Editing Chromatic Dragon

'''Chromatic Dragons''' are one of the many specific breeds of [[dragon]] native to [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Pathfinder]]. They are one of the two most iconic family groupings of D&D dragons, alongside the [[Metallic Dragon]]s. Lesser D&D dragon families have include the [[Catastrophic Dragon]]s, [[Ferrous Dragon]]s, [[Gem Dragon]]s, [[Oriental Dragon]]s (or "Imperial Dragons", for [[Pathfinder]]) [[Planar Dragon]]s, and [[Epic Dragon]]s.

In an expansion of the [[alignment]] mechanic, chromatics helped define what our frenemies on TVTropes calls "Color Coded For Your Convenience", where the general color-scheme of a dragon immediately helps you figure out what they are as a general rule.

Chromatic Dragons are always based on "plain" colors, and are usually portrayed as Evil aligned in various different ways depending on the precise breed. Their associated patron goddess is [[Tiamat]], who materializes as a gargantuan she-dragon with five heads, corresponding to the five most iconic breeds of Chromatic Dragon. 

They uniquely unlike metallics are more likely to breed between species(of chromatics) and create mules as shown in dragon magazine #65 and #248 which have mixtures between the breathtypes when its chromatics.
and a light mention in 3e draconomicon as crossbreeds.
And.. dragons can crossbreed with pretty much anything heck there was a bear dragon in an ashardalon campaign.
Now i know your wondering does this mean dragons can crossbreed with other dragon types(i.e chromatic+metallic)
The answer is yes but the child is usually viewed as an abbaration and hunted down.But it is possible for a dragon to care for it but thats extremely rare each dragon is unique after all.

Chromatic dragons can learn polymorph if they work for it unlike the metallics who get it naturally or any spell really heck even dragons have their own spells they can learn.

==The Original 5==
===Black Dragon===
Black Dragons favor swampy lairs where they can lie in ambush crocodile-style, since they can breath underwater. They are also known as "skull dragons" for their skeletal facial features. They tend to be described as particularly cruel and sadistic, even by dragon standards. They wield gouts of acid slime as a breath weapon.
<gallery>
Black dragon MM 1e.jpg|1e
Black dragon Monster card.jpg
Black dragon MCV1.jpg
Black dragon MM 2e.png|2e
Black dragon 3e.jpg|3e
Black dragon 4e.jpg|4e
Black dragon 5e.jpg|5e
Black dragon B1.png|pathfinder
</gallery>

===Blue Dragon===
Blue Dragons are iconic for their single enormous snout-tip horn, like a rhino's. Using powerful blasts of lightning breath to vaporize foes, they are traditionally considered denizens of the desert - which many fans find a little weird, given they are, y'know, ''bright freaking blue''. They have the ability to flat out destroy water. Unusually this ability is exclusive to them, yet the ability to create indefinitely lasting water from nothing is ''everywhere''. 4th edition made them prefer coastal regions and other places where storms are common, instead. They are traditionally portrayed as amongst the most reasonable and least malevolent of the Chromatics; show them respect, and they'll usually leave you alone.  In 5th edition, they're back to living in deserts and dry steppes.
<gallery>
Blue dragon MM 1e.png|1e
Blue dragon MCV1.jpg
Blue dragon MM 2e.png|2e
Blue dragon 3e.jpg|3e
Blue dragon 4e.jpg|4e
Blue dragon.jpg|5e
Blue dragon B1.png|pathfinder
</gallery>

===Green Dragon===
Favoring forest environments, Green Dragons are characterized as manipulators and head-gamers par excellence. These dragons had it kind of rough in 3rd edition; with the change to poison rules in that edition, their traditional breath weapon, a gout of poisonous vapor, no longer worked, so they were forced to use corrosive fumes and do acid damage instead. They went back to poison after 3rd edition.

