Red Dragon

Red dragons, sometimes called flame dragons, fire wyrms, and mountain dragons, are a breed of chromatic true dragon. They are covetous, evil creatures, interested only in their owl well-being, vanity, and the extension of their treasure hoards. They are supremely confident of their own abilities and are prone to making snap decisions without any forethought. The largest and most powerful of the chromatic dragons. These dragons delight in ruin, death, and destruction. They breath a cone of fire. In countless lands, they are considered the archetypal villainous dragon of legend and fable, exemplars of their most notorious traits, and the red dragons believe so too.

Description

Red dragons are physically distinguished by their enormous size and wingspan, which is the widest of all dragons, both in absolute size and relative to body length. The outermost alar phalanx is extremely long and makes the wing appear to taper, while the trailing edge is the longest section. The trailing edge joins the body behind the rear legs and partway along the tail.
The dragons are recognizable by their scarlet and crimson scaled hides. A wyrmling has small, bright, and glossy scarlet scales (becoming pink on its belly), which turn dull and a deeper red by the time they are young dragons. In older dragons, the scales grow thicker and larger, and as tough as metal. In contrast to their red hide, their wings and neck frills turn a purple-gray, ash-blue, or blue-black toward the edges, similar to metal scorched by a fire, which darkens as they age. The pupils of their eyes fade with age, such that especially old red dragons have eyes that seem to be orbs of molten lava.
A red dragon has two large horns upon their head, which point backward toward their wings. These horns, which are big enough to be noticeably from below, can be either straight or twisted and any color from white as bone to black as night. They have smaller horns on their chin, cheeks, lower jaw, and in tows over their brow, as well as on their beak-like snout. They also have frills around their ears that often combine with their cheek horns as they get older and a backward-sweeping frill running down their neck and spine, from just behind the head to the end of the tail. The frills around the dragon's internal ears assists its hearing, by collecting sounds and ascertaining directions. A red wyrmling has the two main horns, but the others are only stubs.
They smell of smoke, sulfur, and pumice. Their bodies are so warm that the air around them occasionally shimmer as in a heat mirage. While their blood is, when outside its body, hot enough to produce steam. Smoke blows from their nostrils constantly. When a red dragon is enraged, flames flicker in its eyes and nostrils.
The vanity of red dragons is often revealed in their prideful postures and the looks of disdain with which they regard all others.
A hatchling has a 1-foot-long to 3-foot-long body and a 3-foot-ong tail, while an adult has a body length of around 12 feet to 18 feet and a tail length of around 17 feet to 21 feet. The biggest great wyrms grow to 35 feet or even 50 feet long. However, earlier estimates had adults as big as 80 to 99 hands in body length and 68 to 87 hands in tail length, and great wyrms as big as 174 hands to 183 hands in body length and 162 to 171 hands in tail length. As red dragons of the same age do not differ much in length, one considered small would be slender and wiry while one considered huge would be fat, muscular, or thick of body and limb. A healthy red measuring 40 feet in body length would weigh about 5,000 pounds.
A dragon egg can be identified as belonging to a red by the very faint reddish spots seen when held in front of an intense white light.

