An Alternate Character Interpretation for Metallic Dragon NPCs

Everyone seemed to love my post on alternate character interpretations for Chromatic Dragon villains when I posted it on reddit, so I'm making a sequel! Heck, I made a series out of this. These posts are really fun!

Next up on the docket, the cousins of the Chromatics-- Metallic Dragons. These shiny serpents don't get nearly as much press as their colorful comrades, mostly because Good monsters aren't nearly as relevant to the needs of DMs. Most monsters exist in the context of foes for PCs and most PCs are either Good or Neutral, so the need for Good foes is limited. However, they're still pretty iconic and a move towards moral ambiguity and complexity in recent years has expanded their usefulness for DMs (because now PCs can kill them without feeling bad, yay murder!).

So, here are my attempts to reinterpret the Metallic dragons for use in your game. Like my Chromatic post, my goal is to introduce an interpretation that both stays somewhat true to the intent of the designers of the monsters while providing an interpretation that's somewhat novel. It's totally valid to just make stuff up about these creatures if you're the DM (as long as you're consistent), but I want to try and stick to the 'traditional' interpretation of the monsters, so the post is as accessible as possible. Unlike in the previous post, I'll be shifting the moralities a bit grayer, but like the previous post, I'll offer sub-interpretations that lean Evil and Good.

Note that you can also apply some of these concepts to Chromatics and some of the Chromatic concepts here. Use your imaginations!

BRONZE-- The Noble Conqueror
Talax wept. She wept because she had bested the orcs of the Shattered Wood. She wept because she united the warring brother nations of Alazar. She wept because she alone had been able to bring peace to the dread Medusa at the heart of the Lover's Maze. She wept because she had stormed the lair of the great and terrible Bonelord and found his forces wanting. But more than all, Talax wept because there were no more worlds for her to conquer.

Bronze dragons are the 'warriors' of the Metallics, seeing to 'oppose tyranny'. This can easily be stretched to assume that they would want to take on the mantle of conquest themselves, seeking to bring 'just rule' to any who they can. This may involve overthrowing rulers they see as corrupt, uniting nations locked in a civil war under their rule, or simply killing enough bandits and raiders until they have effectively become the law of any given reason. If taken to an extreme, they may rule entire continents as ancient warlords whose massive armies are formed from the nations they conquered. If on a small scale, they may seek to eke out a small fiefdom in an otherwise wild land. Whatever scale, they see conquest as both a moral duty and a job that doesn't end when the tyrant falls dead.

A lighter sheen of Bronze takes a generous view of war and conquest. This is mostly a matter of context. Skilled warriors can bring peace to lands that have warred for centuries-- a fully Good Bronze Conqueror may replace petty warlords with a republic, swearing their absolute fealty (and the fealty of their armies) to any properly elected government, like a Cincinnatus, showing no desire to rule themselves. They may gain the loyalty of orcish warbands and forge them into an army of mercenaries that refuse to loot or pillage out of fear of judgement from their Bronze commander.

A darker sheen of Bronze uses their opposition to tyranny as a casus belli for war against the whole world. Unlike conquering Chromatics, this war isn't to fuel an ego or to assemble a horde-- it's out of a misplaced and perfectionist sense of justice. They can be interpreted as hypocrites that fail to see their own tyrannical ways or those who are merely too fanatical and controlling to accept the imperfections of mortals.

COPPER-- The Uninvited Guest
The Copper was never invited to this party. The Copper was never invited to any parties. They didn't understand why. They had plenty of japes-- more than anyone else! Their arsenal of jokes and riddles were second to none! They had yet to be bested in a game of wits! And yet, no invitations were sent. They came anyways, and in spite of all the screaming, they were the last guest to leave. Mortals are so rude.

Honestly, parts of the way Copper dragons were described in the Monster Manual made them seem rather irritating, and I decided to amplify this aspect of them. These Coppers are pests with no standards. They are attention seekers, always looking for a new way to get a rise out of someone. In spite of their great power, their ambitions are rather small, seeking to be treated as a star and always seeking validation. This can lead them to violate social norms, which they didn't really care much about to begin with, given that they're FUCKING DRAGONS. Basically, YouTube vloggers in giant lizard form.

A lighter sheen of Copper may be a prick, but this one's actually funny and directs their attention-seeking humor to prank people who actually deserve it. They may even recruit the players, offering powerful artifacts in return for their assistance in pulling off daring pranks. Consider-- coloring a Lich's wardrobe pink, putting chili powder in the tank of an Elder Brain, breaking into the lair of a Red Dragon, doing nothing, and waiting for the mental breakdown-- the possibilities are endless!

