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There can be no monster more synonymous withDungeons & Dragonsthan the dragon — it’s in the name after all. However, many players, especially new ones, don’t realize that dragons aren’t simply giant raging beasts. There’s a lot more to them than that, and many different types of dragons.
Broadly speaking dragons are typically divided into three major categories — Chromatic, Metallic, and Gem. to help you better understand all things draconic, we will be taking a deep dive into the variety you’re most likely to see as a player, and most likely to use as a Dungeon Master. The dangerous and fearsome Chromatic Dragons.
What Is A Chromatic Dragon?
For the truly uninitiated,a dragon is a massive lizard-like creaturewith protective scales and wings large enough to allow flight. They can breathe out an elemental attack, like fire, and are a tried and true enemy for adventurers across all of fantasy.
In Dungeons & Dragons,dragons are categorized first by the type of scales they have, then by the colour. WhileMetallic Dragons present things like gold, silver, or brass, sporting a metal sheen to their scales, Chromatic Dragons' scales don’t shine in the same way.
Other varieties of dragons exist, but are more rarely seen. Shadow Dragons, Lunar Dragons, Solar Dragons and even Time Dragons are all present across various editions of D&D.
Aside from appearance, the other reason for these broad categories is behavior. It isn’t a hard and fast rule but you could usually expect Metallic Dragons to be of a good-aligned nature, whileChromatic Dragons are almost always evil.
There arefive types of Chromatic Dragon-Red, Black, Blue, Green and White. Each one has their own behaviors, preferred habitats, associated element, and more. Although all are Chromatic Dragons, all are quite different from each other.
Chromatic Dragons of other colours have been featured in D&D before, but haven’t made much of an appearance in Fifth Edition. They includeBrown, Purple, Gray, Yellow, and Pink Dragons.
Where Did Chromatic Dragons Come From?
The true nature of dragons and their origins will depend on your personal game of D&D. If you’re in a world of your or your DM’s own creation thenit’s entirely up to you where dragons, Chromatic or otherwise, found their origin.
In official D&D settings, the answer isn’t always certain. When looking to Exandria, an officially supported setting from the folks at Critical Role,Chromatic Dragons were originally created by Tiamat, the multi-headed Tyrant Queen of Dragons.
Tiamat is a dragon god, usually depicted as a multi-headed creature,each head a different kind of Chromatic Dragon. She varies slightly between settings but is almost always evil, associated with the hells, and diametrically opposed to the good-aligned dragon god, Bahamut.
Elsewhere, in the flagship Forgotten Realms setting,there is not a consistently defined origin for dragons, let alone Chromatic Dragons specifically. One theory is that they resulted from the disaster known as the Tearfall.
The postulation is that the Tearfall caused such a dramatic climate change thatit enabled the ancestors of dragons to evolve, eventually leading to the distinct varieties like Chromatic and Metallic Dragons.
Another more exotic theory is thatmeteors rained down, only to be revealed as eggs. That idea is an exciting twist, making dragons alien creatures, but it provides no more insight into their actual origin point or what caused their eggs to be launched into space.
You canuse these ideas in your D&D game, but even if you’re playing in one of the official settings you can always change them to suit your own take on the creatures.The only canon that matters is the one you enforcein your own game.
What Are Red Dragons?
Red Dragons are often the kind most people will imaginewhen they think of a dragon, common across multiple forms of media. When you think of a dragon, you might think of the most famous Red Dragon in all of fantasy — Smaug from The Hobbit.
Smaug served as an inspiration for the Red Dragons in D&D. Just like Smaug, they are the most avaricious of dragon kind.They are the most interested in amassing and keeping a large hordeof riches by any means necessary.
They typically sleep on their enormous piles of coinsand are constantly looking for ways to increase the size of their horde. Coins are favoured, but gems, artwork, magic items, and more can all be of interest to a greedy Red Dragon.
Dragons have extremely long lifespans,sometimes reaching the age of several thousand years old. Across that time, if undisturbed, a dragon could amass a truly enormous treasure horde.
Red Dragons are also marked by their fiery tempers, quick to anger, and prone to rash decisions without forethought. Many a cunning adventurer has taken advantage of this to bait a Red Dragon into making a mistake.
Chromatic Dragons are often proud, but Reds take this to an extreme.They are exceedingly vain, believing entirely in their own perfection and superiority, another trait that can often be turned against them.
Red Dragons have one of the most famous features of all dragons,the ability to breathe fire. They can fly well out of reach of their targets with their wings, bathing them in fire using strafing run tactics normally associated with modern aircraft.
If able to defeat a Red Dragon you might find many uses for the body.Their scales can be used to make a hardy suit of armour, resistant to fire. Their blood is useful as a spell component in fire-based spells, while the meat is naturally spicy.
