Xylanthrax the Silver, a Silver Dragonborn Fighter — D&D 5e NPC portrait
#0377

Xylanthrax the Silver

"The Drifting General"

Male (He/Him) · Ancient (342 years, looks middle-aged due to Astral stasis)

Ability Scores

STR
18
+4
DEX
12
+1
CON
16
+3
INT
18
+4
WIS
10
+0
CHA
14
+2

Combat

Armor Class
19
Tarnished Plate & Defense Style
Hit Points
112
Hit Dice: 12d10
Initiative
+1
Speed
30 ft. (Hover)
Proficiency
+4
Passive Perception
14

Attacks

Silver General's Greatsword+82d6+4 slashing
Telekinetic Thrust+81d10+4 force

Personality

Personality

He speaks in a rhythmic, low rumble and often stops mid-sentence to watch a butterfly. He moves with a weightless, dream-like fluidity that contradicts his massive frame and heavy plate armor.

Ideal

The Unexpected. The only thing worth experiencing is a moment that surprises the soul.

Bond

The Astral-Etched Chess-Set. A translucent board of light he uses to meditate and 'predict' the flow of local events.

Flaw

He is profoundly detached; he might watch a building burn simply to admire the specific shade of violet in the smoke.

Backstory

For two centuries, Xylanthrax was the iron fist of the Cold Marches. He was a general of unyielding logic, commanding legions of silver dragonborn through blizzards with a tactical mind that saw soldiers as mere geometry. His fall came not on a battlefield, but through a tear in the sky—a rift that swallowed him and his honor guard, casting them into the silvery silence of the Astral Sea. In that timeless void, the rigid structures of his mind simply... unraveled. While his men succumbed to despair, Xylanthrax watched the birth of nebula-born whales and the slow, beautiful decay of forgotten gods. He realized that the 'laws' he had spent his life enforcing were local superstitions compared to the vast, drifting whimsy of the multiverse.

He returned to the Material Plane decades later, emerging from a puddle in a sleepy hamlet. He still wears the heavy, ornate silver plate of his station, now tarnished and etched with the violet-glowing runes of his awakened psionic mind. He no longer cares for borders or banners. To Xylanthrax, gravity is a suggestion he often ignores, and a battle is merely a complicated game of chess where the pieces have feelings. He wanders the world as a psionic vagabond, helping those who catch his interest and ignoring kings who bore him, always searching for a 'move' he hasn't seen before.

Abilities & Actions

The Flick of Indifference (Reaction, 8/Long Rest)

When Xylanthrax or a creature he can see within 30 feet is hit by an attack, he can expend one Psionic Energy die (1d10) to create a shimmering violet barrier. He reduces the damage taken by 1d10 + 4. If the attack was a ranged weapon attack (like an arrow), he can choose to flick it away, causing it to land harmlessly in an adjacent space.

Grandmaster's Reposition (Bonus Action, 8/Long Rest)

Using his signature Astral-Etched Chess-Set as a mental focus, Xylanthrax telekinetically shifts the 'pieces' of reality. He targets one creature he can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be moved up to 20 feet in any direction, including vertically. A willing creature can choose to fail this save.

Weightless Grace (Passive)

Xylanthrax is constantly under a light telekinetic lift. He ignores difficult terrain, has a flying speed of 30 feet (hover) until the end of his current turn if he uses his movement, and can carry up to twice his normal carrying capacity without being encumbered.

Silver Breath of the Astral Sea (Action, 1/Short Rest)

Xylanthrax exhales a 15-foot cone of shimmering, psionically-charged frost. Each creature in the area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d8 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. Additionally, creatures who fail the save are 'untethered' from reality, hovering 1 foot off the ground and becoming Incapacitated until the end of their next turn as they lose all sense of weight.

DM Notes

Xylanthrax should be played as a 'serene powerhouse.' He never raises his voice and never looks stressed. Sample Dialogue: 'Child, why do you run? The ground is merely a floor for those who haven't learned to walk on the light.' Signature Gesture: He often has a half-eaten fruit or a small trinket orbiting his head telekinetically while he speaks. Reaction: If threatened, he doesn't draw his sword immediately; he usually tilts his head and tries to 'solve' the aggressor like a puzzle. Deal-breaker: He will immediately turn hostile if someone attempts to steal or break his spectral chess-set.