Dragonborn

The ancestors of dragonborn hatched from the eggs of chromatic and metallic dragons. One story holds that these eggs were blessed by the dragon gods Bahamut and Tiamat, who wanted to populate the multiverse with people created in their image. Another story claims that dragons created the first dragonborn without the gods' blessings. Whatever their origin, dragonborn have made homes for themselves on the Material Plane.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Creature Type: Humanoid

Size: Medium (about 5-7 feet tall)

Speed: 30 feet

Dragonborn look like wingless, bipedal dragons—scaly, bright-eyed, and thick-boned with horns on their heads—and their coloration and other features are reminiscent of their draconic ancestors.

Growth Rate & Stages

Young dragonborn grow quickly. They walk hours after hatching, attain the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3, and reach adulthood by 15. They live to be around 80.

Behaviour

To any dragonborn, the clan is more important than life itself. Dragonborn owe their devotion and respect to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each dragonborn's conduct reflects on the honor of his or her clan, and bringing dishonor to the clan can result in expulsion and exile. Each dragonborn knows his or her station and duties within the clan, and honor demands maintaining the bounds of that position.

A continual drive for self-improvement reflects the self-sufficiency, of the race as a whole. Dragonborn value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of that particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn.

Though all dragonborn strive to be self-sufficient, they recognize that help is sometimes needed in difficult situations. But the best source for such help is the clan, and when a client needs help, it turns to another dragonborn clan before seeking aid from other races or even from the gods.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Draconic Ancestry. Your lineage stems from a dragon progenitor. Choose the kind of dragon from the Draconic Ancestors table. Your choice affects your Breath Weapon and Damage Resistance traits as well as your appearance.

Draconic Ancestors

Dragon/Damage Type

Black/Acid

Blue/Lightning

Brass/Fire

Bronze/Lightning

Copper/Acid

Gold/Fire

Green/Poison

Red/Fire

Silver/Cold

White/Cold

Breath Weapon. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with an exhalation of magical energy in either a 15-foot Cone or a 30-foot Line that is 5 feet wide (choose the shape each time). Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 plus your Constitution modifier and Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, a creature takes 1d10 damage of the type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage. This damage increases by 1d10 when you reach character levels 5 (2d10), 11 (3d10), and 17 (4d10).

You can use this Breath Weapon a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Damage Resistance. You have Resistance to the damage type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait.

Darkvision. You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

Draconic Flight. When you reach character level 5, you can channel draconic magic to give yourself temporary flight. As a Bonus Action, you sprout spectral wings on your back that last for 10 minutes or until you retract the wings (no action required) or have the Incapacitated condition. During that time, you have a Fly Speed equal to your Speed. Your wings appear to be made of the same energy as your Breath Weapon. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a Long Rest.
Geographic Distribution