Bronze Dragon [Metallic]

A hatchling is greenish yellow with only a trace of bronze. The color deepens slowly toward adulthood and keeps darkening; very old and older bronzes gain blue-black scale edges like the patina on an ancient statue.

These dragons hate killing mere animals and prefer to buy them off with food or drive them away with repulsion. Against intelligent foes they use ESP to learn their plans, then blind them with wall of fog and charge, or snatch them if flying. Underwater, airy water keeps their breath working and holds off purely aquatic enemies. Ships are wrecked by summoned storms or hull-smashing tail slaps; a merciful bronze may just leave sailors becalmed, fogbound or dismasted.

Breath choices are a lightning stroke 100 feet long and 5 wide, or a 20 x 30 x 30-foot cloud of repulsion gas. A save vs. breath weapon halves lightning damage. Those failing against the gas must back away for 1d6 minutes plus 2 more for each of the dragon's age levels. Spells function at 8th level plus combat modifier.

Bronzes hatch immune to electricity, able to breathe water and to speak with animals at will. Later powers: polymorph self plus create food and water, 3/day apiece (young; a shape lasts until the next change, and resuming dragon form is free), wall of fog 1/day (juvenile), ESP 3/day (adult), airy water 3/day in a 10-foot radius per age category (mature adult), weather summoning 1/day (old).

Nosy by nature and warmly disposed toward humans and demihumans, bronzes love to watch adventurers while disguised as small, friendly beasts, and they relish riddles and harmless contests. War fascinates them; they will join an army whose cause is right and whose pay is good. They speak their own language and the common tongue of good dragons, and hatchlings have a 16% chance (plus 5% per age category) to communicate with any intelligent being.

They live beside deep fresh or salt water, diving for pearls and sunken treasure, and favor caves entered from underwater yet dry inside, since they never sleep, lay eggs or hoard below the surface. Dolphins and whales tell them of wrecks to loot and of big sharks. Pirates they despise.

Bronzes eat water plants and seafood, prize shark meat, nibble pearls, and can eat almost anything if needed. Their worst enemies are evil amphibians, sahuagin above all, which can reach their air-filled lairs.