In Pathfinder they're actually decently likely (possibly 1 in 10, but likely lower) to be neutrally aligned. This is largely a result of them being too lost in their books to care about being evil.
<gallery>
Green dragon MM 1e.png|1e
Green dragon MCV1.jpg
Green dragon MM 2e.png|2e
Green dragon 3e.jpg|3e
Green dragon 4e.jpg|4e
Green dragon.jpg|5e
Green dragon B1.png|pathfinder
</gallery>

===Red Dragon===
The most iconic and traditional of all D&D dragons, Red Dragons are arrogant, greedy, hot-tempered, flame-spewing, power-hungry, malevolent brutes who enjoy eating maidens.
<gallery>
Red dragon MM 1e.png|1e
Red dragon Monster card.jpg
Red dragon MCV1.jpg
Red dragon MM 2e.png|2e
Red dragon 3e.jpg|3e
Red dragon 4e.jpg|4e
Red Dragon.jpg|5e
Red dragon B1.png|pathfinder
</gallery>

===White Dragon===
Smallest and weakest of their kind, White Dragons are feral and savage, notably inferior in intelligence to the other Chromatic breeds (that doesn't mean they are stupid though, they just don't like to use their brains that much). Their icy breath weapon is nothing to sneeze at, though. They even use it to encase their hoard and trophies in ice so that they can decorate their lair. It also makes it pretty difficult for potential thieves to come and grab something, as they first have to break the ice to get to the stuff, at risk of having the dragon return and add the said thieves to its frozen collection. Crystal dragons are known to take their eggs and raise them to make them less evil; this may result in a white dragon that uses its brain more and defies the stereotype.
<gallery>
White dragon MM 1e.png|1e
White Dragon MM 2e.png|2e
Dragon MCV1.jpg
White dragon MCV1.jpg
White dragon 3e.jpg|3e
White dragon 4e.jpg|4e
White dragon.jpg|5e
White dragon B1.png|pathfinder
</gallery>

==Other Chromatic Dragons==
===Brown Dragon===
There are two distinct varieties of Brown Dragon in D&D lore; the [[Forgotten Realms]] version and the [[Nentir Vale]] version.

The Realms version debuted in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 2nd edition, in the Monstrous Compendium Appendix: Forgotten Realms [[splatbook]], before making it on to the Monstrous Manual. This dragon, also known as the "Great Desert Dragon", is a flightless burrowing dragon that inhabits the desert regions of the Realms, namely Raurin and Eastern Mulhorand, where it competes with the better-known Blue Dragon for prey. Armed with an acidic spray, these Brown Dragons prefer to dig themselves into the sands and then launch themselves at any edible creature that gets nearby. Their favorite food is horseflesh. It's noted that the natives of the deserts have a peculiar respect for these dragons, so they often describe them as less evil than their Blue Dragon rivals. It may be because Brown Dragons have little interest outside of being apex predators and are freely hunted by the natives, whilst Blue Dragons are more inclined to setting themselves up as overlords reigning over human slaves.

The [[World Axis]] version is, of course, unique to [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition]], appearing in the Chromatic [[Draconomicon]]. This version possesses distinctive sail-like frills down its sides and ''is'' capable of flight, although they are much better at burrowing. Also known as "Sand Dragons", these Brown Dragons are largely disinterested in the idea of ruling over anything; their most predominant trait is that they are gourmet epicures. Their love of food and cooking skills is so great that a Brown Dragon's hoard is often based on a mixture of exotic animals, long-forgotten (and thus highly valuable!) cook books, cooking utensils made out of fabulously expensive materials, rare spices, precious wines and liquors... basically, Sand Dragons are the only dragons who would earn an entry in the Great Book of Grudges for carrying off barrels of Bugman's XXXXXXXX and enslaving dwarven brewers. Best characterized as hedonists, 4e Brown Dragons only care about living a life of ease and comfort, and so they actively prefer to avoid stirring up trouble with humanoids - raiding a farmer's flocks every now and then is much less hassle than demanding human sacrifices from a neighboring village. These Brown Dragons have a breath weapon made of high-velocity sand gouts, which can scour flesh from bone.
<gallery>
Brown dragon MM 2e.png
Brown dragon MoF.png
Brown dragon.jpg
</gallery>

===Gray Dragon===
Uniquely amongst the chromatic dragons, gray dragons are only found in the [[Nentir Vale]] setting, having been invented for [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition]] and appearing in the Chromatic [[Draconomicon]]. They are, however, based on an older dragon; the [[Fang Dragon]]. They don't even try to hide this fact; their literal in-game lore is that [[Tiamat]] created Fang Dragons, found them to be disappointments, and so tried to improve the breed. She took a clutch of Fang Dragon eggs, infused them with [[medusa]] blood, then had a [[basilisk]] brood them in a nest made of [[cockatrice]] feathers for a year. When they hatched, they had gained the ability to both petrify creatures with their touch and to spew a caustic slime that quickly dried into a stone-hard substance. Impressed with the results, she set them to hunting down their former relatives, and thus there are few if any Fang Dragons left to be found in the Nentir Vale world.

