Dragons

Dragons
Rare:

White Dragon-White dragons are the weakest and the most feral of the classic chromatic dragons, but they are by no means harmless, if somewhat dimmer than other dragons due to the inbreeding necessary to create an animal that could resist the frigid temperatures that white dragons endure. They are still powerful enough to overwhelm most humans and have exceptional long-term memories. They are physically distinguished by several features: their heads and necks seem to blend seamlessly into one another, and their wings appear somewhat frayed along the edges. They have a flap of skin (dewlap) lined with spines beneath their chins. Their heads are very streamlined, and they have a high crest atop their skulls. They have a crisp, vaguely chemical odor.
White dragon eggs must be buried in snow or encased in ice while incubating. The parents do not bother to tend or protect the eggs in any way, although they will usually lay them near their lairs. A newhatched white wyrmling has scales as clear as ice, which become white as the dragon matures. They are expected to survive on their own from the moment they hatch, although some white dragon parents will permit their young to live in their lair until they reach adulthood.
Adult white dragons have several abilities well suited to their arctic habitat: they can climb ice cliffs with ease, fly very high and fast, and are exceptional swimmers. They love to swim in cold water; the more frigid, the better. Much of their diet often consists of aquatic creatures, even whales. White dragons are always hungry, and tend to become more savage as they mature. Knowing that they are the smallest and weakest of dragons, many whites harbor inferiority complexes. They take any opportunity to bully beings such as giants and younger dragons of other species.


Black Dragon-Black dragons (a.k.a. "Skull Dragons") are the most vile tempered and cruel of all chromatic dragons; apart from the fact that they love to bargain. Physically, black dragons are most distinguished by their horns, which protrude from the sides of their heads and wrap around, projecting forward. A large frill adorns the upper part of the neck. They smell like rotting vegetation and foul water, or like the powerful acid they can breathe.
Black dragons are not noted as very good parents, relying more upon disguise and hiding to protect their eggs than upon guarding them personally. Black dragon eggs must be submerged in strong acid while incubating. Their wyrmlings (babies) are noted for their exceptional cruelty and their utterly insatiable appetites. They will eat almost anything organic they can kill, even plants. As a black dragon matures, its scales will very gradually grow lighter. The most ancient black dragons appear almost purple in color.
In combat, black dragons prefer ambushes to straightforward fighting. They are vicious and ruthless adversaries, and their acidic bile can work its way under the heaviest armor with ease. Their only disadvantage is that their heavily wooded habitats tend to prevent them from flying very high in combat.


Green Dragon-Green dragons are the third most powerful of the classic chromatic dragons. Physically, they are most notable for the large, waving crest or fin that starts at the dragon's nose and runs the entire length of the dragon's body. They also have exceptionally long, slender forked tongues. They smell like chlorine gas and are highly adept at magic.
Green dragons are reasonably good parents, with both mother and father typically staying close to their eggs while they are incubating. Green dragon females either keep their eggs in a solution of acid or bury them in leaves moistened with rainwater. The green wyrmling is easily mistaken for a black, due to their nearly black scales. As the wyrmling matures, its scales become steadily lighter in color until they reach the striking green shade of an adult. The wyrmlings typically stay with both parents until they reach adulthood (approximately 100 years).
Green dragons revel in combat, and will often attack for no apparent reason. They are highly territorial, and will often view any intrusion into their domain, voluntary or not, as a personal affront. They are extremely cunning and duplicitous foes, and love double-crossing others. A traveler who stumbles into a green dragon's territory may be able to bribe the dragon for safe passage, but more often than not the dragon will pretend to agree and then attack the unsuspecting offender once their guard is down. Though aggressive, green dragons prefer to use magic before attacking physically.



