Brass Dragon

(From 5th Edition Monster Manual - 2014):

The most gregarious of the true dragons, brass dragons crave conversation, sunlight, and hot, dry climates.

A brass dragon’s head is defined by the broad protective plate that expands from its forehead and the spikes protruding from its chin. A frill runs the length of its neck, and its tapering wings extend down the length of its tail. A brass dragon wyrmling’s scales are a dull, mottled brown. As it ages, the dragon’s scales begin to shine, eventually taking on a warm, burnished luster. Its wings and frills are mottled green toward the edges, darkening with age. As a brass dragon grows older, its pupils fade until its eyes resemble molten metal orbs.

Boldly Talkative. A brass dragon engages in conversations with thousands of creatures throughout its long life, accumulating useful information which it will gladly share for gifts of treasure. If an intelligent creature tries to leave a brass dragon’s presence without engaging in conversation, the dragon follows it. If the creature attempts to escape by magic or force, the dragon might respond with a fit of pique, using its sleep gas to incapacitate the creature. When it wakes, the creature finds itself pinned to the ground by giant claws or buried up to its neck in the sand while the dragon’s thirst for small talk is slaked.

A brass dragon is trusting of creatures that appear to enjoy conversation as much as it does, but is smart enough to know when it is being manipulated. When that happens, the dragon often responds in kind, treating a bout of mutual trickery as a game.

Prized Treasures. Brass dragons covet magic items that allow them to converse with interesting personalities. An intelligent telepathic weapon or a magic lamp with a djinni bound inside it are among the greatest treasures a brass dragon can possess.

Brass dragons conceal their hoards under mounds of sand or in secret places far from their primary lairs. They have no trouble remembering where their treasure is buried, and therefore have no need for maps. Adventurers and wanderers should be wary if they happen across a chest hidden in an oasis or a treasure cache tucked away in a half-buried desert ruin, for these might be parts of a brass dragon’s hoard.

A Brass Dragon's Lair

A brass dragon’s desert lair is typically a ruin, canyon, or cave network with ceiling holes to allow for sunlight.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:

• A strong wind blows around the dragon. Each creature within 60 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from the dragon and knocked prone. Gases and vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished. Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.

• A cloud of sand swirls about in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The cloud spreads around corners. Each creature in it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Regional Effects

The region containing a legendary brass dragon’s lair is warped by the dragon’s magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:

• Tracks appear in the sand within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair. The tracks lead to safe shelters and hidden water sources, while also leading away from areas that the dragon prefers to remain undisturbed.

• Images of Large or smaller monsters haunt the desert sands within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair. These illusions move and appear real, although they can do no harm. A creature that examines an image from a distance can tell it’s an illusion with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Any physical interaction with an image reveals it to be an illusion, because objects pass through it.

• Whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 30 feet of a water source within 1 mile of the dragon’s lair, the dragon becomes aware of the creature’s presence and location.

If the dragon dies, the tracks fade in (1d10) days, but the other effects fade immediately.

(From Fizban's Treasury of Dragons - 2021):

Creating a Brass Dragon

Use the Brass Dragon Personality Traits and Brass Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of distinctive brass dragon characters, and use the Brass Dragon Spellcasting table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon.

Brass Dragon Personality Traits

d8 - Trait

1 - I don’t ask for much in a conversation partner—just smile, occasionally nod, and stay awake!

2 - I’m skilled at making others feel that I’m interested in the details of their tiny, meaningless lives.

3 - Every word I say is worth hearing, so I speak loudly and eloquently to make sure I get my point across.

4 - I don’t care about the opinions of creatures that are less intelligent than I am. But I’m fascinated by creatures that are significantly more intelligent.

5 - Hoarding knowledge is no fun. It’s best when you can trade knowledge away for treasure.

6 - I’m fascinated by intelligence with no brain—talking swords, sapient Constructs, and the like.

7 - I love hearing stories and songs and sharing them with others to bring comfort and calm.

8 - I have no patience for people who imagine their lives are the least bit important.

