Gold Dragons
Gold dragons are the strongest and most majestic of the metallic dragons, and are considered the apex of the draconic race. Graceful and wise, they are relentless and dedicated foes of evil, injustice, and foul play. While respected for their fairness and knowledge, they are also grim and reserved, and usually avoid casual contact with other dragons.
Although the dragonforging artifacts could potentially turn any type of chromatic into any type of metallic, the majority of gold dragons came from red or black dragons.
Gold Dragons are nearly always Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Gold dragons have broad sail-like wings that start from their shoulders and extended all the way to the end of their extremely long tails. During flight, the wings move in a graceful rippling motion that resembles swimming. This elegant flying motion is considered by many scholars, as well as by the gold dragons themselves, to be the most graceful among true dragons. When at rest, the dragon closes its wings over its back like a massive, golden moth. It folds its wings back when walking or running.
A gold dragon flies with a distinctive rippling motion, almost as if it were swimming through the air. Many scholars argue that gold dragons are the most elegant flyers of all the true dragons (and the gold dragons agree). When viewed from below, a flying gold dragon can be distinguished by its long tail and rippling wings. Its whiskers and horns also show.
Gold dragons can breathe underwater. They give off scents of saffron and incense, and sometimes a faint smell of molten metal.
Genetics and Reproduction
Gold dragon courtship is both deliberate and dignified. Often two prospective mates spend years debating philosophy and ethics, and go on several quests together, so as to get the full measure of one another. Once a pair agree to mate, they seek the ruler’s approval as a matter of protocol. Permission to mate is rarely withheld.
Despite their lawful nature, gold dragons allow themselves remarkable freedom. Some mate for life, other only for a short time. Some are monogamous, and others have multiple mates at the same time. Gold dragons always tend and instruct their young carefully, though it is common for parents to send their offspring into the care of foster parents (always lawful good, but not always dragons) when they perceive the need. Young gold dragons may be fostered to protect them when danger threatens, to free up the parents for a quest, or simply to broaden their horizons.
Four foot long gold dragon eggs are laid after a gestation period of 180 days, and the incubation period is 720 days. During incubation, the egg must be kept in an open flame or in a temperature of at least 140°F.
Growth Rate & Stages
On hatching, a gold dragon’s scales are dark yellow with golden metallic flecks. The flecks get larger as the dragon matures until, at the adult stage, the scales give a shiny and radiant golden color to the adult dragon's entire body. Gold wyrmlings lack whiskers, but they quickly develop them as they mature. Younger dragons have eight whiskers, four on the upper jaw and four below. Older dragons have more. As the dragon ages, its pupils fade away until the eyes acquire an appearance of shiny, liquid gold.
They are considered wyrmlings for the first five years, very young until age 15, reach the juvenile stage at 26 years, and become sexually mature at 51 years, being considered fully adult at 100. They are considered mature at 200, old at 400, very old at 600, and ancient at 800 years. Beyond 1,000 they are considered wyrms, and great wyrms after 1,200 years.
Ecology and Habitats
Gold dragons can live anywhere, but they prefer secluded lairs. They have a preference for idyllic or picturesque locations, such as rivers or the bottom of lakes, cave complexes, ancient ruins, deep gorges, high plateaus, or mist-covered islands. They also have a preference for rolling hills, open plains, and in some rare cases even within humanoid communities which they have chosen to protect. A gold dragon’s lair is always made of stone, with numerous chambers, all beautifully decorated. The lair usually has loyal guards. Dungeon-dwelling gold dragons choose locations that provide them with suitable chambers.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Despite being capable of eating almost anything, gold dragons tend to hunt large and dangerous monsters and are particularly fond of including pearls and gems in their diet. Older dragons even have the ability to supernaturally locate gems in their vicinity. They tend to receive such gifts well, except if they were given as bribes.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Gold dragons have a worldwide hierarchy with a single leader at the top. This leader is elected by the whole species from the ranks of great gold wyrms and serves for life or until he or she decides to resign. Many serve until the onset of their twilight; others serve until they believe a successor can do a better job. The leader is always addressed by the honorific “Your Resplendence.”
When a vacancy occurs, every gold dragon in the world participates in the selection of the replacement, who is almost always selected by acclamation. Occasionally, two candidates of equal merit are available when the previous ruler dies or retires. In such cases, the two work out some method of sharing of office. During the past, there have been co-rulers, alternating rulers, and rulers who simply have retired early to make way for another.
