/4, W: 5/5/5/5/5/5/5/5/4
Saves PPDM 2, RSW 3, PP 4, BW 4, Sp 4

HeadSlay*Breath**Bite†BW Form‡
Blue5624d8+123d8+125-foot-wide x 100-foot-long lightning bolt
Red6024d10+123d10+1290-foot-long cone of fire, 5 feet wide at dragon's mouth and 30 feet in diameter at base
Green5224d6+122d10+1250-foot-long x 40-foot-wide x 30-foot-high poisonous chlorine gas cloud
Black4824d4+123d6+125-foot-wide x 60-foot-long acid stream
White4412d6+122d8+1270-foot-long cone of frost, 5 feet wide at dragon's mouth and 25 feet in diameter at base
Brown5624d6+243d10+125-foot-wide x 60-foot-long acid stream
Yellow5224d4+122d8+1250-foot-long x 40-foot-wide x 20-foot-high scorching sand blast

*This is the total number of hit points a head can sustain before being destroyed. The avatar regenerates the head in 12 hours. Damage specifically inflicted on a head does not affect the general body total.
**The number shown is the damage for the breath weapon for the head in question.
†This is the damage caused by a successful bite.
‡This is the general configuration of the head's breath weapon.

Special Att/Def: The Dark Lady can cast two spells and attack with her fist each round. Her touch does 1d10+8 points of bludgeoning damage, plus the victim must make a successful saving throw vs. spell or suffer the effects of an energy drain (as the 9th-level wizard spell). On the rare occasions she wields a weapon, it is usually a dagger, staff, or, in one instance, a short sword of no particular magical distinction. She attacks twice per round with a melee weapon but with no energy-draining effect. In addition, the Dark Lady can travel astrally or ethereally at will and can change form into the Chromatic Dragon or Undying Queen in three rounds, during which time all she does is take defensive actions.

The Chromatic Dragon's five heads can operate entirely independently of each other. During any round, each can perform any of the following actions: bite, breathe its breath weapon, or cast a spell. Each bite attack inflicts damage as though it were a great wyrm of the appropriate color; the total damage is summarized on the above table. Likewise, each head has a breath weapon equivalent to that of a great wyrm of the appropriate color. All saving throw vs. the Chromatic Dragon's breath weapons are made at a -4 penalty. Finally, each head can cast one spell per round. The total number of spells all the heads combined can cast is given above. Each head can withstand the number of points of damage indicated on the table above before it "dies" and becomes useless. If all of the Chromatic Dragon's heads are killed or if her body is reduced to 0 hit points, she immediately returns to Avernus, but her avatar is not considered destroyed.

Although the Chromatic Dragon's sheer size prevents claw and kick attacks while she is on the ground, she can use two claw attacks while flying, each of which inflicts 1d10 points of damage. She can use all other draconic attack modes, such as snatch (flying only, limit seven victims), plummet (flying only; 3d10+12 points of damage), wing buffet (1d10 points of damage and succeed at a Dexterity ability check or be knocked prone), and tail slap (2d20 points of damage and save vs. petrification or be stunned for 1d4+1 rounds), as described in the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome in the introductory material on dragons.

In addition, the Chromatic Dragon's long, serpentine tail is tipped with a sting that drips black venom. It is sinuous enough that she can attack enemies directly in front of her and to the sides, as will as behind her, though she cannot both sting and tail slap in the same round. The sting inflicts 1d6 points of damage, and the victim must roll a successful saving throw vs. poison with a -3 penalty or die agonizingly at the end of the following round.

Finally, the Chromatic Dragon's aura of dragon fear is 140 yards in diameter. Creatures of up to 5 HD/levels who catch sight of her are automatically affected (as well as all noncarnivorous, nonaggressive creatures with fewer than 25 Hit Dice) and flee for 4d6 rounds. Trained war mounts of 4 HD or more, organized military units, and single creatures with more than 5 HD or levels do not automatically flee. Rather, they are entitled to a saving throw vs. petrification at a -5 penalty. If they fail this saving throw, they fight with a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls. No one save another deity is automatically immune to her fear effects.

