![astral dreadnought astral dreadnought](https://www.dreadcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/basilisk.jpg)
So I think it simply has to do a raw count, making this one of the astral dreadnought’s few weaknesses. Does it possess any kind of sense that suggests that it can detect magical energy? Not that I see. Really, there are only two criteria simple enough to apply: either it aims its Antimagic Cone at the greatest possible number of enemy creatures, period, or it aims it at the greatest possible number of enemy creatures who are doing magic things. Whatever it decides, it decides by instinct. Which means it also has some tough choices to make once its foes rush in and encircle it-and not a lot of cognitive candlepower to expend on making those choices. And since it has resistance to physical damage from nonmagical attacks, it has a good reason to include magic weapons among the types of magic it wants to shut down. The effect suppresses the properties and powers of magic items, too, including magic weapons. Thus, while the astral dreadnought can use its Antimagic Cone to shut down spellcasters from a great distance, it can’t do anything else to them until they get closer-at which point they can fan out, making it harder for the astral dreadnought to shut them all down.īut Antimagic Cone isn’t just for shutting down spellcasters. That’s the thing about a conical AoE: At a range of 100 feet, it covers a 100-foot swath, but at 10 feet away, it extends only 10 feet side to side. At great distances, this is all-encompassing, but once you get in close, it’s easy to run rings around. But like all conical AoE effects, it’s limited to a 53-degree arc.
![astral dreadnought astral dreadnought](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ab/d3/f7/abd3f7423f2901524dd335c5d8ea4401.png)
Its area of effect, a 150-foot cone, is humongous. The Antimagic Cone is interesting-and a bit of a Catch-22 for the astral dreadnought. The only decisions you need to make as a dungeon master are which way to aim its Antimagic Cone, whom to target with its melee attacks, and when to use its Legendary Resistance and each of its legendary actions. Running an astral dreadnought is a somewhat mechanistic affair, because its Intelligence is so low and because so many of its traits are passive (Astral Entity, Demiplanar Dungeon, Magic Weapons, Sever Silver Cord-I call this one passive because cutting the silver cord is such a jerk move, there’s no reason not to do it).
![astral dreadnought astral dreadnought](https://i.redd.it/c13rmr1zquh21.png)
It takes a party of at least six characters of level 15 or higher.) (Yes, it’s possible for an astral dreadnought to constitute an Easy encounter. If it’s a Medium or Easy encounter, it backs off immediately. If it’s a Hard encounter, it backs off once seriously wounded (reduced to 118 hp or fewer) more on that later. If the astral dreadnought constitutes a Deadly encounter for its opponents, it pushes obstinately on. Rather, it triggers an intuitive assessment of the situation, represented by the encounter difficulty measure in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (chapter 3). By itself, it’s not enough to make the astral dreadnought retreat. That’s not fear, mind you that’s just surprise. The astral dreadnought is a creature so unaccustomed to resistance that any prey that can inflict a moderate wound against it (reduce it to 207 hp or fewer-yeah, that number’s not a typo) will give it pause. However, its relatively high Wisdom indicates a prudent, instinctual self-preservation impulse. Its resistances and immunities aren’t all that relevant, because (contra the flavor text in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes) its Intelligence is so low, it’s not going to bother to distinguish between one target and another. Despite its extremes, this is a straightforward brute ability contour, indicating a creature whose approach is to close in and maul. Its Wisdom is high, however, and its Charisma is exceptional-perhaps reflective of its ability to command awe. Nor does it possess Intelligence beyond animal level. While its Strength and Constitution are epic, its Dexterity is dismal-a gargantuan beast like this doesn’t turn on a dime. Now that the holiday madness is over, it’s time to get back down to business, and the business of the day is the astral dreadnought, whose name tells you most of what you need to know: This fearless titan drifts through the astral plane, obliterating everyone and everything it comes across.