Blue Dragon-Blue dragons are the second most powerful of the classic chromatic dragons. They are physically distinguished by the single large horns protruding from their heads and also by their ears, which are rather large and frilled. The tail is thick and bumpy, like that of a caterpillar. The wings are more pronounced than most other species'. They smell like ozone or sand.
Despite their evil nature, they are actually excellent parents to their young, and will rarely leave their eggs unattended. Blue dragon eggs must be buried in warm sand to incubate. Blue wyrmlings are actually quite cute, but they are quick to taunt any other creature, and even quicker to hunt small desert creatures for food.
The blue dragon excels at aerial combat, perhaps more so than any other species of dragon. Their lightning discharges are very easy to aim at other aerial foes, or at creatures below them on the ground. They are one of the most powerful dragons at spellcraft. They are also extremely adept at burrowing in sand, and often lie in wait just below the surface of the desert for prey. When they are so burrowed, their large horns can easily be mistaken for pointed desert rocks.

Very Extremely Rare:

Red Dragon-Red dragons are the largest, most powerful, and most (in)famous of the classic chromatic dragons. Physically, they are distinguished by their enormous size and wingspan. They have two large horns upon their heads, which point backwards toward their wings. They smell of smoke and sulphur.
The eggs of a red dragon must be kept in open flame at all times while incubating. Incubation takes approximately 660 days. After the eggs are laid, the younger of the two parents (either male or female) will remain behind to guard the eggs and keep their nest of flames burning. Once they hatch, the wyrmlings are left to fend for themselves. They usually have little problem in doing so. A red wyrmling is highly dangerous, being approximately the size of a human at hatching. They are fully capable of breathing fire, and revel in wreaking destruction and havoc on almost anything that moves. The latter trait is carried fully into adulthood.
In combat, red dragons are exceptionally dangerous. Proficient in magic, they are also very fast in the air, but somewhat clumsy, so they prefer to do their fighting on the ground. They often spend years designing battle strategies, and will wait patiently until the precisely best moment to call upon them. Their massive blasts of fire end most battles before they truly begin, however. As a result, red dragons will use their powerful breath weapons as their favored method of attack, followed by power strikes from their massively powerful bodies, followed by magical attacks.

Gold Dragon
Gold dragons are the most powerful of the ancient chromatic dragons, and the most dedicated to defeating evil. They spend the bulk of their lives in human form, seeking out evil and punishing wrongdoers to the best of its considerable abilities. Its typical mode of operation runs roughly along the lines of a sting operation: the dragon will listen for stories of dangerous or evil creatures or persons, then reveal its true form and mete out punishment. They prefer to turn villains over to law enforcement if available, but will ultimately take whatever actions they deem necessary in order to see justice served. They are best summarized as the paladins of the draconic world.
Physically, gold dragons are quite spectacular. Several large horns tipped with umber shoot sideways from their cheeks, and two very prominent horns point backwards along their heads. The most obvious feature is probably the tentacle whiskers that sprout from the top and bottom of the gold dragon's jaw, giving the appearance of a beard of sorts. Their wings, like those of brass and copper dragons, connect to the body all the way to the tip of the tail. From below, the overall shape resembles that of a brass dragon, but the different coloring and dramatic difference in size enables easy differentiation. When in flight, the gold dragon's wings ripple, giving the appearance of swimming rather than flying. They smell of saffron and incense.
Gold dragon eggs must be incubated in a nest of open flames. A newhatched gold wyrmling appears similar to an adult, except that it lacks horns or tentacle whiskers. Both parents tend the eggs, and then take intense interest in their wyrmlings' care and education. At some point, however, the biological parents may send the wyrmling to live with foster parents; this allows the parents to undertake their own quests, as well as exposing the wyrmling to new experiences.
Combat-wise, gold dragons prefer to talk rather than to fight. They will never engage in combat if they believe it is unnecessary. Once they believe it is necessary, however, they are amazingly powerful opponents. Their ability to breathe fire rivals that of the eldest red dragons, and they will pour their entire being into a battle against evil. Gold dragons dislike killing, but they do not hesitate to do so if it is necessary in order to defeat an evil foe.

Dragon Growth Ages
Wyrmling 0-5 years old
Very Young 6-15 years old
Young 16-25 years old
Juvenile 26-50 years old
Young Adult 51-100 years old
Adult 101-200 years old
Mature Adult 201-400 years old
Old 401-600 years old
Very Old 601-800 years old
Ancient 801-1,000 years old
Wyrm 1,001-1,200 years old
Great Wyrm 1,201+