How do the mindsets of red dragons and gold dragons differ? Where do they prefer to build their lairs, and what allies do they favor? This chapter, intended for the Dungeon Master, explores the answers to many such questions. It explores in depth twenty kinds of dragons, organized alphabetically:
Fizban addresses a council of metallic dragons on a matter of crucial importance, probably unrelated to baked goods
For each dragon's entry in this chapter, you'll find information about crafting personalities, inspiration for building adventures, details about lairs, and ideas about the kinds of treasures that dragon favors. Scattered throughout are maps of dragon lairs you can plunder for your adventures.
Use the tables in this section in conjunction with "Roleplaying Dragons" inย chapter 3ย to craft distinctive dragon characters. Most of the personality traits and ideals align with the general nature of the dragons, but the tables also include examples of atypical dragons.
For dragons who do not have spellcasting ability, this section also includes suggested spells to give a dragon if you want it to be a spellcaster. A table shows the spells a typical dragon knows, along with the spell save DC for those spells. The dragon can cast each listed spell once per day, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability.
Building on "Dragon Adventures" inย chapter 3, this section starts with a collection of adventure hooks that might bring characters into contact with a dragon of a particular kind, whether in conflict or as an ally or patron. Then, additional tables explore the relationships each kind of dragon has to other creatures of a similar challenge rating in their preferred environment. Use these tables to inspire adventures that feature dragons dwelling alongside other creatures, either as enemies or as allies.
This section expands on "Dragon Lairs" inย chapter 4. If there is a map of a sample lair for a dragon of that kind, it is accompanied by discussion of the lair's important features. Many of these sections also describe additional lair actions a dragon can use to exploit the lair's features, as well as additional regional effects that might alter the landscape surrounding the lair.
You can adjust the scale on the lair maps to suit the needs of the dragon lairing there. If you use these maps for a wyrmling's lair, you might set the scale to 5 feet per square, but for an ancient dragon or a greatwyrm, you might need to go as high as 20 feet per square to give the dragon room to move.
Each entry ends with a discussion of the kinds of treasures the dragon favors, including a table of art objects you can use to expand on the information in "What's in a Hoard?" inย chapter 4. The items shown on these tables can represent art objects of any value, depending on their materials, quality, and history. For example, a small bronze bust might be worth 25 gp, while a large bust crafted from platinum and emeralds could be worth 7,500 gp.
Sidebars throughout this chapter highlight famous dragons of different kinds. Many of these legendary dragons are almost godlike in stature, known and respected on multiple worlds across the Material Plane.