Homebrew Weredragon Species Details

Her father stood on the first of the three stairs that led down from the portal, unmoving. The scales of his face had grown paler around the edges, but Clanless Mehen still looked as if he could wrestle down a dire bear himself. His familiar well-worn armor was gone, replaced by violet-tinted scale armor with bright silvery tracings. There was a blazon on his arm as well, the mark of some foreign house. The sword at his back was the same, though, the one he had carried since even before he had found the twins left in swaddling at the gates of Arush Vayem.

For all her life, Farideh had known that reading her father’s face was a skill she’d been fortunate to learn. A human who couldn’t spot the shift of her eyes or Havilar’s would certainly see only the indifference of a dragon in Clanless Mehen’s face. But the shift of scales, the arch of a ridge, the set of his eyes, the gape of his teeth—her father’s face spoke volumes.

But every scale of it, this time, seemed completely still—the indifference of a dragon, even to Farideh.

— Erin M. Evans, The Adversary

Proud Dragon Kin

Weredragons in hybrid form look very much like dragons standing erect in humanoid form. The first Weredragon had scales of vibrant hues matching the colors of their dragonkin, but generations of interbreeding have created a more uniform appearance. Their small, fine scales are usually brass or bronze in color, sometimes ranging to scarlet, rust, gold, or copper-green. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 8-10 feet tall and weighing 350 pounds or more. Their hands and feet are strong, talonlike claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand.

The blood of a particular type of dragon runs very strong through some Weredragon tribes. These Weredragon often boast scales that more closely match those of their dragon ancestor—bright red, green, blue, or white, lustrous black, or gleaming metallic gold, silver, brass, copper, or bronze.

Self-Sufficient Tribes

To any Weredragon, the clan is more important than life itself. Weredragon owes their devotion and respect to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each Weredragon’s conduct reflects on the honor of his or her tribe, and bringing dishonor to the tribe can result in expulsion and exile. Each Weredragon knows his or her station and duties within the tribe, and honor demands to maintain the bounds of that position.

A continual drive for self-improvement reflects the self-sufficiency of the race as a whole. They hate to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A Weredragon holds mastery of all skills as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a Weredragon.

Though all Weredragon strive to be self-sufficient,  they recognize that help is sometimes needed in difficult situations. But the best source for such help is the tribe, and when a tribe needs help, it turns to another Weredragons before seeking aid from other races—or even from the gods.

Weredragon Names

Weredragons have personal names given at birth. They have to earn their last names by doing a feat worthy of earning it.

Any human or dragon name works for a Weredragon and some weredragons have multiple names A first and last name for their human form a first and last name for their dragon form and some sort of combination for their hybrid form.

Weredragon Traits

Your draconic heritage manifests in a variety of traits you share with other Weredragons.

Dragonsight

Weredragons cannot be blinded or deafened by mundane or magical means. They have the ability to see 50ft in magical or mundane darkness. They can also with practice and a dc 10 perception check see the true forms of any creature. They can see creatures in the ethereal plane.

Polymorph

The weredragon when it transforms into its true form gains the abilities of a dragon based on their color. The only ones it does not gain are a dragon's legendary actions and lair actions. In dragon form, you gain a speed of 120 for your flying.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 2, Your intelligence increases by 2.

Age

Age is irrelevant to a weredragon

Alignment

Weredragons tend to extremes, making a conscious choice for one side or the other in the cosmic war between good and evil (represented by Bahamut and Tiamat, respectively). Most Weredragons are good, but those who side with Tiamat can be terrible villains.

Size

Dragonborn are taller and heavier than humans, standing well over 8 feet tall and averaging almost 350 pounds. Your size is Large.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 40 feet.

Breath Weapon

You can use your action to exhale destructive energy. Your draconic ancestry determines the size, shape, and damage type of the exhalation. When you use your breath weapon, each creature in the area of the exhalation must make a saving throw, the type of which is determined by your draconic ancestry. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d8 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d8 at 6th level, 4d8 at 11th level, and 5d8 at 16th level. After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Damage Resistance

You have resistance to the damage type associated with your draconic ancestry.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Draconic, and Primordial. Draconic is thought to be one of the oldest languages and is often used in the study of magic. The language sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants.