Onward, we go on our Deep Dive into the Red Dragon. As we saw in Part 1, the Red Dragon is one of the most fearsome original monsters in all of Dungeons & Dragons. Will this trend continue or will the Red Dragon have to give up its hoard and let a real dragon, like a wyvern, take its spot? Let’s find out as we examine the Red Dragon in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th editions.

3e - Red Dragon (Adult)

Dragon (Fire)
Hit Dice: 253 (22d12+110)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)
Armor Class: 29 (–2 size, +21 natural) touch 9, flat-footed 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +22/+41
Attack: +31 melee (bite - 2d6, 2 claws - 1d8, 2 wings - 1d8, 1 tail slap - 1d8)
Full Attack: +31 melee (bite - 2d6, 2 claws - 1d8, 2 wings - 1d8, 1 tail slap - 1d8
Breath Weapon (Su): A red dragon has one type of breath weapon, a cone of fire (40 ft length)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, frightful presence, spell-like abilities, spells
Special Qualities: Blindsense, darkvision (120 ft.) keen senses, spell resistance, damage reduction, immunity to fire, sleep, and paralysis effects, vulnerable to cold
Spell-like Abilities: 6/day-locate object
Spells: As 7th-level sorcerer
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +13, Will +17
Abilities: Str 33, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 16
Skills: Varies, always Appraise, Bluff, and Jump
Feats: Varies, 8 total (base 1 + 1 per 3 hit dice)
Climate/Terrain: Warm Mountains
Organization: Solitary, pair, or family (1–2 and 2–5 offspring)
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 22-23 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -

**Monster Manual**, 2000 Wizards of the Coast / Todd Lockwood

The Red Dragon explodes into this edition with the Monster Manual (2000/2003), presenting the Red Dragon in all its vain and covetous glory. In between the two books is similar information on Red Dragons in Dragon #284 (June 2001). Their arrogance knows no bounds, and that condescending look they give you is a constant feature on their face.

The Red Dragon’s neck frill and wings are arranged from ash blue to purple grey. Their scales start shiny and scarlet, but as they age, the neck frill, wings, and scales begin to dull and darken. This is why a young dragon usually stays home since those bright scales are a beacon in the darkness for all would-be predators. Of course, this requires a Red Dragon to realize that they aren’t the top apex predators, and there are things stronger than them, like a barbarian entering their rage.

It’s still all about hoard size for the Red Dragon. You’ll find the dragon and its hoard in a massive lair deep under the earth. The dragon won’t sit on top of its hoard like in the movies. Instead, it will be parked on a ledge high above, gazing down upon its wealth and constantly scanning for those who wish to steal it. This perch can be so high up that it occasionally intrudes on a silver dragon’s territory, as they also like high perches. As you might expect, silver and Red Dragons don’t make good neighbors and are constantly fighting over territory.

**Draconomicon**, 2003 Wizards of the Coast

Speaking of fighting, in their arrogance, Red Dragons barely stop to consider the consequences when confronted by a potential enemy. They are quick to attack, which is fine since they have a series of practiced strategies they’ll employ. When flying, the dragon will land to maul weaker creatures to death with their claws and bite. This saves them from using their fire breath attack, which usually melts all your precious gold, silver, and other goodies they want to add to their hoard. Since they are meat eaters (obviously), this also prevents them from turning you into ash instead of a tasty snack.

Though, speaking of being meat eaters, dragons have an internal furnace that basically allows them to eat anything and derive nutrition from it. They can eat a lot of inorganic materials, so the fact that a Red Dragon’s favorite food is human or young elf should give you all the insights you need about these ruby dragons. They like the crunch of bones, the anguished screams of frightened humanoids, and delight in eating sapient creatures. They aren’t eating maidens cause they have to but because they want to.