The Undying Queen has all the powers of the Chromatic Dragon plus several additional abilities. She can detect invisible objects and creatures (including those hidden in darkness and fog) within a 120-foot radius. She possesses a natural clairaudience ability in a 240-foot radius at all times. Saving throws vs. her fear aura are made with a -1 penalty. The gaze of her glowing eyes (from any head) can also paralyze creatures within 100 yards if upon meeting her gaze they fail their saving throws. (Creatures of 6 or more HD gain a +3 bonus to their saving throws.) If a creature successfully saves against the gaze of one of the Undying Queen's heads, it is permanently immune to the gaze of that head only.

All the Undying Queen's physical attacks do an additional 2d8 points of chilling damage, and any victim struck by the Undying Queen who fails a saving throw vs. paralyzation is paralyzed for 2d6 rounds. (Immunity to cold damage or negative energy [energy-draining] damage negates the chilling damage, but not the paralyzation.) Finally, the Undying Queen can control the actions of any undead creature not controlled by another deity or a priest of over 24th level within 60 yards.

Tiamat in any form is immune to all spells below 5th level and to poison, paralysis, and mind-affecting and controlling spells. She is immune to all spells from the school of enchantment/charm or the sphere of charm. Weapons below +2 enchantment do not affect her. She takes half damage from cold-, fire-, and electricity-based attacks. In Chromatic Dragon or Undying Queen form, she has all of the immunities common to great wyrms of each subrace represented in her current roster of heads (some of which may supersede other immunities). In Undying Queen form she is also immune to magical and natural cold, electricity, insanity, and polymorph spells.

Other Manifestations

Tiamat commonly manifests in a fashion similar to a thunderbolt from the heavens. Such strokes of divine power are always equivalent to the breath weapon of a great wyrm of one of the chromatic species of dragon.

Tiamat shows her favor through the discovery of priceless treasures including gold, silver, precious gems, and rare works of art. Of course, the Dragon Queen expects the immediate sacrifice of any such discoveries to her ever-growing hoard, or her ire is quickly earned. Tiamat's displeasure is usually expressed by the inexplicable disappearance of a vast amount of hoarded wealth from a warded vault or other supposedly safe location. The Dragon Queen is served by all species of evil dragons, abishai baatezu of all colors, evil dragonets, and many species of reptiles, particularly serpents.

The Church

CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LN, N, LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, if good, SP: No, Cru: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Cru: No

All clerics, specialty priests, and crusaders of Tiamat receive religion (Untheric), religion (Faerûnian), reading/writing (Untheric), and modern languages (Common) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies. In addition, those who are Untheri know Untheric as their native tongue and receive modern languages (Common) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.

Tiamat is little known in the Realms outside of the Old Empires of Unther, Mulhorand, and Chessenta. Tales of her defeat by Gareth Dragonsbane, Baron of Bloodstone, are still widely told by bards throughout Damara. Those who know of her are more likely to think of her as a powerful, legendary monster than a divine power. She is said to be the mother and/or queen of the evil subspecies of dragons. Among dragons, Tiamat is traditionally considered a human goddess—worthy of respect and fear but not worship. In recent decades, a few chromatic dragons have joined her cult, but they are still relatively rare.

Temples of Tiamat are constructed in the former lairs of long-dead dragons, typically vast natural caverns. They are dominated by frescoes of the Dragon Queen, surrounded by her numerous consorts, being worshiped by countless humans, demihumans, and humanoids. All such temples are filled with vast piles of wealth to be sacrificed to the Dragon Queen and hence are rife with traps and guardian monsters and constructs. At least one, and sometimes two or more, juvenile or young adult chromatic dragons lair in the temple's riches. They rarely stay for more than a few decades, but Tiamat's cultists are always quick to recruit a new inhabitant. The most prominent temples often contain a permanent gate to Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells.