Personality

Out of all dragon kind, reds are the most avaricious and are constantly looking to expand their hoards with treasure, no matter whose it already is, and they are the most obsessive collectors. They value material wealth more than anything else—if it is worth something, they want it. They adore gold more than any other precious metal, loving its look and sound, and gather gold pieces and treasures to make up much of their hoard. They also collect gems of red and fiery hues, like rubies and fire opals. They do prefer things made of metal or stone that will withstand the heat of their lairs and flames and last through the ages; flammable goods of cloth, leader, or paper are much less desirable. Females have a greater preference for treasures with reflective surfaces and they have generally little interest in art. Other than that, they are so greedy that they generally don't care what they collect, and while individual red dragons can have certain preferences, there are no common trends across species. They accumulate amazing hoards and show them off in pride as a show of their own superiority, with a particular love for anything taken from a slain rival. Treasure placement, however, is practical and tactical: coins comprise its bed, gems and shiny things are placed in very visible locations but they don't surround themselves with mirrored surfaces, and humanoid-usable things like armor are stored well back, so as to lure thieves deeper in. Valued trophies are stored and displayed and gloated over separately. Massive stones can be used to seal particular treasures in hollows. They know the value, origin, and precise location of every piece of treasure in their hoards, and remember well how and when they'd claimed it. Losing even one coin or tiny trinket can cause a red dragon to fly into a rage and hunt down and mercilessly destroy the supposed thief. If they cannot, then they will rampage across the land, slaughtering all they encounter and devastating local settlements where a thief might hide before they can manage to calm down.
Red dragons are known for their swift and fiery tempers—if angered, they will explode into a destructive rage and become even more impulsive and vengeful. They never forgive even the most minor offense, theft, or infraction, and will kill the offender or, if they are unavailable, instead raise havoc to inflict their outrage on everyone else. They will kill even on a whim. Such rages are in part due to their fragile pride and feeling that any loss, insult, or defeat means a loss of status if not addressed—causing chaos and destruction assuages wounded pride and mitigates lost status. Their rage can only be quelled with blood and death or great tributes of riches.
They are incredibly vain, even by dragon standards, and are supremely arrogant. They think themselves chosen by the gods themselves to reign in their stead on the Prime, with all the world their dominion and all the beings in it their subjects, while all other breeds of dragon are inferior. Red dragons believe they are the pinnacle of draconic nature and all other dragon species have departed from this purity. They value vengefulness, rapaciousness, avarice, and ferocity above all traits and recognize these traits in themselves with pride. Thus, maintaining their status among their followed dragons is their main focus.
Preferring their own company and engaging with others only when it has purpose, they are solitary creatures and care little for news of other types of dragons, though they do look for news of other red dragons in their area and of affairs in the world in general. They use other charmed creatures as messengers, informants, and spies to bring them information, paying particular interest in the deeds of fellow red dragons, with whom they always compete for status. If they believe their own achievements and possessions to be greater than those other red dragons, then they stay in their lairs, smugly congratulating themselves. However, if they learn that the achievements or possessions of the other red dragons are greater than their own, then they will fly into a jealous rage, decimating the surrounding area until they believe they have outdone their rivals. The dragon becomes much less cautious and more foolish during this time and much more likely to underestimate their foes.
In turn, a red dragon will take efforts to ensure that they are seen as superior to every other red dragon in the area. They will often burn down only half a village or let a single adventurer flee from a battle so that word of their power spreads throughout the region. They will also boast about their magnificent hoards. However, not only will this anger other red dragons and attract rivals looking to gain status but it is also a shining beacon to adventurers, dragon slayers, and treasure hunters.
Red dragons believe that if a being is not strong enough to protect what it has, then it does not deserve to keep it. This applies not just to treasure, but to life. They despise weakness among their own kind. If one ever finds out that another of their kin showed any signs of fragility, either by getting badly wounded or becoming senile or weak in old age, then local red dragons will descend on the lair, stripping it clean and usually killing the owner.
Reds are also highly territorial. They are constantly on the lookout for intruders in their territory, and especially other dragons encroaching on it, which is cause for death. Entering an area a red considered its domain is just asking to be attacked, especially if it is a rival dragon. If the trespasser is another red dragon, then conflict is inevitable and the fighting is most vicious, as neither will dare show weakness to the other as a point of pride. Thankfully, most other species are smart enough to flee if they realize the area belongs to a red dragon. Rarely, red dragons will adopt a protective yet patronizing manner toward creatures they see as inferior that live within their self-imposed borders. A few like to set themselves up as rulers of communities within their territory, enjoying the feeling of power, but they reign as tyrants, demanding obedience and using threats to gain it, and killing or destroying those that do not comply. In their views, humanoids are a renewable resource. Communities in or around a red dragon's territory can appease it with tributes and sacrifices. Some even require worship, but others prefer more covert means of control, wherein they are the secret puppet-masters pulling the strings in a network.
Red dragons hate any authority other than their own. They never ask elders for advise or information, even if doing so would save their lives as, to them, admitting they need something their elders have is the same as putting themselves under their authority.
Red dragons have a habit of playing with their food. For example, some will enjoy talking to their victims before they eat them. They also dislike getting wet. In fact, in many ways, they are most like housecats.
A female red dragon is, if anything, even more willing to fight, particularly other female red dragons, with food and treasure as secondary priorities. They are less likely to surrender or yield if defeated. They are also more intolerant of other creatures and more territorial, and while a male might accept a bribe to let a victim escape, a red will decline, eat the victim, then take the bribe. She can, however, be impressed by flattery.
It is of course possible for a red dragon to not conform to the above evil habits. For example, a young red might find itself sickened by the cruelty its older kin inflict on innocents and, after some contemplation, depart for a remote area where it can make a life on its own terms (typically becoming chaotic neutral) or even try to stop or undo them somehow (moving toward neutral or even lawful and good). These rogue red dragons are exceedingly rare, and are liable to be attacked by their fellows, though no more so than normal.

