Dragonborn, also referred to as dragonkin[4] and dragonblood,[3] are humanoids with draconic ancestry. They are renowned for their ability to breathe elemental energy, as well as for their tumultuous history.
Appearance[]
Dragonborn resemble their dragon ancestors, though they walk on two legs and lack wings. Their scales match the chromatic, gem-like, or metallic scales of true dragons, which reflect the element of their breath weapon. Dragonborn stand tall, averaging between 6 and 7 feet tall and weigh around 250 pounds. The draconblood dragonborn have a tail, while the ravenite dragonborn do not. Some dragonborn (such as Coswald and Hutchin) present a more elongated and dragon-like neck.[5]
History[]
Among the myriad myths of the origin of dragonborn in Exandria, one particularly popular tale holds that they were the common creation of the Scaled Tyrant and the Platinum Dragon, meant to be loyal soldiers for both of the dragon deities until they eventually earned their freedom.[3]
Official art of a ravenite dragonborn, by adragonswinging.[art 2]
In the Age of Arcanum, a group of tailed dragonborn lived on the floating city of Kethesk.[4] The city was sundered during the Calamity, a shard of which came to rest within the Dreemoth Ravine. The surviving dragonborn found that the ravine was already inhabited by the cave-dwelling tailless dragonborn called the ravenites, and formed an alliance with them to rebuild dragonborn civilization.[2] Shortly before the Divergence, the Scaled Tyrant asked for dragonborn to be brought to her, wanting the chromatic ones to be her soldiers in the conflicts ahead, and the metallic ones to become her meal.[6]
During the following centuries, the alliance between tailed and tailless dragonborn in Wildemount was altered. The former, thinking themselves superior to their ravenite brethren, named themselves draconbloods and began using their tailless kin as the labor force, harvesting brumestones to hold their new city of Draconia aloft within the ravine. The draconbloods eventually enslaved the ravenites to mine the ravine for gold and gemstones, allowing themselves to focus on intellectual and political pursuits.[2] The dragonborn of Draconia remained isolated within Wildemount for centuries,[7] though with the rise of the Tal'Dorei Empire, the sovereign extended a hand of diplomacy to Draconia, opening them up to the greater world of Exandria.[citation needed]
Official art of a draconblood dragonborn, by adragonswinging.[art 3]
At the end of the year 810 PD, Draconia would be changed forever with the attack of a cabal of ancient chromatic dragons known as the Chroma Conclave. This attack left Draconia sundered, causing it to crash to the ground. In the wake of this event, known as the Chroma Crisis, the ravenites seized the opportunity to free themselves from their draconblood oppressors.[2] After Draconia's fall, draconblood and ravenite alike were scattered to the four winds. Many traveled north to the Dwendalian Empire, where they formed the shantytown of Talonstadt.[8] Others fled east to the Lotusden Greenwood, where they would find welcome with the halfling druids of Charis,[9] or to the Menagerie Coast, where some draconbloods owned vacation properties.[10] In Tal'Dorei, outside the slums of larger cities like Emon and Westruun, they are scattered enough that they rarely see other dragonborn.[7] Many of the now free ravenites stayed behind, constructing the new city of Xarzith Kitril at the southern mouth of the Dreemoth Ravine.[11]
Powers, abilities, and subraces/cultures[]
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Dragonborn traits[]
Official art of a dragonborn monastic operative of the Cobalt Soul, by Anna Veltkamp from Call of the Netherdeep, p. 202.[art 4]
Dragonborn as a whole are renowned for their prodigious strength and their charismatic charm. Their draconic ancestry manifests in their ability to breathe elemental energy, in the form of either jets of acid, blasts of cold, gouts of fire, bolts of lighting, or clouds of poison. Some dragonborn also have natural resistance to the element of their breath weapon.
Some dragonborn have darkvision, and can use their breath weapon multiple times and modify its shape.[12][13] Moreover, depending on their kind, they manifest specific powers: chromatic dragonborn can become immune to their associated element for one minute, while metallic dragonborn can produce a secondary breath weapon to incapacitate or push their enemies away; a third and more uncommon type has gem-like scales, psionic abilities, and uncommon breath weapons.[14][15][16][17]
Draconbloods[]
The tailed draconbloods lived a scholarly life during the days of Draconia, and their understanding of diplomacy often allowed them to guide a conversation in their favor.[2]
Ravenites[]
The tailless ravenites lived as laborers during the days of Draconia and are the most physically hearty of the dragonborn. They are adept warriors, capable of quickly lashing back against those that dare to strike at them.[2]
Notable dragonborn[]
Exandria Unlimited: Divergence[]
PCs[]
- Crokas: Received the Stormgirdle from the Stormlord. With the Orb of Avalir, helped in the founding of the Cobalt Soul in Wildemount.
- Erro Mordaurum: Mapmaker; mortal incarnation of the Platinum Dragon.
