Cool Dragon Design + Random Dragon Thought

Art @Antiono Stappaerts

So I saw this random dragon design by an artist (does youtube drawing tutorials) and I thought this design was really cool. I like the skinny dragon concept that still looks distinctly "dragon". Also the implied size of this dragon is right in the sweet spot- it looks to me like a really big airborne crocodile moreso then a massive behemoth, which is a more agreeable power level for dragons. I also really like the wings, fixes the "issue" of dragons with having wings too small; and you can imagine how they'd fold up at the sides without having to rely on a 4 limbed dragon design.

But while randomly thinking about this cool dragon I had a second thought; things that fly like to use thermals to fly right, and dragons have hot-breath. Has seriously nobody talked about this before? I can't think of any examples off the top of my head- though I'm sure somebody has somewhere.

The reason why dragons have such long, skinny necks may not be immediately obvious to a casual observer, but dragonologists know. The closest thing to a dragon in terms of ecological niche is something like a large predatory reptile- crocodiles, komodo dragons, etc. These creatures do not have long, snake like necks. The reason dragons have them is because one, they are more intelligent and being able to look around to speak or groom another dragon is valuable, and two, because it lets them blast heat underneath their wings in flight. Dragons who need a boost can just look backwards and puff- and I imagine dragons can do that cool growl thing that just shoots out hot, oven-like air instead of actual fire if they want.

Dragons having fire breath is a evolutionary advantage for many, many reasons. As a flying predator, burning forests down not only lets you see prey animals more clearly, but it also creates massive thermal updrafts used for your dragon antics. Maybe its a mating display thing too; big fire = big dragon lungs = big dragon sex.

This is also the reason dragons sleep for a long time. They're not resting for fun or because they're especially lazy, they're resting to let forests grow back. Dragons slumber for ~a hundred years or so, enough time for a forest to regrow and wildlife to come to its lair. In a fantasy world; dragons are the natural embodiment of fire; and are the balancing force that keeps the old trees and magical woodland spirits and such from getting too gigantic and overgrown. They come out, burn down forests and gobble up everything that comes out, go to sleep for a hundred years and do it again.

Where does a Dragon's Firebreath come out of exactly?

Art @Saeed Ramez

Roll a d6 to find out.

[1] Out of their throat, basically belch or vomit it out.

[2] Out of their nose, snort it out. May light things on fire when they sneeze or get mad.

[3] Out of fire glands or valves in their mouth; similar to a spitting cobra. Pic related.

[4] Gas is released from their body, spark pouch in throat/mouth ignites it safely at distance.

[5] Forms on the outside of their mouth from fluid that ignites with the air. Fire is partially liquid and kind of “sprays”, may be almost like a fantasy version of napalm. Very nasty.

[6] Out of their butthole lol.

Ring Dragon

Usually, you can only wear two magic rings. One on each hand, or sometimes one on each ring finger. There's usually a contrivance as to why- the magical energy fields need to be kept apart if you try to wear multiple rings! Or the magic only works if powered by your heart- hence one per arm, else the bloodflow of magic would be too weak if split among multiple rings per hand. Sometimes you can wear more then just one a hand; but the powers don't always play nice together.

However, magic rings are among some of the most common magic items, and they can be worn by anyone; both those who use swords, use stealth, or cast spells are equally enriched by a good magic ring. This means that, naturally, a wealthy and successful adventuring type may find themselves with an excess of many magic rings they can't use. Some rich men have tried to find ways to get rid of their stockpile of magic rings, which would otherwise just sit around and collect dust in some treasure room.

But what about those few who are beyond “rich”? The immortals, the Gods, the great elven kings and queens who have lived for eternities? Once you have found your pair of best magic rings, what to do with the troves of them you have laying around? What possible use could there be for such a mass of unwanted and hoarded jewelry?

