Dragon Player Characters

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Dragon

Player Characters

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For use with the 5th Edition

of the world¡¯s greatest roleplaying game

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Dragon Player Characters!

v1.0!

? 2015 William J. Scott III!

Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike

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Public Domain. Alphabet by Peter Behrens, 1908.!

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Public Domain. From St. George and the Dragon by Flora Annie Steel, 1927.!

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Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoncommercialShare Alike 3.0 License.

RAGONS ARE AMONG THE

most powerful, magical, and

frightening creatures in all of

fantasy. They are so

emblematic of the genre that

the creators of the game put

them right in the name! And

modern fiction is full of all sorts of dragons ¡ª

dragons as sidekicks and mounts, friendly

dragons as protectors and companions, and the

occasional scheming dragon antihero. So why not

allow dragons as player characters?!

!

Game balance. Dragons are powerful, and it

can cause problems in a gaming group if one

member of the group is SO much stronger than

the others that they overshadow the rest of the

players.!

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Fortunately, 5th Edition has made great

strides in making sure that all characters have

clear ways of dealing damage in combat,

withstanding enemy attacks, and interacting with

the world. By spreading out the dragon¡¯s

awesome powers across 20 levels, it should be

possible to create dragon PCs that are ¡°close

enough¡± to the other PCs to allow for a mixed

group of dragons and non-dragons. Thus,

these rules present dragons as a

combination of a race, a background,

and a class. Someone playing a dragon

PC will select all three of these when

building their dragon character.!

POWERFUL BENEFITS

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Let¡¯s look at some of the more

problematic abilities that these dragons get.!

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Dragon Type. This renders the dragon

immune to such spells and effects as charm person,

hold person, and dominate person. Although these

effects don¡¯t come up especially often in most

campaigns, when they do, the dragon will be

completely immune to them, while the rest of the

party may be languishing with failed saving

throws.!

!

Fly Speed. A 60 foot flying speed at 1st level

can really circumvent many low-level dungeon

challenges, such as anything involving pits or

climbing or jumping. It¡¯s also tremendously

useful in battle; the dragon begins the game faster

than a high-level monk.!

!

Frightful Presence. This ability may not look

like much, but when used against a large number

of weaker enemies, the ongoing disadvantage and

movement restrictions can quickly turn the tide of

battle.!

!

Spell-Like and Physical Attacks. A dragon¡¯s

breath weapon resembles an area-effect spell and

by itself is no better than what low-level spell

casters have available. Likewise, the dragon¡¯s

natural weapons and armor are roughly the

equivalent of a great-weapon fighter. (Even at

higher levels; the dragon¡¯s high maximum

Strength score helps make up for lack of fighting

style, rage, smite, superiority dice, etc.) However,

put the two together, and add Frightful Presence,

and you have a PC who can hold the line like a

fighter and also wipe out crowds of minions like a

spell caster.!

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Center of Attention. There¡¯s just something

awesome about dragons. Even if they were

mathematically underpowered, some players

would still choose to play them, and many

players and NPCs would pay closer attention to

what a dragon does than they would an ordinary

PC.!

INCONVENIENT DRAWBACKS

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Dragons are mighty and

should feel that way in play.

However, they also come with a

number of subtle drawbacks.!

! Size. Dragons are Large size, which

may make it difficult for them to

squeeze into small indoor dungeons,

palaces, or shops. They also weigh a lot and need

to eat a considerable amount. Destruction follows

where-ever a dragon goes simply because they

are big and need to eat so much.!

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No tools. Dragons have trouble using tools

and weapons, which limits their career options

somewhat. It also makes it much more difficult

for them to find magic items that increase their

attack, damage, or AC. (Their class Strength

bonuses and maximum Strength score are meant

to compensate for this, in part. If your campaign

features few or no magic weapons and armor, you

may wish to limit the dragon¡¯s Maximum

Strength to 22, or 24 for those with the Apex

Predator archetype.)

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!

Reputation. Although being a fire-breathing

monster has its upside, most ordinary non-dragon

folk are just afraid of you, or at least mistrusting.

The ones that aren¡¯t afraid have an annoying

tendency to try to kill you and take your stuff.!

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So can you integrate a dragon PC into a

gaming group without stepping on everybody¡¯s

toes? I think so. As long as you keep these

potential issues in mind, and make sure all the

PCs have ample time to shine.!

HOW TO USE THESE RULES

These rules allow players to build dragons as

player characters. Unlike other races, dragons are

so powerful that their abilities are spread out over

the course of 20 levels ¡ª dragon is both a race and

a class.!

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To create 1st level dragon character, start by

taking the dragon racial traits, the wyrmling

background, and 1 level of the dragon class.!

OPTION: DRAGON MULTICLASSING

The DM can allow dragons to multiclass, taking

levels in other classes. You could even allow a

dragon to take the dragon racial traits but NOT

the dragon class, instead taking their first level in

some other class.!

