Shadow dragons inhabit places connected to shadowy realms, nations beset by constant war, and lands befouled by pollution and decay. They are neither conquerors nor despoilers. Rather, they are symptoms, signs that the soul of their land has succumbed to blight.

Life of Death. Shadow dragons begin as other essence dragons, but when their land is stricken with evil, they become insubstantial versions of their former selves. The shadow dragons of war-torn lands often bear countless open wounds; pollution and plague marks a dragon with gangrenous flesh and weeping sores; and dragons whose lands have become cursed appear gaunt and often fall into madness. Over time, a shadow dragon loses all traces of its former nature.

Linked to great, coursing rivers, these essence dragons embody the reckless, ever-changing power of water itself. Like a streak of quicksilver or a pennant fluttering in the wind, a river dragon is always moving, running an endless circuit from the river’s source to the ocean and back again. Like the rivers they exemplify, these dragons are fickle things. A ship or passerby that catches the attention of a river dragon might find fortune or ruin, depending on the fleeting whims of the river.

The Serpent Eats Its Tail. While the oldest river dragons have grown complacent in their wide, meandering rivers, most river dragons are on constant watch for competition. River dragon wyrmlings rule over tributaries and must pay proper respect to their parent rivers, at least until they grow strong enough to challenge them.

Gods of the Waterway. Those who fish along the river’s edge sometimes spot disporting river dragons, giving rise to legends of river gods. River dragons treated as gods are usually flattered by such honors, and may take efforts to ensure bountiful catches. Those regarded as monsters are often equally amused, and work to keep their fearsome
legend alive by devouring the occasional lone angler.

Inexorably tied to monuments of rock and stone, earth dragons share the quiet patience and the harsh indifference of the land itself. Most earth dragons are slow to action, and even slower to anger. All things pass, and the rise and fall of civilizations are like the flowers, beautiful in their time but not to last. Only threats to their bonded lands are given  consideration—but when roused to anger, earth dragons devastate their enemies like a landslide.

Slumbering Peaks. Earth dragons of jagged peaks grow sharp scales, while the scales of desert dragons look more like those of serpents. When still, earth dragons blend in perfectly with their environment. They might spend days or weeks slumbering between meals, leading many travelers to mistake them for natural stone outcroppings. Some dragons move so infrequently that they become landmarks, outdating maps on the rare occasions that they rise from their perches.

Mountain Kings. Except when defending their home, earth dragons are largely indifferent to other creatures. Rarely, earth dragons come to regard the little villages atop their mountains as inherent features of their land. In such cases, these settlements offer tribute (usually precious stones) to their draconic protector. Living sacrifices are sometimes offered, as well—usually beasts of burden, although more significant sacrifices must be made to appease the arrogant and wrathful earth dragons of volcanoes.

Whereas chromatic dragons reshape the land and metallic dragons cultivate it, essence dragons embody the land. Every essence dragon reflects the nature of its home; ancient mountain ranges, great rivers, and even accursed wastelands all have their draconic counterparts.

Patron Spirits. Essence dragons are bound to their chosen lands, and their power waxes and wanes with its strength. If a river dries up, its dragon may die; as necrotic power corrupts a valley, its dragon may transform into a shadow dragon .

Some essence dragons are guardians of their lands’ inhabitants. In such places, villages pay reverence to the wisdom of their earth dragon or the blessings of their river dragon . In less hospitable environments, essence dragons are as indifferent to mortals as the land itself.

Essence dragons bolster the vitality of the place they’re bound to, but they also present a vulnerability. When an essence dragon is killed, its land dies with it. Forests wither, rivers give way to mire, and mountains erupt with the fury of the dragon’s death throes.

Eternal Souls. Like all dragons, essence dragons are long-lived but not immortal. However, when an essence dragon succumbs to old age, a wyrmling hatches from a long-buried egg. This reborn dragon is heir to the hazy memories of its parent’s past, as well as to the land itself.

Essence Link. The essence dragon is spiritually linked to a specific area or landmark. The dragon gains no benefit from a long rest when more than 1 mile away from its linked area. If the dragon dies, the area it is linked to loses its vital essence until it forms a new essence dragon, which can take centuries. When a creature first enters an area that has lost its vital essence in this way, they gain a level of fatigue and a level of strife . This fatigue and strife can be removed only by completing a long rest outside the area.

Although the smallest of chromatic dragons, white dragons are also the most vicious. They find the presence of other creatures loathsome and slay those who enter their frozen domain.