Tiamat's clergy is composed of equal numbers of specialty priests, known as wyrmlairds or wyrmkeepers, and clerics. The remainder, about 20% of the total, are crusaders. Wyrmlairds are specialty priests of Tiamat specifically dedicated to her aspect as Tchazzar, Father of Chessenta, and are found only in that nation. Many lower-ranking wyrmlairds are unaware that Tchazzar has been subsumed by the Dragon Queen. Wyrmkeepers are found everywhere else throughout Faerûn, especially in Unther.

Tiamat's priests are regimented by a strict hierarchy of ranks and corresponding titles. Acolytes of the faith are known as Wyrmfodder. In ascending order of rank, priests of the Dragon Queen are known as: Custodian of the Copper Chalice, Defender of the Silver Shield, Warden of the Electrum Mail, Guardian of the Gold Scepter, Keeper of the Platinum Crown, Scale of the White Wyrm, Horn of the Black Beast, Wing of the Green Gargantua, Talon of the Blue Baatoran, and Breath of the Red Ravager. Higher ranking priests of the Dragon Queen are collectively known as the Dark Scaly Ones, a practice originating in Unther.

Dogma: Prior to the defeat of Gilgeam, priests of Tiamat were sworn to destroy the power of the god-kings of Unther, to seize the realm for themselves, and to get as much treasure as possible and sacrifice it to the Dark Lady. Tiamat's goals and ambitions have expanded considerably in the aftermath of Gilgeam's defeat.

Tiamat teaches that rival powers of all creeds and from every pantheon are inherently tyrannical. They seek only power, at any cost, despite their honeyed words. The Dragon Queen is the only being powerful enough to defy the gods and overthrow their despotic rule. Worshipers of the Dark Lady are to work tirelessly towards the day when their queen will banish the gods from Faerûn and unite the Realms under her rule. Toward this goal, all true believers must follow her commands unquestioningly and be willing to sacrifice themselves in her service. To overthrow the gods requires power, and power is acquired through the accumulation of wealth and magic. Power demands respect. Chromatic dragons everywhere are to be venerated as the spawn of the Dragon Queen and paid homage. When Tiamat assumes her throne, her draconic children shall serve her as dukes, and her clergy as their mortal vassals.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Tiamat are primarily occupied by the twin tasks of acquiring an ever-increasing hoard of wealth for the faith and sabotaging the faiths of other powers. As a result, they occupy most of their waking hours with an unending series of thefts, assassinations, acts of vandalism, and arson. In Unther and Chessenta they are primarily concerned with seizing as much power as possible, while in western Faerûn, the cult's agents are focused on infiltrating and subverting the Cult of the Dragon.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Members of Tiamat's clergy perform numerous daily ceremonies in homage to their mistress. The two most widespread are known as the Tithing and the Rite of Respect. Once per day each priest of Tiamat must offer a small tithe, typically several gold coins or a small gem. The tithe is hidden in the priest's cupped hands and a small prayer is offered. When the prayer is completed and the hands unfolded, there is a 10% chance the offering has vanished. On days when it is taken, the clergy consider themselves and their efforts particularly blessed. The Rite of Respect is a complicated ritual of abasement and appeasement that must be performed while approaching any spawn of the Dragon Queen. This ceremony does not provide any ritualistic protection from the wyrm's fury, but failure to perform the ceremony with rigorous perfection is sure to draw the great reptile's ire.

In Unther, the Dark Scaly Ones have proclaimed the day of the first full moon after Midsummer a holy day dedicated to the Queen of Chaos. Known as the Festival of Vengeance, this day marks the defeat of Gilgeam by Tiamat, Nemesis of the Gods. In Unthalass the day is marked by general anarchy, rioting, and widespread mayhem incited by the clergy and the faithful and is punctuated by the consummation of long-simmering acts of revenge. During this time, the priests of the Mulhorandi and Faerûnian pantheons seek to contain the looting and destruction, but prominent officials must beware of the numerous assassination attempts executed by the Serpent Guards.

