Dragon

A picture of each of the main Dragon types, including all Chromatic and Metallic Dragons. From Left to Right, Upper to Lower are Black, Blue, Green, Red, White, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold and Silver.

## Classifications

### Size

Medium (Wyrmling), Large (Young), Huge (Adult) or Gargantuan (Ancient)

### Alignment

Lawful Good (Metallic) or Lawful Evil (Chromatic)

## Overview

Dragons (or wyrms) are very powerful and magical creatures. There were several types of dragons, the most common of which were chromatic and metallic which were evil and good respectively. They are an ancient race. In recent times, dragons are nearly all recluses or at the very least deceptive to their true nature, living amongst other species in polymorphed form.

Dragons are inherently magical beings, and in no case should dragons be
 considered reptiles, despite obvious similarities such as a scaled
epidermis and reproduction by laying eggs.[7]
 In fact, they were more akin to feline creatures than reptiles,
particularly in regards to their posture and movements, as well as being
 inherently warm-blooded and an eye composition similar to felines,
although far more complex.

Dragons are the only know species of Greater Wyrm with all other dragon related races being lesser wyrms, pretenders to the glory of the Draconic Blood. Calling a Dragon a "worm" is considered the worst insult possible to the creatures.

## Physical Description

The physical descriptions of dragons varies greatly based on the age and colour of the beast. Each type (blue, green, black, white, red, copper, bronze, brass, gold or silver) have different configurations of spines, scales, tail, wings and facial arrangements. Dragons can vary in size greatly with young wyrms hatching in the size of a fully grown lion while ancient Dragons growing to the size of buildings

The sheer physical power and innate magical forces that surround dragons can cause actual physical changes in the lands around their lairs, usually causing effects that match with their favoured habitats (such as thick fog in the swamps around a Black Dragon's lair). Power of these effects grow with the Dragon and begin to manifest themselves around adulthood.

## Psychology

Dragons are superior beings: more powerful, more
intelligent, more worthy of wealth and territory, and
more important than any other mortal creature. To
them, this conviction is more than a dogmatic belief;
it’s a fundamental fact, something they are born
knowing, and a cornerstone of their personality and
worldview. This aspect makes dragons seem arrogant
when they interact with humanoids, but it goes
beyond any human conception of conceit. To try to
humble a dragon is like trying to talk the wind out of
blowing or attempting to persuade a starving person
not to die of deprivation.

This attitude colors just about everything a dragon
does. Chromatic dragons think of humanoids in
exactly the same way humanoids think of animals—
as prey or as beasts of burden, subject to dragons’
whims. More benevolent dragons treat humanoids
with kindness, just as good-hearted humans would
not unnecessarily hurt animals—but ultimately,
humanoids are still lesser creatures. Even a nonevil
chromatic dragon thinks little of taking something
that belongs to humans or elves, or even of eating the
occasional passerby. That is the natural order.

Dragons can, however, recognize the capabilities
of powerful individuals or of people in great numbers.
Arrogant though they are, dragons will negotiate with
humanoids if they feel such folk pose a danger or
have something to offer that the dragon cannot easily
acquire on its own. Even then, though, the dragon
measures and values the people in question based
solely on their threat or usefulness and not on any
intrinsic worth. The dragon assumes the position of
authority in any such interaction, not as a conscious
or deliberate choice, but because—as far as the dragon
is concerned—that is the way the world works.

The situation grows more complicated when dragons
apply this same attitude toward other dragons.
Chromatics believe that all dragons are superior to
other creatures, that chromatic dragons are superior
to nonchromatics, that their own variety is superior
to other chromatic varieties, and—usually—that each individual chromatic dragon is superior to all other
dragons of their kind. Even as they acknowledge that
older dragons are more powerful than they are, they
believe that they themselves will become more potent
by that age. To say that a chromatic dragon literally
believes that the world revolves around it is not terribly
far from the truth. This innate arrogance, more
than greed or ambition, leads to dragon-versus-dragon
conflicts over prey, territory, or magic items. Even
when dragons band together to cooperate in family
groups or in the occasional community, each dragon
feels that it ought to be the one running things. A
dragon might be capable of temporarily squelching
that impulse for the greater good, but it remains present
in the back of the dragon’s mind nonetheless.

