Monster Manual: Dragons

Yes, it's time for everyone's favorite game: Holy Hell, How Powerful Are These Dragons?! And the answer is...VERY. Seriously, a 3rd edition juvenile white dragon would almost certainly tear apart a 1st edition huge ancient red dragon. These things got really, really powered up. There was a hint of that in the writeups of Tiamat and Bahamut in Dragon 272, and a bigger taste in the 2000 Survival Kit that introduced an adult red dragon. Now...it's time for the full course meal.

The same ten types of dragons we've had since 1974 and 1975 are here once again: Chromatic dragons (black, blue, green, red, and white) and metallic (brass, bronze, copper, gold, and silver). One of the nice things about dragons is that they are color-coded for your convenience; if it's shiny, it's not evil, and if it's brightly-colored, kill it.

As in 2nd edition, dragons have twelve age categories from Wyrmling to Great Wyrm. And they have the same age ranges for each category, as well. In combat, they have the traditional bite/claw/claw plus wing buffet, tail slap, crush, and tail sweep. The damage for each attack is standardized based on the dragon's size. Note that this stuff will apply to all dragons. Breath weapons actually vary by age; smaller dragons have shorter lines and cones in their breath weapons. All dragons also have a frightful presence which automatically terrifies creatures within a radius of 30 feet times the dragon's age. So a great wyrm will terrify all creatures within 360 feet. That's impressive.

All dragons are spellcasters, casting as sorcerers. Some can cast cleric spells or domain spells as arcane spells as well. And they also get spell-like abilities on top of that. They shrug off sleep and paralysis effects, and have other immunities as well based on their type, including spell resistance. They also have Blindsight and Keen Senses, and get 6 skill points per Hit die plus Int bonuses, and automatically get Spellcraft for free. They get plenty of feats, starting with one and adding one for every 4 HD. There are some dragon-specific feats (Hover, Quicken Spell-Like Ability, Snatch, and Wingover) that they can choose from. And they they can fly long distances without tiring.

We get a note on dragon society, which basically says they are very territorial (even the good ones), younger dragons let their young fend for themselves while adult and mature adult dragons do the family unit thing. After that, they get independence feelings and split up (that way they don't have to share the treasure). And we also learn about dragonhide, which is great for making masterwork armor and shields. One dead dragons makes one suit of armor, depending on the size of the dragon.

Alright, that's the introduction. Next up: the Chromatic dragons.

Black dragons are swamp dwellers, and range from 4 HD to 37. I should note that advancement for dragons just bumps them up age categories; a black dragon that gets to 7 HD is automatically a very young dragon with the corresponding increase in statistics and CR, which is unique (so far) to dragons; previously, advancement just meant a multiplier to the XP awarded for the creature's original CR number. Here, higher age categories mean new CR levels. It make sense, since dragons do get a lot of additional abilities as they age. The CR for a black dragon ranges from 2 (wyrmling) to 21 (great wyrm).

We get two dragon stats tables per entry; one covers the hit dice, AC, attack and save bonuses, their breath weapon damage, and the saving throw DC for their frightful presence ability as well as their spell resistance, both of which kick in at young adult age. A great wyrm black dragon's breath weapon does 24d4 damage, with a DC of 36 to save for half. The second table covers their speed for all movement types, their ability scores (old dragons are very strong and tough, and they all get smarter and wiser as they age), their special abilities, and their caster level for their spells, which also begins at young adult age. So, if you catch a younger dragon unawares, at least it doesn't have spells to kick you around.

Black dragons can fly up to 200 feet per round at wyrm and great wyrm ages, and their special abilities include acid immunity, water breathing, darkness (gained at juvenile), damage reduction (young adult, improving every other age category), corrupt water (adult), plant growth (old), insect plague (ancient) and charm reptiles (great wyrm). As spell casters, they get up to 15th level. Their fear DC ranges as high as 33, and their spell resistance to 28. All in all, these dragons are nasty as hell.

Blue dragons live in temperate and warm deserts, as well as underground lairs. Their CR ranges from 2 to 24, they get up to Gargantuan size at the highest age category, and range from 6 to 39 HD. Their AC gets as high as 44, and their lightning bolt breath weapon does up to 24d8 damage (twice what the black dragon's acid does). They are immune to electricity, and can create and/or destroy water from birth. They also get sound imitation, ventriloquism, hallucinatory terrain, veil, and mirage arcana. It looks like all dragons also get damage reduction starting at young adult age, improving every other age category. Their spellcasting goes to 17th level, and they can cast cleric spells and spells from Air, Evil and Law domains as arcane spells. That's odd, since their subtype is Earth, but they get Air spells.

Green dragons live in forests. Their CRs range from 2 to 23, their Hit Dice from 5 to 38, and their breath weapon goes up to 24d6 damage. They smell like chlorine, and they really enjoy eating elves and sprites for breakfast. Or lunch or dinner. They are immune to acid and can breathe water, get suggestion, plant growth, dominate person, and command plants as special abilities. They also get up to 17th level as casters, but they don't get the cleric spells the blues get.

Red dragons are the classics, the super-villains of the dragon set. They live in hills and mountains, and of course caves with heaping mounds of treasure. CRs go from 3 to 25. They can get up to Colossal size and have well over 600 hit points as great wyrms. If they breathe fire on you, it's 2d10 per age category. Ouch. They have the fire subtype, which makes them immune to fire but vulnerable to cold (double damage). They also get locate object (good for tracking missing pieces of their hoards), suggestion, find the path, and discern location, so reds are natural diviners. They can cast as up to 19th level casters, and have the cleric spells and domains of chaos, evil, and fire at their disposal, casting them as arcane spells.