Major Centers of Worship: The Altar of Scales, located in the catacombs of ruined Unthalass, survived the destruction of the venerable City of Gems resulting from the conflict between Gilgeam and the Dragon Queen, and the temple has flourished in the resulting anarchy. The leader of Tiamat's cult prior to the Dragon Queen's battle with Gilgeam was Tiglath, known as Lady Dragonstar. She disappeared during the deific conflict and has not been seen since. Shudu-Ab, Wyrm Princess of the Dark Scaly Ones and high priestess of the Altar of Scales, has succeeded Tiglath as the leader of the Dragon Queen's cult in Unther. Shudu-Ab seeks to extend her queen's dominion throughout Unthalass (with herself as Tiamat's mortal regent) and eventually rule over all the lands held by Unther at its height over a millennia ago. Shudu-Ab has already brought the clergy of Tiamat's temple in Firetrees to heel, and much of central Unther lives in fear of her Serpent Guards who stalk the night. Opposing Shudu-Ab's designs are the Mulhorandi and Faerûnian pantheon's priesthoods (particularly the clergy of Anhur, Isis, and Mystra), the group of Untheric wizards known as the Enclave, Imperceptor Kabarrath Telthaug of the Black Lord's Cloak in Mourktar (who seeks power for himself), and the cult's erstwhile ally the half-elven bandit Furifax, who suspects Shudu-Ab of treachery against Tiglath.

The ruins of Castle Perilous, former stronghold of Zhengyi the Witch-King, cloak a hidden temple of Tiamat in the stronghold's dungeons. The Wings of the Queen Reborn, as the cavernous cathedral is known, experiences frequent visits from the Undying Queen, who seems to have made it her home away from home. Since the fall of the Witch-King in the Year of the Serpent (1359 DR), chromatic dragons of all hues have been gathering amidst the blasted mound of rubble on a lonely crag in the Vaasan wasteland. Reconnaissance flights of the evil wyrms have been ranging over Damara in preparation for their queen's vengeance. A handful of Tiamat's priests have begun rebuilding many of the dungeons of Castle Perilous in preparation for garrisoning the citadel with an army of cultists. Agents of the temple have ranged through the north seeking the corpses and eggs of metallic dragons upon which the Undying Queen must feast if she is to continue to grow in her undead power.

Affiliated Orders: The Serpent Guards are a fellowship of warriors and crusaders active in Unther and the surrounding lands. Fanatically devoted to the Dragon Queen and her spawn, the Serpent Guards guard the cult's temples, hunt down and kill interlopers who inquire too deeply into the cult's affairs, and carry on a campaign of assassination and theft against individuals and churches who seek to restore order to anarchic Unther.

The Knights of the Five-Thorned Rose are an elite order of high-ranking crusaders drawn from the ranks of the Serpent Guards. Dedicated to the destruction of metallic dragons, the spawn of Bahamut, these dark warrior-priests are the bane of good-aligned dragons throughout the Realms. In the last decade alone, the Knights of the Five-Thorned Rose are believed to have slain a score or more of the metallic wyrms. In keeping with their charter, the Order keeps vast libraries in out-of-the-way citadels that detail every scrap of dragon lore the cult has acquired over the past millennia. Commanders of the Order plan out centuries-long hunts for good-aligned wyrms and waves of assaults against each individual dragon's lair. These persistent, seemingly inexhaustible, assaults are taking a great toll on the population of Faerûn's dragons.

Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of most clergy of Tiamat is a form-fitting body suit of reptile skin, preferably hewn from the hide of a great metallic wyrm, and a gem-encrusted mask depicting the stylized image of one of the great chromatic beasts. Diaphanous, multihued cloaks of woven spider silk are draped over the back to suggest wings. Steel gauntlets, tinted red and painted to resemble dragon's claws, guard the hands. Snakeskin boots complete the ensemble. (This outfit does not carry any inherent AC, but looks quite intimidating.) Priests of Tchazzar dress in jet black scale armor and ornate masks or helms depicting red dragons and bear two-handed swords with saw-bladed edges. Their breast plates or tabards sport the symbol of Tchazzar. For all priests, the symbol of Tiamat is usually worn formed into a piece of jewelry for use as a holy symbol.

Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, priests of Tiamat favor chain or scale mail armor fashioned by cult artisans to resemble dragon scales, but they can wear any type of armor, as appropriate to their adventuring situation. Many high-ranking priests wield swordlike serpent blades. These deadly weapons are long swords whose hilts and blades are emerald-green and scaled. When drawn, the blade of each such weapon becomes a hissing, animated snake that strikes all living things except those who wear serpent rings. The pommels of serpent blades are brass rings used to hang the blades when not in use, tie them to the wrist of the wielder for use in mounted battle, or lower them by cords through trap doors onto intruders below.

Serpent blades cost about 9,000 gp to make (xp value 7,500) and weight about 6 lbs. They are size M (typically 4 feet long or so), inflict Type P/S damage, are Speed Factor 7, and cause 1d4+1 points of damage vs. small or man-sized targets and 1d4 points damage vs. large targets. Each blade's bite delivers a venom which requires a saving throw vs. poison. A successful saving throw indicates that victims suffer 3d4 points of additional damage and are slowed for 1d6+1 rounds, but they cannot be affected again by the venom of any serpent blade for a day, during which time a serpent blade does only normal damage. Failure of the saving throw indicates that victims are paralyzed for the round after the blade strikes, suffer an immediate 20 points of damage, and are vulnerable to further venom strikes until a saving throw is successfully made.

Serpent rings are simple brass rings shaped to resemble a snake biting its own tail to form a band. They are worn by most servants of the Dragon Queen in good standing. They function as pass tokens for wards in Tiamat's temples and bear a minor enchantment identifying their wearers to serpent blades, which do not attack them under any circumstances. In addition, serpent rings render the wearer immune to all serpent blade venom and confer a +1 bonus on all poison and acid saving throws.

Specialty Priests (Wyrmkeepers)

REQUIREMENTS: Wisdom 14, Charisma 13
PRIME REQ.: Wisdom, Charisma
ALIGNMENT: LE
WEAPONS: All bludgeoning (wholly Type B) weapons, long sword
ARMOR: Any
MAJOR SPHERES: All, animal, charm, combat, divination, guardian, law, necromantic, protection, time, wards, weather
MINOR SPHERES: Elemental, healing, summoning
MAGICAL ITEMS: Same as clerics
REQ. PROFS: Ancient history (the Ages of Unther), ancient languages (Auld Wyrmish)
BONUS PROFS: Airborne riding (dragons), modern languages (pick one chromatic draconic tongue)

Specialty Priests of Tchazzar (Wyrmlairds)

REQUIREMENTS: Strength 14, Wisdom 12
PRIME REQ.: Strength, Wisdom
ALIGNMENT: CN, LE, NE, CE
WEAPONS: All bludgeoning (wholly Type B) weapons, long sword, two-handed sword
ARMOR: Any
MAJOR SPHERES: All, astral, charm, combat, creation, divination, guardian, healing, necromantic, protection, time, travelers, wards
MINOR SPHERES: Elemental, summoning
MAGICAL ITEMS: Same as clerics
REQ. PROFS: Ancient history (the Wars of the City-States of Chessenta)
BONUS PROFS: Airborne riding (dragons), local history (pick a native city-state of Chessenta), ancient languages (Auld Wyrmish)

Tiamatan Spells

1st Level

Treasure Scent (Pr 1; Divination)

Sphere: Divination
Range: 0
Components: V
Duration: 1 round/level
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: 20-foot radius that moves with the caster
Saving Throw: None

This simple spell enables a priest to detect precious metals and gems within a 20-foot radius. The priest can determine the type of metal or gem as well as the total number of individual pieces, whether they be gems, nuggets, or coins, but not the actual value of the treasure by means of this spell.

