Steel dragons in their natural forms are especially feline in their movements and stature. They have scales that shine like burnished steel as adults and usually smell like wet metal. Younger dragons' scales are a darker blue-gray and less lustrous. Their wings consist of overlapping blades that look like feathers, and the scales on their chests resemble shields.

Their faces are particularly expressive, sometimes giving the illusion of a human-like face. They have many long spines surrounding their faces, which give the appearance of hair.

In humanoid forms, steel dragons usually keep their true identities secret; however, they always have at least one visual indication of their true nature in the form of steel-gray hair, eyes, tattoos, or another feature.

Personality

Steel dragons, as a rule, are amiable, curious, and witty. They would rather spend their time among human cultures than in their own true forms.

However, they have difficulty when dealing with all kinds of absolute authority, even authority that is used for good. This puts steel dragons at odds with other kinds of metallic dragons that use their power and experience to justify their actions, especially bronze dragons and gold dragons; this also makes them bitter enemies of chromatic dragons. For those same reasons, steel dragons usually work within their chosen communities to promote freedom and undermine authoritarian forces.

Steel dragons like the company of humans, elves, half-elves and dwarves, and they usually support adventurers that oppose tyrants.

Favored Treasure

They prefer to invest in property and business unlike other dragons, who prefer to hoard monetary treasures. Some steel dragons do hoard items, but they prefer to hoard works of art, antiquities, books, finery, magic items or servants.

Combat

Similar to brass dragons, most steel dragons would rather talk than fight, yet like all dragons, they can be formidable opponents. In combat, they avoid melee and instead rely on their magical spells. A steel dragon can cast the spells of clerics as arcane magic and also can use the spells usually considered a part of the knowledge and trickery domains. If truly losing a battle, a steel dragon will likely teleport away.

A steel dragon can breathe both a line of acid and a cloud of poisonous gas.

Society

Unlike most other dragons, steel dragons do not live in caves, preferring castles, towers, palaces, mansions, and the like.

While they prefer to eat in their human forms, doing so would not provide them enough nourishment to survive, so they have to make excuses to go hunting secretly in their dragon forms every three tendays or so.