Monstrous Monday: Paper Dragon (D&D5E)

So, I got sidetracked a few months ago, and managed to miss posting for a while. I'd try to remember to post, forget it on the Monday in question, then put it off because, "It's Monstrous Monday! Not Tuesday!"

That's a great way to procrastinate yourself into never doing something.

So, today's ridiculous monster from the "Not Necessarily the Monstrous Compendium" article from Dragon #156 is the paper dragon, which is actually one of my favorites and one that I've used more than once. It's a great critter to put in an abandoned wizards' library, or similar location.

None of the monsters in the reference article received much lore, but I've expanded it a bit for this here. After I worked up my version, I came across the same monster done up as the "Paper Drake" for Kobold Press' Tome of Beasts. Theirs works rather differently from my interpretation of the original, but it may work better for you so I provide a link.

Paper Dragon

When motionless, this strange creature appears to be nothing more than a paper illustration of a dragon. It is sometimes found in ancient libraries of magic or magic shops, which have a bounty of the creature’s natural food source – magical writings.

Uncertain Origins. The origins of this lifeform are unknown. The most popular theory is the ever-present “an insane wizard did it,” but some sages believe the creature to be more natural. Under this theory, arcane magic is draconic in origin, lending it a draconic flavor. When subjected to the vagaries of wild magic, this theory postulates, it is possible for spell scrolls to spontaneously develop into paper dragons. These sages further believe that paper dragons must use magical writings in reproduction, though the exact method is a mystery.

Librarians’ Bane. As might be expected, these creatures are the bane of curators of magical libraries and wizards. Some have attempted to tame paper dragons for use as guards in their scriptoriums, but such attempts have resulted in utter failure and many empty bookshelves.

Enigmatic Ecology. Some sages postulate that paper dragons are actually an extremely magical member of the arcane dragon family, which includes hex and tome dragons. According to this theory, the paper dragon below is just the Wyrmling stage, with larger, older paper dragons possessing stronger and stranger powers. No support for this theory has been found, but explorers of isolated and forgotten library ruins are advised to be on their guard.

Paper Dragon
Tiny monstrosity, chaotic good
 
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 18 (4d4 + 8)
Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft.
 
STR       DEX          CON          INT          WIS           CHA
8 (-1)    18 (+4)    15 (+2)    14 (+2)    18 (+4)    13 (+1)
 
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +4, Int +3, Cha +3
Skills Arcana +5, Perception +8
Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
 
Arcane Sight. The dragon can pinpoint, by sight, the location of magical writings within 30 feet of it. The dragon can also decipher magi-cal inscriptions on objects that would otherwise be unintelligible.

Paper Camouflage. The dragon has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide among books and papers.

Two-Dimensional. The dragon can pass through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Actions
Bite.  Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.

Claws.  Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 slashing damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 1 piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target is instead poisoned for 5 (1d10) minutes and unconscious while poisoned in this way, or until it takes damage or another creature uses an action to shake it awake.

Consume Magic. The dragon consumes a magical writing it can see and touch. Its Breath Weapon is then recharged.

Breath Weapon. The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons, based on the magical writing it consumed most recently. Once the dragon has used its breath weapon, it must consume another writing to recover the action.

• Spell. If the last item the dragon consumed was a spell scroll or spellbook, the dragon casts one spell from it. It innately knows the spell’s effects. The dragon has a spell attack bonus of +4 and a spell save DC of 12.
• Protection. If the last item the dragon consumed was a scroll of protection, the dragon creates the protective effect centered on itself.

Random Spell Scrolls
The Dungeon Master’s Guide has magic item tables, but it is not suitable for determining the random spell scrolls that paper dragons have stockpiled. The following table is provided instead; the DM should roll 2 (1d4) times to determine the scrolls the paper dragon has in its hoard. The level should be rolled for each spell on the scroll.

Magic Item Table J
d100    Magic Item
01-30    Spell scroll (1 spell, roll 1d10 – 1 for level)
31-43    Spell scroll (2 spells, roll 2d4 – 1 for level)
44-52    Spell scroll (3 spells, roll 1d8 – 1 for level)
53-61    Spell scroll (4 spells, roll 2d3 – 1 for level)
62-70    Spell scroll (5 spells, roll 1d6 – 1 for level)
71-77    Spell scroll (6 spells, roll 1d6 – 1 for level)
78-80    Spell scroll (7 spells, roll 1d4 – 1 for level)
81-98    Scroll of protection: roll 1d20 for type:
    01-02    Aberrations
    03-04    Beasts
    05-06    Celestials
    07-08    Elementals
    09-10    Fey
    11-15    Fiends
        16    Plants
    17-20    Undead
99-00    Magical book, tome, or spellbook (DM’s choice)