Ring Dragon (12 HD, +8 To Hit, +9 AC, claw attack at 1d8+1, tail attack at 1d6+1, hits are magic, flight, Arcane Fire Breath at 6d6, spells)

Morale- N/A

Numbers- However many you can afford (only one)

The Ring Dragon is an artificial construct of magic. It is an incredibly powerful artificial creature- possessing both more wrath and personality then a golem, with all the magnificence of a dragon. Its body is made up of a combination of magic rings, magic ash, melted precious metals, and solidified magical energy. The gemstones studded in the rings it is created with appear just underneath its skin; covered by a layer of waxy ash. Most dragons despise these beings; as they are both more powerful then a dragon and yet incredibly attractive to one- they want to be the one to slay a Ring dragon, take its golden bones and jeweled hide and add it to their hoard.

It requires a truly impressive, unthinkable amount of wealth to create one of these. No estimates truly capture the cost, but 10,000,000,000c is a rough estimate to start.

The Ring Dragon is more powerful then a regular dragon, though it lacks some of a dragon's intelligence. The Ring Dragon's entire body is infused by the magic of the rings used to create it, and as such its hits, scales, and attacks all count as magic. It can also fly regardless of the state of its wings, because of magic, and cannot be grounded with a grapeshot cannon blast in the same way a more flesh and blood dragon might. The Ring Dragon cannot bites, as its “muzzle” is bound by the rings used in its creation, but it has a fearsome breath weapon- Arcane Fire. This bright blue fire burns objects with supernatural vigor and ignores normally fire retardant materials. It is hotter then hell and can be used once every 3 rounds as per a normal dragon.

The dragon cannot open its mouth to eat, but instead consumes both magic ash (inhaled afters its fire breath burns magical materials to ingest) and it absorbs ambient magical energy, once again sucked up by its nostrils- the dragon doesn't require much “food” to survive as an artificial being, but it does seek to gluttonously consume mana as any dragon would food. Because its such a large beast, it can drain huge amounts of magical energy whenever it feeds- enough to deplete a layline or sites of magical importance after just a few feedings.

In my games, Dragons can't cast spells. They are strong enough all ready. But the Ring Dragon is made of magic; it has some of the powers of the rings used to create it. The Ring Dragon innately knows a collection of 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd level spells and can cast them as a 6^th level magic user. It can't learn any new spells, these are just the ones it has inside of it. If any of the magic rings has a famous power or curse associated with them used in this dragon's creation; let the dragon have a modified version of this that is either cast like a spell or an aura which negatively curses though who strike it.

Finally, the Ring Dragon is a creation. It is designed and made to serve its master, but its immense power and draconian form give it a pride that is hard to control. When this dragon is made, roll 3d6 to determine its Loyalty, as you would a newly made Hireling. Roll a d20 under this amount to get the dragon to do anything that goes against its behaviors, or anything that puts it in danger. Note- roasting a village or killing a group of adventures is not “danger” to this dragon. If the roll under fails, the dragon either goes to sleep and refuses the order or does the order anyway but begrudgingly, and permanently lowers its Loyalty score by 1.

Ring Dragon Behaviors

Roll to get the dragon to do something besides these, OR roll to stop it from doing these.

• Kill anyone (besides its Creator) who enters its lair.
• Burn magical flammable magic items- wooden wands and staves, spellbooks, etc.
• Hoard and protect metal magic items and treasure (roll to take anything)
• Consume large quantities of ambient magical energy and sleep for 2d6 years.

Rulings over Rules - Stealth System

Rulings over Rules – Stealth System

Instead of using roll under Dexterity, a Stealth challenge roll, or a Stealth-As-Combat system for determining sneaking- use a Ruling. I was considering calling this "Dirt Simple Stealth", but this is a bit too complicated and abstract for that. Instead, consider it a meta commentary on rules.

There are three categories in ways you can be detected. They are sight, sound, and smell.

Sight is the most important for humanoid enemies (who are tall and see over brush) and is the hardest to mask when outside.

Sound is the most important for monster enemies (live in darkness) and is the hardest to hide when you are close by.