Frozen Solitude. White dragons gravitate toward the cold, deserted lands at the edges of the world. They enjoy the solitude and purity of their icy homes. Most white dragons consider any intrusion into their territory an affront. Quick to anger and careless of its own wounds, a white dragon’s fury can drive off even larger dragons.

While white dragons prefer to be alone, they occasionally tolerate servants who remain quiet and stay out of sight. The dour frost giants and cowed kobolds that serve a white dragon know better than to call attention to themselves, especially when their master is hungry.

Icy Fastness. A white dragon’s territory slowly transforms into a frozen wasteland and eventually becomes the eye of a permanent winter storm. The largest white dragons have ambitions to extend their realms further, freezing the entire world.

The most arrogant of all dragons, red dragons believe themselves the rulers of dragons and lesser creatures alike. They brook no disobedience and incinerate any who dare oppose them.

Rulers of the World. Red dragons believe their might is unsurpassed by mortal creatures. The very existence of gold dragons, their closest rivals, enrages
them, causing them to attack gold dragons on sight. All other creatures must either serve them or be eaten.

Red dragons make their lairs atop the highest mountain peaks, where they can look down upon their domains. They consider everything within sight to be their property, and the sky their domain alone. They keep a watchful eye for rival dragons or other flying creatures, which must be driven to the earth or destroyed.

Among themselves, red dragons are hierarchical. They grudgingly accept the dominance of larger dragons, and demand fealty from smaller ones. Two red dragons of similar age will clash until one crawls away, its wings torn and its hoard plundered.

Treasure Hoarders. Red dragons are greedy even by draconic standards. They believe every gemstone and scrap of precious metal belongs in their lair. To red dragons, no tribute is too great, and the crime of holding back wealth is a capital one.

Fiery Infernos. A red dragon’s peak inevitably becomes volcanically active. Inside its cavernous lair, the dragon may sleep on an island surrounded by magma or ride updrafts of sulphurous gases. When a red dragon becomes enraged, the volcano erupts.

Green dragons enjoy a reputation as cunning schemers who relish twisting the minds of their prey. Green dragons rarely attack without warning: they enjoy combat more when it’s preceded by the frisson of deceit and fear.

Beguiling Words. Conversing with a green dragon is a mistake. Many find the dragon’s words, an artful mixt of lies and half-truths, nearly irresistible. A creature charmed by a green dragon may reveal closely-held secrets and betray friendships. If a creature appears useful, the dragon will let it go, but the creature’s behavior may be influenced by the dragon’s subtle prompts long after its escape.

Prisoners and Minions. Most green dragons collect interesting prisoners: minstrels to soothe it, nobles to charm and subvert, and knights and warriors to torment with terror and lies. A green dragon values its stable of prisoners almost as much as its actual treasure hoard.

Only slightly less precious than its prisoners are the dragon’s many minions: the kobolds and other monsters that guard its lair, the forest creatures that report to it, and the agents throughout the world that are bound to it by charms, bribes, or threats.

Playing Politics. Unlike most chromatic dragons, green dragons are intensely interested in humanoid politics. Many a mysterious assassination was funded with wealth from a green dragon’s hoard. Green dragons sometimes even orchestrate conflicts between two rival factions, favoring the side that it believes to be the most venal and destructive.

Enemies of Civilization. A green dragon finds cruel amusement in its schemes, but in the long term its meddling has a more sinister purpose: by sowing discord among the humanoids that rule more settled lands, the dragon weakens those who might stand against a draconic conqueror.

A blue dragon soars overhead, nearly invisible against the cloudless sky. It spies a wagon far below and dives to breathe lightning on its unsuspecting prey. The wagon’s riders are felled by a bolt from the blue.

Careful Attackers. While not cowardly, blue dragons don’t relish physical combat. A blue dragon’s lightning breath has the longest range of any chromatic dragon’s breath weapon, and it uses that advantage against prey, humanoid foes, and draconic rivals. It strikes its target from extreme long range, flies away, and returns later to devour its prey or to finish the job with another lightning bolt. Even in melee combat, blue dragons are more dispassionate than many of their fellow dragons, breaking off and retreating whenever there is nothing to be gained from further battle.

Voracious Appetites. Blue dragons don’t bear the rage of a red dragon or the malice of a black dragon. What they possess instead is an all-consuming hunger and thirst. A blue dragon spends most of its time on the hunt, gorging itself on every living thing it can catch or guzzling vast quantities of water.

