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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Dragon, Red

Source Bestiary pg. 111
The largest and most powerful of the chromatic dragons, red dragons are a menace to civilizations everywhere, and their strength is rivaled only by their arrogance. Red dragons see themselves as regents and overlords of all dragonkind. With their crowns of crimson spikes and their command of blistering flame, this is no haughty boast in their eyes—only unquestioned fact.

Red dragons don't deign to speak with lesser creatures; they simply dominate and burn, enslaving weaker creatures to act as servants and to look after their lairs while the dragons slumber away. They take pleasure in dominating these creatures, and they demand tribute from their supplicants. Those who anger or disappoint end up eaten or reduced to ash. They command their enslaved minions to constantly build onto their lairs, carving out new tunnels and designing cunning traps that ensure the dragon's security.

Driven by their arrogance, red dragons are the most likely of the chromatic dragons to ravage settlements. They want the world to see them in their rightful place as powerful tyrants, and they delight in threatening all other creatures. They have no qualms about bullying, manipulating, or killing to complete their goals—or simply intimidating others through a public display of brutality and dominance.

As legendary as the brutishness of red dragons is the magnificence of their hoards of gold. Their lairs are often situated in dangerous places, with volcanoes being a favorite spot, as they find them foreboding and the constant warmth is comfortable. No matter the locale, red dragons sleep on a litter of coins and other treasures, which they zealously guard. Sometimes, the dragon's internal heat causes these precious metals to fuse together.

Members

Adult Red Dragon (Creature 14), Ancient Red Dragon (Creature 19), Young Red Dragon (Creature 10)

Dragon, Chromatic

Related Groups Dragon, Black, Dragon, Blue, Dragon, Green, Dragon, White
While there are many types of dragons, from the powerful planar dragons to the strange esoteric dragons, few dragon varieties are as well-known and as rightly feared as the chromatic dragons. Differentiated by the hue of their scales, each color of dragon unleashes its own flavor of murderous cruelty—be it by claw, tooth, or breath—and unlike most creatures, dragons only become more powerful as they age. Their lust for treasure, food, bloodshed, and control are legendary. Physically powerful with egos to match, these dragons are often morally depraved and act as criminal masterminds, vicious tyrants, or voracious raiders.

Shape-Changing Dragons

Some dragons can take humanoid form, allowing them to infiltrate settlements or influence others without revealing their true nature. They gain the following ability:
Change Shape [one-action] (arcane, concentrate, polymorph, transmutation) The dragon takes on the appearance of any Small or Medium humanoid. This doesn’t change its Speed or attack and damage bonuses with its Strikes, but might change the damage type its Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning).

Chromatic Dragon Spellcasters

Each type of chromatic dragon features a sidebar on spellcasting dragons of that type. To make a chromatic dragon spellcaster, remove the dragon’s Draconic Frenzy and Draconic Momentum abilities, and give it the spells outlined in its sidebar. You can swap out any number of these with other arcane spells, provided you keep the same number of spells for each level. You might also want to increase the dragon’s Intelligence or Charisma modifier by 1 or 2 to reflect its mastery of magic.

Chromatic Dragons of Golarion

The chromatic dragons that dwell around the Inner Sea region are cruel and sinister monsters who inspire as much fear as reverence. These terrible beasts are no mere myth, however, but a very real threat to the people with whom they share their lands. Most dwell in the wild places of the world, and only the most brazen of them regularly meddle in mortal affairs. The dragons of Golarion believe that they are descended from two original beings, Apsu and Tiamat, and their rich mythology attempts to explain the origins of the age-old war between chromatic and metallic dragons.

Black dragons thrive in swampy wildernesses like the Mushfens in Varisia or the wrecked coastline now known as the Sodden Lands, while blue dragons prefer the sand-swept deserts of Thuvia and Osirion. Brutish green dragons roam the forests of the River Kingdoms in abundance and even the elven kingdom of Kyonin, particularly in the demon-tainted Tanglebriar. One of the most infamous red dragons, Aashaq, a wyrm priestess of the draconic god Dahak, makes her home among the isles of the Shackles, where she lords over her followers and leads raids throughout the Inner Sea region. White dragons, though they may be found in virtually any mountain range in Avistan, are perhaps most prevalent around the Crown of the World, where they threaten travelers caravaning across the Path of Aganhei.