What is the offspring of two different dragon colors?

[flamewolf393]

I know its super rare by canon, but if it happens that two dragons of different colors mates, what color is the offspring? Would it be a half-dragon/half-dragon? Would it combine the two colors into something new like with quasi-elementals? Would the more powerful dragon trump the weaker dragon?

[Rijan_Sai]

I know its super rare by canon, but if it happens that two dragons of different colors mates, what color is the offspring? Would it be a half-dragon/half-dragon? Would it combine the two colors into something new like with quasi-elementals? Would the more powerful dragon trump the weaker dragon?
An abomination that must be destroyed ere it hatches, lest this horror-beast be unleashed upon dragonkind!

Draconomicon and/or Races of the Dragon would probably the best place(s) to start with this for any actual rules...

Without looking there, my best guess is that it would be either Mother's type/Half-Father's type, or Father's type/Half-Mother's type.

[MisterKaws]

I remember there being official-made Half-Dragon Dragons in the web enhancement articles, so it's kind of official.

[KillianHawkeye]

Half-Dragon is indeed a template which can be applied to Dragons.

[Vaern]

Half-Dragon is indeed a template which can be applied to Dragons.
This. The question has come up before and it was decided that it is certainly possible to create, for example, a red dragon with the half-dragon (blue) template.

[Uncle Pine]

Half-Dragon is indeed a template which can be applied to Dragons.

In fact, it's so easy to apply it to dragons that you can end up with a half-black, half-blue, half-green, half-red, half-white, half-brass, half-bronze, half-copper, half-gold wyrmling silver dragon. The story of the intercourse after which such a creature came into being is probably best left to imagination, but something as simple as a half-silver gold dragon (or a half-gold silver dragon) born of gold and silver parents is far more plausible.

[Psyren]

And then you immediately make them all sterile so you don't have to worry about the math beyond that.

[Selion]

A football team mascotte?

[DarkSoul]

For simplicity's sake I would just use one color dragon for the stats and make the other color cosmetic effects only. Coming up with unique stats would be something best saved for a dragon with a longer lasting campaign presence. If that's something you're planning already, giving it a breath weapon from each parent would likely surprise the characters.

[Segev]

In fact, it's so easy to apply it to dragons that you can end up with a half-black, half-blue, half-green, half-red, half-white, half-brass, half-bronze, half-copper, half-gold wyrmling silver dragon. The story of the intercourse after which such a creature came into being is probably best left to imagination, but something as simple as a half-silver gold dragon (or a half-gold silver dragon) born of gold and silver parents is far more plausible.

Apparently some dragon tested the theory that, because 9 women can have 9 children in 9 months, 9 women must be able to have 1 child in 1 month. Only with dragons.

Though I think Gilgamesh of myth had something like 3 parents, and was 1/3 god, 2/3 mortal, or something like that.

Also, couldn't you have a half-silver silver dragon, too? By the RAW that permit the amalgam in the above quote?

"Milord, I'm a vampire (half)"

[Thurbane]

Though I think Gilgamesh of myth had something like 3 parents, and was 1/3 god, 2/3 mortal, or something like that.

Also, Duke Lion: "He's the son of man and god and lion" :smallbiggrin:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd3Y4o95ObU

[hamishspence]

For simplicity's sake I would just use one color dragon for the stats and make the other color cosmetic effects only.

That's pretty much how 5e handles it - stats of one dragon, appearance may incorporate some elements of the other - possibly, in most extreme cases, looking exactly like the other.

Result - fire-breathing white dragon (white dragon appearance, red dragon stats).

[DrMotives]

You can always have fun naming the things from these blends. Go browse in a paint store, and figure out what kind of crossbreed a more interesting color name is. The half-blue, half-red, both on a white for the dreaded lavender wyrm. No, it's not a pastel purple worm, but a dragon with 3 energy types to choose from. A half-black purple dragon is the aubergine terror, etc.

[KillianHawkeye]

Also, couldn't you have a half-silver silver dragon, too? By the RAW that permit the amalgam in the above quote?

Half-black black dragon is the most angsty of dragons! :smallamused:

[enderlord99]

Though I think Gilgamesh of myth had something like 3 parents, and was 1/3 god, 2/3 mortal, or something like that.

Theseus, too. That's also sort of what the Pharaohs claimed to be.

[GrayDeath]

You can always have fun naming the things from these blends. Go browse in a paint store, and figure out what kind of crossbreed a more interesting color name is. The half-blue, half-red, both on a white for the dreaded lavender wyrm. No, it's not a pastel purple worm, but a dragon with 3 energy types to choose from. A half-black purple dragon is the aubergine terror, etc.


Half-black black dragon is the most angsty of dragons! :smallamused:

Yeah, such golden quotes are the reason this forum rocks. ^^


Also, more mechanical, do the energy Immunities of different half Dragons stack? If so, a Dragon of one Element with 4 Halves of other elements, even seeing the + cr per Half, should be really hard to kill....

[Segev]

Yeah, such golden quotes are the reason this forum rocks. ^^


Also, more mechanical, do the energy Immunities of different half Dragons stack? If so, a Dragon of one Element with 4 Halves of other elements, even seeing the + cr per Half, should be really hard to kill....

No reason they wouldn't, since you can apply the templates and they're overlapping, not stacking, bonuses.

[GrayDeath]

Thats my thought as well....now to find a Dragon with doable CR that gains Immunity Sonic ^^

[DrMotives]

Thats my thought as well....now to find a Dragon with doable CR that gains Immunity Sonic ^^

Emerald, Sapphire, Howling, Pyroclastic, Battle, Crested Sea Serpent... Not sure what CR range you're going for though. There's probably a few more I didn't think of besides those varieties.

