True Dragons - anti magic field interaction

[vexedart]

This is a breakdown of my take on the interaction between a dragon and its abilities.

How does an anti magic field effect a true dragon, which is listed as magical in its monster manual description.

MM86
“Dragons are magical creatures whose innate power fuels their breath weapon and supernatural abilities.”

Well, here we learn a dragon is magical, and for a dragon, magic is innate, or natural, as it is part of its natural/innate abilities. If the previously mentioned is true, how does an antimagic field interact with magical effects not cast by a diety or artifact, work and interact with a dragon?

PHB213
“A 10-foot-radius Invisible Sphere of antimagic surrounds you. This area is divorced from the magical energy that suffuses the multiverse. Within the Sphere, Spells can't be cast, summoned creatures disappear, and even Magic Items become mundane. Until the spell ends, the Sphere moves with you, centered on you.”

If this area is divorced from all magical energy that suffuses the universe, as it states, how can these magical energies fuel their innate powers? Aka, the magical dragon, naturally makes them, because magic is in its nature, however, it should not be able to use any magic, when within the sphere to power its innate abilities, as the magical nature of the dragon, is divorced from itself.

How does a dragons shapechange or breath weapon effected by anti magic in your campaigns? How is a dragon that is listed it’s abilities as fueled innately by magic, interact in an anti magic field?

In my opinion, a dragon, who uses magic to use its abilities ‘naturally’, obviously can’t use their magically fueled abilities in an anti magic field. Do remember, an anti magic field is not anti weave, but anti magic to all, but dieties, and artifacts.

[Erys]

This is a breakdown of my take on the interaction between a dragon and its abilities.

How does an anti magic field effect a true dragon, which is listed as magical in its monster manual description.

MM86
“Dragons are magical creatures whose innate power fuels their breath weapon and supernatural abilities.”

Well, here we learn a dragon is magical, and for a dragon, magic is innate, or natural, as it is part of its natural/innate abilities. If the previously mentioned is true, how does an antimagic field interact with magical effects not cast by a diety or artifact, work and interact with a dragon?

PHB213
“A 10-foot-radius Invisible Sphere of antimagic surrounds you. This area is divorced from the magical energy that suffuses the multiverse. Within the Sphere, Spells can't be cast, summoned creatures disappear, and even Magic Items become mundane. Until the spell ends, the Sphere moves with you, centered on you.”

If this area is divorced from all magical energy that suffuses the universe, as it states, how can these magical energies fuel their innate powers? Aka, the magical dragon, naturally makes them, because magic is in its nature, however, it should not be able to use any magic, when within the sphere to power its innate abilities, as the magical nature of the dragon, is divorced from itself.

How does a dragons shapechange or breath weapon effected by anti magic in your campaigns? How is a dragon that is listed it’s abilities as fueled innately by magic, interact in an anti magic field?

In my opinion, a dragon, who uses magic to use its abilities ‘naturally’, obviously can’t use their magically fueled abilities in an anti magic field. Do remember, an anti magic field is not anti weave, but anti magic to all, but dieties, and artifacts.

A dragons breath weapon isn't magical (https://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/03/02/is-a-dragons-breath-magical/); only its Shape Change ability is called out as magically and would be suppressed.

[Ganymede]

I answered this in another thread.

"Determining whether a game feature is magical is straightforward. Ask yourself these questions about the feature:
• Is it a magic item?
• Is it a spell? Or does it let you create the effects of a spell that’s mentioned in its description?
• Is it a spell attack?
• Is it fueled by the use of spell slots?
• Does its description say it’s magical?

If your answer to any of those questions is yes, the feature is magical."

[Alexwellace]

But a point in favour of the Dragon, even if the breath weapon (fire for example) was magical, it still has had an effect on the world. It's heated air, and a lot of it. If the Dragon breathed into the anti-magic dome the hot air should be enough to do the damage, which wouldn't be stopped by the dome.

[UnintensifiedFa]

I typically rule it works and prevents the breath weapons, dragons have so many other ways to attack that an anti magic field isn’t really that devastating to their arsenal. Plus it’s not like it stops the whole cone, just the part where they overlap.


But a point in favour of the Dragon, even if the breath weapon (fire for example) was magical, it still has had an effect on the world. It's heated air, and a lot of it. If the Dragon breathed into the anti-magic dome the hot air should be enough to do the damage, which wouldn't be stopped by the dome.

By this rationale, any fire producing magical effect can ignore an anti magic field (provided the source is not in the field to begin with).