Smell is the most important for animal enemies, beast people, and freaky humanoids (like Wizards) and is the hardest to hide indoors.

In order to mask yourself in one or more categories, you need to prepare a method to hide one, two, or all three of these factors. Sight is hidden by darkness and camouflage, as well as moving around corners and staying still if directly observed. Sound is hidden by not moving, as well as wearing proper shoes and watching what you step on. Smell is hidden by taking a bath and wearing clean clothes, but cannot be fully hidden and leaves a trail. Smell also builds up in places over time- so the longer you stay in one spot, the more likely your smell will build.

Using the above rules, let's go over a few stealth scenarios.

Scenario #1 – Orcs at a Campfire

Your party are traveling through the woods at night when they come across a group of orcs around a camp fire. Most of the orcs are asleep, the few who are left on watch are sitting around a fire. They are clearly staring into it and their eyes have adjusted to the light; not to the darkness around the camp. Orcs are considered humanoid (two legged), monstrous, AND they are often depicted with animal body parts- so one could say they are quite difficult to sneak past.

Because it is night time and there is plentiful bush, as well as the facts the orcs are staring into a fire instead of the darkness you are not going to be spotted. Because you're outside and because there is also a fire- your scent is also masked. As such, your DM tells you the only way for you to get detected is if you make too much noise.

The intrepid Rogue says he'll sneak around the orcs silently. Perhaps because he has a high Dexterity score, or perhaps because it is an innate ability of the Rogue class, he can move silently. The DM says that the player may step on a branch, so the player says he'll take his time- a full turn to move past these orcs and clear the path for his party. The DM ticks the time off their time tracker and lets them go through without incident. In this situation, it was relatively easy to get past and the only thing expended was time.

Scenario #2 – Guards at the Gate

Your party got kicked out of town last week and now has to sneak back in to meet with an important NPC. There are two guards standing by the gate in the stone wall. It is in the middle of the day and as such the guards will see you coming- your faces are known from wanted posters and infamy, so you'd be easy to spot. Secondly, there's no way to sneak around them, but the guards are wearing heavy metal helmets and are only humans- so sound and smell are less important here. The guard visually check everyone who comes past.

Your party comes up with a plan. They take on disguises as praying monks and hire a villager to speak for them. “They've taken a vow of silence-” the villager says, as you pass him a silver for his service and they let you into the gate, far too busy with inspecting the incoming merchants for contraband then to bother a group of penniless holy men. In this case, you bypassed the stealth test by expending a resource- wealth or a contact.

Scenario #3 – Dragon Hoard

The party comes across the giant dragon sleeping on a hoard of gold and jewels. There is one specific item you need; the Sacred Sapphire. You'll have to steal it from the sleeping dragon. The area is in its cavernous lair and the air is thick with dragon musk- with no winds or other smells (that the dragon isn't used to) your smell will be a big giveaway. Plus dragons are considered monsterous and animal- but not humanoid. Especially since its sleeping- sight isn't a concern.

Your party ducks away to an earlier place in the dungeon with a water fountain and showers, changing into fresh linens. Then, you take some of the fine ladies clothes you found earlier in the dungeon and tie them around your feet to act as soft pads for walking. The dungeon master tells you that your weight could cause an avalanche of coins- so you only send your smallest and least encumbered member up the hill of gold to grab the Sacred Sapphire.

Your DM tells you your plan works- the dragon nostrils do not flex to smell the invaders and your feetfalls make no noise as you approach. But the moment the halfling picks up the gem, the dragon begins to stir- its supernatural sense for its treasure hoard wakes it up. Its eyes open and locks on to the party, who otherwise stick out like sore thumbs among the piles of shiny gold.

In this case- you did everything right, but not all opponents can be countered by traditional methods of stealth. In this case, you would have need more legend lore to know about the dragon's abilities to sense its hoard, cast a magic spell of invisibility, or perhaps used your stealth round to set up an advantageous first round of combat instead of getting away scot-free. Maybe a decoy gem of equal value put in its place may have soothed the dragon enough for it to leave you be- at least until it wakes up a few hours later later from the constant disturbance of the new jewel slowly lulling it to wakefulness, much like an irritating bug crawling on your skin takes time for you to become fully aware of its presence.