Abilities

Red dragons expel an extremely devastating cone of fire. For an adult, this blast can be from 9 feet up to 50 feet or 60 feet in length and breadth, or even as long as 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. Its raw elemental fire can burn flesh and heat metal and, for ancient red dragons, can even overwhelm magical protections against fire.
They are naturally resistant or even completely immune to fire, but vulnerable to cold.
Like any dragon, and in addition to the common powers of chromatic dragons, red dragons gain an array of magical powers as they age, though accounts of these vary. In one version, a younf red dragon can control flames thrice a day, a juvenile can use pyrotechnics thrice a day, an adult can use heat metal once a day, an old red dragon can make a suggestion once each day, a very old one can use hypnotism once a day, and a venerable red can detect gems, kind and number three times a day up to a range of 100 feet. In a later accounting, a juvenile can cast locate object once a day or more often as they get older, while an old red dragon can use suggestion, an ancient one can use find the path, and a great wyrm can discern location. They do not possess innate psionics.
Similarly, red dragons can learn and cast new spells of their own, similar to a sorcerer. They naturally favor fire-based spells as well as spells of detection and divination to help them analyze magic and appraise valuables.
They are skilled in appraisal, deception, and jumping, because, although they fly quickly, they are not very maneuverable. They can accurately estimate the value of any treasure or trinkey, down to the last copper piece. They also have exceptionally good hearing.
With its keen senses, a red dragon can track its prey like a ranger. This is especially effective if it has tasted a creature's blood beforehand and the victim is still wounded.

Combat

Highly confident combatants, a red dragon will, on sighting a potential foe, decide in an instant whether to attack. They rarely stop to size up a foe or make a plan, instead relying on a general strategy they would have figured out earlier, often over years and covering every imaginable situation, and picking it on the fly. Usually, though, they just fly over their foes and blast them with fire, then use their claws on who or whatever is left. If attacking small, lone, and vulnerable creatures, they prefer to land and slay them with claw and fang, rather than use their flame and risk destroying whatever valuables they might have, but not if it means defeat or death. Against large groups, they will use spells and fire breath before landing. Like any dragon, they can fight with their claws, teeth, wings, tail, and just sheer weight. They love this chance to show off their strength, but aren't shy to use their fire breath either.
Though they fight just as well in the air as on the ground, a red dragon is not agile in flight, so they usually elect to land and fight on the ground when appropriate, where they show remarkable mobility and grasp of tactics. They will jump from point to point or fly short distance to seize an advantageous location from which to cast their magic or breathe fire.
They are not above trickery, either. For example, a red dragon might use polymorph self to disguise itself as a fire giant and demand tribute from travelers in a mountain pass it claimed. Charmed beings and minions can be ordered to support the story. Those who try to fight the so-called giant will be surprised by a dragon. In turn, a red dragon can be tricked or baited into a trap by exploiting its love of gold.
Despite its ferociousness and unwillingness to retreat or compromise, a red dragon is not mindless not suicidally reckless. It has enough of a sense of self-preservation to know when not to attack or to break off combat against a superior opponent, albeit reluctantly and if it can retain its pride and status in doing so; retreating hurts their pride most of all. Nevertheless, after first blood has been drawn, they are much less likely to retreat, even if it is an option. Their overwhelming pride leads more red dragons to fight to the death than any other chromatic dragon. In particular, the fearless and bloodthirsty red wyrmlings lack the sense to flee and have no clever tactics to back them up, so they usually fight and win or die trying. However, they value their sight over other senses, and a blinded red dragon is most likely to retreat or, if trapped, try to bargain or beg for its life, but not without lashing out at every sound and smell.
A red dragon will not always kill a defeated enemy. They will regularly let some survivors escape to tell of its victory and thereby bolster its status. With an obviously weaker opponent, they might intimidate or trick them into providing information or performing some deed. The only requirement is that the red dragon gets what it wanted, and if not, the enemy shall die.
On a larger scale, despite their selfishness, red dragons will agree to ally and cooperate against difficult targets, such as attacking a large town or a well-defended citadel, and adopt appropriate tactics. For a town, this might just be landing and rampaging through the streets, and for a citadel, this might be something more nuanced, with one starting fires and another picking off defenders with magic and breath.
Between red dragons, there is rarely a duel or challenge. Rather, the younger will usually just swoop in and ambush the elder.

