Dragons are winged, scaled creatures that resemble immense reptiles. They are innately magicalings of great strength and cunning. True dragons (as opposed to other draconic creatures, such as yverns and faerie dragons) can grow to immense size and venerable age, breathing gouts of destructive energy on any who challenge their dominion. The mightiest dragons command power unrivaled by any mortal creature.

    Greedy Tyrants. Nearly all dragons are acquisitive and arrogant, seeing themselves as the rulers of their hunting grounds. They value gold and treasure, as a mighty hoard represents the dragon’s ability to take wealth from others while paying tribute to none in return. Beyond this, a dragon’s motivations and attitudes are as varied as those of other despots. Some delight in cruelty and death, while others fraternize with and even champion humanoids and other smaller folk. Still others give little thought to non-dragons, except as sources of food and treasure — or as potential thieves to be destroyed.

    Draconic Ages. Dragons hatch from eggs and grow larger and stronger as they age. The youngest dragons, called wyrmlings, are 5 years old or younger and grow to Medium size. Young dragons are Large in size; a dragon’s youth can last 100 years. Huge adult dragons can be up to 800 years old. Ancient dragons are Gargantuan in size and can live to be as old as 1,200 years. Though long-lived, dragons are mortal creatures. A very few, however, amass such power that they live far beyond their natural lifespans. These mighty creatures are called great wyrms. They may spend centuries rowsing in their lairs, but when they arise, they topple kingdoms and wreak cataclysms.

    Combat While individual dragons have their own personalities and tactics, most rely heavily on their breath weapons. They use them whenever they can, preferably from maximum distance and while flying above their enemies. When fighting in the open, dragons often circle above their enemies as they wait for their breath weapons to recharge. They only close to melee if their enemies deal significant damage with ranged attacks, or if they can savage an enemy cut off from its allies. Once bloodied, dragons become more aggressive, attacking with bite and claws when their breath weapons aren’t available. If a dragon is protecting its lair, it utilizes lair features, traps, allies, and architecture such as escape tunnels to keep up a hit-and-run fight, reappearing only when it has a fully-recharged breath weapon. If the dragon is forced into melee combat, it uses its bite and claws against a single foe. If it has legendary actions like Roar and Wing Attack, it uses them to disperse its other enemies. If reduced to less than one-fourth its hit points while fighting in the open, a dragon flies away. However, it fights to the death to defend its lair, unless it can regain the upper hand through tricks or bargains.