A darker sheen of Copper is probably the most annoying threat the players will ever face. This lizard isn't a worldwide threat, but a general lack of empathy, failing to view mortal lives as particularly valuable, and a singular lack of anything better to do could lead to a few individuals having very miserable (and perhaps short) lives. These dragons will literally kill for fun, and claim they never did anything wrong, punctuating the battle with cries of "IT'S JUST A PRANK, BRO".

BRASS-- The Eternal Mayor
Mayor Brackle claimed to be a new politician for a new era. Gods know that Dunesend needed new blood after the long reign of the late Mayor Starlight. She was plenty competent, but her decades-long mayorship seemed like a repeat of her predecessor, who himself felt like a retread of the policies of the town's founder. Still, it's clear that Brackle was a townie through and through. He even had the traits that all mayors since the founding had shared-- locks of blonde hair, a bronze complexion, and love of jewelry. Heck of a coincidence.

Brass dragons really really love company, so, why not seek it? Worries about security, of course. Well, here's a solution-- if you're the law in a town, you don't need to worry about security and you can have all the friends you want. That being said, dragons tend to attract a lot of attention. I've got a solution for that as well-- Shapeshift! The Brass simply disguises themselves as a mortal, and swap disguises when that mortal 'dies', using illusions to smooth the transition. These Brass Dragons rule over a location (village, town, city, whatever) for as long as they want and nobody's the wiser!

A lighter sheen of Brass uses this power for good, acting as a benefactor for the village as it grows first into a town and then a city! These Brass are basically the player in any city-building game (except for the sadism, most of the time), always seeking to improve the lives of their citizens as an invisible hand of progress.

A darker sheen of Brass amplifies the paranoia of this scenario. These dragons act as the Big Brother of this town, treating their subjects less as people and more as cattle. These could be used as the secret villains of city-focused games, acting as the masterminds behind every power in the city.

SILVER-- The Cultish Ascetic
The outside was dangerous. The gods alone could protect you from its corruption. These were the lessons taught by the Silver Protector, Archon of Frosthold. The Sanctum had no entrance or exit. The Silver Protector had destroyed the passes that allowed their foes to reach it long ago. Those within the Sanctum claimed this would prevent escape if attacked from the air, so the Silver Protector dug a great cave to protect us. Truly, they are a blessing from the gods.

These silvers take their (relative) humility and desire to protect the 'little folk' to a Puritanical extreme. They are deeply religious or at least have very strongly held beliefs, and see the world as a source of corruption for both themselves and their dependents. So, they find a frozen shelter from the world, a cave or high mountain town, and seal it off from the rest of the world. They can use their magics and flight to bring supplies to the town without ever leaving, keeping themselves isolated, but also keeping their dependents completely dependent and completely isolated.

A lighter sheen of Silver may do this for an essential reason (this Silver could oversee a post-apocalyptic 'vault') or may only bring those who are similarly minded (act as the leader of a monastery, whose members all chose to live in isolation). This character would make a useful mentor figure for an Acolyte or a source of lost knowledge. They'd still probably be skittish about the outside world and may not allow those who leave to return.

A darker sheen of Silver is a cult leader, seeking to brainwash their followers into believing that they are the only valid source of truth in a world full of lies. They aren't likely to be very dangerous (they're very isolated) but gods forbid you have to enter their sanctum. Prepare to be jumped by dozens of crazed cultist halfings.

GOLD-- The Gentledragon Thief
"It's the damnedest thing, Sarge. We swear we had him dead to rights! That bastard's been making fools out of us for weeks now, knocking out our men and slipping away into the night, and we had him! Suddenly, he grew wings! Wings, out of nothing, and flew away into the night! What the hell are we supposed to do against that?!"

Gold dragons eat gold and disguise themselves on the regular. "Classy Thief" then seems like a potential reinterpretation that could be very fun to play with. These Golds seek to sate their appetite and spit in the face of the proud. This behavior not only makes them an interesting Rogue contact or rival, but a natural enemy of Chromatic dragons, even without knowledge of their identity. The pride of the Golds would manifest in the form of calling cards and taunts to guards, daring those who will to stop them, and only revealing their natural abilities when forced to.

A lighter sheen of Gold would steal from the rich, give to the poor, and have a few snacks on the side. They'd make an enigmatic mentor figure to other Chaotic Good type characters and a massive pain in the ass to evil parties who have (had) a windfall of wealth. They may even oppose other dragons on this list, like the darker interpretations of a Brass or Bronze.

A darker sheen of Gold would be a selfish criminal who seeks to spit in the eye of law and order. They'd make an excellent villain for any characters that represent the law in large cities and a potential rival for other immoral master thieves. If your party has grown used to dealing with regular thieves, throw one of these their way. They'll definitely be surprised (unless they've read this post)!

