Large Dragon (Metallic), Chaotic Good
- AC
- 17
- Initiative
- +3 (13)
- HP
- 110 (13d10+39)
- Speed
- 40 ft., Burrow 20 ft., Fly 80 ft.
| Score | Mod | Save | |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 19 | +4 | +4 |
| DEX | 10 | +0 | +3 |
| CON | 17 | +3 | +3 |
| INT | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| WIS | 11 | +0 | +3 |
| CHA | 15 | +2 | +2 |
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes three Rend attacks. It can replace two attacks with a use of Sleep Breath.
Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 10 ft. Hit: 15 (2d10+4) Slashing damage.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5-6). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature in a 40-foot-long, 5-foot-wide Line. Failure: 38 (11d6) Fire damage. Success: Half damage.
Sleep Breath. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 14, each creature in a 30-foot Cone. Failure: The target has the Incapacitated condition until the end of its next turn, at which point it repeats the save. Second Failure: The target has the Unconscious condition for 1 minute. This effect ends for the target if it takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it takes an action to wake it.
How to run Young Brass Dragon
A young brass dragon ally is the easiest dragon ally at this tier, because brass dragons want to talk and the party probably already has someone the dragon finds interesting. The setup is a story trade. The party tells the dragon something it has not heard, the dragon owes them one favor, and the favor is the encounter. Brass dragons remember every story they hear, so the players are also paying with intelligence the dragon will sell on later.
In combat, the dragon prefers Sleep Breath whenever the party has not authorized lethal force. Drop the cone over the guard barracks and let the rogue tie everyone up. When the gloves come off, open with Fire Breath in a line that catches as many enemies as possible without clipping a PC, then Multiattack with three Rend at +7 for 15 each. The dragon has no spells and no breath weapon recharge faster than 5-6, so its tempo is straightforward and the party can plan around it.
Out of combat, the dragon will not stop talking. It speaks Common and Draconic, has Persuasion +5, and finds the party fascinating in a slightly anthropological way. It will gossip about every NPC the party has met, propose a third option to every dilemma, and absolutely insist on a name for the campsite. Lean on the personality. The dragon is not powerful enough at CR 6 to solve major encounters for the party, but it is charming enough to make the road feel smaller.
The favor expires when the dragon decides the story it heard was worth what it gave. If the party shorts the trade, the dragon does not get angry. It just leaves, and the next brass dragon they meet has already heard the version where the party were dull company.
Trade the dragon a story your players genuinely care about. The dragon should retell it back to them three sessions later in a different voice and watch them recognize it.
A young brass dragon picking a fight with the party is almost always a misunderstanding the dragon plans to win. Brass dragons are Chaotic Good gossips, so a hostile one is either offended, conscripted by a worse dragon, or testing the party for sport. Open the encounter with talking. The dragon has +5 Persuasion and +6 Perception and it speaks Common, so it has read the party from 200 feet away and decided which of them to address first. Combat starts when someone gives a dishonest answer.
When initiative rolls, the opener is Sleep Breath, not Fire Breath. DC 14 Con save in a 30-foot cone, and on a failure the target is Incapacitated until the end of its next turn, with a second failed save dropping them Unconscious for a minute. Sleep Breath is not on a recharge, so the dragon can use it whenever Multiattack allows (replacing two Rend attacks with one Sleep Breath). A young brass dragon that drops two PCs to Sleep does not kill them. It strips them of one item each, drags them aside, and waits for the rest of the party to come negotiate. That is the encounter you want.
If the party refuses to surrender, switch to Fire Breath: DC 14 Dex save, 11d6 fire in a 40-foot line, average 38, recharge 5-6. That is enough to drop a level 5 wizard on a failed save. Otherwise Multiattack with three Rend at +7 for 15 slashing each (45 average per turn). The dragon is immune to Fire and has Blindsight 30 and Darkvision 120, so a fight in the dragon's home cave or a sandstorm at night strongly favors it. The 80 ft. fly and 20 ft. burrow speeds mean it never has to be where the party expects.
Young brass dragons do not die over ego. Once Bloodied with no clear win, the dragon burrows out at 20 feet, leaves a sand-etched message naming the party for any other brass dragon who passes by, and goes home to its mother with a story. The party has just become regional gossip. Any brass dragon they meet for the rest of the campaign will already know their faces.
Have the dragon ask each PC their name before the first save. Players answer differently when the dragon is taking notes.
Stat block from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 © Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.