Dragon

No other creature captures the imagination as does the dragon. And no other creature inspires such fear or is written into historical texts so often. Because dragons are such mighty and long-lived creatures, they have been woven into tales and legends. Their lairs have been marked on maps. Myths and fables are heaped upon their name. dragons of other worlds have been known to speak eloquently and wield powerful spells. Dragons are known to not bend to the side of evil or good, they are neutral and are out for only their own form of entertainments. Dragons are one the most dangerous creatures on the planet. They can grind most other creatures into powder with little effort. Taking on a dragon is near-suicide, even for great heroes. Slaying a dragon is a rare event - the kind of once-in-a-generation, kingdom-saving, legendary feat that the bards sing about.

Appearance
Dragons are winged reptiles of fantastic size. Typically, such a behemoth will boast a 45 meter (150 foot) wingspan, though this is known to vary by as much as 15 meters (50 feet). Despite lean frames, dragons often weigh in excess of 80 tons. The length of a dragon, from its saurian head to its spiked tail is always the same as its wingspan. The huge wings of a dragon are made of flexible leathery skins stretched over a spiny frame similar to a bat. Both forelimbs and hind limbs are heavily muscled and very dexterous.

Combat
These flying behemoths can crush armies under foot, strafe villages with fire from the air and raze whole cities without even landing. Dragons prefer to fight from the air when outside. A dragon’s most potent weapon is its fiery breath. A dragon can exhale a stream of fire which will reduce everything before the dragon to ash. Other combat tactics include wing buffets, tail strikes, trampling, goring, ramming large opponents with high speed power dives, picking opponents up and dropping them from high altitudes, scattering sharp rocks or crystal shards about the lair and beating wings to stir up a windstorm of sharp, flying objects. No dragon has ever retreated. In fact, dragons apparently have no fear. Either through sheer will or radically different thought patterns, mind affecting magic does not work on them.

Dragon Senses
Even though dragons have excellent color vision, they don't rely on sight alone. Dragons also have excellent hearing and will pick up the smallest sound from even the most careful intruder. A dragon's sense of smell is so sensitive that the dragon can locate and do battle with an invisible opponent with no penalties. When outdoors, a dragon can often smell prey at a range of several kilometers.

Habitat
Dragons have no society. They only encounter each other when mating and this is rare. Each dragon claims its own territory which may be in any climate and may be as large as forty thousand square kilometers. Within its territory, a dragon may hunt anything it considers edible. Dragons often hoard anything with sparkling beauty. This includes reflective or brightly shiny metals, gems and jewelry, magic items that glow or items that light up in some way. Such items are scattered about the innermost part of the lair, the sleeping chamber.

Fiery Breath
Dragons have a special internal organ which generates a flammable liquid. In combat, the dragon exhales forcefully and injects this flammable liquid into the air stream. A split second before this concoction is released, it is ignited by a spark generated when the dragon scrapes its horny tongue along a groove in the mouth. The stream ignites at a point just within the mouth. A dragon never burns itself since the inner tissue of the mouth is resistant to heat and the stream is directed outward.

A dragon exhales a stream of fire which blossoms into a cloud of flame at the target end. This cloud of flame will typically fill a volume of 10,000 cubic meters. That's enough to vaporize several buildings in one breath. This cloud will, of course, shape itself to the area it encounters, flowing along the ground, between stone walls, etc. It's usually enough to blow a wooden building to pieces. And even stone buildings tend to crack and break apart under repeated hits.

Dragon Scales
Dragon scales are likewise impressive. Each dragon has a unique set of scales. Like a fingerprint, no two dragons have identical scales. So, a scale can be used to identify a specific dragon. Dragon colors vary from dragon to dragon. Different body areas will also exhibit variations in coloring. Dragon scales found near lairs show that grey, black, green and red are the most common colors. White and blue scales have been found but are less common. Scale sizes vary depending on what part of the body they cover. The largest scales cover the breast and back. The smallest scales cover the head around the eyes and mouth. The former may reach 18 inches in length while the latter are about 6 inches long.

Dragon Immune System
Like the shark, the dragon has a remarkable immune system. They are immune to all disease, viruses, infections, toxins and poisons. This is partly because of the dragon's massive size. An average dose of poison is simply lost in the river of blood coursing through the dragon's circulatory system. Beyond this, the dragon has an aggressive immune system that purges a dragon of the most deadly diseases and poisons very rapidly.