[GrayDeath]

Well obviously it needs to remain not Epic or the immunities wont help much, but thanks, I will look them up. Most seem in my memory to be rather High CR though, lets see.

[King of Nowhere]

totally not canon in any way, but my DM made a two-headed dragon as the offspring. one green head with an acid breath, one red head with a fire breath, immune to both acid and fire. pretty strong.


In fact, it's so easy to apply it to dragons that you can end up with a half-black, half-blue, half-green, half-red, half-white, half-brass, half-bronze, half-copper, half-gold wyrmling silver dragon.

I believe you have an algebrical paradox here. Or maybe you actually have five dragons.

[KillianHawkeye]

Now I want to make a half-blue, half-black, half-green, half-white red dragon using 4 applications of the multi-headed template to make a 5-headed naturally occurring Tiamat. :smallbiggrin:

[Jack_Simth]

totally not canon in any way, but my DM made a two-headed dragon as the offspring. one green head with an acid breath, one red head with a fire breath, immune to both acid and fire. pretty strong.



I believe you have an algebrical paradox here. Or maybe you actually have five dragons.

There's actually notes in improving monsters that the DM can apply multiple half-templates to produce quarterlings if desired. So it's not a paradox, it's a bit of naming weirdness. Sort of like folks will still call an Optical Network Terminal a 'modem' even though it's not doing modulation and demodulation, or use the term "gas pedal" in an electric vehicle.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I want to apply one of each half-dragon template to a hydra. Terrify my players until the figure out what's going on.

[Aniikinis]

Back in older editions, certain dragons could create hybrid vigor offspring when mating. For example, Reds and Blues made the monstrously powerful Purple dragons and Gold and Silver made the Electrum dragons. Additionally, the chromatic dragons had a bit of a breath weapon formula when it came to their mating. AJ Pickett made a video somewhat going over this recently (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLe7uzOXl_Q), and I highly recommend you check it out. The Yellow, Purple, and Orange dragons were originally printed in Dr#065 and later again in Dr#248

[Yael]

In fact, it's so easy to apply it to dragons that you can end up with a half-black, half-blue, half-green, half-red, half-white, half-brass, half-bronze, half-copper, half-gold wyrmling silver dragon. The story of the intercourse after which such a creature came into being is probably best left to imagination, but something as simple as a half-silver gold dragon (or a half-gold silver dragon) born of gold and silver parents is far more plausible.

Excuse me, good sir, but may I sig this?

[Uncle Pine]

Excuse me, good sir, but may I sig this?

Permission gladly granted.

[Malphegor]

Surprisingly relevant to my group- one of us has a black/red dragon ancestor and the DM was going to look into statting one out using one as the base creature then have a halfdragon template on that.

Since it’s descended from one that likes living in swamps and one that likes living in volcanos, I’m kinda hoping out of character it enjoys building its lair in superheated water near volcanic regions, if only so our group can have a hotspring bath ‘episode’ to unwind after all the murder we do.

[Chronos]

chief grukgruk half-orc, too. other half, also orc.

[DrMotives]

Surprisingly relevant to my group- one of us has a black/red dragon ancestor and the DM was going to look into statting one out using one as the base creature then have a halfdragon template on that.

Since it’s descended from one that likes living in swamps and one that likes living in volcanos, I’m kinda hoping out of character it enjoys building its lair in superheated water near volcanic regions, if only so our group can have a hotspring bath ‘episode’ to unwind after all the murder we do.

Makes me think of the geysers & alkaline ponds of Yellowstone National Park. I wonder if there's been much talk of that sort of terrain, maybe in Sandstorm, I dunno. But that's a terrain type that seems it could get more use in a game.

[Malphegor]

Back in older editions, certain dragons could create hybrid vigor offspring when mating. For example, Reds and Blues made the monstrously powerful Purple dragons and Gold and Silver made the Electrum dragons. Additionally, the chromatic dragons had a bit of a breath weapon formula when it came to their mating. AJ Pickett made a video somewhat going over this recently (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLe7uzOXl_Q), and I highly recommend you check it out. The Yellow, Purple, and Orange dragons were originally printed in Dr#065 and later again in Dr#248

This has taken me down a weird path considering nuclear fission and fusion-based dragons. We know uranium exists in D&D as sickstone in the underdark, so presumably a Uranium, or 'Sickstone' dragon could exist that breathes radiation.

Not to mention the Ununillium dragon... Actually, I'm surprised I've never heard of a Mercury dragon, maybe it'd have a poison breath, and be able to cast haste on itself at will because mercury quicksilver shenanigans.



Move over, gold dragon, everyone knows the hydrogen dragon is technically more valuable

[DrMotives]

This has taken me down a weird path considering nuclear fission and fusion-based dragons. We know uranium exists in D&D as sickstone in the underdark, so presumably a Uranium, or 'Sickstone' dragon could exist that breathes radiation.

Not to mention the Ununillium dragon... Actually, I'm surprised I've never heard of a Mercury dragon, maybe it'd have a poison breath, and be able to cast haste on itself at will because mercury quicksilver shenanigans.

Mercury dragons are printed in Dragons of the Faerun, and maybe one other book too. They're popular on this forum when discussing playable dragon wyrmlings, partly because a mercury dragon is really fast.

Uranium dragons also exist in print, in the magazine. They're actually listed as Concordant dragons, but they double as another Rilmani race. Every variety of Rilmani is named for a metal, iron copper & gold. Concordat dragons are called the uramach, so uranium rilmani. Their breath weapon is "anti-ethical energy", that does heavy damage to LG, LE, CG, and CE creatures. Partly neutral creatures take half damage. True neutral things take no damage.