| “ | The dragon reared, roaring, clawing at air
And belching fire, and began to lunge down Upon Dydd, but the druid slashed into Ashardalon’s heart, her scimitar cut And the lifeblood began to spill. Then Dydd Was slain, her heart wrested from her breast by The dragon’s grasping jaws, swallowed, consumed To sustain Ashardalon’s ebbing life For a time. . . .'' |
„ |
| ~ The Lay of Dydd |
| “ | How can one imagine anything more magnificent than a dragon, the Paragon of Creation? | „ |
| ~ Bheilorveilthion |
Summary
Red Dragons are arguably the most known, the most revered, and above all else, the most feared of the core dragon types. The creatures are arcane rulers, tyrants of many empires, lords of all they can take. Their mountain domains are the stuff of legends, and their treasure hoards boasting some of the greatest loot throughout the realms. They are simultaneously reptilian and feline, tyrannical and noble. The biology of dragons is highly complex- much more specialized than most other creatures of the realms, it grants them several evolutionary advantages, such as advanced manual control of their body functions.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 9-B to 9-A | 8-C to Low 7-B | At least Low 7-B, likely 6-C to at least 6-C | At least Low 6-B, possibly 6-B
Key: Wyrmling to Young | Juvenile to Mature Adult | Old to Ancient | Wyrms and Great Wyrms
Name: Red Dragon, Paragon of Creation, D. conflagratio horribilis, The Flying Flames
Origin: Dungeons and Dragons
Gender: Varies
Age: Varies, up to 2,400 years with a natural lifespan
Classification: Chromatic Dragon
Powers and Abilities:
Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Flight, Breath Attack, Fire Manipulation, Enhanced Senses (Dragons can see for miles thanks to highly complex eyesight brought on by magical evolution, can taste even slight differences in their meals, can sense enemies without sight at all, can see with zero light, and can smell with an extremely sensitive nose and tongue[1]), Magic, Large Size (Type 0), Limited Body Control (Can control various aspects of their body in a way far advanced to humans, notably their eyes, tails, and spines), Longevity, Limited Self Age Manipulation via the Twilight (Dragons can slow their aging significantly by entering the Twilight, though this comes at the cost of all the age coming tumbling down all at once in the future[2]), Natural Weaponry, Aura, Fear Manipulation (As of 4th edition, Young dragons had a supernatural, fear-inducing auras that shook off most attackers[3]), Rage Power (When wounded, Red Dragons' breath recharges faster, and can use it more frequently), Social Influencing, Non-Physical Interaction (Can affect intangible, incorporeal, abstract, and nonexistent enemies), Stealth Mastery, Surface Scaling[4], Soul Manipulation via Departure (A Dragon can will its spirit, an alternative to a soul, to simply leave its body and head to the thereafter and accept the consequences of death), Elemental Manipulation (The breath attacks of dragons are fueled by raw elemental energy), Chaos Manipulation, Law Manipulation, Reality Warping, (The death of a dragon can create chaotic effects- most notable within dragon graveyards, such places can simply suck in travelers and send them to other planes of existence, or summon elementals from the energy of the dragons[5]), Shapeshifting (At the end of its life, a Dragon may choose to become part of the terrain- oftentimes a mountain, lake, or similar structure), Absorption (It is common practice for dragons to consume and absorb their hoards, destroying most of it beyond recognition), Necromancy (After death, a dragon's bones can be expected to reanimate of their own will and hunt down the living), Adaptation, Heat Manipulation (True Dragons have superb internal heating regulations, and generally do not have to fear extreme or even lethal temperatures), Magic Nullification (It is said True Dragons can simply shrug off the effects of a magical spell if it desires[6]), Power Mimicry (A Dragon can eat things infused with magical properties to gain its magical properties and powers for a day after consumption[7]), Energy Manipulation (Elemental energy passively gathers within the dragon, allowing it to fuel its attacks), Reactive Evolution (Dragons develop magical abilities based on the stimuli of their surroundings- such as dragons living in darker terrain being able to cast darkness at will[8]), Preparation (Dragons consider time a meager resource and use as much of it as possible to ensure their plans work out perfectly[9], Power Bestowal (Dragons may offer magical power to followers, such as Kobolds[10]. and indeed dragons can become patrons to beings such as warlocks even from a young age, though this is a rarity[11]), Magma Manipulation (Dragons can cause eruptions of lava and magma to berate enemies), Earth Manipulation (Can cause localized earth tremors to knock enemies prone[12]), Smoke Manipulation, Poison Manipulation (Red Dragons are capable of creating poisonous gas pockets from the geysers they create, intoxicating enemies with the effect), Perception Manipulation (Dragons are regularly taught sorcery, and can daze enemies with breath and sight alone[13]), Air Manipulation, Sense Manipulation (Can blind enemies completely with their breath weapons), Holy Manipulation (Certain breath weapons are imbued with the ability to rebuke and destroy undead), Status Effect Inducement (Breath weapons can be attuned to stun as well as harm), with Preparation they can access Paralysis Inducement, Attack Reflection, Curse Manipulation, Petrification, Transmutation, and many others via traps and supplies[14], Extreme Resistance to Fire Manipulation, Paralysis Inducement, and Sleep Manipulation
