Metallic dragons in D&D
Dragons are legendary and awe-inspiring creatures. Among these majestic beings, metallic dragons are special, known for their wisdom, nobility, and their habit of helping people. In DND 5e, there are five types of metallic dragons: brass, bronze, copper, silver, and gold.
However, there are also some lesser-known metallic dragons from earlier editions of D&D, which we will explore as well. We’ll answer common questions about metallic dragons, their stats, breath weapons, and other interesting facts about them.
What are the 5 metallic dragons in D&D?
In Dungeons & Dragons 5e, the metallic dragons are a majestic and diverse group of creatures. They include brass, bronze, copper, silver, and gold dragons.
Brass metallic dragon
Credit: Johan Grenier.
What are brass dragons?
Brass dragons are extraordinary creatures, known for being friendly and sociable. They have a well-earned reputation as great conversationalists and storytellers. These dragons genuinely enjoy the company of others and are especially talkative. They can discuss a wide range of topics thanks to the vast knowledge they’ve gathered over centuries.
With long, serpentine bodies covered in polished, gleaming scales of deep brass colour, brass dragons shine brilliantly in the sunlight. They have powerful wings for flying, though they often prefer gliding on warm air currents and thermals.
Brass dragons in combat
In combat, brass dragons are extremely dangerous. In DND 5e, an ancient brass dragon has a challenge rating of 20 and a powerful breath weapon that can either unleash fire or put enemies to sleep. Overall, the ancient brass dragon's stats are impressive, making it a tough challenge if faced under unfavourable conditions.
How do brass dragons live in the world?
Brass dragons prefer dry, desert regions as their home, where they can bask in the sun's warmth and keep an eye on their surroundings. They often build their nests in hidden desert caves or caverns, where they gather treasures and items that hold personal meaning to them. In these places, brass dragons share their environment with various creatures, including genies and desert-dwelling people.
Enjoying interaction with humans and other mortals, brass dragons often take on humanoid forms, making it easier to connect and engage in friendly conversations. They are always willing to share their wisdom, as long as the person is open-minded and eager to talk in a friendly way.
Bronze metallic dragon
Credit: Wizards of the Coast.
What are bronze dragons?
Bronze dragons are known for their honourable and noble nature. They are admired for their strong commitment to justice and their deep sense of duty. As champions of fairness and doing what is right, bronze dragons have a strong desire to protect those who are vulnerable and uphold moral values.
These majestic creatures have sleek, elongated bodies covered in scales that shine with beautiful shades of blue-green and metallic bronze. Their graceful forms are paired with large, powerful wings, allowing them to fly with both elegance and strength.
Bronze dragons in combat
Bronze dragons have a formidable breath weapon – a powerful lightning breath that they can unleash on their enemies. They can also breathe out repulsion energy, which physically pushes creatures away from them. These powerful breath weapons serve as an effective deterrent against threats, helping the ancient bronze dragon maintain order and protect those in need.
How do bronze dragons live in the world?
Bronze dragons often make their homes near coastlines, where they enjoy the sea breeze and keep watch over their surroundings. These noble creatures build their nests in hidden underwater caves, where they store treasures and keepsakes that hold deep personal meaning. Bronze dragons also share their waters with other creatures, forming friendships with merfolk and other aquatic races.
These dragons are eager to connect with people and often take on humanoid forms to make social interactions more comfortable. They freely share their wisdom, as long as the other person shows genuine interest and a willingness to have a meaningful conversation.
Copper metallic dragon
Credit: Wizards of the Coast.
What are copper dragons?
Copper dragons are known for their playful and whimsical nature. These dragons embody a unique blend of curiosity and mischief, taking delight in the wonders of the world and the joy of exploration. They have a special talent for entertainment, with their stories and antics bringing laughter and amazement to all who are lucky enough to encounter them.
With a serpentine form covered in gleaming, tarnished scales that take on a rich copper hue, copper dragons stand out as striking creatures. Their lithe bodies are paired with expansive wings, allowing them to soar through the skies with grace and agility.
Copper dragons in combat
Copper dragons are known for their acid breath weapon, which can be a powerful source of damage. If that doesn't work, they can exhale a gas that slows down enemies, allowing them to reposition and take out their targets with ease.
How do copper dragons live in the world?
Copper dragons usually choose to live in hilly or rocky areas, where they can indulge in their love for nature and explore freely. They build lairs in hidden caves or winding tunnels, where they collect a mix of treasures and curiosities. Copper dragons are also known to share their homes with earth-elemental creatures and underground beings, forming harmonious relationships.