A blue dragon’s presence magically warps its surroundings. Water flows, even uphill, towards the dragon’s place of rest. The land dries out for miles as water and life collect around the dragon’s lair, forming a paradisiacal oasis. Attracted by the smell of water, thirsty animals make their way to the lair—and in doing so become prey to the dragon.

Of all the chromatic dragons, the blue dragon wreaks the longest-lasting damage to its environment. Long after a blue dragon has died or departed, its land remains a wasteland marked by a single, vibrant oasis.

Named after their brightly-scaled hides, chromatic dragons can be found from the highest peaks to the thickest salt marshes. Chromatic dragons are the most common—as well as the most rapacious—of true dragons. They exert their will on the world via their peerless combat strength and by wreaking changes on their environments.

Twisted Lairs. A chromatic dragon is greedy even by draconic standards. Treasure, once acquired, is guarded carefully. A chromatic dragon makes its lair in a punishing, nearly inaccessible, location filled with traps and treacherous precipices. The dragon values worshipful allies, particularly kobolds and dragonborn , that can help patrol its lands and guard its lair against thieves.

The area around a chromatic dragon’s lair slowly comes to reflect the dragon’s nature. A black dragon’s territory becomes an acidic swamp, while the plants around a blue dragon’s lair wither as the land becomes parched. What’s worse, chromatic dragons are driven by boundless hunger, and most take no pains to preserve life within their hunting areas. Once the dragon has exhausted the land of prey, it may move on to a new lair.

The area controlled and twisted by a dragon increases as the dragon ages. While a wyrmling may have no established domain, a young dragon controls an area within a mile radius of its lair. Inside that area, the environment slowly changes to suit the dragon. An adult dragon magically corrupts a radius of five to 10 miles around its lair, while an ancient dragon might create a poisoned forest, a lifeless tundra, or other hostile environment that extends out 30 miles or more. A great wyrm, during its few waking periods, might create environmental conditions that devastate an entire continent.

Dynastic Struggles. In a time long past, dragons claimed a mighty, if short-lived, empire. Nowadays, most dragons are solitary creatures that see other dragons as potential threats. In the last few centuries, however, some chromatic dragons have rediscovered the value of cooperation. Such dragon clans may come to rule nations or even empires, demanding tribute and military service from the humanoids they rule. Elder dragons govern as monarchs, while younger ones claw their way up the ladder of command amidst a climate of intrigue, backstabbing, and duels to the death. Such an empire, if left unchecked, could pose a threat to the freedom of the entire world—and the treasure it amassed
could be truly staggering.

Named after their brightly-scaled hides, chromatic dragons can be found from the highest peaks to the thickest salt marshes. Chromatic dragons are the most common—as well as the most rapacious—of true dragons. They exert their will on the world via their peerless combat strength and by wreaking changes on their environments.

Twisted Lairs. A chromatic dragon is greedy even by draconic standards. Treasure, once acquired, is guarded carefully. A chromatic dragon makes its lair in a punishing, nearly inaccessible, location filled with traps and treacherous precipices. The dragon values worshipful allies, particularly kobolds and dragonborn , that can help patrol its lands and guard its lair against thieves.

The area around a chromatic dragon’s lair slowly comes to reflect the dragon’s nature. A black dragon’s territory becomes an acidic swamp, while the plants around a blue dragon’s lair wither as the land becomes parched. What’s worse, chromatic dragons are driven by boundless hunger, and most take no pains to preserve life within their hunting areas. Once the dragon has exhausted the land of prey, it may move on to a new lair.

The area controlled and twisted by a dragon increases as the dragon ages. While a wyrmling may have no established domain, a young dragon controls an area within a mile radius of its lair. Inside that area, the environment slowly changes to suit the dragon. An adult dragon magically corrupts a radius of five to 10 miles around its lair, while an ancient dragon might create a poisoned forest, a lifeless tundra, or other hostile environment that extends out 30 miles or more. A great wyrm, during its few waking periods, might create environmental conditions that devastate an entire continent.

Dynastic Struggles. In a time long past, dragons claimed a mighty, if short-lived, empire. Nowadays, most dragons are solitary creatures that see other dragons as potential threats. In the last few centuries, however, some chromatic dragons have rediscovered the value of cooperation. Such dragon clans may come to rule nations or even empires, demanding tribute and military service from the humanoids they rule. Elder dragons govern as monarchs, while younger ones claw their way up the ladder of command amidst a climate of intrigue, backstabbing, and duels to the death. Such an empire, if left unchecked, could pose a threat to the freedom of the entire world—and the treasure it amassed
could be truly staggering.