Dragon, True
The known varieties of true dragons (as opposed to other creatures that have the dragon type) fall into two broad categories: chromatic and metallic. The chromatic dragons are black, blue, green, red, and white; they are all evil and extremely fierce. The metallic dragons are brass, bronze, copper, gold, and silver; they are all good, usually noble, and highly respected by the wise.
All true dragons gain more abilities and greater power as they age. (Other creatures that have the dragon type do not.) They range in length from several feet upon hatching to more than 100 feet after attaining the status of great wyrm. The size of a particular dragon varies according to age and variety.
A dragon’s metabolism operates like a highly efficient furnace and can metabolize even inorganic material. Some dragons have developed a taste for such fare.
Although goals and ideals vary among varieties, all dragons are covetous. They like to hoard wealth, collecting mounds of coins and gathering as many gems, jewels, and magic items as possible. Those with large hoards are loath to leave them for long, venturing out of their lairs only to patrol the immediate area or to get food. For dragons, there is no such thing as enough treasure. It’s pleasing to look at, and they bask in its radiance. Dragons like to make beds of their hoards, shaping nooks and mounds to fit their bodies. By the time a dragon matures to the age of great wyrm, hundreds of gems and coins may be imbedded in its hide.
All dragons speak Draconic.
Combat
A dragon attacks with its powerful claws and bite, and can also use a breath weapon and special physical attacks, depending on its size. It prefers to fight on the wing, staying out of reach until it has worn down the enemy with ranged attacks. Older, more intelligent dragons are adept at sizing up the opposition and eliminating the most dangerous foes first (or avoiding them while picking off weaker enemies).
The table below provides space and reach statistics for dragons of various sizes, plus the natural weapons a dragon of a certain size can employ and the damage those attacks deal.
Bite: Bite attacks deal the indicated damage plus the dragon’s Strength bonus. A dragon also can use its bite to snatch opponents if it has the Snatch feat. Claw: Claw attacks deal the indicated damage plus 1/2 the dragon’s Strength bonus (round down). The dragon also can use its claws to snatch opponents if it has the Snatch feat. Claw attacks are secondary attacks, requiring a –5 penalty on the attack roll. (Many dragons choose the Multiattack feat to lessen this penalty to –2). Wing: The dragon can slam opponents with its wings, even when flying. Wing attacks deal the indicated damage plus 1/2 the dragon’s Strength bonus (round down) and are treated as secondary attacks. Tail Slap: The dragon can slap one opponent each round with its tail. A tail slap deals the indicated damage plus 1-1/2 times the dragon’s Strength bonus (round down) and is treated as a secondary attack. Crush (Ex): This special attack allows a flying or jumping dragon of at least Huge size to land on opponents as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. Crush attacks are effective only against opponents three or more size categories smaller than the dragon (though it can attempt normal overrun or grapple attacks against larger opponents).A crush attack affects as many creatures as can fit under the dragon’s body. Creatures in the affected area must succeed on a Reflex save (DC equal to that of the dragon’s breath weapon) or be pinned, automatically taking bludgeoning damage during the next round unless the dragon moves off them. If the dragon chooses to maintain the pin, treat it as a normal grapple attack. Pinned opponents take damage from the crush each round if they don’t escape.
A crush attack deals the indicated damage plus 1-1/2 times the dragon’s Strength bonus (round down).
Tail Sweep (Ex): This special attack allows a dragon of at least Gargantuan size to sweep with its tail as a standard action. The sweep affects a half-circle with a radius of 30 feet (or 40 feet for a Colossal dragon), extending from an intersection on the edge of the dragon’s space in any direction. Creatures within the swept area are affected if they are four or more size categories smaller than the dragon. A tail sweep automatically deals the indicated damage plus 1-1/2 times the dragon’s Strength bonus (round down). Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage (DC equal to that of the dragon’s breath weapon). Grappling: Dragons do not favor grapple attacks, though their crush attack (and Snatch feat, if they know it) use normal grapple rules. A dragon can always use its breath weapon while grappling, as well as its spells and spell-like or supernatural abilities, provided it succeeds on Concentration checks. Breath Weapon (Su): Using a breath weapon is a standard action. Once a dragon breathes, it can’t breathe again until 1d4 rounds later. If a dragon has more than one type of breath weapon, it still can breathe only once every 1d4 rounds. A blast from a breath weapon always starts at any intersection adjacent to the dragon and extends in a direction of the dragon’s choice, with an area as noted on the table below. If the breath weapon deals damage, creatures caught in the area can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage; the DC depends on the dragon’s age and variety, and is given in each individual entry. Saves against nondamaging breath weapons use the same DC; the kind of saving throw is noted in the variety descriptions. The save DC against a breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 dragon’s HD + dragon’s Con modifier. Breath weapons come in two basic shapes, line and cone, whose areas vary with the dragon’s size.
