True Dragon

True Dragons are among the most feared and respected of creatures. The enormous power of a great elder true dragon can shape the economic and political landscape of the local region, and the slaying of a draconic tyrant is certain to gather great esteem, and the death of a wise and benevolent dragon is certain to be mourned.
To most, the term "True Dragon" is synonymous with "Dragon", and this article will use "Dragon" to mean specifically "True Dragon" for simplicity. However, not all species of Dragons are True Dragons, there are also false dragons, a category which includes Drakes, Archdrakes, Pseudodragons, Faerie Dragons, Wyverns, Yrthaks, and other such creatures. When referring to these, this article will specify "false dragon".
There are four main varieties of true dragon: Metallic Dragons, Chromatic Dragons, Crystalline Dragons, and the elusive Lung Dragons.

Basic Information

Anatomy

A true dragon in its natural form is a reptile-like hexapod with a head, four legs, two wings, and a strong tail.
The forelegs of a dragon are prehensile and able to grasp objects or be used as natural weapons, but are also generally required for a dragon to move along the ground without using its wings. The hindlegs are strong and bear most of the weight of a dragon's body. Both fore and hindlegs have mighty strength and sharp claws.
The wings of a Metallic or Chromatic dragon are large and strong; ranging in span to between the dragon's head-to-tail length to twice that. Metallic and Chromatic dragons are much broader in body than Long dragons, which have a much shorter wingspan of between one tenth and one half their length.
The exact size of a dragon varies by species, but every dragon grows in size and power as they mature and continue to grow (though at an ever-slowing pace) as they age over centuries.
Dragon corpses are renowned for having very strong scales and bones, as these materials are highly sought after by craftsmen and necromancers alike, and their blood is a potent alchemical ingredient. Their flesh, however, is generally poisonous to most sentient life, and as such is not seen as useful by most civilizations.

Extraordinary & Supernatural Abilities

Dragons are highly magical creatures. Their innate magical nature combined with their significant intelligence gives them potent magical abilities including telepathy, elemental magic, earth-shaping, illusions, and shapeshifting. Additionally, every true dragon has a powerful breath weapon which they can use to great effect.

Genetics and Reproduction

True dragons are sexually non-dimorphous; male dragons and female dragons possess the same physical traits and any true dragon is capable of laying eggs. A dragon's preferred gender, pronoun, and sexual role, if they care for one, is their own decision. Dragons transmit genetic information telepathically, and the body of the "female" fertilizes her next clutch of eggs. A lonely dragon can, if necessary, self-fertilize by imagining a male genetic sequence.
Dragons possess a rudimentary genetic memory which includes the basics of the Draconic language, enabling even fresh hatchlings to speak to a limited degree.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Dragons are known to possess excellent eyesight, even able to pierce magical invisibility when looking directly at the subject, though it may fool their peripheral vision.
Dragons are capable of basic telepathy. They can broadcast their thoughts to others and detect the presence of other minds, as well as read vocalized or "loud" thoughts, allowing them to understand all languages. They cannot wrest information from an unwilling mind, nor can they know what you are planning using only their natural abilities; they would need to cast a spell to do that like any other being.

Lifespan

Indefinite

Related Myths

• The Draconic History