Fizban's Treasury of Dragons offers a trove of dragon lore, new dragons and their minions, Dungeon Master tools, and new player options. Among these player options are ancestries for chromatic, gem, and metallic dragonborn. These allow for a more nuanced approach when creating your next dragonborn.

We've already previewed the metallic dragonborn here. Click below to learn about the chromatic and gem dragonborn:

• Chromatic dragonborn
• Gem dragonborn

Chromatic dragonborn

• Chromatic dragonborn racial traits
• A chromatic dragonborn's outlook on life
• Building a chromatic dragonborn character

Chromatic dragonborn racial traits

Dragonborn with chromatic ancestry claim the raw elemental power of chromatic dragons. The vibrant colors of black, blue, green, red, and white dragons gleam in those dragonborn’s scaled skin and in the deadly energy of their breath weapons. Theirs is the raw elemental fury of the volcano, of biting arctic winds, and of raging lightning storms, as well as the subtle whisper of swamp and forest, toxic and corrosive.

Source: Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

The key traits for the dragonborn found in the Player’s Handbook include a breath weapon and damage resistance based on your chosen ancestry. The dragonborn subraces offered in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons similarly offer a breath weapon and damage resistance, but with some differences.

• The number of uses and damage for Breath Weapon has changed. The Breath Weapon offered by the new ancestries functions differently from the original dragonborn. It can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest, as opposed to once per short or long rest. The damage also starts at 1d10 and increases by an additional 1d10 at 5th, 11th, and 17th level. The breath weapon can also replace one of your attacks instead of requiring an action. This is particularly handy for characters with multiple attacks.
• Chromatic dragonborn have a line Breath Weapon. The gem and metallic dragonborn's Breath Weapon deals damage in a 15-foot cone. A chromatic dragonborn's deals damage in 30-foot line that is 5-feet wide.
• They also receive Chromatic Warding. All dragonborn get resistance to a damage type based on their draconic ancestry. But the chromatic dragonborn takes this a step further with Chromatic Warding. When a dragonborn reaches 5th level, they can spend an action to grant themselves immunity to the damage type associated with their ancestry. They can use this trait once per long rest.

Ability score increases and languages

Newer Dungeons & Dragons races don't come with set ability score increases. Instead, players will get to choose one of the following options at character creation:

• Increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1
• Increase three different scores by 1

As a dragonborn, you'll also learn Common and one other language of your choice (with your DM's approval).

A chromatic dragonborn’s outlook on life

Chromatic dragonborn share their bloodline with the same dragons that are known for their selfish, evil, and fear-mongering tendencies. But that doesn't mean these dragonborn are bound to be evil. That decision is largely up to you. But if you're looking to follow the teachings of Tiamat and draw character inspiration from your ancestors, explore the personality traits that define the chromatic dragons:

Building a chromatic dragonborn character

Chromatic dragonborn can be fierce warriors with quick tempers, or ponderous and stoic, preferring to defeat their enemies with superior tactics rather than brute force. When building your character, consider the following:

• The chromatic dragonborn’s Breath Weapon is long-range. Unlike the gem and metallic dragonborn's Breath Weapon, the chromatic dragonborn can hit enemies up to 30 feet away. It can function as a limited-use attack when your squishier party members are having difficulty with a monster that has set its sights on them.
• Damage immunity is powerful in the right hands and situation. Damage resistance can be relatively easy to find in spells and magic items. Immunity, on the other hand, isn't. Only a small number of spells provide it, such as primordial ward and the investiture spells. What's more, the damage types available to the chromatic dragonborn are commonly encountered while adventuring. Damage immunity can be handy when you're tanking a fire elemental or the party wizard needs to position an AOE spell on top of you.

Gem dragonborn

• Gem dragonborn racial traits
• A gem dragonborn's outlook on life
• Building a gem dragonborn character

Gem dragonborn racial traits

Gem dragonborn partake of the heritage of gem dragons, who claim to be heirs of Sardior, the Ruby Dragon. The colors and mysterious powers of gem dragons—amethyst, crystal, emerald, sapphire, and topaz—gleam in these dragonborn’s scaled skin and course through their veins. Theirs are the wonders of the mind, the force of will, the brilliant light of insight, and the resounding echo of discovery—but also the desiccation of despair.

Source: Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Gem dragonborn are tied to the splendorous gem dragons, which some believe were created when Sardior the Ruby Dragon was destroyed along with the First World. Gem dragons are cousins to chromatic and metallic dragons and are typically neutrally aligned. They are more concerned with the abstract, philosophical, and planar goings-on than their cousins.

The dragonborn that share the bloodline of gem dragons are able to tap into the abilities that make gem dragons unique. Here's what you should know:

• The gem dragonborn relies on less-common damage types. When you choose your heritage at character creation, you'll decide which gem dragon you're more tied to. This will affect the damage type of your Breath Weapon and the damage resistance you gain as a dragonborn.

• Gem dragonborn can send telepathic messages. Gem dragons are known for their psionic abilities. As a gem dragonborn, you can use Psionic Mind to communicate with creatures within 30 feet. So long as they can comprehend at least one language, they can understand you.
• They can sprout spectral wings and fly. Starting at 5th level, the gem dragonborn can use a bonus action to conjure wings that grant a flying speed for one minute. This is an amazing racial feature because it does not require concentration and grants the ability to hover. It is especially good for builds that prefer to put some distance between you and your enemies.

A gem dragonborn’s outlook on life

Dragonborn are described in the Player’s Handbook as a noble and proud race. But a gem dragonborn may be better characterized by their draw to the unknown and abstract — a trait they'd share with their ancestors. You are free to dream up any personality for your dragonborn, but if you want to draw inspiration from the gem dragons, consult the table below for a summary of each type:

Building a gem dragonborn character

The gem dragonborn’s innate psionic abilities provide unique features that can be effective if used correctly. Consider the following when rolling up your gem dragonborn:

• You can replace attacks with your breath weapon. A 15-foot cone dealing rarely resisted damage types can be extremely useful when dealing with mobs.
• Psionic Mind is essentially a one-way, short-range message. Being able to communicate telepathically with any creature within 30 feet of you is a potent ability. You can use this to coordinate attacks, communicate with party members during negotiations, and reason with creatures that don't share a language with you. This trait will work particularly well in builds that focus on having a high Charisma score.
• Flight, even when it’s limited, is still a strong racial trait. Characters that will make the best of this racial trait are spellcasters or ranged martial combatants, though your typical paladin certainly won't mind being able to get within range of flying enemies to smite them.

Build your dragonborn on D&D Beyond

You can purchase Fizban's Treasury of Dragons or just the player options that interest you on D&D Beyond. With the new dragonborn ancestries unlocked for your account, you can test out different builds for them using the free character builder tool. If you're a Master-tier D&D Beyond subscriber, you can also share your purchased books and other content with friends in your campaigns. 

Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.