Red dragon

Red dragons were covetous, evil creatures, interested only in their own well-being, vanity and the extension of their treasure hoards. They were supremely confident of their own abilities and were prone to making snap decisions without any forethought. The most powerful of the chromatic dragons, red dragons breathed a cone of fire. Red dragons were the most fearsome and cruel of the chromatic dragons. They delighted in ruin, death, and destruction.

Description
Red dragons were physically distinguished by their enormous size and wingspan. They had two large horns upon their heads, which pointed backwards toward their wings. They smelled of smoke and sulfur.

Personality
Red Dragons believed that they were the pinnacle of draconic nature and that all other species were impure. They valued vengefulness, rapaciousness, avarice and ferocity above other traits and recognized these traits in themselves with pride. They were solitary creatures and cared little for news of other types of dragons. They did however, look for news of other red dragons in their area.

If they believed their own achievements and possessions to be greater than these other red dragons then they stayed in their caves, smugly congratulating themselves but if they learned that the achievements or possessions of the other red dragons were greater than their own they would fly into a vengeful rage, decimating the surrounding area until they believed that they had outdone their rivals. The dragon became much less cautious during this time and much more likely to underestimate their foes.

Unfortunately, red dragons could go to extreme lengths to ensure that every other red dragon in the area knew that they were inferior to the red dragon spreading the news. They would often burn down only half a village or let a single adventurer flee from a battle so that word of their power spread throughout the region. Not only would this anger other red dragons but it was also like a shining beacon to adventurers and treasure hunters.

If a red dragon ever found out that another red dragon had "lost it", either by getting badly wounded or if they were becoming senile in old age, then local red dragons would descend on the lair, stripping it clean and usually killing the owner. They despised the thought of weakness in any red dragon and believed that if a red dragon could not protect what it had, then it did not deserve to have it.

Reds were also highly territorial. Entering an area a red considered its domain was just asking to be attacked, especially if it was another dragon entering the area (even more so if it was a red dragon). Conflict was inevitable if this were the case and it was almost always to the death as neither would dare show weakness to the other. Thankfully, most other species were smart enough to flee if they realized the area belonged to a red dragon. Red dragons could get so territorial that in rare occasions they would adopt a protective yet patronizing attitude towards creatures they considered inferior that lived within their self-imposed borders.

Red dragons hated silver dragons with a passion as their familiarity with the element of cold and other natural powers often made red dragons appear weak in battle with them. They also commonly came into conflict with copper dragons for territory rights, though copper dragons rarely won out against the more powerful red dragons in open conflict. Above all though, red dragons hated gold dragons. Red dragons might loudly proclaim that they would fight and defeat any gold dragon they came across but often found an excuse not to fight when that time eventually came. Gold dragons were so similar to red dragons yet their natural moral differences were extreme.

Red dragons hated any authority other than their own. They never asked elders for advice, even if doing so would save their lives as to them, admitting they needed something their elders had was the same as putting themselves under their authority.

Breath weapon
Red dragons expelled a cone of fire.

Lair
They made their homes in mountainous lairs. Many preferred to dwell in volcanoes, where the intense heat kept others at bay.

Habitat
Red dragons loved to make their lairs in deep, underground caves in mountainous regions, especially if there was volcanic activity. Almost all red dragons simply required a high perch. The higher the better as they believed that their domain encompassed all that they could see.

Young red dragons, especially wyrmlings were easy prey for predators and hunters due to their bright, glossy scarlet scales, so they tended to stay underground in the darkness until they felt that they could defend themselves properly.

Children
Mating was initiated by the female every century or so when she felt the urge to have children. She looked for the nearest red dragon with the most wealth and power. So of course the males never denied their advances. It was a sign of prestige among other males to be requested to mate. The male then abandoned her while she hatched her eggs. She jealously guarded those eggs, occasionally with an infertile female but rarely laid down her own life for her hatchlings. Once her young reached the young adult stage of development (usually even earlier than this) the mother's natural instincts overruled her maternal ones and she forced all of her young from her territory.



Notable Red Dragons

 * Hoondarrh, "The Red Rage of Mintarn"
 * Velcuthimmorhar
 * Balagos
 * Tchazzar
 * Klauth
 * Firkraag
 * Mistinarperadnacles Hai Draco
 * Imvaernarhro
 * Tharas'kalagram
 * Rylatar'ralah'tyma
 * Thraxata
 * Narlgathra
 * Loethar
 * Fyrentennimar
 * Velcuthimmorhar (prior to 1385 DR)
 * Themberchaud
 * Epheseus

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Changeling
 * Video Games:
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
 * Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon
 * Demon Stone
 * Neverwinter Nights
 * Neverwinter Nights 2

Connections
Rote Drachen