**Draconomicon**, 2003 Wizards of the Coast / Todd Lockwood

Much of the information we already know from previous editions, like there are a ton of age ratings and sizes for dragons, but there are a few last things we want to point out that begin in this edition. First, the dragon’s breath can be used an unlimited amount per day, with the only setback being that once you use your breath weapon, you must roll a 1d4 and wait 6 to 24 seconds before you can use it again. This is great news for dragons, and that’s about it.

The other thing we want to point out is the new battle tactic all dragons gained. While everyone knows about a dragon’s one bite, two claws, and two wing buffets—how many know about a dragon diving crossbody slam? This crushing attack, which is what it is called, allows a dragon to jump or fly over a group of creatures that are three sizes smaller than it (so if it is huge, the creatures need to be small or smaller; if it is gargantuan, the creatures need to be medium or smaller), and then just drops its entire bulk on them, crushing any creature within its space. Luckily, you get a Dexterity saving throw to get out of there, but now you know what it’s like to be an ant being crushed by a bunch of oblivious adventurers.

In a book such as The Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons (2003), you have to imagine that there would be a lot of information on the Red Dragon. Of course, there is! With a book this big all about dragons, information on our not-so-friendly Red Dragon is all over the place. You could almost call it a treasure hoard of Red Dragon facts!

Dragons worship gods like most creatures, and their pantheon is more than just Bahaumat and Tiamat. Like all other evil dragons, most Red Dragons only worship Tiamat. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, as their life goals match perfectly: spreading evil, destroying all things good, and having an unbridled hatred for good dragons. Some pray to the lesser deity Garyx, who appears as a Great Wyrm Red Dragon.

Lots of Red Dragons and their crazy names appear in this book. Any creature living in Pandemonium has got to be a little off-kilter, and many argue that Garyx is bat-shit crazy. He expects his followers to do as he does, primarily always leaving a wave of death and destruction in their wake. If you think he’s bad, Ashardalon is worse. He has a cult of crazy cultists led by a vampire who worships him. His rage and wrath are legendary. And when on the brink of death, Ashardalon used his magic to save himself by binding a demon’s soul to his. We can’t imagine that a demon soul is good for one’s health, then again, neither is dying.

According to the Planar Handbook (2004), Red Dragons are powerful mounts for the Githyanki. We assume they aren’t thrilled by this, but they don’t mention their opinion on the arrangement. How such a prideful creature would find itself subservient to another is odd, given their immense power and, you know, the ability to breathe fire.

One reason for their lowly status as a mount may be the introduction of the Scepter of Ephelom, a magic item that grants the bearer control over Red Dragons. If destroyed - which would prove difficult because only the claws of Bahamut can damage it - Red Dragons may not seek out vengeance against the Githyanki, but they will probably abandon them. However, some of the more subservient ones may stay in their employ depending on how much treasure the Gith have given them.

Quickly touching on some high points in this edition, Unearthed Arcana (2004) introduces the concept of bloodlines, and some lucky people will say dragon blood is flowing through their veins. It makes them more likely not to be eaten by a Red Dragon on sight, but nothing in life is guaranteed.

**Dragon #332**, July 2005 Paizo Publishing / Andrew Hou

After reading Dragon #332 (July 2005), you’ll have everything to introduce a Red Dragon as a player class. Dragon Magic (2006) talks about dragon magic and lineages. We learn about the Fireblood Dwarves who were enslaved by Red Dragons and are now free and hate them with all their being. During their captivity, these dwarves picked up some Red Dragon traits, such as resistance to fire, but that hasn’t stopped them from hating all Red Dragons.

There are more cool named Red Dragons in the book Dragons of Faerun (2006). Arsekaslyx is the guardian of the Well of Dragons. There’s Balagos, also known as Dragonsbane and The Flying Flame. Another one, Flashburn, has gathered a cult of orcs to fight for her. Guyanothza hasn’t been seen in centuries. Hoondarrh lived in the Sword Coast and found the treachery and drama of its inhabitants way more interesting than the dragons. Imvaernarhro, or Inferno to his friends, if he had any, was thought to have the largest horde of any Red Dragon alive. Klauth spies on the nearby inhabitants and slaughters any dragon that dares enter its territory. The last one we have time to mention is Lux, who isn’t as evil as his counterparts, preferring to observe the neverending battle between good and evil instead of taking part in it.

