Brass Dragons

Basic Information

Anatomy

A brass dragon’s head is defined by the broad protective plate that expands from its forehead and the spikes protruding from its chin. A frill runs the length of its neck, and its tapering wings extend down the length of its tail. A brass dragon wyrmling’s scales are a dull, mottled brown. As it ages, the dragon’s scales begin to shine, eventually taking on a warm, burnished luster. Its wings and frills are mottled green toward the edges, darkening with age. As a brass dragon grows older, its pupils fade until its eyes resemble molten metal orbs.

Ecology and Habitats

A brass dragon’s desert lair is typically a ruin, canyon, or cave network with ceiling holes to allow for sunlight.
The region containing a legendary brass dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic. Tracks appear in the sand within six miles of the dragon’s lair. The tracks lead to safe shelters and hidden water sources, while also leading away from areas that the dragon prefers to remain undisturbed. Images of monsters haunt the desert sands within one mile of the dragon’s lair. These illusions move and appear real, although they can do no harm. Whenever an intelligent creature comes within thirty of a water source within one mile of the dragon’s lair, the dragon becomes aware of the creature’s presence and location. If the dragon dies, the tracks fade in about a week, but the other effects fade immediately.

Behaviour

The most gregarious of the true dragons, brass dragons crave conversation, sunlight, and hot, dry climates.
A brass dragon engages in conversations with thousands of creatures throughout its long life, accumulating useful information which it will gladly share for gifts of treasure. If an intelligent creature tries to leave a brass dragon’s presence without engaging in conversation, the dragon follows it. If the creature attempts to escape by magic or force, the dragon might respond with a fit of pique, using its sleep gas to incapacitate the creature. When it wakes, the creature finds itself pinned to the ground by giant claws or buried up to its neck in the sand while the dragon’s thirst for small talk is slaked.
A brass dragon is trusting of creatures that appear to enjoy conversation as much as it does, but is smart enough to know when it is being manipulated. When that happens, the dragon often responds in kind, treating a bout of mutual trickery as a game.
Brass dragons covet magic items that allow them to converse with interesting personalities. An intelligent telepathic weapon or a magic lamp with a djinni bound inside it are among the greatest treasures a brass dragon can possess.
Brass dragons conceal their hoards under mounds of sand or in secret places far from their primary lairs. They have no trouble remembering where their treasure is buried, and therefore have no need for maps. Adventurers and wanderers should be wary if they happen across a chest hidden in an oasis or a treasure cache tucked away in a half-buried desert ruin, for these might be parts of a brass dragon’s hoard.

Lifespan

3,100 years

Statblocks:

Brass Dragon, Wyrmling
Brass Dragon, Young
Brass Dragon, Adult
Brass Dragon, Ancient
Brass Dragon, Greatwyrm