Dragons = Insects

You know dragons are bugs, right? Think about it. They have six limbs, hibernate for long periods of time like a cicada, and have tough exoskeletons. They are also polymorphic and have nuptial flights. What, you didn't know about those?

 

Dragon Biology

This is a dragon. Dragons look like giant horned lizards, but they are insects. This is because of convergent evolution- the evolutionary successful structures of a muzzle filled with sharp teeth and leathery wings evolve in any species, no matter how distant to each other, because it's so successful. Dragons also have a two-chambered organ in their throat that allows them to breathe fire; no different then a bombardier beetle. Those aren't horns, they are antennae. Dragon horns are actually one of the most sensitive parts of their body, but what is sensitive to a dragon is much harder and stronger then any body part a human would find sensitive.

Dragons being insects even explains their fighting styles. Why the hell would a dragon land in a middle of a group of highly trained warriors and engage them with claws and teeth? They wouldn't- they'd keep flying overhead. But dragons can't keep doing that- their bodies need to return to a resting position. They need to stop and go to breathe and regain the pressure in their pneumatic muscles- these aren't the same as mammals with flesh and blood. They bleed thick black ichor, magically charged, to keep that big body alive.

Dragons are also eusocial insects, just not in a way that humans understand it. Remember- evolution means that creatures don't necessarily have to be happy about their place in the world to keep it going, nor do the creatures themselves need to understand it. Dragon “Queens” are the traditional six limbed dragon. They live in lairs and lay eggs, hoard treasure, and are said to be the cornerstone for the entire dragon species. But remember, dragons are polymorphic. They have “castes” determined by birth.

The workers of the species are the kobolds. They are reproduced by the queen, but not directly. Eggs and incubation is far too costly and slow for such a disposable minion. Instead, kobolds generate from the subtle dragon dust that emits from a sleeping dragon; her lair is covered in the stuff, and will gently mix with the moisture and nutrients in the cavern system until the first few kobolds appear. From then on, the kobolds can reproduce on their own, but it's not a true reproductive system, only drones making more drones as far as the species is considered.

The warriors of the species are wyverns. Dragons themselves are much more powerful then wyverns of course, but the queen is precious and spends most of her time sleeping to incubate her next offspring. Wyverns are born unintentionally from the queen- she isn't even aware that the wyverns are her offspring. These lesser creatures are born from dragon dung- the dung containing tiny eggs that rapidly grow into wyvern eggs and then hatch into self sufficent wyverns that flock together in colonies. Then, these wyverns attack and kill intruders into the dragon lands, acting as a barrier and defender for the “colony” they know nothing about.

Finally, the reproductive males/drones of the species are the longs, or in otherwords, the Eastern dragons. They are not born with wings, their flight is magical. The longs will seek to mate with a female dragoness, coil around her for mating, and then promptly die. Despite being disposable male drones, they take just as long to incubate as a queen dragoness. This is believed to be for two reasons; the first is so they hatch at the same time for coordinated breeding, and second so that when the long dies, the mass of magical energy his body has will infuse the local ecosystem and bring more power to the territory of the dragons; helping to activate the breath weapons of young dragon females and bring magical creatures to their lands; a favored food for the hungry drakes.

Now it's important to mention that, with all that out of the way, dragons don't necessarily have to know any of this. And the ones that do, may not like it.

