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Not all Dragons inDungeons & Dragonsare what you would expect them to be. Traditionally, dragons might breathe fire, or occasionally a great cone of frost. Gem Dragons have other tools at their disposal; breath of concussive force, a variety of spells, or the ability to dehydrate those around them.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: Everything You Need To Know About Gem Dragons
Children of Sardior, the dragon god of night, these creatures find themselves becoming solitary or even more animalistic than their Chromatic and Metallic counterparts. It’s believed that the Gem Dragons were born from the remaining consciousness of Sardior, after his demise.
Gem Dragons
Where Chromatic Dragons are strictly evil and Metallic Dragons are solely good,Gem Dragons are neutral. Role-Playing as a Gem Dragon differs from the others in many aspects, but the core concepts are the same;they are strong, massive creatures with wisdom from age.
Abilities
Amethyst
Believing themselves greater than the other Gem Dragons, Amethyst Dragons detach themselves from the rest of the world, tending to be more reclusive. They let their sense of logic carry them, detesting any sense of good and evil.
Most Amethyst Dragons find themselves into coves and caverns, creating long-reaching tunnels to connect their domain. They tend to surround themselves in the beautiful crystals they find underground.
Great gravitational breath in a cone when they aren’t casting psionic spells to dispel magic and protect themselves.
Crystal
Akin to their Copper counterparts, Crystal Dragons tend to be more fun-loving, but their pranks can often go too far. Looking to entertain themselves more than others, they often spend their time learning only how to mess with others.
Liking frost-laden lairs, they create great open villas - open to the sky.Occasionally they will fill their snowy domain with creatures of the cold, including penguins, polar bears, and even White Dragon Wyrmlings.
Burst of blinding radiance in a cone and a variety of spells veering on the tantalizing spectacular.
Emerald
Conniving and possessive, Emerald Dragons have a deep desire for treasure and property. Unlike Red Dragons, they tend to acquire their belongings through transactions rather than murder but aren’t strangers to thievery.
Often constructing dungeons within islands and estuaries, Emerald Dragons tend to hide their treasure behind elaborate traps and alarms. Though some may attempt to defend their belongings themselves, others might allow adventurers who have survived their dungeons to return home with well-earned treasure.
A cone of deafening sound, alongside spells that provide invisibility, illusions and thought detection.
Sapphire
Beautiful Gem Dragons, the Sapphire Dragons tend to be more warfaring, especially compared to their Gem brethren. They manipulate others to gather treasure, food, and other trinkets for their pleasure.
Sapphire Domains are often tropical or subterranean, often encompassing land otherwise controlled by a war-band of Gnomes or Dwarves. They establish their lairs underground, within decadent caverns and moist caves.
A breath of high-pitched, inaudible and destructive sound in a cone. Also, a few spells allow them to manipulate terrain or take hold of creatures.
Topaz
Topaz Dragons are the most precarious species of Dragon. They are anti-social, much like Amethyst Dragons, but only because they are erratic, violent and downright odd. They tend to act only in immediate and animalistic self-interest.
Coastal regions are a Topaz Dragon’s preferred real estate. Beaches and riverbanks host their elaborate waterlines, either above or below ground. They create intricate tunnel systems, tending to avoid others by using these complicated passageways to their advantage.
A cone of fatiguing yellow energy, alongside spells that control water and dishearten their enemies.
Playing A Gem Dragon
Neutral in nature,Gem Dragons think little of the lives of others. Although they aren’t downright cruel,they see life as something they themselves should enjoy, like a feast built on the backs of their minions. Often tending to their own desires, they acquire allies only to do the work they would prefer not to do themselves.
WhereTopaz and Crystal Dragons are Chaoticin nature,Emerald and Sapphire Dragons are Lawful.Amethyst Dragons are strictly Neutral, neither Lawful nor Chaotic.
ManyGem Dragons take to a more animalistic nature than the other Dragons. Even Chromatic Dragons will often play into their regal nature and attempt to be intimidating in the presence of outsiders. While Chromatic Dragons also have a sense of superiority, and both Amethyst and Sapphire Dragons use their intelligence and cunning as strengths,Gem Dragons are much more reserved.
When playing a Gem Dragon,try to keep their immediate intentions unknown. They all seek to grow a hoard for themselves in one fashion or another. The players might be surprised to discover that the growing stash the Topaz Dragon possesses is, in fact, a large array of shiny rocks, each holding no monetary value. Or, perhaps the Emerald Dragon has a deep fascination for traps, setting them up like elaborate Rube Goldberg machines. Whatever the case,try to play into their whimsical (and often comical) nature.
