Dragonborn

Although they are one race with common capabilities
and histories, the Dragonborn consider themselves to belong to two distinct racial
and social constructs: the metallics and chromatics. This distinction is drawn
solely on the color of the individual's scales, carrying a distinction or
prejudice steeped in their violent history.

In
ancient days, the Dragonborn were a uniform brown color. With the chaotic
energies released with the birth of Tiamat on the original home of the Dragon
Isle, the next generation was born more colorfully, reflecting all of the
colors and metals of the true dragons. In those early days of their society, scale
coloration had no voice of its own, and the individual Dragonborn were judged
solely on their own merit. Their migration to Thyrin during the first Dragon
War did little to change this, however that equality was not to last forever.

It
all changed with the coming of the ancient, fiendish red dragon Pyrefang who
enslaved a large portion of northern reaches of Thyrin, including both the
Værgar dwarves and the Dragonborn. Pyrefang saw the scaly folk in a different
light, giving those with chromatic scales power and authority over the more
harshly enslaved metallics.

Over
time, the chromatics began to revel in their power, and the metallics began to
resent their "masters" and yearn for freedom. When the revolution
finally came and the bronze dwarves overthrew Pyrefang, the metallics rose up
against the chromatics and seized control of their native lands of Zyr. For
their crimes of collusion with Pyrefang, those chromatics that openly and
willingly served the devil-dragon were ostracized and banished to the isles of
Exillon, where they have since formed their own nation.

That
said, not all chromatic Dragonborn are evil any more than all metallics are
good, nor do all chromatic Dragonborn live in Exillon. There are even a few odd
metallic that have chosen to live there with the chromatics. How those outliers
are treated in their chosen homelands depends greatly on the related society
and their own behavior.

Both Dragonborn
societies are feudal monarchies built along old, hereditary lines. Metallic
Dragonborn commonly mate without regard to the color of their paramour.
Chromatic Dragonborn, on the other hand, tend to strictly mate with their own
kind. When two Dragonborn of different scales mate, the child could reflect
either or both parents in its coloration, sometimes with stripes or mottling,
but their breath weapon and damage resistance only follows one parent. In
addition to scales, Dragonborn sometimes have small areas of coarse hair,
usually a darker reflection of their scale color or pure black. Their eyes
range from black to dark amber.

### Game Information

All Dragonborn share the following racial traits, deviating by hue only where specifically mentioned:

* Ability Score Increase. You increase your Charisma score by 1. Your draconic origin grants you an additional ability score increase. If you are of black, brass, red, or white origin, increase your Strength score by 2. If you are of blue, copper, or gold origin, increase your Wisdom score by 2. And if you are of bronze, green, or silver origin, increase your Intelligence score by 2.
* Size. Metallic Dragonborn tend to be somewhat shorter and leaner than their chromatic cousins, generally being no more than 6 feet in height and weighing no more than 250 lbs. Chromatic Dragonborn are taller, generally between 6 and 7 feet tall, weighing as much as 350 lbs. Your size is Medium
* Thick Hide. Dragonborn have a thick, ridged hide colored in the scales of their draconic ancestry. Your base, unarmored AC is 11. This does not increase the base AC of armor worn over your scales, nor does it stack with other natural AC increases, like those of a Draconic origin sorcerer or the *barkskin* spell.
* Other Abilities. All other Dragonborn racial features and abilities, regardless of metallic or chromatic lineage, are identical to those appearing in the fifth edition *PHB.*

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