Society

Activities

Like all chromatic dragons, reds live their lives in cycles of activity and hibernation. While these cyclical rhythms aren't as extreme as green dragons, red dragons seal themselves within their lairs for upwards of ten years at a time.
Their red scales give them little camouflage or chance of them being overlooked. Young red dragons, especially wyrmlings, are easy prey for predators and hunters because of their bright, glossy, scarlet scales, so they tend to stay underground during the day and come out only at night when they feel that they can defend themselves properly. Otherwise, they give little thought to caution or self-preservation and target anything they thing they can eat. Hence, they have difficult, dangerous lives. However, when they are older and not as brightly hued, and especially bigger and more powerful, they are much more confident. They prefer to be conspicuous, and have no wish to hide from lesser beings.
They spend their spare time concocting tactics for use in future battles, developing a wide variety of them. They are master strategists as a result. They also make schemes to achieve greater power, acquire more treasure, and defeat enemies.

Diet

They are carnivorous by choice, with a particular taste for young humans and elves, especially young women, an appetite for which they are notorious. They insist that it just tastes better. It is not unknown for a red dragon to intimidate or charm the people of a local village into periodically sacrificing their young folk to them or else to kidnap young humanoids for later consumption. Otherwise, they make do with other humanoids, animals, and other dragons, again with a predilection for younger, tender flesh. Some dine on herds of domesticated livestock, appreciating the convenience, but preferring humanoids do the actual work. In any case, they prefer meat charred by flame, both liking the taste and finding it easier to digest.
Despite this, similar to most other dragons, red dragons can consume and live on just about anything, including vegetation and minerals. They just don't want to, more than any other carnivorous dragon, so much so that a few will rather starve almost to death than eat anything other than meat. Strangely, red dragons are shy about discussing their dietary practices—the best way to find out is to ask them, at which they will threaten to eat the questioner.
Red dragons, as with some other dragon breeds, are unable to chew their food. Hence, to aid digestion, they swallow small stones, pieces of metal, and even coins, which go into a small second stomach like a bird's gizzard. These stomach stones grind down their food and are eventually expelled in waste.
Red dragons are careful to bury their dung safely outside their lairs. It holds small pieces of metal and stone and significant quantities of sulfur and potassium nitrate—two ingredients of firearm powder. Such sites are revealed by the sharp smell, but sparks, flames, or a red dragon's fire breath can cause them to explode unexpectedly. Canny red dragons use their waste pits as traps for attackers, by persuading them to dig there or breathing flame when they are in range.
They drink alcohol when they can get it, but this does not cause inebriation, no matter the amount. They drink only small quantities of water as needed, for flesh contains enough moisture to meet their dietary needs.
Owing to their magical metabolism, red dragons can go long periods without food, such as when sleeping, but they wake up ravenously hungry. It is reputed they can eat up to twice their body weight. Indeed, for example, a young red dragon of body length 40 feet and weight of 5,000 pounds will ideally consume 10% of its own body weight, 500 pounds, each day. This can be accounted for by three knights or one good-sized ogre. However, as with most dragons, they can fast for months at a time, then gorge themselves into a state of lethargy once more, catching up on what they'd missed. Continuing the example, after 20 days, the young red dragon might feast on twenty times its daily amount of food, 10,000 pounds, which can be supplied by a whole adventuring company, equipment included. But they typically eat much more than they require.
During their active periods, they are known as voracious hunters, whose hunger ensures that the populations of nearby creatures does not grow beyond ecological stability. Fortunately, like other dragons, they are wise enough to hunt much further afield than their own territories and go into long periods of hibernation to allow populations to recover. This is not done out of concern for the ecology, but enlightened self-interest, to save themselves starving.

