D&D MONSTER RANKINGS - DRAGONS

Why are dragons the most iconic monster of all? If you dare to know, step into this cave, where the terrible beast guards the greatest treasure.

Music by Ender Güney

“For Your King” “Heroic” “Infinity” “The Wars” “Palace” “Assassins” “Courage” “Heroic Deeds” “Game Over” “Only Nights”

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All music royalty free with attribution and link to artist

[tonylu]

I'm now imagining an encounter with a brass dragon.

>me: going to the store. Not gonna be long.
>minding my own business buying things.
>sees brass dragon walking toward me.
>thinking to myself "don't engage", "don't engage"
>dragon sees me.
>crap.
>"hello" dragon says.
>say nothing, say nothing, keep moving. "Hello!" Crap. Crap. Super crap.
>trapped in a day long conversation with brass dragon.
>get no shopping done.

[alganhar]

I played an NG Human Mage in one campaign many years ago, who had a FaerieDragon 'Familiar', and was not actually my first choice. The DM's 8 year old daughter had been badgering her father about joining the game, so he turned around and said alright, you will get to play, but you will not get to play a character until you are a little older, for now, I have a mage in the party and you can play his Familiar.

That is how I got Taliya, a female FaerieDragon that over several years of that campaign managed to pull the party into some of the most ridiculous (yet fun) predicaments in her incessant and obsessive search for the perfect pastry! We actually instituted a roll for when my mage delved into his scroll case for one of his precious prepared spell scrolls, giving a chance every time he did so of actually producing a random recipe for a tasty treat that Taliya had secreted into said scroll case because it was 'important'. She turned out to be the best familiar I have ever seen in any campaign before or since, and I think that was largely due to the fact that she was played, and played well, by an 8 year old little girl with a love of pranks and sweets :).


The best thing, is none of us ever actually knew what that Faerie dragon was going to do, she became as much a member of the party as any of the other characters, with her own goals, her own vices and her own strengths. That little Faerie Dragon got the party into a huge amount of trouble, yet a well placed illusion from her also got us OUT of a lot of trouble. It was brilliant, said 8 year old recently graduated from University, and is now DM'ing for a bunch of teenagers, one of whom is my youngest daughter (14).... And one of her favourite characters was that Faerie Dragon... I guess we all have a certain fondness for the first character we ever played but Taliya was special!

[dmlanse]

The kobold in player races.... Skipped in monster in Volo's... And skipped in dragonkin.... Fear not kobolds, you will still always be my friend =3

[ryanedwards]

One of my favorite campaigns ever had a character that was an ancient silver dragon. He was so ancient he was actually starting to lose himself in lore. He'd only really be his true self when the situation demanded it, and he preferred to fight as a human (he'd often take the visage of heroes he had met over the centuries), or use a comely maiden disguise to glean information from nearby towns. However, he'd also sometimes lose himself (anytime he was using his polymorph ability if he failed his role) and transform into something or someone else for a turn. It turned out he had swallowed one of 7 keys holding back the forces of the devils on the realms and had forgotten, so when we went through the entire dungeon to get it, only to find an empty pedestal, he just starts laughing and goes: Now I remember: I ate it to keep some little tyrant from finding it here...no wonder I've had 250 years of mild indigestion! That was 20ish years ago right after 3rd edition had come out, and I still remember that character fondly.

[davidjay]

When my uncle invited me to try out D&D for the first time he said I could be any character I wanted. Anything I wanted, really? I half jokingly said I'll be a dragon then. He rubbed his chin and thought for a second and said, "I think that Council of Wyrms box set let's you roll dragons. Sure." I read through all the dragons and easily picked the silver dragon for many of the same reasons you mentioned here.

Silvers will always be my favorite.

[dilophosaurussk]

Guard drake: Dragon
Wyvern: Dragon/Flying
Pseudodragon: Dragon/Flying
Dragonborn: Normal/Dragon
Half-dragon: Dragon
Dragon turtle: Dragon/Water
White dragon: Dragon/Ice
Black dragon: Dragon/Dark
Faerie dragon: Fairy/Dragon
Gold dragon: Dragon/Fire
Copper dragon: Dragon/Poison
Red dragon: Dragon/Fire
Bronze dragon: Dragon/Electric
Blue dragon: Dragon/Electric
Green dragon: Dragon/Poison
Brass dragon: Dragon/Poison
Silver dragon: Dragon/Ice

[fortello]

Silver Dragons are my personal top Dragon. Though I'm surprised you didn't give mention to their most important aspect. They live in the moment! Unlike the long life outlook of *all* other true dragons, the Silver Dragon looks at the world with the time scale of humans, and often uses it's shapechange ability to integrate itself with the world at large. It cares for the middling wars between nations, the thwarting of deceptive betrayers, the struggles of simple farmers. And often intervenes, but without losing sight of long term ramifications.