Dragon Culture

Insects are short lived creatures. They don't have time to learn things; their instincts teach them what they need to know, gained through evolutionary pressures. In the same way a spider is born knowing how to spin a web, the same way a dragon learns the draconic language, the basics of spell-craft, and the understanding that gold is valuable. It's still evolution, just fantasy evolution. If your fantasy world is a billion years old, with cultures rising and falling and the world being reset with new races and cultures and technologies, then these basic facts become evolutionary pressures. Perhaps in ancient days dragons were dumb brutes, or they had to spend decades tutoring their offspring, but not so anymore. They are still solitary creatures despite being a part of a “hive”, the hive is just spread out of differing beings with different goals and often conflicting with each other- it doesn't actually matter if the parts of a 'hive' hate each other. The organism as a whole will live on, evolution works either way.

But not all dragons like this. The most common are the long. Many of them learn early on that they will die, in fact most know it innately as a hatchling. The understanding of their own mortality gives the long a wise disposition even from a young age. They know that soon the nuptial flight will occur and they will mate and then die. This gives them an outlook on life that is unique to the races of men and elves. But not all longs accept this fate. Many run; they fly away to far lands, resisting their impulses and living a life of chastity and celibacy. This is why every culture where longs are common, they are considered even-tempered, enlightened beings. Virginity is required for true enlightenment, and in the same sense, the long are born with that choice.

But it's important to understand; the larger and more complex an organism is, the longer its life expectancy tends to be. This is why once a Long escapes its fate, it lives for thousands of years, maybe forever. Even though it's a disposable entity, it has the 'parts' for a much longer lifespan. Dragons don't have natural predators, except for the occasional Giant Evil Spider; spinning a web between distant mountain spires and capturing two or three migrating young, unlucky dragonoids.

Single Dragon

Single Dragon (10 HD, +4 to-hit, +8 AC, claw attack at 1d6+1, bite attack at 1d12, tail attack at 1d4, flight, breath weapon at 5d6, loneliness)

Morale: 18; 10 with love interest

Number: Always 1

This dragon is an impressive specimen; a fine exemplar for the draconian race. They have a 50/50 chance to be male or female, and have an equal change to be any basic chromatic color, roll on the table below to determine its color. This dragon is also very lonely, and for a good reason.

Dragon Color Table – 1d6

[1] Red. Fire Breath. Starved for physical contact and clingy.

[2] Blue/White. Ice Breath. Tries too hard to look badass.

[3] Yellow. Lightning Breath. Can't commit.

[4] Green. Toxic Breath. Lazy, demanding lover.

[5] Purple/Black. Death Breath. Depressive, can't stop bringing up their ex (from the dead).

[6] Brown. Rust/Sandstorm Breath. Over enthusiastic about own hobbies (rock collecting).

Dragons have multiple attacks and are quite powerful. Their breath weapon can be used once per 3 rounds, and deal 1d6 elemental damage of their color per 2 HD they have. This dragon therefore has 5d6 damage of their element. When the breath-attack is made, characters get a saving throw to lessen the damage; on a success, you take half damage. If you're wearing good quality protective gear that isn't magically enchanted, like a fur-lined winter coat versus a blue dragon, then you may reduce the damage by an additional -1 per high quality item.

Purple/Black Dragons have death breath. If 2 or more of the dragon's breath weapon dice land on a 6, then all who are hit by the full amount also have a level drain. Negated if you rolled your save.

Brown Dragons have Rust breath. Only uses d4 as breath damage die, but your metal equipment is rusted and loses -1 AC. Magic equipment may get a save or be immune entirely.

This dragon is very lonely. They may be seeking a mate, but are so desperate that even non-dragons may catch their eye. If a character has a +2 Charisma modifier and is of the opposite sex, the dragon will try to avoid killing them, fights with morale at 10, and when they retreat will attempt to snatch them up and carry them away with their claws back to their lair. The dragon could also have a 1 in 10 chance to be gay, if you want.

When you encounter this creature, roll a reaction check. Dragons grant a +1 to their reaction check for a party that prostates themselves before them when they arrive, or otherwise praise the dragon excessively. Dragons have a -3 to reaction checks if they spot a dragon slaying weapon (such as a lance) in the hands of the party members, and will probably target that character first.