Lairs

Red dragons typically dwell in warm mountainous regions, hills, desert mesas, and badlands, though these are not necessities. The main factors in them choosing a place to live is primarily a high elevation and secondarily a high temperature. Many prefer to dwell within volcanoes—even within the caldera itself—or sulfurous geysers or other areas of geothermal activity, where the intense heat and dangerous gases keep others at bay and comfort a sleeping dragon. They like to sleep near a source of heat. However, they can make their lairs almost anywhere, from ice-capped mountains to hills to deserted dwarf mines and holds.
They particularly love to make their lairs in large caverns or cave systems that reach deep underground and receive geothermal activity. These places are warm with the heat of their bodies and smell of smoke and sulfur. Despite this, almost all red dragons require a high perch somewhere close by from which they can look over their domain—the higher the better, as they believe that their domain encompasses all that they can see. They are just as likely to be found up here as they are in their lairs. Otherwise, for secutiry, they prefer to sleep and store their treasure deep underground, below masses of stone.
Red dragons that dwell within dungeons or the like will make their lairs in heated or fire-filled locations. In lieu of a high place with a panoramic view of the area, they keep watch in large open spaces or down long corridors, wherever they can get a wide view.
As it is rare for a natural cave system to have all the features a red dragon desires, they will claim spaces already excavated or constructed by others where possible, or else enslave other creatures to build or modify them. Hence, they will seize places such as dwarf holds and deep elf tunnels. Furthermore, a red dragon orders its minions to attend them as servants, keep the lair clean, keep watch for trespassers, and build monuments to it and place these around its lair. These praise the dragon's power and tell of its life, deeds, and victories.
While within its volcanic lair, to defend itself and its hoard, a legendary red dragon can cause earth tremors, clouds of toxic gases, and geysers of magma or even clouds of noxious smoke or areas of intense heat. The lair of a legendary red dragon can alter the land around it, causing minor earthquakes up to 6 miles away, heating and tainting water sources within 1 mile, and even opening portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire within rocky fissures, through which beings of elemental fire can cross over. They can also cause droughts and desertification up to 6 miles away or cause all open flames in that range to turn dark red and to constantly hiss, crackle, and spark in any circumstance. Alternatively, the dragon might use any open flame up to 1 mile away to listen through to a range of 30 feet. For conventional defenses, many reds enjoy a well-camouflaged pit trap that will summon a fiendish megaraptor in with the victim.

Lands

As they make their lairs in high hills and mountainous regions, red dragons seem particularly populous throughout the peaks of northern Cetandar, the eastern Kuneirmeru, and portions of Botar, as well as Lungao where they often clash with lung dragons.

Religion

WIP

Reproduction

Mating is initiated by the female every century or so when she feels the urge to have children. She looks for the nearest red dragon male with the most wealth and power. As such, males never deny their advances, as it is a sign of prestige among other males to be requested to mate. Avoiding inbreeding, they know one another's genealogies via their reputations. Nevertheless, red dragon courtship is a risky matter, as the majority of potential suiters are still considered as dangerous rivals. Females conduct much of the courting, though it is not unknown for males to try as well, and it typically sees the younger, though still high-status, usually female dragon carefully approaching the elder, usually male dragon. Rarely do two red dragons fight over a potential mate; such a battle would inevitably be deadly, and when a superior suiter presses their case, all but the most unwise lesser will give up. Females tend to be the aggressors in mating.
After mating, the male will leave the female and not return, or else the elder then leaves the younger to protect the eggs. A typical red dragon female produces two to four eggs, and can control the number of eggs to limit the number of offspring, primarily to reduce the number of potential competitors in the future. They have an incubation time of 270 days to 660 days, or 22 months, and they are laid after approximately 165 days or roughly 5 and a half months. All are viable if laid under ideal conditions, namely deep underground and close to a natural heat source, for example, in a volcano's empty lava tubes. It should be kept within an open flame or at a temperature of no less than 140 degrees, but it can even be immersed in a pool of laval.
The female jealously guards the clutch, occasionally with the assistance of an old or infertile female. She will rarely if ever lay down her own life for her hatchlings, but will fight hard to protect them.
However, once hatched, even the wyrmlings are left to take care of themselves. Often, within the first few months, they will fight and kill one another until only one remains; otherwise, they will remain cooperative until they come of age. They remain close to the hatchery for a few years before spreading out to find more food and their own lairs. Hence, a full surviving clutch typically includes two to five offspring from several matings, ranging in age from wyrmlings to young adults. Once her young reach the young adult stage of development, or sometimes earlier, the mother's natural instincts overrule her maternal ones and she forces all of her young from her territory, as she sees them as competitors. In fact, on occasion, after the young leave the nest, the mother enters a temporary state of insanity in which she will attack, slay, and devour her former mate, if present, and any young who dare to return. There is never any familial or generational loyalty.

