Dragons are the hot, passionate beating heart of fantasy. They exist in almost every culture, inspiring fear and reverence. They’ve defined a genre. They’re half the name of the game! Dragons are so popular that there are forty-six dragons in the base game ranging from CR 1/4 all the way to 24! There’s even an entire race of kobold dragon worshipers, and multiple adventures surrounding dragons.
But what if that’s not enough? Some paladins may quest for a dragon mount. Some play a dragonborn, a wizard who polymorphs into dragons, or a sorcerer with draconic power. But for some, the true desire is to command the beast itself, in all its terrifying glory. For them, the only thing that will satisfy is playing a true dragon.
This class represents the dragon aging through magical growth. Groups can decide to limit Dragon Class levels by the dragon character’s age, and require multiclassing in the mean time, but the default assumption is growth through adventuring expertise and innate magic.
The dragon is presented as both a race and a class, encapsulating inborn abilities as well as those which come and grow with age. Some caveats have been made for player character balance, such as the limited and delayed access to flight, and other abilities are new compared to the base dragons. It fills a similar group role as the Barbarian or the Fighter, with a bit of the Monk’s mobility and resistance.
Race: True Dragon
Dragons may grow to be powerful enough to rival the gods, but everyone must start somewhere. Dragons are born small but are hardly helpless. Even fresh out of their egg, they are as formidable as an armed warrior, possessing hard scales and razor-toothed jaws. They are capable of eating nearly anything, be it meat, plants, or even stone.
Haughty and Proud
A dragon’s emotions are dominated by greed, pride, and wrath, even the best among them. Dragons are grouped into the malevolent Chromatic Dragons, and the benevolent Metallic Dragons. Though their personalities can be loosely defined by their origins, they are still unique, mortal beings, and can vary greatly. Above all, a dragon knows one thing; they are the pinnacle of creation.
Draconic Power and Grace
Dragons possess four legs, with the front two able to almost pass for arms with clawed hands. They have long necks and elongated heads. Their large jaws are full of sharp, slicing teeth, and they drip with elemental energy from a breath that grows more powerful with every day. They are born with weak wings that still need time to grow, though they are quickly able to hop and dash with them. Most dragons have bat-like wings, but some (brass and gold) have fin-like wings that run the length of their body and tail. Their tail makes up about half of their total length.
Though they all have similarities, they possess vivid coloration and bold head ornamentation that make each breed easily identifiable. Spikes typically run down their backs, and their entire body is covered in an interlocking coat of scales. They are the size of small dogs when they are born, with feline posture and grace and a serpentine length.
Solitary Beasts
Dragons belong to no united kingdom. Young dragons are typically solitary, adult dragons often live in mated pairs, and older dragons are solitary again. But dragons are intelligent, and some value the strength and companionship of allies, and seek to become a part of something ever so slightly larger than themselves. Whether it’s to amass a fortune to start a horde, to fight off one’s enemies and make the world a better place, or to test one’s might, some dragons strike out into the world and become adventurers.
Dragon Names
Dragons bear one name, either given to them by their parents or picked for themselves. Dragon names are long and polysyllabic, with a harsh and hissing sounds like K, X, and S. Dragons often gain titles, but these are usually bestowed, or branded, upon them by humanoids. Because of a dragon’s pride, their names are typically unique; one would be admitting that they aren’t good enough on their own if they were to bear the name of another.
Dragon Hatchling Traits
Your dragon hatchling character has the following traits as a result of their physiology.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age. Dragon hatchlings learn very quickly, and are able to fend for themselves within days of hatching. You are between 0 and 4 years old.
Alignment. Dragon hatchlings run the gamut of alignments. Those of metallic ancestry lean towards good alignments (bronze, gold, silver are lawful good, brass and copper are chaotic good), while those of chromatic ancestry lean towards evil alignments (blue and green are lawful evil, while black, red, and white are chaotic evil).
Size. Only recently hatched, and standing quadrupedal, a dragon hatchling stands nearly 2 feet tall at the shoulder, and around 4 feet long nose to tip of the tail (about half of that tail). Their bones are strong, yet light, so they only weigh around 40 to 50 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You gain an additional movement mode from your color choice; see below.
Darkvision. Dragons have keen senses, and while yours have yet to fully develop, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Draconic Lineage. You have the dragon type, and are not a humanoid for the purpose of spells and other effects which