All previous abilities plus Blood Manipulation (Sorcerer dragons can make their blood deal damage when shed), Dimensional Travel (Dragon's attuned to magic can force their breath attacks to materialize in other planes of existence, such as the Ethereal), Sleep Manipulation (The hiss of a powerful dragon can induce sleep or even permanent comatose), Life Manipulation (Can imbue its breath with anima, giving it life of its own similar to an elemental), Madness Manipulation (Type 2, Dragon's breath at such levels can induce insanity within an enemy), Soul Manipulation, Death Manipulation, Statistics Reduction (Can enervate an enemy through magical breath attacks, reducing their levels and rending their souls, possibly outright killing them), Power Modification (Dragons of this tier can change the damage type of their breath, or add a second one), Sound Manipulation (Breath attacks of this level can rip through the air with soundwaves, dealing damage), Clairvoyance (Dragons of this stage can use such abilities to find enemies or objects[15]), Damage Reduction, Sealing via Magic Circle against Law/Good, Weapon Creation via Chaos Hammer, Necromancy via Desecrate, Disease Manipulation via Unholy Blight, Water Manipulation (As a caster of the Fire Domain cleric spells, it can destroy water similar to how a cleric destroys undead[16]), Portal Creation (Portals around a Legendary Red Dragon's lair, who fits in this tier, open at random across the entire terrain in rocky fissures- such portals lead to the Elemental Plane of Fire[17]), Probability Manipulation via Legendary Resistance (If it would be affected by an ability, it can instead resist the effect instead), Ice Manipulation (Evidence of sorcerers with this power is recorded[18]), Text Manipulation via Arcane Mark, Extrasensory Perception via Detect Magic, Mind Manipulation via Command, Darkness Manipulation, Homing Attack and Energy Projection via Magic Missile, Light Manipulation via Dancing Lights, Telekinesis via Ghost Hand, Forcefield Creation via Shield, Electricity Manipulation via Shocking Grasp, Healing via Cure Wounds, Fragrance Manipulation via Stinking Cloud, Invisibility, Large Size (Type 1, by this stage dragon wingspans can be in excess of several hundred feet), Extreme Resistance to Magic, Reality Warping, Holy Manipulation, and Subjective Reality
All previous abilities plus Mind Manipulation via Suggestion, Death Manipulation via Word of Chaos/Blasphemy, Necromancy via Create Undead, Statistics Amplification via abilities like Unholy Aura or Cloak of Chaos, Plant Manipulation via Fire Seeds, Weather Manipulation via Fire Storm, Illusion Creation via Phantasmal Killer, Paralysis Inducement via Hold, Acid Manipulation via Acid Fog, Pain Manipulation via Inflict Wounds, Statistics Reduction via Feeblemind, Empathic Manipulation via Charm and Crushing Despair, Telepathy via Detect Thoughts, Creation (Can generate quasi-real effects from the Plane of Shadow)
All previous abilities plus Corrosion Inducement via Horrid Wilting, Gravity Manipulation via Reverse Gravity[19], Summoning via Elemental Swarm, Large Size (Type 2, their wingspan should be in this territory of size when extended fully)
All abilities of whichever key has become a ghost, as well as Incorporeality, Immortality (Types 1, 7, 8, and 9- reliant on the Dragon Graveyard it defends, though many simply lack this; Ghostly Dragons reside purely on the Ethereal Plane, and its manifestation on the Prime has zero effect on its true form[20]), Statistics Reduction (The breath attack of a Ghostly Dragon permanently reduces physical attributes such as strength, speed, and durability), Soul Manipulation (The touch of a Ghostly Dragon bestows negative levels, which tends to represent damage to the soul from an undead- such damage is lethal), Regeneration (Mid-Godly, even the most powerful spells cannot permanently stop the Ghostly Dragon from reforming, though this process can take days)
Attack Potency: Wall level (Infant dragons, newly born from the egg, are superior to apprentice mages capable of using Burning Hands- and indeed their breath weapon is superior to said spell) to Small Building level+ (Dragons still generally considered to be children are comparable to or even superior to the likes of casters capable of using Conjure Barrage) | Building level (Young adults of True Dragonkind are comparable to users of Cone of Cold) to Small City level+ (Adult dragons are considered to be Legendary Dragons) | Varies from at least Small City level+ (Dragons grow more powerful with age and should be wildly superior to their previous form), likely Island level+ (At this stage dragons can threaten the likes of Imix and other comparable beings) to at least Island level+ (Wildly superior to Imix, Yan-C-Bin, and their ilk, and more on the level of Krakens) | At least Small Country level+, possibly Country level (Dragons considered to be wyrms are explicitly some of the greatest threats an adventurer may ever hope to face, and indeed are truly an epic level threat, putting them on the level of low-end cosmic threats such as Father Llymic)
