Better Dragons

I've never been entirely happy with dragons as presented in OD&D. I prefer to my dragons to breath fire instead of chlorine clouds and to handle themselves better in melee combat. This is my attempt to correct those short comings, while simultaneously giving them a bit more flare.

Dragons

Dragons are, perhaps, the most furious and terrifying creatures in the game. They have long, thin  reptiles with tapering bodies that stretch up to 25 feet long, thick scales, sharp claws, pointed tails, lathery wings, large fangs, and spiked ridges on their necks. Their eyes glow with the intelligence of no ordinary reptile.

Personality

Most dragons are greedy and accumulate a tremendous hoard of treasure inside their lair. Their treasure is generally be composed of gold, gems, and other items, on which the dragon makes its bed.

With the exception of gold dragons, dragons are extremely malicious and conniving. They like to cause pain and torment whenever the opportunity arises. More than anything, else, however, they manipulating and outwitting humans. 

Despite their nasty temperament, dragons can sometimes be negotiated with. They love puzzles and words games, riddles and trick questions. They also enjoy flattery. Though most dragons will see through false compliments, a dragon will nevertheless be better disposed towards a flatterer than an insolent.

Lair

Dragons prefer to live in caves with narrow openings, which widen into long, deep caverns. The mouth of the cavern is generally just wide enough for the dragon to fit through with its wings folded. Some dragons will force or hire other monsters to protect and serve them. Kobolds, goblins, and other pitiful creatures who dragons can easily overpower and dominate are common servants.

Senses

Dragons have incredibly acute senses of hearing and smell, and they can see perfectly in the dark. Though dragons are often found asleep, any noticeable sound will wake them. Only adventurers traveling in no or leather armor have a chance to approaching a sleeping dragon undetected. 

Breath Weapon

While not all dragons have fiery breath, they all have a special breath weapon. A dragon can use its breath weapon only three times per day, after which time it can only attack with its claws and teeth. The shape, size, and damage of a dragon's breath weapon is determined by type and maturity.

Types of Dragons

Dragons come in eight varieties, each with its unique characteristics. Each type is listed on the table below along with the type of damage caused by and shape of its breath weapon, its hit dice, and the chance it will be found asleep.

Type	Breath Weapon	Breath Shape	Hit Dice	Sleeping
White	Cold	Line	5	60%
Black	Fire	Cone	6	55%
Yellow	Fire	Cone	7	50%
Green	Fire	Cone	8	45%
Blue	Lightning	Line	9	40%
Purple	Fire	Cone	10	35%
Red	Fire	Cone	11	30%
Golden	Fire	Cone	12	25%

Maturity

In addition to their type, dragons are ranked by their maturity. Very young dragons have fewer hit points, have less powerful breather weapons, and inflict less less damage with their claws and bite than older dragons.

Age	Hit Points & Breath Weapon Damage	Melee Damage	Cone Size	Line Size
Very Young	1 per hit die	1 die	3” x 1”	3” x ½”
Young	2 per hit die	1 die	3” x 1”	6” x ½”
Young Adult	3 per hit die	2 dice	6” x 2”	6” x ½”
Adult	4 per hit die	2 dice	6” x 2”	9” x ½”
Old	5 per hit die	3 dice	9” x 3”	9” x ½”
Ancient	6 per hit die	3 dice	9” x 3”	12” x ½”

Descriptions

Descriptions of each type of dragon can be found below.

White: White dragons are only found in cold regions. Though they are known for their cruelty, white dragons are the least cunning of all dragon species. Instead, they are fierce, domineering, and insecure. Any insult will throw a white dragon into a furious rage, causing it to attack instantly and preventing it from fleeing out of pride.

Black: Black dragons have large horns that protrude from their skulls. They are keepers of ancient and forbidden knowledge. If offered bits of rare and valuable information, a black dragon may decide to release its victims. 10% of black dragons are capable of casting the darkness 15' radius and wall of fire spells a total of 3 times per day.

Yellow: Yellow dragons are often mistaken for gold dragons. They have a particular fondness for gold over gems and other types of treasure. If offered or promised enough gold, a yellow dragon will sometimes allow its victims to escape. 10% of yellow dragons are capable of casting the charm person and dispel magic spells a total of 3 times per day.

  

Green: Green dragons are usually found in forested mountains. Unlike other dragons, they have beautiful feathered wings of purple, orange, and blue plumage. They are quite evil and will never release their captives. 15% of green dragons are capable of casting the growth of plants and transmute rock or mud spells a total of 3 times per day.

Blue: Blue dragons are more cunning than their brethren. They will often let a captive life in exchange for some service in the outside world. If the character attempt to evade service, the dragon's wrath will be great. 20% of blue dragons are capable of casting the clairvoyance (as if cast through a crystal ball) and feeblemind spells a total of 3 times per day.

Purple: Purple dragons are less interested in gold and knowledge than other dragons. Instead, they live to experience all life has to offer. Purple dragons may allow their victims to flee in exchange for a little excitement, adventure, or entertainment. 20% of purple dragons are capable of casting the phantasmal forces and polymorph other spells a total of 3 times per day.

Red: Red dragons play games with their victims until they tire of their captives' pitiful attempts to avoid death. Then they slowly kill them and take their treasure. Red dragons cannot be bargained with, but if they are somehow impressed by their victims' struggle to fight back, they may decide to allow them to escape. 20% of red dragons are capable of casting the cloudkill and hold monster spells a total of 3 times per day.

Golden: Golden dragons are Lawful in alignment and will not attacked unless provoked. Golden dragons despise Chaotic dragons and will frequently attack them or else attempt to rule over them in an attempt to assert their superiority. 30% of red dragons are capable of casting the dispel magic, polymorph self, and geas spells a total of 3 times per day.