Good Reaction- Insults and berates the party, demanding they step down and offer up to the dragon all of their treasure, but will claim not to want it unless very valuable so it can feel smug. Will off-handed mention them looking for another dragon, and will get very excited if anyone claims to have seen one or signs of them. Will not explain why, but based on their facial expression and voice it's clear they're very desperate. May attempt to flirt or perform a clumsy pick-up line if a character of the opposite sex has +2 Charisma or better is in the party.

Neutral Reaction- Says something along the lines of “run before the storm, rats!” and discharge breath weapon once, flies away laughing at reaction of weak mortals, but won't retaliate further unless attacked in response. Looks around to see if anyone saw it lay waste to the lesser beings.

Bad Reaction- Prepares to attack with a roar, will capture the last surviving party member as a meal for later, try to use it to attract a mate and feed the person to another dragon like one would a grape or other delicious snack.

My (Dominions-Style) Dragons

I'd like to preface this blogpost by saying that I've never actually gotten far enough in a campaign to have dragons or fight dragons, but I've always had specific opinions on them. I've never been a fan of the ultra-powerful dragons seen in some media, nor have I been a fan of the ALWAYS ancient ALWAYS clever and ALWAYS magically omnipotent dragons you see sometimes. Basically I read this blogpost about dragons and I agreed with everything.

My current game uses Dominions based magic, and the dragons in that are elemental. But there are a limited amount of them in the game, not representing all of the magical Paths. So let's fix that, and show my personal opinions on doing dragons.

I love this fat ass Dragon

Dragons

Dragons are closely tied to a single magical path, and while they do not cast magic as mages do they have some ability to manipulate their power over their path with their age. Dragons have a personality that is usually associated with their path, but all dragons are egotistical, self serving, and somewhat lazy unless very strongly befriended or humiliated to the point of hatred. All dragons have immunity to their elemental type, and magic of their Path is almost impossible to use against them. Dragons have magical power associated with their Path, but instead of casting spells they have innate powers they call “breath”, which is usually associated with their breath weapon along with other innate abilities.

[1] -Fire Dragons-

Color- Red, Rust, or Orange. Rarely Pink.

Breath- Flames. As they age, their breath becomes hotter, capable of exploding or simmering as embers in wait for an enemy to pass over them. Their fire can even move as though it was an animal, seeking to destroy the dragon's sworn enemies. Friendly dragon fire never burns or goes out and can be used to forge weapons and armor of great purity and strength.

Personality- Fire dragons are the quintessential dragon. Quick to anger, passionate, and proud. Red is the kind of dragon everyone thinks of first when you think of “dragon'. Their anger is a seemingly limitless well, and they can be forced into bad decisions or rash action if their enemy is hated enough. But even the most fearsome of Red Dragons could be subdued for a moment with a lavish enough declaration of inferiority and endlessly praising and stroking their ego.

Other- Fire Dragons are great in a fight and have the highest to-hit of all dragons, getting a bonus equal to their level +1. Their claws easily find blood and they go for the throat.

[2] -Air Dragons-

Color- Yellow, Honey, Wheat. They have feathered wings.

Breath- Lightning. They fire great bolts of lightning from their maw, and can control where it lands and how powerful it can become with age. Plus, they can fan their wings to create great gusts of wind, and are known to whisper to create illusions. Powerful Air Dragons can also use their breath like a 'brush' and cast many illusions and glamours across everything it touches for a short time.

Personality- Air Dragons are capricious. Impulsive and sometimes possessing multiple personalities. They are also the most 'cowardly' of all the dragons, though what cowardice means to a dragon is much different then what it means to a human. And calling one a coward is a good way to get a lightning bolt dropped on your head. Air Dragons are also the most likely of all dragons to disguise their true nature and form through illusions, messengers, and are able to throw their voice.

Other- Air Dragons are the best fliers of all dragons, and are extremely agile when flying around. They can outmaneuver almost any other dragon in flight.

[3] -Water Dragons-

Color- Blue, Aqua, Cobalt. They have finned spines and webbing between their claws.

