Mating (CWS)

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Each dragon type and family approaches mating in different ways, although the actual ritual is similar. The concepts of fidelity, union, and partnership have varying shades of meanings for different dragon types. The paragraphs that follow are generalities and are not meant to be inclusive by any means. Furthermore, intelligent, self-aware, individual dragons (including dragon PCs) may differ from the norms presented below. 
The metallic dragons, of all the dragon families, mate most often for love. They frown upon inbreeding among even distant kin and forbid siblings from mating (a sensible genetic rule some of the wilder chromatics often disregard). Gold, silver, and bronze dragons are nearly always monogamous, often not even taking a new mate after the death of a beloved partner. Some of these metallics will take on an appropriate humanoid form and seek out a mate among their demihuman vassals, with whom they will live while they are in their polymorphed state. (Interestingly, the strong fidelity inherent to these dragons is ascribed to both dragon and demihuman mates.) When this occurs, male dragons can impregnate female demihumans, thus creating half-dragons. Female dragons, however, can never be impregnated by male demihumans, despite being in humanoid form. 
Even among those dragons that willingly engage in a relationship with a demihuman mate, producing half-dragon young is considered socially unacceptable. Although a dragon may truly love his or her demihuman mate, dragon society as a whole finds the idea of creating half-dragons repugnant. Thus, half-dragons are rare, though they do exist. They take the physical form of their demihuman parent, but some half-dragons do show unmistakable signs of draconic blood. Half-dragon offspring are considered, at best, outsiders in the societies of both dragons and demihumans in the Io's Blood isles. 
Brass dragons also make dedicated spouses. They remain partnered to the same mate through most of their lives, though if a loved one dies they often seek out a new partner. Copper dragons, on the other hand, follow a more chaotic path. They spend a portion of their lives switching mates frequently, seeking variety and new experiences every time the wind shifts or the seasons change. Upon reaching the mature adult stage, however, they finally settle on a mate for their remaining years. 
Chromatic dragons tend to be greedy and selfish when choosing their mates, sometimes regardless of consequences. Red dragons enjoy the company of strong-willed, lusty dragon partners, though because of their greedy natures they rarely share lairs. They tend to have frequent love affairs of short duration. 
Blue dragons, being territorial in nature, do join with a single mate for a time-sometimes for as long as three or four age levels-before moving on to new conquests. Green dragons tend to build intricate living arrangements with multiple partners, whom they move among as desire directs. Their societies tend to be either polygamous or polyandrous, and there is no prevalence of one over the other. Black dragons and white dragons have the least formal of all arrangements, mating whenever the mood strikes, almost on the level of animals. They have no regard for love, nor do they care (or even understand) the problems inherent with inbreeding. 
Gem dragons, meanwhile, fall somewhere between the other two families. Amethyst dragons approach mating in a very logical manner, seeking the optimum partner to produce the best offspring. Love and pleasure rarely, if ever, enter the equation. Emerald and sapphire dragons take a single mate for long periods of time, though each for a different reason. Emeralds like the security and protection offered by a trusted partner, while sapphires seek to possess a mate to enhance their prestige and status. Topaz and crystal dragons are irresponsible and chaotic, and their societies reflect this. They mate with willing partners whenever they want, as desire and need move them. Fortunately, however, they are more selective than the black and white dragons. 
Dragons of all types tend to mate with members of their own type. Gold dragons mate with golds, red dragons mate with reds, and so on. Sometimes they will go against their natural tendencies and mate with dragons of other types. In most such cases, these unions will not result in the birth of offspring. There is only a 30% chance that dragons of different types but of the same family will be able to create fertilized eggs. For example, if a gold and a silver mate, there is a 30% chance that a clutch will occur. For dragons of different families (red and gold, for instance), the chance falls to 5%. The number of eggs and the incubation time is determined by the female dragon's type. (See TABLE 22: DRAGON CLUTCHES.) 
When a dragon emerges from the union of two different types, roll 1 d8. On a 1-4, the hatchling resembles the parent with the higher number of Hit Dice. On a 5-7, it resembles the parent with the lower number of Hit Dice. On an 8, it possesses a mixed appearance and a combination of abilities inherent to its parents, as determined by the DM. Hatchlings that resemble one parent are generally accepted. 
The mixed-appearance crossbreeds, however, are considered abominations. The chromatic dragons tend to kill these hatchlings immediately. Metallic dragons simply banish them from their domains (rumors abound that these crossbreeds are sent to other worlds, but this has yet to be proven). The gem dragons, however, believe that something as majestic as a dragon can never be an abomination. In the rare instances when a gem dragon produces a mixed hatchling, the newborn is allowed to remain a member of the clan.
==Dragon Eggs==
Dragon reproduction has elements of both the reptilian and mammalian processes. Eggs are fertilized within a female's body through the act of mating with a male. The female carries the eggs inside herself for the first quarter of the incubation period, during which time a flexible, leathery shell forms around them. She then lays the eggs within her lair (or within a shared lair designed to accommodate the mated pair and their clutch). When the full incubation period ends, if there are no complications, the eggs in a clutch hatch and new dragons enter the world. 
Female dragons can bear fertile eggs starting with their young adult stage through their very old years. Once they reach the venerable age category, they lose the ability to lay eggs. Males can fertilize eggs from the ages of young adult through wyrm. Generally, each dragon female can produce at least one clutch of eggs during each fertile age category. There is a base 40% chance that copper, brass, black, and white dragons (rare dragons) will produce a second clutch, while the base chance for other dragons (very rare dragons) is only 25%. No female dragon will produce more than two clutches during a single age category. 
TABLE 22: DRAGON CLUTCHES shows the typical number of eggs and the incubation period required for each dragon type.
 Table 22: Dragon Clutches
DragonType	Numberof Eggs	IncubationPeriod (Months)
Gold 	2-4 	24
Silver 	2-4 	22
Bronze 	3-5 	20
Copper 	3-6 	18
Brass 	3-6 	16
Amethyst 	3-5 	20
Sapphire 	3-6 	18
Emerald 	3-6 	16
Topaz 	4-7 	14
Crystal 	4-7 	12
Red 	2-5 	22
Blue 	2-5 	20
Green 	3-6 	18
Black 	4-8 	16
White 	5-9 	14
Many dragon eggs suffer from a malady known as cracking. Cracking causes egg shells to spontaneously shatter before the end of the incubation period. If cracking occurs too early, such as during the first three-quarters of the incubation period, the dragon growing inside the egg dies. If it occurs within the last quarter of the incubation period, there is a good chance the dragon will survive (a successful Constitution check means it lives). 
There is a 40% chance that a dragon egg will suffer cracking. If this is indicated by the dice roll, roll 1d10 to determine which quarter it strikes (1-7: 1st through 3rd quarters; 8-10: 4th quarter)