Dragonborn
Proud Dragon Kin
Dragonborn look very much like dragons standing erect in humanoid form, though they lack wings or a tail. The first dragonborn had scales of vibrant hues matching the colors of their dragon kin, but generations of interbreeding have created a more uniform appearance. Their small, fine scales are usually brass or bronze in color, sometimes ranging to scarlet, rust, gold, or copper-green. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 6½ feet tall and weighing 300 pounds or more. Their hands and feet are strong, talonlike claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand.
The Dragonborn were created by Myrexia, and modeled after Dragons, in order to be slaves to Dragons. They eventually rebelled, with the help of Nixus, and won their freedom. This led to a deep seated hatred of chromatic dragons and Myrexia, who they often refer to as the Great Enslaver. Soon after they rebelled, the Dragons created the Dragontouched to be used as slaves, which angered the Dragonborn. They helped the Dragontouched to rebel as well, and this is why they see the Dragontouched as kin, and some clans allow the Dragontouched to integrate seamlessly into their society.
The blood of dragons runs very strong through the dragonborn clans. Dragonborn often boast scales that more closely match those of their dragon ancestor—bright red, green, blue, or white, lustrous black, or gleaming metallic gold, silver, brass, copper, or bronze.
Self-Sufficient Clans
To any dragonborn, the clan is more important than life itself. Dragonborn owe their devotion and respect to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each dragonborn’s conduct reflects on the honor of his or her clan, and bringing dishonor to the clan can result in expulsion and exile. Each dragonborn knows his or her station and duties within the clan, and honor demands maintaining the bounds of that position. Most Dragonborn are devoted worshippers of Nixus, the god of justice, honor, and duty. They feel they owe him their freedom, and their devotion leads to frequent war with his enemies.
A continual drive for self-improvement reflects the self-sufficiency of the race as a whole. Dragonborn value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn.
Though all dragonborn strive to be self-sufficient, they recognize that help is sometimes needed in difficult situations. But the best source for such help is the clan, and when a clan needs help, it turns to another dragonborn clan before seeking aid from other races—or even from the gods.
The largest and most powerful clan is Clan Jharthraxyn, of the city Ignistone. Those from Clan Jharthraxyn tend to have gold scales, and breath of fire. They are a proud clan, and possibly the most respected of them all. They are also the most aggressive towards Myrexia worshippers, and they formed the Red Watch to hunt them down and kill them. Ignistone is is a great city, but it is also a powerful fortress, situated on a craggy mountain side. It is considered impenetrable.
The Clan Norixius is another extremely important clan, as they are the biggest clan of Myrexia worshippers. They come from the extremely well defended stronghold Nihlia, and they tend to be green in color, as well as having poison breath. They have long been at war with Clan Jharthraxyn, and they kill each other on sight.
There are a few other large clans, such as the Delmirev of Tachanka, the Turnuroth of Wystongir, and the Argenthrixus of Tempestia. The Delmirev are copper Dragonborn known for their natural strength. Tachanka is situated on a hilltop, and the Delmirev have been at war with the Hobgoblins of Dolgrum for two years. The Turnuroth of Wystongir are blue Dragonborn, known for their xenophobia and hair-trigger tempers. They live in a desert, and while not violent towards outsiders, they heavily discriminate against non-Dragonborn. The Argenthrixus are friendly and gregarious, and they live in a stronghold on the coast, known as Tempestia. There are many other clans, but these are the most respected.
Player Abilities
Ability Score Increases
When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy.
Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.
Metallic Ancestry
You have a chromatic dragon ancestor, granting you a special magical affinity. Choose one kind of dragon from the Chromatic Ancestry table. This determines the damage type for your other traits, as shown below.
Breath Weapon:
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with an exhalation of magical energy in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, the creature takes 1d10 damage of the type associated with your Chromatic Ancestry. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage. This damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).
Dragon Magical Affinity
- Bronze, Blue - Lightning
- Copper, Black - Acid
- Gold, Brass, Red - Fire
- Silver, White - Cold
- Green - Poison
You can use your Breath Weapon a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Draconic Resistance:
You have resistance to the damage type associated with your Chromatic Ancestry.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dragonborn are large and muscular, and covered in scales. They also a the powerful and mysterious ability called a breath weapon. They can exhale destructive energy from their mouth, with the size, shape, damage, and element determined by their ancestry. They can shoot acid, flame, lightning, poison, or cold as their breath weapon. The color of their scales are linked to this ability, and you can usually tell which breath weapon a Dragonborn has based on their color.
Biological Traits
Young dragonborn grow quickly. They walk hours after hatching, attain the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3, and reach adulthood by 15. Dragonborn live to be around 80, and it is extremely uncommon to see a Dragonborn older than 95.
Comments
Author's Notes
NOTE: This article was made with the original Dungeon and Dragons 5th Edition rules placed in the article as it was one of the first species articles I made. I decided to stop doing this early on for the sake of not causing confusion, as DnD has fluid, everchanging rules. I decided not to remove the rules to preserve the way the article has been for almost two years, but the 5th Edition rules only appear in this article and the High Elf article.