Personality-wise, gray dragons - also known as Stone or Spike Dragons, and sometimes referred to as Fang Dragons by those who confuse them with their ancestors - can be best summarized as "White Dragon 2.0". They're not ''stupid'', but they are rapacious, venal, brutish, fickle, voracious predators absolutely ''obsessed'' with hunting. A gray dragon not only thinks it's the biggest, meanest predator around, it wants to ''prove it'', so their diet is largely made up of humanoids and monsters, because these pose an actual challenge to bring down and eat.

Gray Dragons inhabit rocky badlands and border-regions, where they typically have both a central "lair", where they keep their hoards, and multiple "outposts", which they migrate between as they scour their territory for prey.

The term "Gray Dragon" was used prior to this monster, however, as a specific breed of [[Linnorm]].
<gallery>
Fang dragon MoF.jpg
Grey dragon.jpg
</gallery>

===Grey Dragon===
Prior to the Gray Dragon, the ''Grey'' Dragon appeared in 1st Edition in [[Dragon Magazine]] #62 as a unique character alongside its brother the [[Ferrous Dragon|Steel Dragon]]. Also know by the name Rahab, this Chaotic Evil dragon lairs in a deep cavern in a secluded mountain range, keeping scores of humans, dwarves, and goblins as slaves. His breath weapon is a ''charm'' spell that affects characters for the rest of their lives unless dispelled by ''remove curse''. Rahab is also perpetually surrounded by magical darkness that extends three feet from his body.
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grey dragon Dragon 62.png
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===Orange Dragon===
Orange Dragons have only appeared in one format, unlike almost every other dragon on this list, which is a rather sad form of uniqueness. They debuted in [[Dragon Magazine]] #65 alongside the Yellow and Purple Dragons in the article "The Missing Dragons" for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. In this source, they were described as a "secondary chromatic", the result of crossbreeding between two other breeds of chromatic dragon - in this case, the Red and Yellow Dragons. Like most 1e monsters, there wasn't a lot of lore to them; basically, all we're told is that they love to hunt in and near water, inhabiting cave systems adjacent to swamps, rivers, and lakes, they tend to hunt at night to compensate for their glaring color scheme, and their breath weapon is a gout of liquid sodium... basically, clinging fire that ''explodes'' if it touches water.

The Orange Dragon was subsequently updated to AD&D 2nd edition in [[Dragon Magazine]] #248: "The Return of the Missing Dragons". Now also known as "Sodium Dragons",  they are stated to only inhabit the riverbanks and lake shores of steamy tropical rainforests, where the abundant moisture keeps their sodium breath weapon from going too out of control. They are excellent swimmers, but unlike other water-loving dragons have no inherent water-breathing abilities. Black dragons keep out of their way, as orange dragons are bigger, stronger, and much nastier, but there is a bitter rivalry between orange and [[Metallic Dragon|bronze dragons]]. It also appears in the dragon compendium.

<gallery>
orange dragon Dragon 65.jpg
orange dragon Dragon 248 1.png
orange dragon Dragon 248 2.jpg
</gallery>

===Purple Dragon===
There are two distinct kinds of Purple Dragon - three, if one considers the [[Deep Dragon]] to be the [[Forgotten Realms]] version of the Purple Dragon. Which is a reasonable assumption to make, considering... but we'll get to that.

The Purple Dragon first debuted in [[Dragon Magazine]] #65 alongside the Yellow and Orange Dragons in the article "The Missing Dragons" for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. In this source, the Purple Dragon was described as a "secondary chromatic", a subspecies of dragon created by the crossbreeding of Red and Blue Dragons. As these were the two most powerful Chromatic Dragons, the Purple Dragon was the most powerful of the secondary chromatics. Very little lore is actually presented about this prototype Purple Dragon, save that they breath an explosive plasma blast (a hybrid of the fire and lightning breaths of their ancestors), and they tend to favor deep cavern lairs, including in what would become the [[Underdark]].