Speed: At least Subsonic (Infant dragons are still capable of dodging point-blank arrows), possibly Hypersonic+ with High Hypersonic+ reactions (Draconic children can dodge short-range lightning) | At least Relativistic+ (Can react to Anger of the Noonday Sun), with FTL+ reactions (Can tag others with the Great Cat's Dodge feat) | Possibly FTL (By this stage dragons are incredibly fast, blitzing creatures formerly comparable to them), with FTL+ reactions | Possibly FTL, with FTL+ reactions
Lifting Strength: Varies from Class 5 (Wyrmlings can push over 2300 kg) to Class 25 (Some Young red dragons can push nearly 11 metric tons) | Variesfrom Class 25 (Juvenile red dragons can push just about 19 metric tons) to Class 100 (Matured adult dragons can push nearly 89 metric tons) | Class K (Old red dragons can push over 213 metric tons, whereas ancient ones can push in excess of 300) | Varies from Class K (Typical wyrms can push in the neighborhood of 970 metric tons) to Class M (Ancient red dragon wyrms can push over 1700 metric tons of weight)
Striking Strength: Wall level to Small Building level+ | Building level to Small City level+ | Varies from at least Small City level+, likely Island level+ to at least Island level+ | At least Small Country level+, possibly Country level
Durability: Wall level to Small Building level+ | Building level to Small City level+ | Varies from at least Small City level+, likely Island level+ to at least Island level+ | At least Small Country level+, possibly Country level
Stamina: Superhuman, even from birth dragons are capable of crossing vast distances with no sleep, often guarding their hoards at all hours of the day, and are comparable to adventurers in that even severe wounds such as impalement and loss of limb aren't effective in preventing them from activity- some sources speak of dragons who literally do not rest and instead always do small activities do keep themselves at work
Range: Several Meters physically; Tens of Meters to Hundreds of Meters with powers; Interdimensional with some abilities and death | Tens of Meters physically; up to Kilometers with magic; Interdimensional with some abilities and death | Tens of Meters to Hundreds of Meters physically; up to Kilometers with magic; Interdimensional with some abilities and death | Hundreds of Meters physically; up to Kilometers with magic; Interdimensional with some abilities and death
Standard Equipment: Extremely variable, dragons are known to keep and use as much magical and non-magical equipment as possible, though no two dragons are alike- ergo it is extremely standard for them to have such equipment that would grant new powers, but the specific equipment itself is varied
Intelligence: Average to Gifted, dragon children can easily become gifted practitioners of magic and creators of intensely complicated puzzles, though this is rarely as elaborate as their elders | Up to Extraordinary Genius, matured dragons are easily comparable to the most intelligent humans in the realms and constantly thinks up new and elaborate plans for their hoard- by this point dragons are sub-consciously and constantly calculating the net worth of their hoard including shifting prices and value of magic items in their region | At least Extraordinary Genius, ancient dragons possess intelligence on par with Elder Brains, beings that can recall every ounce of information from their specific colony's entire history, reaching back into the days of the Mind Flayer empire, an empire which could merge multiverses, harvest the energy of stars by machinery, and even travel through the Far Realm | At least Extraordinary Genius
Weaknesses: Some red dragons are said to be weak to magical cold, though this weakness seems to have disappeared via magical evolution over time, they are extremely arrogant even from birth and are prone to several predictable habits- namely greed and unreasonable desire to get revenge
Other
Notable Victories:
Notable Losses:
Jon Snow and Ghost (Game of Thrones) Jon Snow and Ghost's Profiles (The Red Dragon had the help of 3 Kobolds. Young Dragon, Post-Resurrection Jon, and Inventor Kobolds were used. Speed was equalized. They all had prior knowledge. Fight took place in the Cave of Crystals, 50 meters apart)
Inconclusive Matches:
References
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, pages 17-18
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, pages 16-17
- ↑ 4e Monster Manual, page 82
- ↑ 5e Monster Manual, page 98
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 16
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 22
- ↑ 4e Chromatic Draconomicon, page 13
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 23
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 25
- ↑ 5e Volo's Guide to Monsters, page 165
- ↑ 4e Chromatic Draconomicon, page 56
- ↑ 5e Monster Manual, page 99
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 75
- ↑ 4e Chromatic Draconomicon, Page 50
- ↑ 3.5e Monster Manual, page 76
- ↑ 3.5e Player's Handbook, page 187
- ↑ 5e Monster Manual, page 99
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 255
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 261
- ↑ 3.5e Draconomicon, page 162
Discussions
| Discussion threads involving Red Dragon (Dungeons and Dragons) |