Dragon [Birthright]

The continent's dragons are a single species, long and snakelike, with short legs and broad leathery wings. Iron-hard scales cover the back and limbs, while thick leathery folds guard the belly. Coloring runs from reddish rust-brown to iron gray, with paler undersides. They speak their own language, and about half also know dwarvish or elvish; they have never troubled to learn the tongues of younger races.

They avoid melee when they can, using intimidation, spells, breath and other powers first. Each radiates fear within 50 yards. A creature that meets its gaze must save vs. spell at -4 or be frozen in terror for 2d4 turns, and by concentrating on such a victim for a full round the dragon can impose feeblemind, geas or suggestion with no save.

Once every six rounds it can breathe a 60-foot line, 5 feet wide, of acid and fire. In melee it bites and strikes with its forepaws, adding an age-based combat modifier to all attack and damage rolls; age also adjusts its Hit Dice, AC, breath and magic resistance.

Every one is a wizard of 9th to 16th level (1d8+8), limited to the abjuration, alteration, conjuration/summoning and divination schools. Targets of its spells suffer a save penalty equal to its age-based AC modifier, so a wyrm imposes -3.

Older than elves or dwarves, dragons were once numerous, but now only a few survive in a remote mountain range and in lands far overseas. They are brilliant and guard knowledge older than humanity, yet they hate being bothered and treat any non-dragon near a lair as vermin to destroy. No young are known; all are old, very old, venerable, wyrm or great wyrm. Each is effectively a sage in several fields of magical, natural or planar lore. A few will share knowledge with humble petitioners, but nearly always wrapped in riddles.

They are dying out. Once constantly at war with one another, they have avoided such fights for several thousand years. With age they sleep more, usually 20 to 30 years at a stretch, and wake hungry. Evil dragons readily plunder the towns of humans and demihumans nearby, while good ones generally stick to wild game.