Brass Dragon

Dragon (Fire)

Environment: Warm deserts

Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2-5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1-2 and 2-5 offspring)

Challenge Rating: Wyrmling 3; very young 4; young 6; juvenile 8; young adult 10; adult 12; mature adult 15; old 17; very old 19; ancient 20; wyrm 21; great wyrm 23

Treasure: Triple standard

Alignment: Always chaotic good

Advancement: Wyrmling 5-6 HD; very young 8-9 HD; young 11-12 HD; juvenile 14-15 HD; young adult 17-18 HD; adult 20-21 HD; mature adult 23-24 HD; old 26-27 HD; very old 29-30 HD; ancient 32-33 HD; wyrm 35-36 HD; great wyrm 38+ HD

Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +2; very young +3; young +4; juvenile +4; others —

The dragon’s head has a massive plate at the forehead and bladelike horns at the chin. A frill runs the length of the neck, and the dragon has manta-like wings. The dragon smells like sunbaked sand, and its scales glisten like polished brass.

Brass dragons are notoriously talkative. They may have useful information, but usually share it only after long rambling and hinting for a gift.

            At birth, a brass dragon’s scales are dull, mottled brown. As the dragon gets older, the scales become more brassy until they reach a warm, burnished appearance. The grand head-plates of a brass dragon are smooth and metallic, and it sports bladed chin horns that grow sharper with age. Wings and frills are mottled green toward the edges, darkening with age. As the dragon grows older, its pupils fade until the eyes resemble molten metal orbs.

            Brass dragons love intense, dry heat and spend most of their time basking in the desert sun. They are accompanied by a tangy metallic or sandy odor. They lair in high caves, preferably facing east to enjoy the morning warmth, and their territories always contain several spots where they can sunbathe and trap unwary travelers in conversation.

Brass dragons can and will eat almost anything if the need arises, but they normally consume very little. They are able to get nourishment from the morning dew, a rare commodity in their habitat, and have been seen carefully lifting it off plants with their long tongues.

Because they share similar habitats, blue dragons are brass dragons’ worst enemies. The larger blues have the advantage in one-on-one confrontations, so brass dragons usually try to evade them until they can rally their neighbors for a mass attack.

Combat

Brass dragons would rather talk than fight. If an intelligent creature tries to leave without engaging in conversation, the dragon might force compliance in a fit of pique, using suggestion or a dose of sleep gas. A creature put to sleep may wake to find itself pinned or buried to the neck in the sand until the dragon’s thirst for small talk is slaked. When faced with real danger, younger brass dragons fly out of sight, then hide by burrowing into the sand. Older dragons spurn this ploy but still prefer to have the advantage in combat.

            Breath Weapon (Su): A brass dragon has two types of breath weapon, a line of fire and a cone of sleep. Creatures within the cone must succeed on a Will save or fall asleep, regardless of HD, for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per age category of the dragon.

            Spell-Like Abilities: At will—speak with animals; 3/day—endure elements (juvenile or older; radius 10 ft. X dragon’s age category); 1/day—suggestion (adult or older), control weather (ancient or older).

            Summon Djinni (Sp): This ability, usable by a great wyrm brass dragon, works like a summon monster spell, except that it summons one djinni. This ability is the equivalent of a 7^th-level spell.

            Skills: Bluff, Gather Information, and Survival are considered skills for brass dragons.