Amethyst Dragons
Amethyst Dragons are seen by others asthe most regal and wise, even among the Metallic Dragon community. They arealoof to the exploits of good and evil, thinking little of conflict. However, there is no species of Dragon that they believe to be inferior.Taking their time to learn as much as they can, they amass knowledge alongside their collection of crystals in the underground caves.
When playing an Amethyst Dragon,focus on their desire for knowledge. If an Amethyst Dragon were to assist the world, either for good or evil,they could make quite a bit of difference; they are some of the most powerful Dragons that Dungeons & Dragons has to offer. However,they remain passive, not caring to interfere. Whenever you introduce an Amethyst Dragon,reinforce their desire to return to their studies; mortals are good for a brief conversation, but they find friendship rarely in others.
Crystal Dragons
Although White Dragons tend to separate themselves from the rest of the world, they find close neighbors with the Crystal Dragons. Generallysocial in nature, Crystal Dragons tend to strike up conversations with anyone willing to speak with them,finding friendship with Brass Dragons, when the two find themselves crossing paths. For the most part,Crystal Dragons are non-violent, tending to enjoy visitors and embrace others to join them within their frosted lairs.
Curious and hospitable, Crystal Dragons are often a port in the storm within great blizzards and frozen wastes. Though they tend not to bother with the squabbling of their fellow Dragons,they do find conflict with White Dragons, the two often overlapping their domains.Playing a Crystal Dragon means being intuitive and kind, looking for any conversation they can find. If players provide them with enough hospitality, they might even consider lending them a hand.
Related:Dungeons & Dragons: How To Run Metallic Dragons And Which You Should Use
Emerald Dragons
Oftenamassing knowledge in a specific subject, Emerald Dragons areexperts in a very narrow field of study. They tend to build elaboratelairs that exist to either house their special interests or test the adventurers who stumble inside. Though not inherently cruel, they might set players up for failure, using them for study more than anything else.
Typically less social, Emerald Dragons can still find themselves in conversation when the topic interests them.Mountains of books fill their hoards, along with instruments and baubles from whatever subject they prefer. When it comes to it,they are entirely possessive, butthe hoard they look after rarely holds much value. Using an Emerald Dragon in your game isa great way for players to have a resource if they need informationon a specific topic, though the Dragon might test the players before they share their knowledge.
Sapphire Dragons
Finding friends in unlikely places,Sapphire Dragons surround themselves with allies of unusual means. This includesAboleths, Deep Gnomes, Mind Flayers and Drow, as well as any others who share in the same insights as the Sapphire Dragon. Though the Dragondoesn’t tend to agree with some of their allies' more evil intentions, they won’t immediately seek to stop them,preferring to hold their relationships higher than their morals.
Sapphire Dragons use their abilities tocoat their lairs in a thick crystalline blue layer, which is a telltale sign of their presence. When introducing a Sapphire Dragon,they might begin by grabbing onto the minds of others, speaking with them telepathicallybefore introducing themselves fully.
Sapphire Dragon hoards tend to hold greater value, including weapons and armor, as they tend to becomefascinated by war and combat. As such, they becomegreat confidants to their allies, providing them strategy advice and resources. Not because they believe their enemies should suffer, but simply through their own interest, wanting to see tactics in action.
Topaz Dragons
Animalistic and chaotic, Topaz Dragons are the closest to animals you can find from the Dragon species.Abhorring any connections with humans, they seem to live their lives without any rhyme or reason.Their hoards are often worthless, merely collections of their most recent fascination, which they often discard for a new one.Prone to bouts of madness, playing a Topaz Dragon can be a fun way to add a powerful presence in the world that uses its powers for solely selfish reasons.
Playing a Topaz Dragon wouldnot be dissimilar to playing an intelligent otter; they tend to live in elaborate waterways, are generally friendly to other members of their species, and often find themselves playing games. However,these creatures are still of towering size; although not inherently clumsy, one misstep could cause serious harm to a fishing village or member of your party.
Often holding a great disinterest in parenthood, mostTopaz Dragons are solitary and are abandoned at infancy. As a result, they are exposed to poachers. Consider including a Topaz Wyrmling to your game if you want a promising ally in a small, chaotic package.