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This can lead to some surprising synergies;

for example, two levels of the dragon class lets

you deal 2d6 damage with your unarmed strikes,

which is incredibly powerful for monks. Also, the

dragon racial traits are much stronger than other

races, on the assumption they will be forced to

take the dragon class, which is (at low levels) a bit

weaker than many other classes.!

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If multiclassing is allowed, the DM should

consider requiring dragon characters to take at

least 5 levels of the dragon class before they are

allowed to multiclass.!

MULTICLASS DRAGONS

Ability Score Prerequisites. Strength 17,

Constitution 13, Charisma 13!

Proficiencies Gained. Unarmed strike!

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DRAGON CHARACTERS

A proud bronze dragon, bristling and ready to

fight, leaps into the air. Bearing a paladin rider

aloft, the two of them speed towards the invading

demons, prepared to emerge victorious or die.!

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The forest stirs, trees straining, as the great

green dragon flies overhead. In its wake, it leaves

a trail of dead enemies, choking on the vile

corruption that blossoms around them.!

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A mysterious stranger offers to aid a group of

adventurers, joining them for a time on their

journeys. Is she a sorcerer? A warlock? Or

something else entirely?!

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Dragons run the gamut of protagonists,

villains, and everything in between. Whether they

are subtle schemers, ferocious brutes, lofty

idealists, or just in it for the treasure, a dragon can

be a tremendous asset to any adventuring party.!

POWER, PERSONIFIED

Every culture has its own mythology of dragons

¡ª terrifying serpentine monsters that trigger

some of humankind¡¯s oldest and most primitive

fears. Modern tales of dragons depict no savage

predators, however. Massive, armored, and

ferocious, dragons are also keenly intelligent,

long-lived, and magical. They lead lesser

monsters, breathe elemental destruction upon

those who displease them, and even demand

sacrifices from mere mortals.!

!

These are the traits of power, in all its forms.

Even the dragon¡¯s hoarding of wealth is a

representation of a form of power. From a human

perspective, dragons are the pinnacle of evolution

and the supreme creatures on the material plane.!

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Dragons agree with this assessment.!

CHROMATIC AND METALLIC

Myriad dragons inhabit the world, from the lung

dragons of the far east to the dragon turtles of the

vast oceans. But ten species in particular stand

out: the so-called ¡°true dragons.¡±!

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The benevolent metallic dragons see

themselves as stewards or shepherds, using their

might to protect and enlighten lower creatures.

Many are curious about humanoids and fond of

traveling, and they are more likely to take a direct

interest in the magical arts. Despite their kindhearted nature, they are still dragons, proud and

miserly. Metallic dragons can get along well with

others and make good player characters.!

!

Chromatic dragons are almost

universally evil; their greed and malice

outmatched only by the foulest of fiends.

These are the fearsome villains that

terrorize the countryside, slaying for

sport and seizing whatever treasures

they find.!

!

And yet, there are exceptions;

occasionally a chromatic dragon

may turn towards the path of

good. Some may have a

bit of metallic blood in

their ancestry, others

perhaps had a lifealtering experience

in their youth, or

even a religious

conversion. These chromatic

dragons face a constant struggle against both

their own dark nature and the rightfully-placed

prejudice of humanoids everywhere. Such a

dragon would be wise to join a band of

adventurer.!

LEGENDS AND LAIRS

Dragons are typically monsters, residing in wellguarded lairs, waiting for the PCs to come and

slay them for treasure. Yet, there are plenty of

tales of dragons taking an active role in the wider

world, becoming adventurers themselves.!

!

A silver dragon might assume the form of a

wood elf to aid in a war against evil dragons. A

young gold dragon may travel the world in the

guise of an old man, meting out justice. A green

dragon may be an agent for a local thieves¡¯ guild

¡ª hoping in time to assume control of the whole

operation.!

CREATING A DRAGON CHARACTER

The biggest question when creating a dragon

player character is: why is a dragon

accompanying a bunch of humanoids on their

adventures? Are you seeking to build up

your treasure hoard, trying to follow

your ideals, or just curious about

the world?!

!Starting dragon PCs are young

dragons, around 6-15 years old, just

out of the wyrmling phase. The

wyrmling background supposes that

your dragon was raised by humanoids, or

has at least spent substantial time around

them, so you¡¯re familiar with their

languages and customs.!

! Your choice of dragon species also

determines many things about your

character¡¯s personality ¡ª or at least,

determines what other people will think. A

metallic dragon may find themselves

beseeched by the weak and helpless whereever they go, with expectations of aid and

heroism. Chromatic dragons are mostly evil in

nature. Evil characters usually don¡¯t make good

PCs because their selfishness can cause conflict

between party members. A good or neutral

chromatic dragon will still face fear, mistrust, or

even outright hostility from otherwise-civilized

people, until they have proven themselves

virtuous.!

QUICK BUILD

You can make a dragon quickly by following

these suggestions. First, Strength should be your

highest ability score, followed by Constitution

and Charisma (in either order). Second, choose

the gold dragon species. Third, take the wyrmling

background. Fourth, take your first level in the

dragon class, selecting the History and Insight

skills.!

!

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