Aging

Under the categories of dragon aging, the offspring are counted as wyrmlings for the first 8 years and as young dragons for up to 200 years.
After 600 years or older, they start feeling the effects of age. They sleep for increasingly longer periods, the range of their spells steadily shorten, and the chances of spell failure grow. After 700 years, these effects become pronounced and death of old age is a risk. On waking, an ancient red dragon can be very disoriented.
A red dragon becomes an elder at 950 years and an ancient dragon at 1,900 years. The oldest known red dragon lived to about 2,500 years.
While a red dragon is dying of old age, a few weeks before they expire they suffer a sudden senility or insanity. They become so unpredictable during this time that they are especially dangerous. Otherwise, most will launch a suicidal attack against an old enemy, choosing to go down fighting and go out in a blaze of glory.
Like other dragons, they shed their skins as they advance into each new stage of life. Red dragons will consume their old skins to regain specific nutrients.

Illness

While dragons can suffer the same range of mental illnesses as humans and other rages, red dragons are more likely to display the signs of megalomania. Given the typical red dragon personality, this is extreme—the megalomaniacal red believes wholeheartedly they are nothing less than the most intelligent, most powerful, most important, and most beautiful of all creatures in all of existence.

Death

When a slain red dragon undergoes environmental diffusion—an uncommon occurrence by which a deceased dragon's body decays and affects the local environment—there are two possibilities according to the landscape. In a mountainous or stony landscape, the ground splits open where it has died, creating one or several small volcanic vents that spew forth acrid smoke or else large sulfurous geysers. Otherwise, in less rocky and more fire-prone lands, a wildfire starts, one that never spreads beyond the site but also which never goes out, no matter the weather or lack of fuel.

Relationships

Red dragons hate silver dragons with a passion as their familiarity with the element of cold and other natural powers often make red dragons appear weak in battle with them, which they naturally resent. They also occasionally conflict over territory, with the red's high perch often crossing into a silver's domain. Fights between them are often vicious and lethal, but silvers work together and even enlist human allies, so they generally get the advantage over the reds.
Similarly, red dragons who delve deep underground for their lairs will sometimes run into deep dragons, also known as mind dragons, who dwell in the Underdark.
As copper dragons regularly dwell in hills that will be within view of a red dragon's perch, they commonly come into conflict, through the smaller copper dragons rarely win out against the more powerful red dragons in open battle. The coppers normally flee until they can find a way of improving their chances, like luring them into narrow winding canyons and caves where they can climb walls and outmaneuver a red dragon. Of course, coppers view reds as challenges to be irritated and embarrased as much as possible without getting killed.
Above all, though, red dragons hate gold dragons, because they are so similar to them, yet their natural moral differences are extreme, and because golds are, in a red dragon's view, "nearly" as powerful as reds. However, while red dragons might loudly proclaim that they will fight and defeat any gold dragon they come across, they often find an excuse not to fight when that time eventually comes. Despite the reds' arrogance and confidence, they aren't stupid and understand—even if they will never admit it even to themselves nor hear it from anyone—that an equivalent gold is more powerful and victory is far from certain in any battle between them. Nevertheless, out of pride and unwillingness to back down, reds sometimes attack wandering golds even when clearly outclassed.
white dragons, meanwhile, are seen as unworthy of even a red dragon's rivalry, and whites sensibly stay out of the more powerful reds' path. Occasionally, they come into conflict, but a red dragon is often happy to let a white dragon neighbor live nearby, provided they stay out of the way and out of sight.
If not as food, all lesser creatures are treated as nothing more than potential servants or tools for a red dragon to use, and only while they are useful and effective. A red dragon in need of minions will typically find some local chaotic evil humanoids and demand they pledge their service, and if they need encouragement, kill off their leaders. Those who do survive and serve a red dragon must be constantly obsequious to it and are fearful of displeasing their master or even delivering bad news lest they be roasted and devoured. While some serve willingly, others will flee given the chance. The red dragon displays a patronizing manner to these minions, who serve it as agents, spies, and emissaries.