Breath- Water & Frost. The intensity of the cold increases with age, as does the strength of the water jet they can spout. Their water breath can eventually seek out targets to drown, or rush to fill in space and then freeze to kill whoever was caught in the area.

Personality- Water Dragons are known to be distant and flexible. They hide their true emotions well, and many have complex plots and enjoy playing mind and riddle games. Water Dragons, just like water itself, are very diverse and can live in rivers, lakes, the oceans, or in the frozen North and often pick up many different languages and stories to tell.

Other- Water Dragons are naturally the best swimmers in the dragon world and are resistant to both hot and cold water, frost, as well as the pressure from the ocean depths. The older they get the longer they can hold their breath, until eventually they can grow gills and breath underwater.

[4] -Earth Dragons-

Color- Brown, Glossy, Copper or Bronze. Their teeth and claws are metallic.

Breath- Sandstorm. Their breath flies forth like sand that rusts and degrades metal equipment, blasts apart fortifications, and they can slam their fat tails so hard that it creates earthquakes. Extremely powerful Earth Dragons has breath that can petrify living things when it touches them, turning them into stone. Sometimes they can vomit up massive boulders to fling at their foes.

Personality- Conservative and lethargic. Unlike other dragons, Earth Dragons may allow a hated rival to simply pass them by due to being lazy or having other things to worry about. They tend not to change their minds about anything, and befriending one is hard, but once you have you will never lose their favor. Earth Dragons also have impressive memories and can remember seemingly every conversation they have had and every time detail of another being's appearance.

Other- Earth Dragons have the strongest claws and hide of all dragons and they know it. They are also known to eat metallic ores and crystals deep in the Earth to keep their claws and scales strong. They can also eat stones and gravel, which they may be able to gain some energy from but mostly eat it to help grind up their food since it takes months for them to digest whatever they eat. Earth Dragons can dig up some of the most valuable and strongest ores as gifts for mortals.

[5] -Astral Dragons-

Color- Prismatic, Chrome, Crystal. Stars and galaxies are visible beneath their scales.

Breath- Light. Intense light from the sun that can burn undead, or ultra-bright light that can blind anyone caught in it. They can also fire out astral light that saps the strength from those it touches, making them fall to the floor exhausted with several levels drained. Old Astral Dragons are also capable of speaking a decree to the universe and their words make reality change to make it so, if even only for a short period of time.

Personality- Indifferent, arcane, and cosmic. They are obsessed with the bigger picture and always seem to have an ulterior motive. You will never meet one by chance. Astral dragons are one of the strangest and most magical kinds of dragon and they take that in stride. Astral Dragons are also the only kind of dragon known to be able to talk telepathically, and seem to know what you think before you even speak it aloud.

Other- Astral Dragons can appear as comets when they fly, and it is unknown if all comets are Astral Dragons in flight or if they merely appear that way to hide their movements. They are highly resistant to enemy spells. Every Astral Dragon has a secret 'calendar' dictating their 'tide'; where they grow or weaken in strength, size, and magical power from the rotations of the cosmic bodies.

[6] -Death Dragons-

Color- Black, Purple, Dark Gray. They live even in death and may appear as skeletal.

Breath- Death. They exhale black darkness that kills all but the most stalwart. They can also breath out great miasma that spreads disease and terror. By tapping their claw against the ground, they can force nearby corpses to rise as zombie or skeleton servants. Powerful Death Dragons may be able to use breath weapons that copy other dragons but from the realms of the dead; such as Banefire which makes those burned by it feebleminded or black stygian water that inflicts rapid aging. Flapping their wings sends locusts to spread pestilence.

Personality- Nihilistic. Beyond being fatalist, most black dragons know the secrets of death as soon as they are hatched and actually retain their personalities long after the die. They see little value in life and view most mortals as being pawns instead of individual beings. Still; powerful necromancers and mages of other Paths can occasionally attract a black dragon as a bodyguard or lover; though being a black dragon's object of affection can be just as dangerous as its enemy.