Silver metallic dragon
Credit: Thai Trieu.
What are silver dragons?
Silver dragons, known for their noble and compassionate nature, are among the most respected beings in the world of D&D. They embody the values of wisdom, kindness, and selflessness, dedicating their lives to protecting and guiding the people of the world.
Silver dragons have a sinuous and graceful form, covered in radiant scales that shimmer like the purest silver. These gleaming scales reflect light in mesmerising ways, creating an aura of beauty and splendour. With powerful wings, they soar through the skies with grace and majesty, often appearing as ethereal spectres among the clouds.
Silver dragons in combat
The breath weapon of a silver dragon is a powerful cone of icy-cold breath, capable of freezing enemies in their tracks. This strong ability acts as both a deterrent and a way to quickly neutralise threats. They may also use a paralysing gas breath, which can, in a similar way, stop enemies in their tracks.
How do silver dragons live in the world?
Silver dragons are typically drawn to remote, cold regions, where they can survey their territory and interact with the inhabitants of these isolated lands.
They build their lairs in hidden glacial caves, ice caverns, or on secluded mountain peaks, protecting valuable treasures and relics. An abandoned mountaintop citadel or a remote tower built by a long-dead wizard is the kind of lair every silver dragon dreams of. Silver dragons often share their domains with other arctic creatures, forming bonds with the wildlife of the frozen wilderness.
Gold metallic dragon
Credit: Marina Kleyman.
What are gold dragons?
Gold dragons are often revered as the most powerful type of metallic dragon. Their presence embodies unparalleled goodness and wisdom, and they stand as symbols of hope, justice, and righteousness.
A gold dragon has a majestic and awe-inspiring form, with resplendent scales that shimmer with a radiant golden hue. These scales reflect the light in such a way that they seem to emit a divine, celestial glow, creating an aura of regal splendour. With mighty wings that command the skies, they exude an air of authority and grandeur.
Gold dragons in combat
Gold dragons, the most powerful of the metallic dragons, are driven by a strong dedication to justice and the protection of all that is good. They can either breathe fire or exhale a gas that weakens those who oppose them.
How do gold dragons live in the world?
Gold dragons often make their lairs in remote and beautiful locations, such as pristine mountain peaks or peaceful valleys, where they can keep a close watch over the land and its people.
Within their sanctuaries, they protect priceless treasures and artefacts of great importance. Gold dragons often share their domains with other kind-hearted creatures, building alliances and promoting harmony.
Are metallic dragons good?
Just as chromatic dragons are typically evil, metallic dragons are typically good. Metallic dragons are often defenders of justice, champions of virtue, and protectors of the innocent.
What other metallic dragons are there?
For a large part of D&D's history, five metallic dragons served as counterparts to the five chromatic dragons. Although there are only five metallic dragons in D&D 5e, previous editions featured others, including cobalt, mercury, mithral, orium, and steel dragons.
Cobalt metallic dragon
Credit: Howard Lyon.
Cobalt dragons are mysterious creatures known for their striking midnight blue scales, which glisten with an otherworldly shine. One of their unique abilities is the power to exhale a breath weapon made of pulsing, almost invisible energy. These dragons have a rather foul temperament, similar to the irritable nature often associated with their metallic counterparts.
In the complex hierarchy of metallic dragons, cobalt dragons hold a unique position. While they can be prone to temper and volatility, they maintain a subservient role within the hierarchy, yielding to the authority of Bahamut. This intricate web of relationships and allegiances among cobalt dragons adds depth and intrigue to their already fascinating lore.
Secretive and reclusive, they are rarely seen on the surface. They typically build their lairs deep underground, where they can avoid being disturbed by intruders, and inhabit a labyrinthine maze full of traps.
Mercury metallic dragon
Credit: Wizards of the Coast.
Mercury dragons, known for their remarkable agility and relatively modest size compared to other dragons, are whimsical creatures famous for their ever-changing decisions and unpredictable nature. These dragons start their lives with dull silver scales, but as they grow, their scales transform into a gleaming, mirror-like finish, reflecting the world around them.
In battle, mercury dragons possess a unique set of abilities. Their main breath weapon is a scorching beam of superheated yellow light, able to sear through enemies with incredible precision. As they reach adulthood, they unlock an additional attack, using their ability to reflect light onto their foes. This creates a dazzling burst of radiant brilliance, temporarily blinding and disorienting the target.
