Chromium Dragon [Ferrous]

Usually called chrome dragons, they bear an uncanny likeness to silver dragons, a mistake that has cost many adventurers their lives. Hatchlings look like tarnished silver; the scales brighten until adults appear pure silver, then keep changing until, by the old stage, they resemble polished chrome, reflective enough to show a face. Besides their own language they share the ferrous dragon tongue, and 15% of hatchlings have telepathic speech with any thinking being up to 60 feet away, rising 5% per age category.

No ferrous dragon is more evil or more greedy, and only reds rival their lust for treasure. Merciless killers, they slay for the joy of watching victims writhe, and like cats with mice they love to toy with prey, though they can also turn their powers to ruthless, swift destruction. They nearly always strike first from the air with the freezing cloud, landing only once foes seem weak enough.

They have two breath weapons. One is a cloud of freezing crystals 50 feet long, 40 wide and 20 high; anyone caught who fails a save vs. breath weapon is numbed to Dexterity 3 and suffers -4 on attack rolls and saving throws, while those who save keep their Dexterity and suffer only -2 penalties. The other is a bolt of solid ice 20 feet long and 5 feet wide that reaches 100 feet from the mouth; it deals full damage, or half on a save vs. breath weapon. Spells and powers work at 8th level plus combat modifier, and no kind of cold can hurt them, even as hatchlings.

Only the bitterest lands suit them, in deep caves often dug by themselves, and the ones they build are masterworks, frequently featuring pits covered by thin ice that cracks under the slightest weight and drops the victim onto sharp icicles. They are poor parents: young stay until the young stage but receive no care, and once past hatchling age must fend for themselves or perish in the brutal cold.

They prefer meat but can survive on ice and snow, and will eat nearly anything if they must. They share their range with white dragons and the odd silver. Whites are completely dominated by them, and only the mightiest whites can resist. Silvers, though, are the chromes' deadliest foes, hunting them down and killing them without mercy; not because silvers are stronger, but because they can call on far greater magical resources.