We could go on and on mentioning the other books where the Red Dragon appears in this edition, but we’d be here all day. Nothing in the other books is substantial or new, so it’s time to move on. One note before we leave. You might think that a book called Races of the Dragon (2006) would have a lot about our fire-breathing friends. Oddly, very little on Red Dragon. Go figure.

**Dragon Magic**, 2006 Wizards of the Coast / Franz Vohwinkel

4e - Red Dragon (Ancient)

Level 30 Solo Soldier
Gargantuan natural magical beast (dragon)
Initiative +24
Senses Perception +26; darkvision
Inferno (Fire) aura 5; creatures that enter or start their turns in the aura take 20 fi re damage. Creatures in the aura have concealment against ranged attacks.
HP 1390; Bloodied 695; also see bloodied breath
AC 48; Fortitude 48, Reflex 43, Will 42
Resist 40 fire
Speed 12, fly 12 (hover), overland flight 15
Action Points 2
Bite (standard; at-will) ✦ Fire Reach 4; +37 vs. AC; 2d12 + 12 plus 6d6 fire damage.
Claw (standard; at-will) Reach 4; +37 vs. AC; 2d12 + 12 damage.
Double Attack (standard; at-will) The dragon makes two claw attacks.
Tail Strike (immediate reaction, when an enemy moves to a position where it flanks the red dragon; at-will) The dragon attacks the enemy with its tail: reach 4; +35 vs. Reflex; 4d10 + 12 damage, and the target is pushed 3 squares.
Immolate Foe (standard; recharge 5-6) ✦ Fire Ranged 20; +35 vs. Reflex; 4d10 + 10 fire damage, and ongoing 15 fire damage (save ends).
Breath Weapon (standard; recharge 5-6) ✦ Fire Close blast 5; +35 vs. Reflex; 4d12 + 10 fire damage, and the red dragon makes a secondary attack against the same target.
Secondary Attack: +33 vs. Fortitude; the target’s fire resistance is negated until the end of the encounter. Miss: Half damage, and no secondary attack. Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied; encounter) ✦ Fire The dragon’s breath weapon recharges, and the dragon uses it immediately.
Frightful Presence (standard; encounter) ✦ Fear Close burst 10; targets enemies; +35 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dragon’s next turn. Aftereffect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
Alignment Evil
Languages Common Draconic
Skills Bluff +24, Insight +26, Intimidate +29
Str 34 (27) Dex 25 (+22) Wis 22 (+21) Con 30 (+25) Int 18 (+1) Cha 19 (+19)

The Monster Manual (2008) has so little on the Red Dragon it’s embarrassing. Sure, there is a Draconomicon in this edition, but still, we’re talking about the most iconic monster in all Dungeons & Dragons! Here’s what the book tells us. Red Dragons breathe fire. They make their lairs deep underground in mountains and volcanoes, and gaze at their hoards from a high-up perch. They are the mightiest of the chromatic dragons and the oldest of their kind rival demon princes and demigods in strength and power. Well, that’s new, and Red Dragons everywhere agree it's about time they get credit. It’s been a long time since they were so powerful and awesome.

**Monster Manual**, 2008 Wizards of the Coast / Lars Grant-West

While the lore might be lacking, this edition’s Red Dragon doesn’t screw around when in combat. They will unleash their fire breath attack immediately, following up with their frightful presence, a terrible claw attack, and a powerful bite. If you are stupid—uh, brave enough—to fight an elder or ancient Red Dragon, no one is safe from its flames as it can immolate creatures even 100 feet away. Being caught on fire, chewed up, and sliced are extremely bad for your health, and we hope your will is up to date and that you’re loved ones will be taken care of after you’ve departed from this mortal coil.