This purple dragon was subsequently updated to AD&D 2nd edition in [[Dragon Magazine]] #248: "The Return of the Missing Dragons". Now also known as "Energy Dragons", they were still suspected to be the product of Red and Blue Dragon crossbreeding, but they also gained a new potential origin as the children of a lost member of the [[Dragon Gods]], a sister to [[Tiamat]] whom she destroyed. This version of the purple dragon has a lot more fluff than its 1e predecessor. Energy dragons are characterized as the most sinister, evil and sadistic of all the Chromatics. Favoring deep cavern and [[Underdark]] lairs, they prefer to emerge from the depths to hunt prairies, plains, and low foothills, preferably at night and/or in the middle of a fierce thunderstorm - not because they have any sensitivity to light, but because these dark conditions amplify the terror of their raids. They favor meat, but will begrudgingly supplement their diet with tuberous vegetables such as potatoes, onions and carrots if they must, but this makes them even meaner. They still spit plasma, but now they can do so in three forms; a diffuse cloud, a more focused conical blast, or a tightly focused scything "blade" of energy. It also appears in the dragon compendium.

In the [[Nentir Vale]], a different kind of purple dragon can be found, invented for [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition]] and appearing in the Chromatic [[Draconomicon]]. This version, however, is largely based on the [[Deep Dragon]] of the [[Forgotten Realms]], being an [[Underdark]]-dwelling serpentine species rarely seen on the surface. However, it also has its own unique quirks; the [[World Axis]] purple dragon is an inveterate explorer and loves nothing more than to spelunk into new territories - wandering around the Underdark and exploring new places is a genuine delight for them, and they are notably less sadistic and manipulative than their counterparts from other planes and editions. They possess a breath weapon unique to them; clouds of psychotropic venom that cause Psychic damage, and also have the unique ability to turn into insubstantial shadows. 

<gallery>
purple dragon Dragon 65.jpg
purple dragon Dragon 248 1.jpg
purple dragon Dragon 248 2.jpg
purple dragon Dragon 248 3.jpg
Deep dragon MCFR.png
Deep dragon MM 2e.png
Deep dragon MoF.jpg
</gallery>

===Yellow Dragon===
Similarly to the [[Metallic Dragon|Steel Dragon]], the Yellow Dragon is a Chromatic with a somewhat convoluted history, with different appearances in different settings and different editions.

The original Yellow Dragon appeared in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition in the article "The Missing Dragons", for [[Dragon Magazine]] #65. Here, they shared the limelight with the Purple and Orange Dragons. Unlike them, though, the yellow dragon was characterized as a "missing Primary Chromatic", the ancestor of the Green and newly introduced Orange Dragons. Very little lore is provided for this Yellow Dragon, save that they can spit sprays of salt crystals and they favour lairs along oceanic coasts and amongst salt flats.

This version of the Yellow Dragon would be updated to 2e in the article "The Return of the Missing Dragons" in [[Dragon Magazine]] #248. Like its purple and orange counterparts, this version underwent a major lore expansion. Now known as "Salt Dragons", and with a graphic redesign from a fairly generic dragon in #65 to a more "giant snake with dragon legs" look, this 2e Yellow Dragon was characterized as a vicious, sadistic ambush hunter that dwelled in seashores, salt marshes, salt flats and inland seas. They often cooperate with [[sahuagin]] or any other race that is willing to live in the same area. They still spray blinding gouts of salt and can produce green and orange dragon offspring through crossbreeding. A new bit of lore here is that yellow dragons may be connected to a slain sister-goddess of [[Tiamat]]. It also appears in the dragon compendium.

Whilst this was going on, another form of Yellow Dragon was taking shape over in the [[Forgotten Realms]]. Debuting in the original [[Draconomicon]], the Faerunian yellow dragon is a desert-dwelling breed that clashes with the blue and brown dragons. Able to expel high-velocity, scorching hot wind laced with flesh-scouring sand, they are burrowing ambush predators, specifically favoring the antlion tactic of "dig a deep pit, lurk at the bottom, eat anything that falls in. They are hyper-territorial isolationists, refusing to tolerate each other except during the mating season. These dragons actually made it into the Monstrous Manual, alongside the brown dragon and the [[Deep Dragon]], which is something that can't be said for the Dragon Magazine chromatics.

Yellow dragons haven't been seen since the days of AD&D. Not even Monsters of Faerun, which revived the Brown Dragon, [[Deep Dragon]], [[Fang Dragon]], [[Shadow Dragon]], and Weredragon (under the name [[Song Dragon]]), brought them back.
<gallery>
yellow dragon Dragon 65.jpg
yellow dragon Dragon 248 1.jpg
yellow dragon Dragon 248 2.jpg
Yellow dragon MM 2e.png
</gallery>

{{D&D-Dragons}}

[[Category:Pathfinder]]