Other- Unlike other dragons who become corpses when they die and may be able to be raised by powerful necromancers, death dragons become one with the realms of the dead and act as its guardians and servants. These skeletal dragons are sometimes called reaper dragons and are responsible for forcibly retrieving the most powerful of beings who escaped the tartarian realms.

[7] -Nature Dragons-

Color- Green, Emerald, Chameleon. They tend to have tusks or antlers and have fur.

Breath- Toxic clouds. Nature Dragons breathe out clouds of poison gas that kills those who breath it. They can also breathe out a great amount of leaves that entangles and ensnares those caught in it with vines and foliage. Nature Dragons can speak to every animal and powerful Nature Dragons can even transform beings into other animals by locking eyes with them and exerting their will.

Personality- Nature Dragons are the oldest and often physically largest dragons. They understand better then all other dragons the struggle of mortal beings and the circle of life. This does not necessarily mean they are kind, as Nature Dragons may very well direct a lost child towards a hungry predator to keep the balance in the woods as they would to send them back to their village. Despite seeming calm and rational Nature Dragons also have very sharp senses and instincts and may pounce on anyone who runs from them, triggering some kind of prey drive.

Other- Nature Dragons have some of the most diversity in their body type of all dragons; some Nature Dragons are fat and huge, others are slender like a snake. Many don't even have wings, but they are known to be able to regenerate body parts over time if gravely injured. All dragons sleep for long periods, but Nature Dragons can hibernate for centuries, and many still lie dormant in the wilds.

[8] -Blood Dragons-

Color- Fleshy, Scaleless, Crimson. Always distorted and mutated.

Breath- Vile Blood. Anyone struck by their bloody breath is tainted and will have demons flock to them and the victim will have a desire to sin and murder innocent virgins unless they give a confession and are baptized by a high-ranking priest. Powerful Helldrakes have breath that is known to subvert the will of lesser beings, making them into murderous psychopaths or even changing them into lesser demons upon a touch. If weapons are used against them the blood they spill has a similar effect to their breath, corrupting everything around them. Even in death, parts of the Blood Dragon's body will slough off and transform into demons who will seek to revive their original form.

Personality- Pure evil and insanity. There is no reasoning with a hell dragon, as they are not of this world and seek only the destruction of everything good and pure. Blood Dragons are among the most powerful of all kinds of demons, and having even one of them in existence is a threat to all existence.

Other- Blood Dragons are among the most powerful lords of hell, and the only way to summon one into the world is to partake in a massive torturous sacrifice of many hundreds of virgins. The only way to learn these blood rites is through many powerful and manipulative demons; needless to say only a master blood mage has even a chance of summoning one even with the necessary sacrifices.

[9] -Holy Dragons-

Color- White, with golden claws and armor. Adorned with jewels and a heavenly choir follows them.

Breath- Golden light that restores the wounds of the good and fills the people with hope. Destroys evil utterly and causes the unrighteous to grovel in guilt and lay down their weapons. The wings of a holy dragon can be brought down to their sides and used as impenetrable shields to protect scores of innocents. The glare of an Arch-Angel Dragon can burn a wicked person into dust. Anyone who strikes a holy dragon must make a save or have their own attack turn back against themselves.

Personality- Benevolent and ferocious protectors of the righteous. They do not usually speak except to chant prayers and condemn evil, and to reassure the meek of their protection. Holy Dragons do not exist in this world for very long and only relentlessly seek out their objective before disappearing back into the heavens again. Mighty heroes may occasionally be allowed to ride a Holy Dragon to reach a place of utmost important on a righteous quest.

Other- All Holy Dragons are Arch-Angels sent from heaven, and only in moments of cataclysmic need to they ever appear in this world, usually to face a Blood Dragon or other powerful demonic force. Like all Angels, Holy Dragons are shapeshifters and may appear as a white robed woman to give warnings or prophecies before taking on dragon form to fight. To even see a Holy Dragon is said to be a good omen.