A few nonevil chromatics and metallics go the opposite way in
their arrogance, seeing humanoids not as beasts to be
exploited but as poor, defenseless children (or even
pets) to protect and herd. Although such dragons
pose less physical danger to humanoid communities
than others, they can be just as difficult to deal with.
They speak condescendingly, assuming they know
what is best for their chosen wards regardless of
what the people themselves think. Such dragons are
stifling at best and dictatorial at worst, usurping the
rules of communities purportedly for their own good (there are, of course, exceptions, particularly silvers).

Unfortunately for humanoids, a dragon’s grudges
live as long as the dragon. Because an angered dragon
holds individual humanoids in such little esteem, it
does not particularly concern itself with enacting its
vengeance upon the specific person who angered
it. Dragons have been known to return generations
after humanoids insulted or defeated them, wreaking
destruction upon those humanoids’ descendants or
hometown. In such cases, the victims of the wyrm’s
rage might not even remember the individual who
angered the dragon, let alone the specifics of the insult.

If dragons are known for any attitude beyond all
others—above even arrogance—it’s greed. Even the
friendliest of good dragons is as avaricious as the
stingiest human miser. Dragon hoards are legendary:
enormous piles of gold, gleaming gems, magic items—
wealth enough to buy and sell entire humanoid
communities. Yet dragons rarely do anything with all
that wealth. They collect not to spend, but to have.

The desire to build a hoard is a psychological
drive—even, arguably, a biological drive—in
dragons. It is no less pressing than the human need for
companionship or shelter. It has no discernable practical
reason, no underlying purpose, no goal. Although
the occasional dragon might fight the urge to hoard
just as the occasional human prefers to be a hermit, it
is a trait to which the race as a whole succumbs.

## Culture

A dragon is a long-distance hunter, willing and
able to cover dozens of miles for a single meal. Thus,
it does not share the human need to gather with
others around convenient sources of food or water.
Further, whereas humanoids seek safety in numbers,
a dragon feels safest in isolation.

Most humanoids are gregarious creatures. They
gather not just for food or protection, but also because
they are happiest when able to interact with others.
They talk; they form friendships; they work together.
Dragons, on the other hand, rarely seek companionship
of any sort. Most of them happily spend the
majority of their lives in solitude. They might visit
other dragons once every few years, for conversation
or to learn of world events. When the mating urge
takes them, they seek out companions with whom
they might spend several years while raising wyrmlings.
With a few exceptions, however, even a loving,
monogamous dragon couple spends only a few years
together every few decades. With too much time
together, dragons’ territorial instincts kick in, making them uncomfortable around one another. An ancient
dragon proverb about mated pairs translates roughly
as, “Love is best fed by borders.”

A relatively minor aspect of dragon psychology,
yet nonetheless important for understanding the
creatures, is the almost complete lack of societal pressures.
Societal norms shape humanoid civilization
in every respect. Laws and taboos, traditions and
beliefs, are all largely social constructs. If a human
chooses not to steal property from a neighbor for fear
of punishment, or if a dwarf refrains from murdering
a member of a rival clan to avoid retaliation, societal
constraints are at work. Notions of marriage, rules
about acceptable times for sexual relations, courtesy,
economic transactions, work ethics—the rules of society
shape and define all these customs and more.

Dragons do not have such pressures. They have
traditions, but the average dragon has no peer pressure
or governing body pushing it to follow those
traditions. It follows traditions—or chooses not to—
based entirely on personal beliefs. Except in rarely occurring draconic societies, dragons have no laws
prohibiting specific behaviors. Dragons might
observe religious prohibitions, but they do so on an
individual basis and might or might not follow such
rules consistently.

Intellectually, a dragon might understand—or
at least learn—why humanoids undertake or avoid
certain behaviors when law or tradition demands it.
The notion that a body of laws might shape a community’s
behavior rarely, if ever, occurs to a dragon
at the outset; humanoids must explain that concept,
unless the dragon has dealt with humanoids before.
Even if a dragon does have experience in dealing with
humanoids, it does not comprehend how powerful a
force societal and peer pressure can be, since it has
probably never experienced such a thing. When told
that a specific humanoid cannot undertake an action
because the action is illegal or taboo, a dragon’s first
reaction is likely to amount to, “So what?”

Despite their isolationist natures, however, dragons
do occasionally form larger communities. Such
dragons are far more likely than others to understand
and to accept the restrictions that society places on
humanoids.

## Notable Dragons

### Notable Dragon Individuals

* Venomfang, a young Green Dragon who lairs in Neverwinter Wood.