Finally, there's the white dragon, the nerdy little brother of the chromatic dragon family. They can be found in any cold terrain or underground, and CRs range from 1 to 20. They start out rather dumb (Int 6 at wyrmling through young ages), but can get up to 18 with time and age. They get 3 hit dice and do 1d6 damage with their breath weapon per age category. They have the cold subtype, which is the inverse of the red dragon's fire subtype, and have the icewalking ability from birth which basically works as a spider climb on icy surfaces. They also eventually get fog cloud, gust of wind, freezing fog, wall of ice, and control weather as they age. And they can cast spells as up to 13th-level sorcerers. They are the fastest flyers of the chromatics, reaching speeds of 250 feet per round; none of the others top 200 feet.

So, these dragons are impressive and powerful. Don't mess with them. But they have double the standard treasure, so messing with them might not be such a bad idea. Except for the getting eaten part; they are very good at that.

We now take a look at the metallic dragons. These are the allies, or at least the ones that won't eat you just for the heck of it. Sometimes that's the best you can ask for. They are covetous and proud, and will be aggressive if you annoy them. So be careful.

We begin with the brass dragon. It's the weakest of the metallics, and it is found in deserts and plains, as well as underground. I'm pretty sure you can find all the dragons underground. Anyway, they range from CR 2 to 22, with hit dice from 4 to 37. Their breath weapon is 1d6 per age category, and they range from Tiny to Gargantuan in size. They fly as fast as white dragons, and cast spells at 19th level. They have the fire subtype, and at birth can speak with animals. Their other special abilities, gained over time, include endure elements, suggestion, control winds, control weather, and summon djinni. Again, an odd choice considering they are of the fire subtype (like reds), and djinn are air genies; you would think an efreeti would be a better choice, except that they're evil. These dragons also get cleric spells, including the Chaos and Knowledge domains. Their breath weapons are either a line of fire or a cone of sleep. The latter doesn't care how many hit dice you have; it's Will save or fall asleep, period.

Next is the bronze dragon. It has the water subtype, and they are found in temperate and warm aquatic regions as well as, you guessed it, underground. CR ranges from 2 to 24, and they start at 6 HD and gain 3 per age category. Their breath weapons are lightning or a cone of repulsion gas, which forces victims to do nothing but move away from the dragon. Their lightning does 2d6 damage per age category. Like brass dragons, they can get to 19th level as casters, with cleric spells and the Animal, Law, and Water domains available as well. They are immune to electricity, and at birth can breathe water and speak with animals. Eventually, they get polymorph self, create food and water, fog cloud, detect thoughts, control water, and control weather.

Copper dragons are of the Earth subtype, and are found in deserts, hills, and mountains. And underground, in case you were wondering. They range from CR 2 to 24, start with 5 HD (+3 per age category), and get up to 19th level as casters. Their spells include cleric spells and the Chaos, Earth, and Trickery domains. Their breath weapon can be a line of acid (2d4 damage per age category) or a cone of slow gas. They are immune to acid, and can spider climb from birth. They also get stone shape, transmute rock to mud or mud to rock, wall of stone, and move earth. Oh, and they get the Jump skill for free with one rank per hit die. Not the most exciting ability, but hey, it's free skill points.

The mighty gold dragon, the biggest and the baddest of them all, is next. They have the fire subtype, and are found anywhere. Yes, including underground. CR ranges from 4 for a wyrmling to 26. Don't mess with these dragons. Fortunately, they are lawful good and the best dragon ally you could ask for. They start with 8 HD, gaining 3 per age category, and their breath weapon is either a cone of fire (2d10 per age) or a cone of weakening gas, which does temporary Str damage corresponding to the age of the dragon. Like every other metallic dragon, they get to 19th level as casters, and add clerical and Law, Luck, and Good spells to their arcane spell list. They have the fire subtype, can breathe water and polymorph self at wyrmling level, and also gain bless, luck bonus, geas/quest, detect gems, sunburst, and foresight as spell-like abilities as they age. Oh, and they fly just as fast as brass and white dragons. In fact, even wyrmlings can keep up with great wyrms of other types at 200 ft per round. And they can swim, so you could even encounter them underwater.

Last but certainly not least, we have the silver dragons. They are the most helpful of the metallic dragons, taking on the shape of old men or fair damsels when they want to be subtle. They're found in the mountains, and definitely don't get along with red dragons. Their CR ranges from 3 to 25. They start at 7 HD (+3 per age category), and their breath weapons are a cone of cold (2d8 per age) or a cone of paralyzing gas. They are immune to both cold and acid, can polymorph self and cloudwalk at birth (cloudwalking is walking on clouds or fog like they are solid ground), and also gain feather fall, fog cloud, control winds, control weather, and reverse gravity as spell-like abilities. They also get the Jump skill for free. So do the gold dragons; I missed that in their writeup. As casters, they get the Air, Good, Law and Sun domains to add to their repertoire.

And...that's it for the dragons. That took up fifteen pages on its own. We only add 10 monsters to our running total, bringing us to 101 so far. I'll finish the 'D' section and try to get through the 'E' monsters as well next time.