END
Thanks to all the positive feedback on reddit to the previous post! Like that one, these interpretations are not intended to replace the existing concepts of dragons. Some would even be rather bizarre as 'canonical' interpretations of an entire caste's behavior. They are intended to provide useful content for DMs trying to fill their world with unique characters. I hope that I have helped do this!

TL;DR Bronze Dragons as Alexander the Great, Copper Dragons as tasteless pranksters, Brass Dragons as the secret leaders of cities, Silver Dragons as monkish creatures that hide their dependents away, and Gold Dragons as daring and classy thieves of gold and wealth

(Originally published here on February 13, 2018)

An Alternate Character Interpretation for Chromatic Dragon Villains

Dragons! Everyone loves 'em! They're in the name of the freakin' game! And while Metallic dragons can make fun allies or NPCs, the real meat of what makes dragons great for games is villainous dragons-- those nasty Chromatics!

Now, I like a big bad element-breathing tyrant as much as the next guy, and there's a lot of mileage that can be gained out of running dragons straight out of the way that they're interpreted in the Monster Manual! Sure, they may lack character depth, but they work great as a motive force or objective around which interesting play can occur-- the Chroma Conclave from Critical Role is a great example of these villainous dragons being played straight in a complex and dramatic game.
Some of you may be dissatisfied by this, and it is your right! Villains that are just plain bad can get boring or samey. Many DMs mix it up with a little bit of moral ambiguity-- evil Metallics, good Chromatics, and neutral members of both parties. There are positives and negatives to this approach as well, but it can work just as well as the out-of-the-box version!

Ah, but what if we combined these approaches? What if we didn't merely discount or accept the Monster Manual's description of these terrific beasts, but instead found a way to give their traditional personalities a new twist? Here is my attempt to reinterpret the personality quirks of the Chromatics:

BLACK-- The Critic of Civilizations
All this wealth. All this power. And you mortals pissed it all away. I'm not surprised. Have you ever met the average mortal? Now imagine-- fifty percent of them are stupider than that! Hell, I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did.

Black dragons are know to collect the artifacts of civilizations they've outlasted-- seeing it as a point of pride. They're also known for being sadistic and cruel. I've reinterpreted this as a sort of "Evil George Carlin" motif-- someone who's interested in tearing down the accomplishments of others simply because they can't help but see the flaws in them (and probably to make themselves feel better). They lay claim to ancient ruins, deliberately defacing them to mock the failures of their former inhabitants. Those who are capable of spellcasting may abuse spells like Zone of Truth or Geas just to try and force their prisoners to admit to their personal failures. They can't help but see the worst in everyone, partially because they've seen so many terrible things, and partially because they're just irritable pricks.

A lighter shade of Black may be a dragon who's more harmlessly cynical-- like a less evil George Carlin-- someone who's seen so many 'great' mortals achieve nothing that they can't help but feel down in the dumps.

A darker shade of Black may be a dragon whose cruelty is focused on sabotaging existing civilizations and deconstructing the ethics of their foes. They're axiomatically certain everyone is terrible and are willing to push people to the end of their rope to prove it. All it takes is one bad day, right?

WHITE-- The Intelligent Beast
The first avalanche was seen as bad luck-- a sign that this beast was protected by the gods. By the third, we knew the mistake we had made, but by then it was too late. It had cut off access to the pass, and picked us off one by one-- at night or when we went on patrol. It never spoke. I don't think it saw us as anything more than a meal. It's why it let me live. A hunter's logic-- it knew I would return with allies to avenge my comrades-- another meal for another winter.

White dragons are the most animalistic of all dragons (if you look at their stats, even Ancients barely have positive INT and WIS modifiers). This can be interpreted as Whites being stupid people, but an alternate interpretation is to treat them as smart animals, like Xenomorphs or raptors. If used correctly, these can be truly fearsome monsters. They're uninterested in taunting the players or taking prisoners-- fully focused on the hunt. Sure, they don't cast spells or have minions, but they are tank sized killing machines that are perfectly adapted for their environment and are smart enough to set traps and use chokepoints. They have a Stealth bonus. Use it.

A lighter shade of White could take the animal aspect to a more endearing place. They may lack some of the more civilized sins of the other Chromatics and in fact be perfectly content simpletons when their territory is respected and their bellies are full. Perhaps a White Wyrmling was adopted by a mountain village, and now, hundreds of years later, it's their town's mascot, keeping them safe in return for a healthy portion of livestock.

A darker shade of White is a horror movie monster, straight up. Bump up their Stealth bonus and give them some Ranger spells if you're feeling a bit moddy. Try to pick party members off one-by-one if you're feeling sadistic.

BLUE-- The Rabid Fan
It's you! It's really you! I loved your show! It's a shame, what happened in Glamour Springs, but I never listened to the haters! I'm a fan-- through and through. Wait, what do you mean, you want to leave?