Language

Red dragons speak High Draconic with their own distinct accent, and also speak both their own language and a language common to all chromatic dragons. Many also speak the common tongue of the land they reside in.
Moreover, soon after hatching, more than one in six wyrmlings can communicate with any sentient being, and the others often gaining this power as they age, with over two-fifths possessing it by the time they are adults and almost three-quarters when great wyrms.

Usage

It is said the flesh of red dragons taste extremely spicy. To be properly prepared, it has to be exposed to open air for at least two days and aged for some time—around two months. Anyone who eats red dragon meat that is not treated in this manner is susceptible to horrible cramps and extreme pain. Even if properly prepared, the diner will suffer for it the next day. Recipes and techniques are documented in The Fine Art of Cooking and Seasoning Red Dragon. One dish is dragonblood soup, which includes the blood, heart, and possibly flesh of a red dragon and is a work of culinairomancy.
As with other dragons, a suit of armor crafted from red dragonhide will of course be resistant to flame, protecting itself but not necessarily the wearer. Only proper dragoncraft armor, shields, or mantles will also confer some of its resistance on the wearer.
The blood of a red dragon is naturally a boon to any spell of fire magic, whether in a portion or ink or used as a material component.

History

WIP

Notable Red Dragons

WIP

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Table of Contents

AD&D 2e Statistics

Size

Gargantuan

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

3.5th Edition Statistics

Size

Wyrmling

Medium

Very Young

Large

Young

Large

Juvenile

Large

Young Adult

Huge

Adult

Huge

Mature Adult

Huge

Old

Gargantuan

Very Old

Gargantuan

Ancient

Gargantuan

Wyrm

Gargantuan

Great Wyrm

Colossal

Type

Dragon

Subtype(s)

Fire

Alignment

Always Chaotic Evil

Challenge Rating

Wyrmling

4

Very Young

5

Young

7

Juvenile

10

Young Adult

13

Adult

15

Mature Adult

18

Old

20

Very Old

21

Ancient

23

Wyrm

24

Great Wyrm

26

4th Edition Statistics

Size

Young

Large

Adult

Large

Elder

Huge

Ancient

Gargantuan

Origin

Type

Magical Beast

Keyword(s)

Alignment

Evil

Level

LEVEL

5th Edition Statistics

Size

Wyrmling

Medium

Very Young

Large

Young

Large

Juvenile

Large

Young Adult

Huge

Adult

Huge

Mature Adult

Huge

Old

Gargantuan

Very Old

Gargantuan

Ancient

Gargantuan

Wyrm

Gargantuan

Great Wyrm

Colossal

Type

Dragon

Subtype(s)

Fire

Alignment

Always Chaotic Evil

Challenge Rating

Wyrmling

4

Very Young

5

Young

7

Juvenile

10

Young Adult

13

Adult

15

Mature Adult

18

Old

20

Very Old

21

Ancient

23

Wyrm

24

Great Wyrm

26

Pathfinder 2e Statistics

Level

Young

10

Adult

14

Ancient

19

Size

Young

Large

Adult

Huge

Ancient

Huge

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

Traits

, , [varLpf-trait-uncommon] (Ancient Only)

General Information

Movement

Flying, Climbing

Vision

Darkvision, Low-Light Vision, Blindsight

Activity Cycle

Any

Diet

Carnivorous

Intelligence

Exceptional

Language(s)

Red Draconic, High Draconic, Vibrant Draconic

Favored Climate

Subtropical, tropical, temperate, warm

Favored Terrain

Hills, mountains

Appearance

Skin Color(s)

Red (scales)

Eye Color(s)

Orange, Yellow, White

Typical Build

Dragon

Distinctions

Horns, fire breath