Dragon Breath Weapons | ||
Dragon Size | Line* (Length) | Cone** (Length) |
---|---|---|
Tiny |
30 ft. |
15 ft. |
Small |
40 ft. |
20 ft. |
Medium |
60 ft. |
30 ft. |
Large |
80 ft. |
40 ft. |
Huge |
100 ft. |
50 ft. |
Gargantuan |
120 ft. |
60 ft. |
Colossal |
140 ft. |
70 ft. |
*A line is always 5 feet high and 5 feet wide. | ||
**A cone is as high and wide as its length. |
Dragon Age Categories | |
Category | Age (Years) |
---|---|
1 Wyrmling |
0–5 |
2 Very young |
6–15 |
3 Young |
16–25 |
4 Juvenile |
26–50 |
5 Young adult |
51–100 |
6 Adult |
101–200 |
7 Mature adult |
201–400 |
8 Old |
401–600 |
9 Very old |
601–800 |
10 Ancient |
801–1,000 |
11 Wyrm |
1,001–1,200 |
12 Great wyrm |
1,201 or more |
Dragon Space/Reach, Attacks, and Damage | |||||||
Size | Space/Reach* | 1 Bite | 2 Claws | 2 Wings | 1 Tail Slap | 1Crush | 1 Tail Sweep |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tiny |
2-1/2 ft./0 ft. (5 ft. with bite) |
1d4 |
1d3 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Small |
5 ft./5 ft. |
1d6 |
1d4 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Medium |
5 ft./5 ft. |
1d8 |
1d6 |
1d4 |
— |
— |
— |
Large |
10 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with bite) |
2d6 |
1d8 |
1d6 |
1d8 |
— |
— |
Huge |
15 ft./10 ft. (15 ft. with bite) |
2d8 |
2d6 |
1d8 |
2d6 |
2d8 |
— |
Gargantuan |
20 ft./15 ft. (20 ft. with bite) |
4d6 |
2d8 |
2d6 |
2d8 |
4d6 |
2d6 |
Colossal |
30 ft./20 ft. (30 ft. with bite) |
4d8 |
4d6 |
2d8 |
4d6 |
4d8 |
2d8 |
*A dragon’s bite attack has reach as if the creature were one size category larger. All other attacks are made with the standard reach for the dragon’s size. |
Dragon Overland Movement
Chromatic and metallic dragons are exceedingly strong flyers and can cover vast distances quickly. A dragon’s overland flying speed is a function of its tactical fly speed, as shown on the table below.
Dragon Overland Flying Speeds | ||||
Dragon’s Fly Speed ————— | ||||
100 feet | 150 feet | 200 feet | 250 feet | |
One Hour |
|
|
|
|
Normal |
15 miles |
20 miles |
30 miles |
40 miles |
Hustle |
24 miles |
40 miles |
60 miles |
80 miles |
One Day |
|
|
|
|
Normal |
120 miles |
160 miles |
240 miles |
320 miles |
Dragons do not tire as quickly as other creatures when moving overland on the ground. If a dragon attempts a hustle or a forced march, check for nonlethal damage once every 2 hours instead of every hour.
Dragonhide
Armorsmiths can work with the hides of dragons to produce armor or shields of masterwork quality.Chromatic Dragons
Chromatic dragons form the evil branch of dragonkind. They are aggressive, greedy, vain, and nasty.
Metallic Dragons
Metallic dragons make up the good branch of dragonkind, but they are every bit as aggressive as their evil cousins when threatened or challenged. They also tend to be covetous and proud.
Epic Dragons
Advanced Dragons
Wikipedia Entries
- System Reference Document -> List of Creatures (SRD) -> Dragon, True (Creature)
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