Lesser Dragons (5e Race)
Lesser Dragons
| “ | You may be a dragon of body and mind, but you'll NEVER be one of heart! | ” |
| —Spirit Swingheart shortly before wrecking Tiamat alongside the Witch Hunters. | ||
DM Note: This is not to be confused with the Lesser Dragons Homebrew race of 3.5e on this wiki. This is separate from those pages, and has nothing to do with them, including not being the same author.
Physical Description
I'm sure you know what a dragon looks like right? Well imagine they didn't grow up quite as big, and had eyes closer to normal ones their entire lives, instead of the "molten core" look a typical dragon would have when it got old.
History
Lesser Dragons originated outside of the known multiverse of D&D. They existed in a separate universe, wherein magic did not permeate every corner of existence, but instead was concentrated closer to the worlds that existed there. Without this ambient magic to constantly draw from, creatures of that universe had to evolve to generate their own magic, creating a life sourced magical energy called mana. That universe still exists, but after mastering its dangers, some of the creatures from it branched out into the D&D multiverse, because the D&D multiverse and its deities began to branch out into it. The resulting conflicts are already old news by this point however; And while the travel is a daunting task only undertaken by powerful casters, the race itself is now sometimes born here, and doesn't necessarily even know more than a normal intelligent creature would about the big wide multiverse around them.
The result? Dragons that are much smaller than their spongy counterparts (Called so as they soak up magic instead of letting it flow through them like Lesser Dragons do) but are still resilient forces of nature in their own right, evolved not simply to be powerful, but explicitly to be more capable of magic than any of their distant relatives. Well, distant relatives, and eternal rivals of course. A Dragon and Lesser Dragon of similar alignment might get along, but the differences between them give them both an intense jealously of each other, that often turns to distrust or outright hate. This jealously does stem from a place of passion however, as its usually rooted in the desires of both races, power. Lesser Dragons yearn for the intense physical might of the Dragons, who in turn lust after the magical prowess of the Lesser Dragons. Some Lesser Dragons neglect their studies of magic in exchange for training in such physical regards, making them just as often Fighters and Rouges as any other race, usually in spite of their magical heritage instead of because of it. Because of these mutual opposite weaknesses between them, clever Dragons and Lesser Dragons that CAN stand the sight of each other can make an incredibly deadly team, and the disposition of the Lesser Dragons is usually able to allow such allegiances to exist if the Dragon doesn't immediately attack it when they first meet. Of course, many Lesser Dragons that don't turn to study the magical world or take on physical training tend to naturally develop some measure of magic anyway, becoming Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers. After all, you don't need a dragon ancestor or anything like that if you ARE a dragon.
Lesser Dragons are fast friends with most Gemstonians (Except Obsideons), which you can learn about on that race's page.
Society
The culture of the Lesser Dragons is one of honor, courage, humility and respect for power. They never underestimate a potential foe, and might overestimate one if it's larger than them at all. Most don't see themselves as better than others, even with the difference is clear. They're a timid race, until something sets their blood alight and gives them a good reason go all out. The result can be all the fury of a True Dragon wrapped up in a much smaller package than you'd expect to hit that hard. There are no Lesser Dragons that lack class levels, as their natural talent and aptitudes always brings them some level of strength as they grow up, regardless of what kind of strength that might be. As such, they are living proof of the principle of size doesn't matter.
