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TIAMATTIAMAT IS THE EVIL GOD OF WEALTH, greed, and envy.She is the patron of chromatic dragons and thosewhose lust for wealth overrides any other goal or concern.Tiamat has five heads, each the shape and hueof that of a different chromatic dragon. Perhaps fiveminds drove her to madness, because Tiamat is bitterand wicked. Her story is a topic of art, myth, andlegend throughout the cosmos.A nightmarish synthesis of hatred, rage anddraconic might is embodied in the huge form of afive-headed dragon. The dragon’s sinuous body ispowerful and thickly scaled, the color of dark wine ordried blood. Her long tail ends in a scorpion’s venomousbarb.Tiamat LoreA character knows the following information with asuccessful Arcana or Religion check.DC 15: Tiamat is an evil god of wealth, greed, andenvy. She urges her followers to hoard wealth and totake vengeance for every slight, and she is the patronof chromatic dragons. She is the divine example ofthe principle that might makes right, and that creaturesshould take what they desire from others; thosewho lack the strength to defend their possessions arenot worthy to own them.DC 20: All evil dragons, whether chromatic orotherwise, pay homage to Tiamat. Creatures otherthan dragons also worship Tiamat, appreciating thepower of greed and the strength of pitiless action. Itis said that the members of a secret order of bankersin one of the largest cities in the world have Tiamat’ssymbol inked on their flesh.DC 25: Tiamat is rumored to have more thanone form, including lesser versions of her full divinemight. These aspects might appear as powerful versionsof her chromatic children or as versions of herown five-headed form. The Chromatic Dragon is alsorumored to be able to take the form of a humanoid,most often a dark-haired female mage.DC 30: Tiamat lives in a domain on the AstralSea called Tytherion, the Endless Night. The EndlessNight is a place of gloom and lightless terror and isstrongly influenced by the Shadowfell. Serpents anddragons haunt its otherworldly wilderness.DC 35: The fortress of the Chromatic Dragon is ajagged, crown-shaped mountain redoubt. Five watchtowers,each carved to resemble the head and neck ofa watchful dragon, curve up and out from the mainstructure. Because the fortress’s primary entranceis through its roof, it is accessible only to flying creatures,such as the abishais, dragonborn, dragons, andother servitors that reside within. The secondaryentrance is a cave in the sheer rock wall abutting alocation called the Maggot Pit.The fortress is at least two or three times largerwithin than its external appearance would suggest. Itsupper floors resemble a sumptuously appointed royalcastle, scaled to accommodate a dragon of Tiamat’simmense size. Beneath it are miles of winding corridorsand treasure caverns. Each treasure chamber inthe fortress is guarded by a jealous chromatic dragon.DC 40: Tiamat enjoys the company of consorts,powerful mortal dragons that distinguish themselvesin one way or another. Her consorts are usually chromatic,but she has been known to court catastrophic,metallic, planar, and scourge dragons. Famous pastconsorts include Ephelomon and the now-undeadDragotha (page 236). The number of Tiamat’s currentconsorts is unknown but might exceed five. Oneis not a dragon at all but a dragonborn annihilator(page 216) named Kasarus.TacticsBecause Tiamat can act multiple times in a roundand has so many action points, her tactical options“Deity” is a special designation reserved for creatures thatare truly godlike. Put simply, deities break the rules.✦ Deities always roll saving throws in response to anattack or effect that imposes a condition or deals ongoingdamage, even if that effect normally does not allowa saving throw.✦ A deity is an epic threat. It cannot be attacked by creaturesor characters whose level is lower than 20th. Itis literally beyond their capability to affect.✦ Deities know Supernal, which allows them to speakand understand all languages.✦ A deity is normally defeated when reduced to itsbloodied value, but is not killed. Instead, the deity isTHE NATURE OF DEITIESdiscorporated: Its essence escapes, and it is unableto assume physical form for a time. The specifics areset by the DM, but discorporation lasts at least forseveral months, and up to three years. The deity isweaker during this time, but it is far from gone. If PCswish to truly kill a deity, they must fulfill one or moreconditions specific to that deity. This could requiredestroying the deity’s most prominent temple, magicallyseparating the deity’s realm from the rest ofcreation, or finding an artifact that can deliver thekilling blow. If the specific conditions are satisfied,the deity cannot discorporate and instead becomesbloodied as normal.244CHAPTER 4 | New Monsters