Homebrew Black and Gold Dragonborn Species Details

The ancestors of dragonborn hatched from the eggs of chromatic and metallic dragons. One story holds that these eggs were blessed by the dragon gods Bahamut and Tiamat, who wanted to populate the multiverse with people created in their image. Another story claims that dragons created the first dragonborn without the gods’ blessings. Whatever their origin, dragonborn have made homes for themselves on the Material Plane.

Dragonborn look like wingless, bipedal dragons— scaly, bright-eyed, and thick-boned with horns on their heads—and their coloration and other features are reminiscent of their draconic ancestors.

The Gilded Pariah: The Tale of Charcoal

The Cursed Birth

Charcoal was born into the House of Aurum, an elite lineage of Golden Dragonborn who pride themselves on their proximity to the divine light of Bahamut. His father, Lord Valerius Aurum, a high-ranking official known for his rigid adherence to tradition, and his mother, Lady Elara, expected a golden heir to carry their legacy. Instead, Charcoal emerged with scales as black as the abyss.

Valerius instantly branded the child an "abomination," fueled by the superstitious belief that Elara had been tainted by dark sorcery. To avoid a public scandal that would strip the House of Aurum of its status, Charcoal was whisked away in the dead of night to the Grey-Silt Orphanage before he had even drawn his first breath.

The Secret Visit

For ten years, Charcoal lived a life of misery in the orphanage, a place where he learned that silver tongues and quick fingers were the only way to survive. He excelled at reading the intentions of others, a trait that served him well when a hooded woman appeared in his room on his tenth birthday. It was Lady Elara.

She confessed his royal lineage but delivered a crushing blow: despite her love, he could never return to the family. Charcoal’s keen Insight told him she was hiding a deeper truth—a secret about his dual nature. Before he could press her, she fled. The next morning, the town crier announced that Lady Elara had been executed for treason by Lord Valerius’s own hand.

The Night of the Assassins

Realizing his father would eventually seek to "cleanse" the last evidence of his "shame," Charcoal didn't wait. As Valerius’s elite assassins, the Gilded Shadows, climbed through his window, Charcoal slipped out the door. He utilized his Cunning Action to vanish into the city’s underbelly, eventually fleeing into the wild.

The Scholar of Shadows

Now 35, Charcoal has transformed his trauma into a deadly craft. He spent years as a thief and assassin-for-hire, earning the respect of the "low-lifes" he calls allies. However, unlike a common thug, Charcoal is a Bard of the Library. When he isn't on a job, he is a fixture in ancient archives, using his Expertise in Investigation and spells like Comprehend Languages to hunt for the secret his mother died to protect.

He has discovered that his "curse" is actually a rare manifestation of Draconic Ancestry: while his scales are black, his golden horns and the emerging gold flecks on his body suggest he is a bridge between the Black and Gold dragon flights.

Current Motivations

Charcoal operates as a Chaotic Neutral operative with one singular goal: The Fall of House Aurum. He intends to use the knowledge he steals to dismantle his father’s influence, piece by piece.

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Dragonborn Traits

Creature Type: Humanoid
Size: Medium (about 5–7 feet tall)
Speed: 30 feet

As a Dragonborn, you have these special traits.

Draconic Ancestry

Your lineage stems from a dragon progenitor. Choose the kind of dragon from the Draconic Ancestors table. Your choice affects your Breath Weapon and Damage Resistance traits as well as your appearance.

Draconic Ancestors

Dragon	Damage Type
Black	Acid
Gold	Fire

Breath Weapon

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with an exhalation of magical energy in either a 15-foot Cone or a 30-foot Line that is 5 feet wide (choose the shape each time). Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 plus your Constitution modifier and Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, a creature takes 1d10 damage of the type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage. This damage increases by 1d10 when you reach character levels 5 (2d10), 11 (3d10), and 17 (4d10).

You can use this Breath Weapon a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Breath Weapon

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with an exhalation of magical energy in either a 15-foot Cone or a 30-foot Line that is 5 feet wide (choose the shape each time). Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 plus your Constitution modifier and Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, a creature takes 1d10 damage of the type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage. This damage increases by 1d10 when you reach character levels 5 (2d10), 11 (3d10), and 17 (4d10).

You can use this Breath Weapon a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Damage Resistance

You have Resistance to the damage type determined by your Draconic Ancestry trait.

Darkvision

You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

Draconic Flight

When you reach character level 5, you can channel draconic magic to give yourself temporary flight. As a Bonus Action, you sprout spectral wings on your back that last for 10 minutes or until you retract the wings (no action required) or have the Incapacitated condition. During that time, you have a Fly Speed equal to your Speed. Your wings appear to be made of the same energy as your Breath Weapon. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a Long Rest.