This chapter is intended for the Dungeon Master. The ideas and tables herein can help inspire you as you prepare to use dragons in your D&D game, whether you're building a single climactic encounter or planning a whole campaign around these marvelous creatures. The material here builds on what's in the Dungeon Master's Guide and the "Dragons" section of the Monster Manual. It's divided into five main sections:
"Roleplaying Dragons" presents tips and tricks for building a dragon character as complex and distinctive as any other villain, ally, or mysterious figure in your campaign. It includes tables to help you craft dragon personalities, as well as discussions of dragon aging, reproduction, and death; dragons' relationship to undeath and religion; and draconic shape-shifting and organizations.
"Followers" explores the relationships between dragons and the various creatures that might serve their interests.
"Dragon Encounters" offers suggestions for building encounters that feature dragons, whether you want such an encounter to be the climax of an adventure or an obstacle in a larger narrative.
"Dragon Adventures" looks at the different roles a dragon can play in an adventure's story.
"Dragon Campaigns" talks about building worlds and campaign story arcs that put dragons at the forefront of history and at the center of the characters' lives and adventuring ambitions.
In his guise as Fizban the Fabulous, Bahamut helps two unlikely heroes escape the wrath of the red dragon Pyros
“To portray a convincing human, one must embody greed, selfishness, and vigilance. To portray a convincing dragon, one must relax.”
— Fizban
Dragons are complex creatures with varied personalities, goals, priorities, and mannerisms. In that respect, they're much like mortal folk—but dragons are also shaped by their specifically draconic characteristics, including incredibly long life spans, fundamentally magical biology, and the sheer enormity of their power.
The Dungeon Master's Guide includes a series of tables and guidelines designed to help you craft NPCs. This section presents alternatives to those tables, helping you transform a dragon from a stat block and a basic description into a full-fledged character in your campaign.
In chapter 5 of this book, you'll find additional tables of personality traits and ideals that are customized to various kinds of dragons.
| d20 | Appearance |
|---|---|
| 1 | Draconic letters or symbols engraved on prominent scales |
| 2 | Large scar |
| 3 | One eye missing or milky |
| 4 | Crooked teeth |
| 5 | Notably overweight or underweight |
| 6 | Elongated, sinuous body |
| 7 | Shortened, stocky body |
| 8 | Coins or gems embedded in hide |
| 9 | Sculpted horns or claws |
| 10 | Rings piercing crest or wing edges |
| 11 | Draped in some semblance of clothing, from a stole to a full robe |
| 12 | Unusual coloration (for example, a red dragon with an orange, brown, or purple cast) |
| 13 | Crouched, predatory posture like a stalking cat's |
| 14 | Erect, almost bipedal posture |
| 15 | Scales covered with painted handprints of minions, admirers, or children |
| 16 | Necklaces made of bones, horns, claws, or teeth taken from enemies |
| 17 | Extra horns or spines |
| 18 | Elongated, fang-like teeth, or extra rows of teeth |
| 19 | Sharpened or serrated scales |
| 20 | Elemental energy matching the dragon's breath weapon, seeping out between the scales |
Dragons of the same kind can vary widely in shape, size, color, and ornamentation
| d20 | Mannerism |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rotates head from side to side when listening or speaking |
| 2 | Tail writhes constantly in a snakelike fashion |
| 3 | Slowly and constantly fans wings |
| 4 | Lowers head to speak eye-to-eye to smaller creatures—unless angry |
| 5 | Uses Draconic words and phrases even when speaking other languages |
| 6 | Punctuates speech with bestial sounds—growls, roars, croaks, chirps, or whistles |
| 7 | Fiddles with tip of tail |
| 8 | Absently chews on or picks at teeth with swords, spears, or lances |
| 9 | Quickly forgets names and invents random nicknames instead |
| 10 | Burdens conversation with extensive historical context, whether or not it's relevant |
| 11 | Constantly twitches tail—and occasionally pounces on it |
| 12 | Speaks an archaic form of Common (equivalent to Shakespearean English) and doesn't understand contemporary slang and idioms |
| 13 | Prone to uttering terrifying, guttural sounds, which are actually laughter |
| 14 | Enjoys mimicking Humanoid voices |
| 15 | Dismisses modern cultures as historical curiosities sure to collapse imminently |
| 16 | Has trouble discerning details of anything as small as Humanoids |
| 17 | Sharpens claws or horns on nearby stone surfaces |
| 18 | Manifests small signs of the breath weapon, such as exhaling smoke rings, setting arc lightning dancing over teeth, or blowing acid bubbles |
| 19 | Sighs restlessly, giving an impression of tremendous boredom |
| 20 | Deeply suspicious, treating all Humanoids encountered as probable agents of a rival dragon |
| d10 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I treasure one particular item in my hoard—a gift from a person I loved, who is long since dead. |
| 2 | I am close to my siblings, whose lairs are nearby. I would go to great lengths to protect them—or avenge them. |
| 3 | A nearby person intrigues me with fascinating questions and bizarre ideas. |
| 4 | I collect information about the worlds of the Material Plane, and I would love to visit another world someday. |
| 5 | I am devoted to Bahamut or Tiamat and put their interests ahead of my own. |
| 6 | I'm determined to destroy the adventurers who slew my parent—and everyone connected to them. |
| 7 | I'm obsessed with attracting the attention of another dragon. |
| 8 | I feel an obligation to protect the creatures that inhabit my territory (except the ones I eat). |
| 9 | I am trying to collect an extremely rare set of priceless treasures. |
| 10 | I won't rest until I retrieve an item stolen from my hoard. |
| d10 | Flaw or Secret |
|---|---|
| 1 | I find adventurers fearsome, and I'm convinced that I'll meet my doom at their hands one day. |
| 2 | One item in my possession is worth as much as the rest of my hoard combined, and the fear that it might be stolen consumes me. |
| 3 | Given the opportunity, I eat to excess and then fall into a long, deep sleep. |
| 4 | I would rather let my fearsome reputation scare away intruders than fight them off. |
| 5 | Other dragons would scorn me if they knew how fondly I regard my minions. They're so cute! |
| 6 | I am terrified of creatures from the Outer Planes—especially modrons. |
| 7 | Another dragon has sworn to find and destroy me. |
| 8 | Humanoids are not ready to learn the horrible cosmic truths in the books in my hoard. |
| 9 | The prospect of living for centuries more exhausts me. |
| 10 | I'm convinced that a version of me on a different world in the Material Plane is hoping to destroy me and steal my hoard. |