Another edition, another Draconomicon (2008)—this book is where we find the most information about the Red Dragon. Sadly, not much changes from the previous editions. They are greedy and mean. If they feel slighted in any way, they will hunt you down and kill you with extreme prejudice. If you somehow manage to survive, the Red Dragon throws a temper tantrum, laying waste to everything and everyone it can find. They love meat, breathing fire, and… Well, you’ve read all this before, so let’s move on to the new tidbits.

**Draconomicon**, 2008 Wizards of the Coast / Warren Mahy

Red Dragon wyrmling are little buggers who throw caution to the wind, not worried about the future, and act with reckless abandon, never backing down from a fight. Ah, youth, when you haven’t thought about your own mortality, no matter how long your lifespan may be. They claw, bite, and whip you with their tails when in close. They breathe fire like all other Red Dragons. All their attacks do less damage than their older brethren. But since they never back down, that ‘lesser damage’ can add up over time.

Red Dragons go by various names, from flame dragons and fire wyrms, to mountain dragons and kobolds (we may have made that last one up). The Red Dragon is now the biggest bully on the block. It is the largest-sized dragon, has the longest wingspan, and smells like smoke and sulfur. But wait, there’s more! Did you know a Red Dragon’s blood gives off steam? Or that the more charred their meal—hopefully not you—the quicker it digests said food? How about the fact they only have internal ears? They do, so they’ll hear your agonized screams as you slowly get digested.

**Draconomicon**, 2008 Wizards of the Coast / Devon Caddy-Lee

Who the Red Dragons worship has changed. Most Red Dragons now look to Asmodeus as their god. It makes sense, since the god of the Nine Hells is all about tyranny and domination. A few Red Dragons look to the deity Corellon as a method of learning the secrets of the arcane. One such Red Dragon serves as an exarch of this god, so we have another name for you - Astilabor.

That’s not the only new dragon name we have to share with you. Ember is a mount and protector found in the Dragonlance setting. Brazzemal the Bright has unusually light scales for a Red Dragon. Farcluun hangs out by the tower of the more than just a little insane Zagig. Hoondarrh, The Red Rage of Mintarn has several lairs, each of which we assume is filled with riches beyond your imagination.

If you struggle to pronounce these dragon names, we understand your pain.

**Draconomicon**, 2008 Wizards of the Coast /Sam Wood

5e - Red Dragon (Ancient)

Gargantuan dragon, chaotic evil
Armor Class 22 (natural armor)
Hit Points 546 (28d20 + 252)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
Str 30 (+10) Dex 10 (+0) Con 29 (+9) Int 18 (+4) Wis 15 (+2) Cha 23 (+6)
Saving Throws Dex +7, Con +16, Wis +9, Cha +13
Skills Perception +16, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities fire
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 26
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 24 (62,000 XP)
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (2d10 + 10) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) fire damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d6 + 10) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened 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. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw, taking 91 (26d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2d6 + 10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.

**Monster Manual**, 2014 Wizards of the Coast / Scott M Fischer

As we reach our final destination, we find the Red Dragon in the Monster Manual (2014). There’s a lot of the same information, but we understand why. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. There are some tweaks, though. For example, Red Dragons are even more arrogant than all other dragons, and probably every creature across the planes, and consider themselves kings or emperors, ordained by Tiamat herself.

Dragons now gain unique regional effects that let you know when you enter their territory, giving you a very good idea that you have made a mistake in your journey. For a Red Dragon, you might feel small tremors or earthquakes, and we hope you brought your own water, as all water will reek of the sulfur it's contaminated with. You may even have to deal with some nasty folks from the Elemental Plane of Fire before you even take on a Red Dragon. This is because a Red Dragon’s magic has scarred the land so deeply that it has been torn open, and portals to the fire plane have opened across the region.

Red Dragons love their mountain lairs and high perches, but now this makes them enemies of copper dragons, not silver dragons. You may even find them residing in abandoned mines or dwarven cities. And by abandoned, we also mean forcefully emptied of its residents through blood and fire. They can be found in their lair as much as they are outside it, scouring the lands for more treasure to add to it. They see their home as their seat of power and the perch from which they gaze upon their hoard as their throne.

