Dragons

No ear has escaped tales of the most fearsome beasts known as dragons. While many of these tales are old and these creatures are rare, dragons are quite real indeed.

Dragons appear in amazing variety, both in appearance and in temperament. Many are full of malice and greed while others are models of benevolent majesty and confident kindness. Reptile-like, most dragons are covered in scales of unusual toughness and savage beauty. Most grow ever larger as they age—in maturity reaching enormous size.

While dragons seem ready to rule all the lands, if they were so inclined, tales suggest that their ancient enmity with giants and humanoids keeps them in check. Even so, they often dominate the landscape surrounding their lairs.

Mind the Legends. Adventurers should familiarize themselves with the dangers of aggressive dragons they might encounter. While usually solitary, they are at their most defensive when guarding their lair, especially if there is a clutch of eggs. In addition to fearsome physical attacks, most dragons can use their breath as a weapon. You are advised to heed the local legends. It is best to know whether you are up against fire, lightning, icy cold, poison, acid, or some other danger.

True Dragons

While there are creatures, such as the wyvern, that are dragon-kin, a true dragon is the most majestic and formidable of beasts.

A true dragon is a reptilian creature with four legs and a pair of wings. They grow throughout their lives to enormous size and can defend themselves with a fiery, icy, poisonous, acidic or otherwise extraordinary breath weapon.

Metallic Dragons

The so-called metallic dragons are majestic guardians and protectors. While they acknowledge and value their own high station in the world, they acknowledge the value and worth of the lives of humanoids and beasts. This altruism separates them from the chromatic dragons.

Metallic dragons do, however, have some things in common with their chromatic cousins. All dragons have a touch of avarice and are possessive of their lairs and their hoards of treasure. A metallic dragon, however, might be hiding away dangerous items for the good of others and might even be convinced to part with a few items to serve some noble objective.

Metallic dragons are known to come in five varieties that are named after their appearance of their gleaming scales: brass, copper, bronze, silver, and gold.

Scholarship suggests that their natural life span is centuries long, if not unlimited, and they grow in size and power over the decades and centuries. Mature metallic dragons of all varieties are said to possess the ability to take the form of a human or beast and some have been discovered visiting or living among us.

Copper Dragons

Of all dragons, the copper variety is the most gleefully mischievous. They are known to be pranksters, jokers, riddlers, and even story-tellers. They enjoy laughter and pride themselves on their good humor. It behooves everyone else to agree.

Copper dragon wyrmlings are born with orange and ruddy brown scales with just a hint of metallic shine. As they mature, their scaly hide begins to gleam and becomes increasingly the color of polished copper. In mature individuals, greenish highlights begin to appear, giving them an aura of strength and the endurance of many long years.

Copper dragons are known to have two breath weapons—a belching of acid similar to that of a black dragon and a mysterious gas that makes other creatures sluggish and slow.