They prefer making their lairs in mountains, with volcanoes being especially sought-after locations for a Red Dragon to make their home. Wherever they nest,the region will change over time to reflect their fiery nature.
What Are Black Dragons?
All Chromatic Dragons are typically evil, but none more deliberately so than the Black Dragon. A Red Dragon, for example, performs evil deeds out of pride and greed, butBlack Dragons perform evil deeds because they find pleasure in doing so.
Black Dragons take delight in ruining the plans of others, forcing other creatures to bend to their will and watching civilizations crumble.Their motivation is the act of cruelty itself, although they are also motivated by amassing magical knowledge.
In versions of their origin where Chromatic Dragons were made by Tiamat, Black Dragons are singled out as the variety thattook her the longest to craft.
Black Dragons are oftenassociated with decay, residing in fetid swamps and putrid marshes. The dragon itself will often reek of death and rot, one of the ways you might become aware of its presence before it strikes.
They prefer tooperate as ambush predators, lurking under the surface of water in swamps before striking unexpectedly. Unlike Red Dragons, they don’t breathe fire, instead belching a horrid stream of corrosive acid. Your mileage may vary, but that could easily be worse than fire to be hit by.
What Are Blue Dragons?
Blue Dragons can typically be found residing in desert areas, often forming their areas in cave networks or buried ruins beneath the shifting sands.They take great pride in these lairsand prefer to stay within them whenever possible.
Of all the Chromatic Dragons to find yourself under the dominion of, Blue Dragons might be the best-case scenario.They appreciate order and structure, usually enforcing a hierarchy-based society with clear expectations and rules.
Blue Dragons aremore likely than other Chromatic Dragons to maintain connections with their parents and children, meaning that fighting one can often incur the ire of multiple other dragons.
They amass a treasure horde like all dragons do, but havea special appreciation for works of fine artand gemstones. This can make them more selective than others, taking the approach of a curator over their collection.
Also known as Storm Dragons, areas where Blue Dragons make their home are often wracked by severe thunderstorms and harsh winds. Eventheir breath weapon is an intense and focused beam of crackling lightning.
What Are Green Dragons?
If a Green Dragon is present in your D&D campaign, you may never even know it. They arethe most deceptive and elusive of their kind, delighting in manipulation and trickery over direct confrontation.
A Green Dragon is more likely to utilize diplomacy than other Chromatic Dragons are, either genuinely or as a feint before they strike.They are conspiratorial and take a special interest in corrupting creatures of an otherwise good nature, so beware of trusting them.
The horns of Green Dragons can be used to craft magical wands, serving especially well to make a Wand of Stinking Cloud.
Forest dwellers by nature they, not unlike the Blue, take great pride in their lairs. They care for and cultivate it and the surrounding lands, viewing it almost like a private garden. It can be almost impossible to navigate for adventurers,forming confusing mazes from plant life.
Their breath weapon might be the least visually impressive, but it fits their nature.Green Dragons spew forth poisonous gas, no less deadly than the more flashy fire or lightning attacks of some of their Chromatic cousins.
What Are White Dragons?
Some Chromatic Dragons, like the Green, can be highly intelligent and long-term planners. That isn’t the case with White Dragons, in fact, almost the direct opposite is true. White Dragons are themost bestial of all dragons.
They are hunters first and foremost, motivated by the pursuit of prey. They might seek dangerous prey, an especially elusive one, or even the rare or unusual. They have the features of other Chromatics like pride and greed butare predators above all.
White Dragonsunleash arctic blasts as their breath weapon, often freezing their prey solid. They will then take the icy statue back to their lair and display it along with their other victories, a collection of frozen but still-living triumphs.
Kobolds will often serve Chromatic Dragons, forming societies within and around their lairs. White Dragons are known to use their icy breath to form slides and slopes,creating slippery obstacle courses for the Kobolds to attempt.
They reside insnow-capped peaks or icy tundra, allowing their white scales to help them blend in, but anywhere they reside shifts to their nature. Snowstorms and freezing temperatures become the norm for miles around.
Without the high intelligence of other dragons, White Dragons exhibit some odd behaviors. They form ice walls throughout their lair to protect it butthen smash through these wallsif they need to get to the area they’ve blocked. Not exactly the most elegant solution.
Do Chromatic Dragons Work Together?
Typically, Chromatic Dragons of different types are almost never seen together.They view each other as threats and rivals, with no desire to even communicate. If they don’t avoid one another entirely, Chromatic Dragons of different colours will fight to the death.
Chromatic Dragons of the same colour also rarely interact. Under normal circumstances, they only seek each other out to reproduce. Even as parents they will usuallysend their young out into the world to become independent as early as possible.
Exceptions do occur, of course — it isn’t completely unheard of for Chromatic Dragons to cooperate for a larger goal, even ones of different colours. The most common reason for this would be to carry outthe will of their shared god, Tiamat.
