Copper Dragon [Metallic]

Copper hatchlings are reddish brown with a metallic hint. Scales grow finer and more coppery, reaching a soft glow by young adulthood, and turn faintly green from venerable age onward.

A copper dragon fights by taunting, hoping its enemies quit or blunder in anger. It hops from side to side around them, landing on sheer or out-of-reach stone, and if its lair has none it shapes such perches in advance with wall of stone, stone shape and move earth. Its leaps carry it 30 yards ahead or to either side, peaking 20 feet up, or 30 feet straight up.

Truly angered, it turns ground to sludge with rock to mud, kicks escapees back in, and then crushes the trapped under a wall of stone or carries them skyward. Airborne foes are lured into tight gorges where the dragon clings to the walls and tries to make them crash into rock.

Breath options: a 30 x 20 x 20-foot cloud of slow gas, or a 70-foot acid spurt 5 feet wide. Victims failing a save vs. breath weapon against the gas are slowed, lasting 3 minutes for each of the dragon's age levels; acid damage is halved by a successful save. Spells work at 7th level plus combat modifier. It hatches immune to acid and able to spider climb on stone. Later: neutralize poison 3/day (young), stone shape 2/day (juvenile), forget 1/day (adult), rock to mud 1/day (mature adult), move earth 1/day (old), wall of stone 1/day (great wyrm).

Coppers are inveterate jokers and riddlers, proud, sore losers yet decent winners, and greedy enough to be nearly neutral about wealth. A good or neutral traveler who offers an unheard joke, funny tale or riddle is usually allowed to pass; humorless guests who scowl at its pranks wear out their welcome fast. They speak their own tongue and that of good dragons, with a 14% hatchling chance (plus 5% per age category) to talk with any intelligent creature.

They inhabit dry, rocky uplands, laired in narrow caves with entrances hidden by magic, and fill them with roofless mazes they can fly or jump over while intruders struggle. Red dragons often live within sight, and when they clash the copper hides until it can even the odds.

Coppers hunt for sport as much as food and eat nearly anything, ores included. Giant scorpions and other big venomous beasts are favorites, since they claim venom sharpens wit; swallowed poison is harmless to them, though venom injected still affects them normally.