Brass Dragon Ideals

d6 - Ideal

1 - Curiosity. The best way to show you value others is to learn as much as you can about them. (Good)

2 - Perspective. Everyone sees things differently, so if you want to know about the world, gather as many different points of view as you can. 

(Any)

3 - Knowledge. What’s the point of living for centuries if you don’t learn all there is to know? (Any)

4 - Self-Determination. All creatures have the right to make their own decisions about their lives and ultimate destinies. (Chaotic)

5 - Compassion. Sharing each other’s pain and loss brings us all closer to peace and unity. (Good)

6 - Cruelty. The most hilarious thing about lesser creatures who think they’re important is how outraged they get when I hurt them. (Evil)

Brass Dragon Spellcasting

Age        Spell Save DC        Spells Known

Ancient        18                   create or destroy water, locate creature, speak with animals, suggestion

(From 2nd Edition AD&D Monstrous Manual - 1991):

Brass dragons are great talkers, but not particularly good conversationalists. They are egotistical and often boorish. They oftern have useful information, but will divulge it only after drifting off the subject many times and after hints that a gift would be appreciated.

At birth, a brass dragon’s scales are dull. Their color is a brassy, mottled brown. As the dragon gets older, the scales become more brassy, until they reach a warm burnished appearance.

Combat: Brass dragons would rather talk than fight. If an intelligent creature tries to take its leave of a brass dragon without talking to it at length, the dragon might have a fit of pique and try to force a conversation with suggestion or by giving the a dose of sleep gas. If the victim falls asleep it will awaken to find itself pinned under the dragon or buried to the neck in the sand until the dragon’s thirst for small talk is slaked. Before melee, brass dragons create a cloud of dust with dust devil or control winds, then charge or snatch. Brass dragons often use control temperature to create heat to discomfort their opponents. When faced with real danger, younger brass dragons will fly out of sight, then hide by burrowing. Older dragons spurn this ploy.

Breath Weapon/Special Abilities: A brass dragon has two breath weapons: a cone of sleep gas 70’ long, 5’ wide at the dragon’s mouth, and 20’ wide at its end; or a cloud of blistering desert heat 50’ long, 40’ wide, and 20’ high. Creatures caught in the gas, regardless of Hit Dice or level, must save vs. breath weapon for half. A brass dragon casts its spells and uses its magical abilities at 6th level, plus its combat modifier.

At birth, brass dragons can speak with animals freely, and are immune to fire and heat. As they age, they gain the following additional powers:

Young: create or destroy water three times a day. Juvenile: dust devil once a day. 

Adult: suggestion once a day. 

Mature adult: control temperature three times a day in a 10’ radius per age level. 

Old: control winds once a day. 

Great wyrm: Summon djinni once a week. The dragon usually asks the djinni to preform some service. Although the djinni serves willingly, the dragon will order it into combat only in extreme circumstances, as the dragon would be dismayed and embarrassed if the djinni were killed.

Habitat/Society: Brass dragons are found in arid, warm climates; ranging from sandy deserts to dry steppes. They love intense, dry heat and spend most of their time basking in the sun. They lair in high caves, preferably facing east where the sun can warm the rocks, and their territories always contain several spots where they can bask and trap unwary travelers into conversation.

Brass dragons are very social. They usually are on good terms with neighboring brass dragons and sphinxes. Brass dragons are dedicated parents. If their young are attacked they will try to slay the enemy, using their heat breath weapons and taking full advantage of their own immunity.

Because they share the same habitat, blue dragons are brass dragons’ worst enemies. Brass dragons usually get the worst of a one-on-one confrontation, mostly because of the longer reach of the blue dragon’s breath weapon. Because of this, brass dragons usually try to evade blue dragons until they can rally their neighbors for a mass attack.

Ecology: Like other dragons, brass dragons can, and will, eat almost anything if the need arises. In practice, however, they eat very little. They are able to get nourishment from the morning dew, a rare commodity in their habitat, and have been seen carefully lifting it off plants with their long tongues.