[emc]

In one campaign my party allied with a Blue dragon in a civil war and ended up having the largest battle of the war in a desert city above his lair. I don't remember his actual name perfectly, but we called him Salami when we knew he couldn't hear us. If he heard us, I have no doubt that the DM would have him make us very dead.

In another story, my party used a portable hole to steal an entire alchemy lab from an enemy base, and later used it to create potions. We had one character sneak into the room where a young dragon had taken over a tower and hit it with a poison potion. After everyone else ran into the room, we found out it was a Green Dragon. We all ended up very dead.

[witchBoi_Connor]

The way I see it, the Silver Dragon is the most likely one you’ll see as an NPC, Seeing as they can stay in human form nigh indefinitely.

[WolfShroom]

I really like the idea of having a Silver Dragon be the DM's pc, popping in to the players on occasion as a way for the DM to communicate with characters in-game.

[adamjones]

But what about half-Dragon Dragonborn? Or if a Dragon breeds with a half-Dragon? How far can it go? Will we end up with a 95% Dragon who has ever so slight human features (like meticulously hidden nipples)? the world needs answers!

[ccvcharger]

"Now a dragon may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of beauty."

Speak for yourself.

[MrDedGuy]

I agree wholeheartedly with your assertions on the dragonborn. They are a cool race that is unfortunately undermined by weak mechanics. For my games, I usually give them a natural armor bonus of +1 and make their breath weapons deal 1d8 points of damage per 3 Hit Dice the dragonborn has (2d8 at 3rd, 3d8 at 6th, 4d8 at 9th, and so forth). That’s how the dragonborn’s breath weapon worked in 3.5, so I just carried it over. However I like your proposed progression of the dragonborn’s breath weapon as it certainly gives it a much bigger “umph” in the ouch factor and kewlness.

[gabrieltallent]

I will always love bronze dragons for a few reasons. Firstly, I love the look, the yellowish scales and the shape the wings and the head are the best of the dragons in my opinion. Secondly, I've love the whole "warrior scholar" thing, no matter where it is, and third, an old story my mother told me. She was DMing, and decided the party needed to be taken down a peg or two, so she made a 1st lvl thief, and a baby bronze dragon named Larry. She gave them both a ring of invisibility, a wand of fireball and a wand of magic detection, and then put along the side of the road. Then, from the perspective of the party, a fireball comes from no where and they hear "I am the great wizard so and so, give up your magic items or die". Of course like any D&D party they try to bluff first, then the thief and Larry use the wand of magic detection, and cause there high level, they light up like Christmas trees. So they toss it all on the floor, and it all gets taken. Then halfway across field they turn off the rings and the party sees that they got grifted by a 1st lvl thief and a baby bronze dragon. They give chase and kill the thief, and just as their about to kill Larry, he said "Masters no kill Larry", and, as any DM could tell you, this was the point at which the party fell in love. It was supposed to be a one off, she had to voice that dragon for a year or 2 and, in her setting, Larry is alive to this day.

[mediadetective]

Green Dragons are a personal favorite of mine. Always love a antagonist that uses his/her smarts and cunning as they’re greatest weapon rather than just strength. A great example is Raishan from Critical Role. Dracolich dragons are also a favorite for the same reasons. Best villain, a Green Dracolich

[racekitty]

You know if know the trope five bad band the evil dragons fit each role pretty well
The big bad:red dragon being the most powerful and wrathful fits the role to a T
The dragon:blue dragons are a bit more level headed than their red cousins and can be a starscream character
The evil genius:green dragons are the smartest of all the chromatic dragons
The dark chick:black dragons don't have to be female but fits the role by being manipulative and sadistic
The brute:white dragons are dumbest of all and most primal as well being the most likely to be taken out first
So if you want to make chromatic dragon team you can use this as a base to work upon

[heisamonster]

This here is the content I can’t believe I didn’t know I needed.

now I need a Pseudodragon.

[John-doe]

30:15 ah yes, bards do tend to strive to “perform” within a dragon’s lair.

[TheFirstLanx]

I love faerie dragons! They have all manner of little tricks!
In the first story arc I ever ran there was a conclave of them who thought of themselves as the guardians of the forest. They greatly hindered the evil bugbears but didn't have the strength or temperament to take them on. So they teamed up with the PCs and a local pack of wolves.

They were led by Titan the Black, an "ancient" dragon who was older than anyone can remember and whose wings supposedly blot out the sky!
That was not technically untrue.... faerie dragons don't live all that long and he *was* big enough to blot out the sky if you happen to be the size of a faerie dragon... Most of my faerie dragons were about the sizeof a duck and Titan was the size of a goose. Nevertheless, Titan was very useful to the party once they managed to overcome the little dragon's extreme laziness. He rode into battle upon his noble steed: the ranger, and he proved very distracting.

Unfortunately, faerie dragons can be processed into a potent, illegal and highly valuable narcotic, and they are endangered as a result. The party have decided to undertake a quest to destroy the dwarven mafia and put a stop to this horrific practice!

[luckyday]

Silver dragons were always my favorite in concept even before learning of their actual stories and I like them even more