So, you guys have seen Misery, right? At least you know about the plot? Now imagine the crazy fan from the movie is a tank sized spellcaster with natural flight and hundreds of hitpoints. Blue dragons have a superiority complex and love having minions with unique talents. I figured crazy fan would fit right in! It's a good plot for your bard (or their mentor) to have them be stalked by a powerful unknown foe with massive resources... and have it turn out to be a Blue who really wants an autograph. It helps that Blues live in deserts-- they probably get rather lonely and may just want a friend (who can stay forevvverrr).

A lighter shade of Blue doesn't have to be crazy! You could even make them a comedic sort of character-- very powerful entities with mundane or embarrassing hobbies are comedy gold! They might even end up as a beneficial contact for the party's bard or wizard, as long as they remember to name a few songs or spells after their patron.

A darker shade of Blue is a crazy fan. Y'all don't even need a media reference to know what's up with that-- if you've been on the internet long enough, you know what that looks like. Kidnapping favored content creators, writing cursed fanfiction, engaging in shipping wars that are literal wars, the opportunities for villainy extend beyond even the Misery ripoffs!

GREEN-- The Kindly Deceiver
Tyrant? You call me a tyrant? These people lived with war, famine, hatred, inequality. Now they have none of that! They are free of all they wished to escape, and you want to take that away from them? You call ME the monster.

Green dragons like to lie. It's their primary personality trait. The tweak here is to shift why they want to lie. Normal Greens do it for normal selfish reasons, but what if a Green wanted to be selfless but was still a lying control freak with high level magic at their disposal? You get kingdoms with charmed populations and dominated leaders that have no crime or strife, but also neglect anything beyond their duties. Everyone is happy and might as well be dead. It's a 'perfect' world without free will. Nobody needs to know anything-- it's the ultimate white lie.

A lighter shade of Green may feel like they were forced into this position-- they may actually be quite kindly and are only deceiving so they don't have to go through the pain of seeking truth. They may also not want to control entire populations, instead looking for ways to 'rehabilitate' evildoers through mental magic and mundane brainwashing techniques. These may even be allies to parties with fewer scruples about solving problems-- or they may present a fun NPC moral conundrum for parties seeking to look for ways to neutralize persistent threats. Heck, these Greens may even help combat evil mind-controllers with their own methods. Set a thief, right?

A darker shade of Green amps up the mind control. They're out to not only 'save' a kingdom but 'save' the whole world-- to eliminate all strife through the elimination of all choice. They may be genuinely good intentioned or may simply be looking for an excuse to take over the world, but these Greens are an active threat that need to be solved.

RED-- The Ultimate "Hero"
Lord Arcathrax has protected these lands for the past thousand years! Armies have broken against his might! We have outlasted all our neighbors! All he asks in return is a very reasonable tithe. What? You wish to slay the hero? Madness! I will fight to protect my liege!

Red dragons are proud, territorial, combative, and greedy. These are all phrases that can also be used to describe even mildly murder-hoboish parties. This dragon has decided to become this sort of 'hero'-- maybe they're young and just starting out, maybe they're ancient and they 'protect' a whole continent. Either way, these guys are stealing the PC's thunder by killing enemies of the realm and taking their stuff. You don't need to be super judgemental about this-- reasonably ethical parties will find reasons that their murder-hoboing is better than the Red's and true murder hoboes will just be happy to fight an interesting enemy that's accumulated loads of rad loot (which this Red almost certainly has). Also, dramatic folk may really like the chance to take a crack at that famous "We're not so different" line that pops up here and there!

A lighter shade of Red means this dragon really is a hero. They might be proud and greedy, but they offer the same services any Lawful government does-- protection at a price. If they're not that bad, it's possible that they have a code that they follow and that their taxes are competitive with those of other traditional kingdoms. These are potential PC allies or potential PC rivals that may not be true enemies. Perhaps they're competing for the loyalty of the same people?

A darker shade of Red is pretty close to the traditional Red Dragon tyrant-- burns villages, steals gold, rules with an iron fist. The only difference is the skin this one wears. They call themselves a hero and claim to fight for justice or something, I don't know. These would make awesome enemies for Chaotic heroes, especially Rogues.

These are not intended to replace or trump any of the traditional (or non-traditional) interpretations of the ol' reliable Chromatic Dragons. They are here for inspiration and to open people's minds to the possibilities that a fusion of traditional lore and modern reinterpretation may offer! Use it well!

TL;DR Emphasize the cynicism of Blacks, Emphasize the bestial nature of Whites, Emphasize the love of performers and artists for Blues, Have Greens self-justify their deception as 'for the greater good', reinterpret the pride and greed of Reds as a reflection of the behavior of murder-hobo PCs.

(Originally published here on February 6, 2018)