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RED DRAGONS BY SIZEOverall Body Neck Tail Body Standing Maximum MinimumSize Length Length Length Length Width Height Wingspan Wingspan WeightMedium 18 ft. 7 ft. 5 ft. 6 ft. 4 ft. 5 ft. 30 ft. 12 ft. 350 lb.Large 33 ft. 12 ft. 9 ft. 12 ft. 7 ft. 9 ft. 45 ft. 18 ft. 2,700 lb.Huge 58 ft. 19 ft. 17 ft. 22 ft. 10 ft. 14 ft. 75 ft. 30 ft. 22,000 lb.Gargantuan 88 ft. 26 ft. 26 ft. 36 ft. 12 ft. 18 ft. 100 ft. 40 ft. 165,000 lb.Lairs and TerrainAlthough a red dragon’s first terrain choice is somewhereelevated and especially hot, such as a volcanoor a sulfurous geyser, a red does not require such alocation. It might take residence in a normal mountainpeak, in rocky badlands, or on a desert mesa:any location where it can perch high and survey itsdomain for miles around. Red dragons loathe thecold, but cold does not harm them any more than itdoes other creatures. A few reds even make theirspecific preferences, the average red dragon does notcare what form its treasure takes.Life CycleA red dragon lays its eggs roughly five and a halfmonths into the incubation time of twenty-twomonths. A clutch numbers two to four eggs, and allprove viable under optimal conditions.A red dragon is a wyrmling until the age of eightor so, and young until about 200. It attains elderCHROMATIC DRAGONS IN DETAILSAM WOODhomes among snow-capped peaks, because altitudematters to them more than temperature. A red thatcan boast a lair combining altitude and temperature,such as one atop a volcanic peak, considers itself fortunateindeed.Red dragons prefer large caves or complexes ofcaves, with access both to high vantage points andto the depths of the earth. Though they seek highground for surveying their territory, they feel safersleeping and storing their treasure beneath layers ofrock. Because such complexes rarely occur naturally,red dragons frequently take over caverns dug by otherraces, or they enslave people to construct or modifytheir lairs. Red dragons looking for homes scour outand claim many an underground or partially undergroundcommunity, such as dwarven cities and drowaccess tunnels. Because of this behavior, and despitetheir preference for high perches, red dragons occasionallycome into conflict with purple dragons.Favored TreasureRed dragons’ favorite treasure is everything in theirhoards, everything of value in other dragons’ hoards,and everything of value possessed by anyone else. Sounabashedly and indiscriminately greedy are reds thatno common preferences, habits, or patterns in treasureacquisition emerge. Although individuals might havestatus at around 950 and becomes an ancient around1,900. The oldest known red dragon reached approximately2,500 years.When it occurs, a red dragon’s environmentaldiffusion takes one of two forms, depending on itssurroundings. In a mountainous or rocky area, thespot where the dragon dies breaks open, revealingone or more large, sulfurous geysers or small volcanicvents that emit foul-smelling and acrid smoke evenwhen not erupting. In less stony and more flammableareas, a permanent wildfire results, never spreadingbeyond the boundaries of the diffusion and neverburning out, regardless of fuel or weather.Physical CharacteristicsRed dragons are the largest of chromatic dragons.Their wings are vast in proportion to their bodies,making red dragons easily identifiable even from agreat distance. Unlike the scales of other chromaticdragons, red dragons’ scales rarely blend in with theirOPTIONAL RULEBecause red dragons hear exceptionally well, they takeonly a –4 penalty to attack rolls, rather than –5, whenattacking a target that has total concealment.CHAPTER 1 | Dragon Lore41