Mercury dragons are mysterious fighters, often unpredictable in combat. However, one rule they always follow is this: they will never start a fight with creatures aligned with goodness, unless provoked. In skirmishes, these dragons rely heavily on their spellcasting skills, showing an impressive talent for finding new and creative ways to use their magical powers. This adaptability and resourcefulness make mercury dragons formidable opponents, with battle strategies as unpredictable as the shifting mercury from which they take their name.
Mithral metallic dragon
Credit: Kerembeyit.
Mithral dragons, among the most exceptional and elusive of their kind, are known for their pursuit of Io's ultimate vision. While they have chosen to make their home in the celestial expanse of the Astral Sea, close to gods and angels, their plans and schemes often draw them into interactions with beings from the mortal realm.
The pursuit of their own ambitions remains the highest priority for mithral dragons, a relentless quest with no end, and they show little mercy to those who dare block their path.
Mithral dragons have a unique perspective, their minds filled with visions of alternate dimensions and distant times. Based in the Astral Sea, these creatures transcend the boundaries of mortality, their longevity ensured unless they meet their end on the battlefield. Their connection to the Astral Sea grants them immortality, ensuring that their presence and influence will last for eons.
Orium metallic dragon
Credit: Netarliargus.
Orium dragons carve out their dominion amidst lush jungles and rainforests, living among the remnants of ancient, long-forgotten civilisations. Within the vibrant canopy of the jungle, these creatures serve as both rulers and visionary architects. Their purpose is to revive the glory of empires lost to time and reclaim the dormant magic of past eras.
To those fortunate enough to find themselves under the orium dragon's guardianship, they experience a ruler who is both wise and unyielding. The dragon's guidance is marked by a deep sense of purpose, tempered by the understanding that the road to greatness is often a treacherous one.
Yet, those who dare to challenge the dragon's ambitions soon discover the full extent of its power. With a breath that carries the corrosive essence of orium, they are met with a relentless, unforgiving force. This same breath, when summoned by the dragon's will, forms into a spectral serpent, a vengeful entity that strikes at the command of its formidable master.
Steel metallic dragon
Credit: Delowar.
Steel dragons exude an aura of mystery and sophistication. These creatures are masters of disguise, often preferring to take the form of humans rather than showing their true nature. Their scales, resembling burnished steel, glisten with an otherworldly allure. You might find them blending seamlessly into human society, posing as scholars, sages, or wizards.
When a steel dragon enters the world, its scales are a deep blue-gray, gradually turning into the shining sheen of polished steel as it matures. In their human form, these dragons always retain a distinctive steel-gray feature, whether it’s their hair, eyes, nails, or even a subtle detail like a ring or tattoo. Unlike their chromatic counterparts, steel dragons find little comfort in cavernous lairs. Instead, they prefer human dwellings such as grand mansions or castles.
For those unlucky enough to face them in combat, their breath weapons are acid and poisonous gas.
Common questions about metallic dragons
What is the friendliest metallic dragon?
Silver dragons are considered the friendliest of the metallic dragons. What sets them apart is their genuine fondness for humanoid races, especially humans and elves. They are known for their friendly and sociable nature, which makes them easy to approach.
Who is the god of the metallic dragons?
Bahamut, the platinum dragon, is the god of metallic dragons in the D&D universe. He is depicted as a large platinum dragon whose scales can shift between shades of metallic blue, with immense power to match his impressive appearance.
How many platinum dragons exist?
In the lore of Dungeons & Dragons, Bahamut is the only known platinum dragon to exist. However, the specific number of platinum dragons in a campaign world is ultimately determined by the Dungeon Master.
Why do metallic dragons and chromatic dragons hate each other?
Chromatic and metallic dragons usually hate each other because of their very different natures and values. They stand on opposite ends of the moral spectrum.
Metallic dragons see chromatic dragons as threats to the world and its inhabitants because of their destructive tendencies. In contrast, chromatic dragons view metallic dragons as meddling interlopers who get in the way of their ambitions for domination and treasure. These conflicting values often lead to frequent clashes between the two types of dragons.
Can a metallic dragon become a dracolich?
Only ancient and adult dragons can become dracoliches. Since liches are generally considered to be evil, it’s rare for a metallic dragon to become a dracolich. However, it is possible.
For example, a particularly narcissistic metallic dragon might choose to become a dracolich in order to escape mortality, but they would do so knowing that it severs all ties to their kin and the dragon gods.
Metallic dragon-themed dice and accessories
Now you know all about metallic dragons, why not check out our guide on gem dragons and uncover the secrets of these powerful crystalline creatures?
If you're looking to enhance your D&D experience, don't forget to explore our metal dragon dice, dragon square dice trays, and dragon dice holders. They're the perfect companions for your adventures in the world of dragon fantasy.