**Fizban's Treasury of Dragons**, 2021 Wizards of the Coast

The Red Dragon has control of the physical nature of its lair, none of which will make your life any easier when trying to obtain its hoard. The creature can cause towering geysers of lava to burst from the ground, raining magma down upon you. More volcano deadliness can kill you if you happen to be immune to fire damage, as the dragon can cause a thick volcanic gas to form with you inside it. It’s bad enough that the gas cloud makes it hard to see, but it’s so toxic that you’ll find yourself poisoned when you try to take a breath. Finally, the Red Dragon can cause the ground to shimmy and shake, sending you to the ground when you lose your balance. The perfect place for you to be when the Red Dragon swoops down and disembowels you.

Red Dragons know what’s in their hoard down to the last copper and where every single item is in the hoard. Their favorite items are the powerful ones that they take off of slain heroes, just like you, so keep that in mind. Hell have no fury like a Red Dragon who finds a mere copper piece missing and a hobbit thief running for it. The Red Dragon will lay waste to everything in its path in its hunt for it.

Perhaps a bit surprisingly, Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica (2018) is our next sourcebook and it gives us the stat block for the ancient Red Dragon Niv-Mizzet. He’s as intelligent as he is arrogant, and we know by now Red Dragons are the most conceited of all the dragons. His life mainly consists of running experiments and research, mostly using members of the Izzet League, which he controls. His spellcasting ability is second to none, and his hoard is a trove of magical items. Drool all you want, but your chances of ever getting your hands on it are so small you probably shouldn’t try—or do and you can add your stuff to the hoard!

**Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica**, 2018 Wizards of the Coast

He’s got all the typical Red Dragon abilities and attacks - resistance to fire, claw, tail, wing, and bite attacks. Of course, he breathes fire, and his spell list is more extensive than most other Red Dragons. He does have two unique abilities worth mentioning: Locus of the Firemind and Master Chemister. Locus lets Niv-Mizzet maintain concentration on two different spells simultaneously, a dream of spellcasters everywhere. If that wasn’t enough, he has advantage on saving throws to maintain Concentration on all spells. Master Chemister lets him change the damage type of any spell he cast to cold, fire, force, lightning, or thunder. Consider your resistances and immunities rendered useless, and you should probably find a rock to hide behind while you evaluate your life choices and let your allies die in your place.

We can’t help feeling disappointed with Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons (2021). Sure, there is a whole section on Red Dragon, but all we find are generalized sections about creating a dragon, adventure hooks, their lairs, and what you might find in a Red Dragon’s hoard.

Shockingly, their traits revolve around their ego and cruelty. Adventure ideas are fairly generic, but at least include some ideas on who they'd associate with and a breakdown by age. The hoard table isn’t worth talking about since there’s nothing original or even magic items on it, making players everywhere sad.

There is an example map of a Red Dragon’s lair, including some lair and regional effects. The two lair effects are Noxious Smoke and Searing Heat. Noxious Smoke is a cloud of dark, poisonous smoke while Searing Heat is a sphere of air so hot you take fire damage when foolish enough to be inside it. Regional effects include Desertification, meaning rain fails to fall within miles of the lair, causing all plant life to die. A Red Dragon can hear through open flame with its Fiery Sense effect, so extinguish those torches if you hope to avoid eavesdroppers. Finally, there are ominous flames throughout, which cause all open flames to hiss and crackle constantly, throwing off embers and showering sparks. Like we said, put out those torches.

The Red Dragon is as arrogant as it is powerful. They are focused on growing their already vast treasure hoard and delighting in the torment and suffering of lesser creatures. They are the epitome of evil dragons everywhere, and one of the greatest threats to the world that a party of adventurers can face. We hope, for your sake, you never have to test your mettle against these powerful, fire-breathing lizards.

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