The ruler’s duties usually prove light because the position’s authority rarely needs to exercised. Most gold dragons know how they are expected to behave, and they act accordingly. The ruler mostly serves to advise individual gold dragons on the nature and goals of their quests against evil. The ruler often can point out hidden consequences for a quest, such as the effects on the politics of lesser creatures or the impact on the local environment or the balance of power. The ruler also serves as the gold dragons’ chief representative in dealing with other species (in the rare event when some matter of interest to all gold dragons arises), and as chief enforcer and judge (in the exceptionally rare case of gold dragon misconduct).
Facial characteristics
A gold dragon's head is characterized by a short face with long and smooth metallic horns that sweep back from its nose and brow, spines above its nostrils, and neck frills that adorned both sides of its neck. From the mouth and nostrils descend numerous pairs of long, flexible muscular spines that resemble whiskers or barbels. Along with the dragon's narrow slanted eyes, these features contribute to give them a look of sagacity. Other facial features include a long pointed tongue, large, twin horns that are smooth and metallic, backswept tendrils on the lower jaws that develop into frills with age and small cheek horns that grow sideways.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
Gold dragons prefer treasures that show an artisan’s touch. They are particularly fond of paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, and fine porcelain. They enjoy pearls and small gems, which also are their favorite foods. Approaching a gold dragon with gifts of pearls and gems is a good way to gain favor, provided the gifts are not offered as bribes.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
It's common for gold dragons to appoint themselves with quests to promote good. Those that earn a gold dragon's fury find a relentless enemy who will not rest until the utter and complete subjugation of the evildoers. Either by slaying or by bringing villains to justice, a gold dragon's only acceptable outcome is complete victory over evil.
They are very private creatures, mostly keeping to themselves and their families and rarely fraternizing with other dragons.
Older gold dragons are capable of shapeshifting into humanoid or beast forms. They usually spend most of the time in this form, even within their lairs. When traveling, it's common for a gold dragon to assume a particularly non-threatening form in order to put adventurers at ease, as well as to observe local communities and to catch up on gossip and news of the outside world. In many cases, the dragon will use its disguise to provide help, company and comfort to those in need, or to set up traps for evildoers by using itself as bait.
Gold dragons are dedicated foes of evil and foul play. They often embark on self-appointed quests to promote good. Woe to the evildoer who earns a gold dragon’s wrath. The dragon will not rest until the malefactor has been defeated and either slain or brought to justice. Gold dragons do not settle for anything less than complete victory over evil. A gold dragon usually assumes human or animal guise, even within its own lair.
A gold dragon spends most of its time in an assumed form, usually that of a nondescript human or a harmless animal common to the area in which the dragon resides. For animal forms, gold dragons often choose domestic animals, such as dogs, cats, or horses, or swift moving but fairly nonthreatening forms such as eagles. As with bronze dragons, the assumed form allows the gold dragon to travel and observe the world without attracting undue attention to itself. When traveling in particularly dangerous areas, a gold dragon uses an especially nonthreatening form. This approach helps set at ease fellow travelers the dragon might meet, and also allows the dragon to use itself as bait for any evil creatures lurking about. Many killers and robbers who haunt the world’s lonely places have met swift ends when their seemingly helpless victims turned out to be gold dragons in disguise.
Gold dragons always seek news of the wider world and local gossip about recent events. Any gold dragon is a good listener, and even the most long-winded talker does not try its patience (though even a gold dragon will draw the line if a brass dragon bends its ear for too long). The dragon usually avoids philosophical or ethical arguments with lesser beings, though it often cannot resist trumping an argument that advocates chaos with an aphorism or fable promoting law. When it encounters a being that advocates evil, a gold dragon tends to be silent, but marks the speaker for future attention.
Strong believers in the greater good and in the rule of order, gold dragons are sometimes viewed as arrogant and dismissive. They tend to avoid philosophical or ethical discussions with beings they deemed inferior, although they enjoyed arguing in favor of law. Due to their vast superiority with respect to the average humanoid, they often have difficulty in understanding the everyday troubles and needs of communities and in some rare instances might even end up becoming tyrants.
Gold dragons usually parley before fighting. When conversing with intelligent creatures, they use discern lies to help them determine if combat really will be necessary. They prefer to delay combat until they can cast preparatory spells.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
4,400 or more years
Average Height
12 feet tall
Average Weight
20,000 pounds
Average Length
55 feet long, with a 16 foot long body, 15 foot long neck, and a 24 foot long tail
Average Physique
8 foot body width, with a maximum wingspan of 68 feet and the ability to fly through a space as small as 30 feet
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