NPCs[]
- Marlath: Sold out other dragonborn as an act of faith toward the Scaled Tyrant.
- Coswald: Green dragonborn thief with a long neck, was brought to Rybad-Kol for his crimes but survived its destruction.[18]
- Celeste: Blue dragonborn mother of Celwyn and Celdria, she managed to stay with them in Rybad-Kol and survived its destruction.[19]
Campaign One: Vox Machina[]
PCs[]
Fan art of Arkhan wielding the Hand of Vecna, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 5]
Fan art of Gern Blanston, by advocatingAvian.[art 6]
Fan art of Suvo, by BlackSalander.[art 7]
- Arkhan: Draconblood paladin of Tiamat and current wielder of the Hand of Vecna.
- Gern Blanston: A ravenite necromancer and one time ally of Vox Machina.
- Tiberius Stormwind: A skilled sorcerer, draconblood noble, and former member of Vox Machina.
NPCs[]
- Tofor Brotoras: A ravenite paladin of Bahamut and member of the Tal'Dorei Council.
- Tooma: Leader of the ravenites immediately following the destruction of Draconia.
Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein[]
NPCs[]
- Wessek: A ravenite working as a bartender at The Leaky Tap in Zadash.
- Kumas: Silver-scaled, serves as a head priest at the Platinum House in Zadash.
- Suvo: A female who owns Suvo's Secrets in Zadash.
- Mecatoth: A male draconblood, part of the Stone family.[20]
Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn[]
- Greisalda Cassios: High Curator of the Cobalt Reserve in Westruun as of 836 PD. Half-human female with silver scales.[21]
- Karzadrawn Sunscale: Runechild sorcerer and fashion model in Emon. Male draconblood with brass scales.[22]
- Tully Dezzeram - Myriad boss of Emon. Female with gold scales.[23]
Campaign Three: Bells Hells[]
NPCs[]
- Gerudal: A male working at Prudaj Textiles.
- Hutchin: A female silver dragonborn traveler with a serpent-like complexion.
- Vezoden Amerai: A female dark emerald dragonborn, follower of Bane and ally to the Volition[24]
Trivia[]
- Dragonborn are oviparous, meaning they reproduce via laying eggs.[25]
- Dragonborn and lizardfolk are apparently capable of creating progeny, though the fruits of such unions (with some orc heritage thrown in) have a somewhat monstrous appearance.[26]
- After the death of Umbrasyl, his spilled blood, combined with the strange magic of the Gatshadow Mountain, caused the corpses of goliaths spattered by it to rise again as undead black dragonborn with skeletal wings.[27]
- In 5th Edition there is a Draconic Gift known as "Draconic Rebirth", that allows someone to become a dragonborn; a way to receive that gift is actually to cause the death of a dragon in order to claim some of its power.[28]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Dragonborn on D&D Beyond
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 168.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 151.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 20.
- ↑ See "Give and Take" (E4x01) at 1:14:18.
- ↑ See "Give and Take" (E4x01) at 0:58:15.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, pp. 151–152.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 90.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 136.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, pp. 168–169.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 148.
- ↑ The 2024 rules changes for Dungeons & Dragons made several changes to dragonborn abilities, which were utilized for the first time in Exandria Unlimited: Divergence. See "Seven of Them" (E4x02) at 2:28:11. Erro uses his fire breath and can choose between a cone and a line.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Player's Handbook (2024), p. 187.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, p. 10-12.
- ↑ See "Give and Take" (E4x01) at 3:13:27.
- ↑ See "Divisive Portents" (3x89) at 0:58:26. A dragonborn described as "dark emerald".
- ↑ See the discussion of Sha'korzhan's dragon type for evidence of presence of gem dragons in Exandria.
- ↑ See "Give and Take" (E4x01) at 1:14:11.
- ↑ See "Give and Take" (E4x01) at 2:44:49.
- ↑ See "Family Shatters" (2x96) at 3:26:21.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 59.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 177.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 61.
- ↑ See "Seeking Sedition" (3x88) at 3:08:55.
- ↑ See "Seven of Them" (E4x02) at 4:21:12. Crokas mentions Fiedra finding his egg.
- ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 1" (E2x01) at 2:56:23.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 73.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, p. 28.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of two dragonborn with a tail and without one, by Svetoslav Petrov from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of a ravenite dragonborn, by adragonswinging (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of a draconblood dragonborn, by adragonswinging (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of a dragonborn monastic operative of the Cobalt Soul, by Anna Veltkamp from Call of the Netherdeep, p. 202. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of Arkhan wielding the Hand of Vecna, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Gern Blanston, by advocatingAvian (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Suvo, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.
External links[]
Dragonborn on D&D Beyond- Dragonborn (Dungeons & Dragons) on Wikipedia
- Dragonborn on The Forgotten Realms Wiki (note)
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