Reproduction and Life Cycle
Dragons meet only when fighting each other for territory (a rare event) or mating. Female dragons enter heat once every 12 years and only mate if they find a male. Successfully breeding produced one to five eggs (on rare occasions, as many as eight). Only the female raises the young. Hatchling dragons fight each other for the first few months until only a few (usually three or less) are left. The victors eat the losers. This cannibalistic nest war insures that only the strong live to maturity. Young dragons live and hunt with the mother for the first three years (at which time they are typically about twice the size of a large horse) and then leave to fend for themselves.

Dragons mature quickly reaching full size in less than 15 years. It is not known exactly how long dragons live but is suspected to be between 300 and 600 years old.

Dragon Subspecies
Every individual dragon could be considered a variant. There is only one species of dragon. There are no subspecies. The cultured races of the world sometimes label dragons as "swamp dragons" or "desert dragons". This is, in part, due to the environment of the dragon’s chosen home and partly because of slight difference’s in appearance. The truth is that each individual in unique. Dragons vary slightly in size and shape. Some dragons are faster than others, while some have more effective breath weapons. Each dragon has a unique set of scales and has a particular color. Other variations may include horns, fins, bodily ridges and eye color. Dragons tend to chose their lairs in climates and terrain types that they are suited for. They also adopt certain characteristics based on their environment and adapt to their environment.

Dragon Lairs
Most dragons will create a permanent lair (a cavern or extinct volcano usually). These lairs often have several inner chambers. Each chamber (and the connecting tunnels) are enormous... usually much larger than the dragon to allow him to fly into and out of the lair. A dragon's lair always has more than one entrance. A band of would-be dragon slayers will not be able to trap a dragon in his lair. In fact, they may find the dragon double back through the tunnels and surprise them from behind.

A dragon will claim a vast area as its personal hunting ground. The exact size varies depending on the size and habits of the dragon - typically a 100 to 200 kilometer radius around the lair. Within this area, dragons have been known to hunt anything and everything. They have been known to attack caravans and villages on occasion, though this is rare and usually provoked. It is an established fact that dragons tend to avoid cities although it is not known why.

Behaviors
Dragons are known for their hot tampered, egotistical behavior, and their magnified behaviors. When they eat, they consume whole farms. When they sleep, they tend to hibernate for weeks at a time. When they fight, they reduce everything in the area to ash and crush the bones of opponents into powder. When they travel long distances, they fly higher, faster and farther than other creatures dream of.

Red Dragons
''The dragon's scaled hide shimmers in the sun like countless rubies. It's long neck is a graceful arc as its noble, ridged head takes in the surroundings. Its golden eyes gleam with great wisdom.''

Red dragons are associated with fire.

Description
Red dragons once ruled as lords over all dragonkind. This nobility is reflected in every aspect of a red dragon, from its proud demeanor to its aura — one that inspires awe. It is as debilitating as the terrifying presence that other dragons possess, except that it overwhelms with a beatific aura. Red dragons exemplify the serenity of life and nature. Legends hold that the earth is renewed wherever a red dragon walks upon the earth or burns the soil with its flaming breath. Although they use fire to protect and punish, the flames always give way to new life.

Combat
Red dragons are honorable and fight on even terms if battling honorable or worthy opponents. They will sacrifice their aerial advantage if they are met fairly on the ground. The red dragon's wrath, however, dispenses with honor when facing those they consider dishonorable — any evil creatures, as well as orcs. Such beings are to be expunged with every instinct and ability that red dragons possess. Red dragons prefer to use flame to entrap enemies and force them to difficult terrain, using their aeial advantage for greater mobility. They prefer to destroy an opposing force's leadership first, ruining its power structure and hopefully setting the younger or less experienced combatants to flight.

Green Dragons
A green dragon is the adult phase of a green dragon's lifecycle.

Green dragons are rare creatures, not often seen on the Physical Plane. They are creatures of dream and make their home on the plane of the Emerald Dream. This plane is not just a place of dream crafting, but an immense verdant realm of unspoiled paradise. Other flights often call greens "brothers and sisters of Dream" in respect to the realm from which they hail. The dragon has translucent, jewel-like scales that shine with a faint green light. Its eyes are glowing orbs of green-gold light, with no pupils or irises. Its sinuous and shining form flies through the air as if swimming through water. Green dragons have no enemies in the Emerald Dream, but they know that the world is not as lucky or as peaceful. They are capable of fighting, but choose not to if there is any option other than their own death. If conflict is unavoidable, they try to neutralize foes with their breath weapon and leave the area. Some consider green dragons to be pacifists or weaklings. Those who have roused a green to combat fast learn the error of this opinion. After all, dreams and nightmares are not so very different.