Although spellcasters cannot immediately divine the location of any treasure detected, they can tell if they are getting closer ("warmer") or farther ("colder") from the largest group of unknown items. For example, if a priest were aware of the treasure carried by his companions and himself, he could ignore their carried coins while honing in on a buried chest of gems. Likewise, if a chest of 1,000 copper coins and a chest of 100 gold coins were buried in separate locations in the same room, by means of this spell the priest could find first the copper pieces and then begin to home in on the location of the gold.

When casting this spell, the priest must make repeated sniffing sounds as the verbal component. Tiamat requires that any priest employing this spell sacrifice 20% of any newly located treasure to her within 10 days of its discovery or face her wrath.

4th Level

Dragon Scales (Pr 4; Alteration)

Sphere: Protection
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting Time: 7
Area of Effect: The Caster
Saving Throw: None

This spell creates a plating of dragon scales that grow from the priest's epidermis to cover all of the body except the head. The dragon scales give the priest a base AC of 4 or a +2 AC bonus, whichever is better. The spellcaster determines the tint of the dragon scales, but the chosen hue must correspond to that of a chromatic dragon species found in the Realms.

The material components for this spell are the priest's holy symbol and a single dragon scale.

6th Level

Sleep of Dragons (Pr 6; Enchantment/Charm)

Sphere: Charm
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 9
Area of Effect: One creature
Saving Throw: Neg.

By means of this spell, the spellcaster causes a being to fall into a deep slumber similar to the hibernating sleep of dragons. While in this state, the being does not require food, drink, or air, and ages only a single year per century. This magical slumber can only be ended if the being is killed, dies of old age (a process that usually takes millennia), or is touched with a fragment of dragon bone, no matter how small. Dispel magic, remove curse, and other such general remedies do not work. In addition, immunities and magical resistances to the common sleep spell do not work for sleep of dragons.

The recipient of this spell must be touched by the priest. Unwilling targets who have been touched may avoid the fefcts of this spell if they make a successful saving throw vs. spell modified by their magical defense adjustment for high or low Wisdom.

The material components for this spell are the priest's holy symbol and a thimbleful of dragon's blood.

Spawn of Tiamat (Pr 6; Alteration)

Sphere: Combat
Range: 60 yards
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 turn + 2 rounds/level
Casting Time: 9
Area of Effect: One dragon or a person in dragonshape
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell, a priest can cause any of Tiamat's spawn (defined as any chromatic dragon) to grow a second head and neck for the duration of the incantation. Identical in appearance to the original head, the second head can bite once per round in addition to the dragon's normal attacks. Dragons cannot normally employ their breath weapon while making physical attacks, but by means of this spell only, a dragon can employ its breath weapon with its second head while attacking physically or casting spells with the original head and body. Even under the effects of a spawn of Tiamat spell, a dragon cannot breathe more than once every three rounds total from both heads. The second head is nonintelligent and completely under the control of the dragon. It cannot be used to cast spells.

The second head and neck have the same Armor Class as the rest of the dragon. The head nad neck both vanish at the end of the spell duration or if 20 or more points of damage are inflicted specifically on them. Damage specifically targeted to the second head and neck does not count toward total damage to the dragon, but if a dragon under the effects of spawn of Tiamat dies, the head and neck disappear. A dragon can only benefit from a single spawn of Tiamat spell at a time.

According to legend, the cult of Tiamat in Unther employed a 7th-level variant of this spell, Lernaean spawn of Tiamat, that imbued the second head with the properties exhibited by Lernaean hydrae. Also, note that some dragons themselves who worship Tiamat are reputedly able to cast a version of this spell using their draconic magic.

The material components for this spell are the priest's holy symbol and a pair of hydra scales.