The adamantine dragon loses its resistances and gains a bonus to speed once it's reduced below half its Hit Points. Is this effect permanent, or can the dragon reverse the effect by restoring its Hit Points to half or higher?
Based on the lore, merely restoring HP seems insufficient. The adamantine casing seems to be attracted to the dragon over time.
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If it was a PC, I would recommend a week of downtime in addition to being over half HP.
Since it isn't a PC, I expect that the armor reduction effect would persist for the short remainder of its life.
I disagree. If it were so easy to lose one's armor (or most any ability), recovering it would/should occur faster. Though yeah, as a short-lived NPC it's usually moot, yet if it's a long-lived recurring NPC I'd have it recover "before next combat" whenever that is unless the PCs make a point of immediate pursuit. Validating that might require the dragon having plans, spare resources, a unique ability, or whatever, but if the armor's a factor in their power budget (which it is), then it should have its armor unless narrative reasons disallow (rather than asking if the mechanical reasons allow).
As an NPC, if it outlives the encounter and you want it to still be some kind of threat, maybe consider making it a different kind of dragon the next time it is encountered?
I disagree. If it were so easy to lose one's armor (or most any ability), recovering it would/should occur faster.
You make it sound like beating a dragon half to death is an easy thing to do.
I disagree. If it were so easy to lose one's armor (or most any ability), recovering it would/should occur faster.You make it sound like beating a dragon half to death is an easy thing to do.
Though if the dragon is beaten half to death despite its resistances and immediately loses those resistances, that's a strong incentive for the dragon to flee, hence the bonus to its Speeds.
I think having it be back by the next encounter is a good enough answer, but if you really wanted rules for it I'd probably tie it to the dragon long resting on its natural environment, letting it simultaneously recover HP and ambient metal. That thing recovers 144 HP overnight, so this will be plenty fast.