Description
Blue dragons are regal creatures, their posture and facial expressions expressing wisdom and intellect. They are creatures of ice and water, often found in cold regions and preferring to keep to themselves. They are studious, enjoying both literature and scholarly texts, and study any bit of knowledge or trivia that they come across. These dragons are best known for altering their forms and integrating into other societies in order to learn new technologies, spells, and crafts. Blue dragons are peaceful creatures, but very territorial. Once a blue dragon has claimed a certain territory, woe to any — even dragons of their own flight - who enter into that area without permission. The mighty dragon bursts from the frigid waters, its muscular form covered in glistening scales. It has patterned cobalt markings across its neck and upper body, and its wings fold almost invisibly against its sinuous body.

Combat
Blue dragons are not cruel beasts, preferring a quick kill for enemies and prey alike. They often use their abilities and spells from afar, camouflaging their approach in fog and other foul weather to gain the advantage of surprise. They are excellent tacticians and attempt to damage or disable any opposing spellcasters before they commit to a physical attack. Blue dragons prefer to fight from the air, using spells and breath weapons to their fullest. Even when an enemy is routed, blues seldom land, instead swooping overhead to further panic their prey. Blues do not land unless there is an immediate need or unless all opposition is destroyed.

Blue dragons are slim and regal, and the glow of intelligence shines brightly in their eyes. Blue dragons are no smaller than the average dragon, but they tend to be thin and sinuous in form. Most blues have scales the color of ice, but some have scales that resemble the sky or a type of gem. Some dragons are named or nicknamed after a gemstone type that their skin resembles. Many dragons also mark their scales with eldritch runes, which serve the same function as tattoos do for humanoids, as well as potentially having magical effects. Male and female blue dragons are nearly indistinguishable to most humanoids, but according to some ancient texts males tend to have straighter and thicker horns, while the female’s horns tend to look more rounded.

Bronze Dragon
Bronze dragons are smaller and more agile than dragons of the other flights, and they appear to be built for speed rather than stamina. Their bodies are thin and dexterous, with scales almost metallic in appearance. The quality of their scales is such that they are sometimes mistaken for constructs or detailed statuary. Bronze dragons are fastidious, keeping their mesh-like scales clean and shining at all times. The dragon is long and slender, its scales glinting with a metallic sheen. A spiky bone ridge runs down its back and forms a wicked point at the end of its tail. Its forms shimmers from golden yellow to rich orange in the sunlight as it darts through the air. Bronze dragons prefer to use their spell-like abilities and breath weapon to confuse and scatter enemies. Afterward, they approach foes singly, swooping from the air or fighting on the ground depending on which approach offers the best tactical advantage. Bronzes can also be very patient, watching from afar until a target lets down its guard.

Description
Most civilized races say that black dragons have a cruel, callous look to their serpentine faces. Black dragons do not shed individual scales, but rather molt once a year — usually by spending a week resting within a lava flow of an active volcano, which peels off and consumes their discarded skin. The skin of a black dragon nearing its molt grows dull and grey. Black dragons are large creatures that are carnivorous. They spend their time hunting, as well as watching the various wars around the world, and can often be found torturing prisoners, animals, or anything else unfortunate enough to fall into their care. A black dragon is a large, thickly-built creature with a massive chest and a long, sinuous neck. Its hide is a rich, lustrous black with large scales that are supple yet hard as rock. A crest made of peaked bone spikes runs from its head and down its back, and bristles when the great beast grows angry. Its fangs shine a coppery-red, and deep inside its mouth a constant sulpurous light emits a faint glow.

Combat
Although overconfident, black dragons are canny. On spotting a target, black dragons may make a snap decision to attack rather than following and considering the enemy party’s size or strength. Still, they will not land until all ranged fire has ended and the enemy seems routed. Black dragons will not remain committed to battle unless certain they can win or unless the enemy taunts them beyond the point of reason. They are not interested in material possessions and are more than willing to leave behind physical goods. They are drawn to prisoners, particularly nobles and children. If the situation seems desperate, a black dragon will flee with a prisoner in each clawed fist. Although they are not as large as some other dragonflights, they use daring and savage intellect to entrap and destroy their enemies. Black dragons prefer to flame their prey, trapping targets on dangerous ground before swooping in for the kill. They are vicious fighters and rarely retreat. They are most often encountered alone, as they are jealous of sharing kills with another. Still, families with a new clutch of drakes or a clutch of enslaved black dragons are not unknown.