| “ | Importantly, they are True Dragons, and consider themselves as such. If you call them anything less than Dragons, you're a very brave fool. | ” |
| —Shale Samuel The Lich warning Tiamat of the dangers of the Lesser Dragons. | ||
Lesser Dragon Names
The Lesser Dragons have a tongue that favors sharp pronunciation, such as the s and t sounds. Their names almost always mean something in common as well as draconic, though they sware this is a coincidence. This is likely because of the integration of Lesser Dragons into normal society, which has lead to many Lesser Dragons originating in the D&D multiverse to be adopted by other races and their families. As a result, you could also use the naming scheme of any other race, assuming your Lesser Dragon's parents adopted you by finding your egg. Why are so many eggs abandoned? Well for one, other Dragons will hunt Lesser Dragons in the wild, and for two, Lesser Dragon eggs are easily enchantable, and most are made invisible to other True Dragons besides Lesser Dragons, making Lesser Dragons with dead parents or those that were forced to flee home fairly likely. Names may sometimes point to notable character traits or abilities that the Lesser Dragon is better at than others of its kind, or locations it favors or the location the egg was found in. Generally, though there are some exceptions, a Lesser Dragon named by Lesser Dragon parents will not have a r or er sound at the end of their name if they are Male, even if this creates a word that isn't real as a result. Last names tend to be general, like how humans decided their family names, though they also have the additional quirk of often originating from a combination of the two names or quirks of the two Lesser Dragons that originated the family, which can also cause the family names to change or be distorted or simplified over longer periods of time. They are never written as plural, even if they are pronounced that way. The below last name examples only show these phenomenons, because normal human-like last names should be easy to come up with if that's the way you wish to name your character.
Male: Scales, Spring, Samuel, Siren, Sparks, Vandal, Vargas, Kite, Kindle, Kale, Tarot, Titan, Train, Baron, Bait, Bain, Braille, Bail, Cleve
Female: Spirit, Shooter, Seven, Sender, Marsh, Meadow, Miracle, Hope, Harness, Heavy, Claw, Cane, Caper, Cleaver, Clever, Flare
Last Names: Swingheart, Hailfire, Sparknife, Braveheart, Kindheart, Needlewing, Toothclaw, Coldtooth, Fireheart, Swiftclaw
Lesser Dragon Traits
Dragons that are more magically inclined rather than big and strong.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Lesser Dragons mature at the same rate as humans but can live 500 years. Most aren't considered adults until they reach the age of 70, but those that perform exceptional deeds might be treated as one early.
Alignment. Lesser Dragons can be of any alignment and are as diverse in this regard as humans. This is regardless of the color or kind of their scales.
Size. Lesser Dragons are quadrupedal, like their cousins the Dragons. They vary in size and build, but are typically anywhere from 3 to 5 feet long from head to tail. Your size is small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Nimble Quadrupedal. You can fit in spaces that are Tiny size without squeezing.
Weak Wings. When you are falling, you can use your reaction to reduce the amount of feet you fall to 0 until the end of your next turn. This does not give you a flying speed, meaning escaping the fall requires some other means to move to land. Once you have used this trait once, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
True Dragon. You have the dragon creature type. You can be affected by spells and effects that affect dragons and humanoids.
Clawed. Your claws deal slashing damage with an unarmed strike, instead of bludgeoning damage.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.
Random Height and Weight
| Base Height | Height Modifier* | Base Weight | Weight Modifier** |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3′ 0″ | +3d8 | 100 lb. | × (2d4) lb. |
|
*Height = base height + height modifier | |||
Subraces
(DM Note: Subraces are a variant rule here, as their inclusion could make the race overpowered. A suggestion to mitigate this if you feel it should be allowed is to make the subrace chosen at 3rd level, giving the first trait. Then at 5th level, the character gains the benefits of the second trait. Royal Dragons, though part of this race technically, can be banned from play even if the other subraces are allowed, with the reasoning that they are incredibly rare and Truesight as a racial trait is overpowered.)
Mountainous Dragons
Climbing Speed. You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
Earth Meld. Mud and quicksand don't count as difficult terrain for you, and can't restrain you naturally (Though they still can if magically made to do so).
Aquatic Dragons
Swimming Speed. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Aquatic. You can breathe water or air.
Murky Dragons
Swampy Stealth. You have advantage on stealth checks while it is raining, though only if you are in the rain. You also have advantage on stealth checks in swampy areas.
Aquatic. You can breathe water or air.
Volcanic Dragons
Competent Glider. Your maximum jump distance and height is doubled. You must still follow all other restrictions with jumping.
Toasty Heart. You have resistance to fire damage.
Royal Dragons
Truesight. You have Truesight within 10 feet of you.
Quickened Pace. Your movement speed is 30 feet.
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