Homebrew Half Dragon Species Details

“I know everything, you see”, the old voice wheedled. “The beginning, the present, the end. Everything. You now, you see the past and the present, like other low creatures: no higher faculties than memory and perception. But dragons, my boy, have a whole different kind of mind.” He stretched his mouth in a kind of smile, no trace of pleasure in it. “We are from the mountaintop: all time, all space. We see in one instant the passionate vision and the blowout.”

—John Gardner, Grendel

When a dragon in polymorphed form mates with another creature, the union sometimes produces half-dragon offspring. A creature might also transform into a half-dragon as a result of a mad wizard's spell or a ritual bath in dragon's blood. In all these cases, the result is a creature that combines the essence of a dragon with the form of its original race. Regardless of their origins, all half-dragons have similar features and appearance, gaining special senses, resistance to destructive energy, and a breath weapon.

Lifespan

Half-Dragons are incapable of having natural-born offspring. Those that wish to propagate must find other ways to do so, almost always involving magic. By way of compensation, half-dragons are blessed with long life. Barring unforeseen misfortune, a typical half-dragon's life expectancy is twice that of its non-draconic line, so that a half-dragon human might live more than a century and a half.

History

In some cultures, Half-Dragons have been seen as creatures blessed by the gods, while in others they’re treated as abominations of natural law. Because of this, they may be surprised by the positive or negative attitude towards them when entering a new town. Half-Dragons are incapable of having natural born offspring, leading to the race being incredibly rare in nearly all regions of the world.

Throughout history, Half-Dragons become trusted sages sought far and wide for their extensive knowledge, while others may become vicious mercenaries feared throughout the countryside. Though many become wanderers searching for many different things, most often their draconic parent, an adventuring life comes as the next logical step to finding what they're looking for.

Dragon Offspring

At a distance, half-dragons are often confused with a human or elf, but as the viewer draws closer the differences become wildly apparent. Scales run along their cheeks, neck, up and down their arms and legs, and back. Some may have small horns on their heads, while others may posses a tail that reaches down towards their ankles; few may have both. Slitted eyes and forward-facing, pointed ears complete their draconic appearance.

The blood of a particular type of dragon runs very strong through a half-dragon's veins. This means they often boast scales and traits that match those of their dragon parent—bright red, green, blue, or white, lustrous black, or gleaming metallic gold, silver, brass, copper, or bronze.

Traits

The personality traits of Half-Dragons are common to their draconic heritage, so that half-gold dragons are often shy and secretive, while half-copper dragons are impish and playful. Half-green dragons are deceitful, while half-white dragons are often dim-witted brutes. These traits are tempered by a half-dragon's other lineage, but greed, arrogance, and paranoia are qualities that even good-aligned half-dragons often possess.

Racial Feats

Half-dragons qualify for any feats that list "Dragonborn" as a prerequisite. Half-dragons must still meet any other prerequisites the feat might have.

Half-Dragon Names

Half-dragons usually adopt the naming scheme of their parent's society. On rare occasions, they may also have a draconic name either as their only name or nickname.

Male: Zerdeog, Morzro, Kaymycrurth, Uthyr, Zhaigto, Hizko, Erogg, Fuvnir

Female: Elsaz, Hevnael, Iryz, Cezetx, Nyrza, Mutrekya, Irshi, Olgri

Half Dragon Traits

Your draconic heritage manifests in a variety of traits you share with other Half Dragon

Keen Sense

You gain proficiency with perception skill.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 1, your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

Half-dragons reach maturity after approximately 20 years. After reaching adulthood, their aging slows dramatically and lifespans range from hundreds to thousands of years.

Alignment

Dragonborn 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 dragonborn are good, but those who side with Tiamat can be terrible villains.

Size

Dragonborn are taller and heavier than humans, standing well over 6 feet tall and averaging almost 250 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Draconic Ancestry

You have draconic ancestry. Choose one type of dragon from the Draconic Ancestry table. Your breath weapon and damage resistance are determined by the dragon type, as shown in the table.

Draconic Ancestry

Dragon	Damage Type	Breath Weapon
Black	Acid	5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save)
Blue	Lightning	5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save)
Brass	Fire	5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save)
Bronze	Lightning	5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save)
Copper	Acid	5 by 30 ft. line (Dex. save)
Gold	Fire	15 ft. cone (Dex. save)
Green	Poison	15 ft. cone (Con. save)
Red	Fire	15 ft. cone (Dex. save)
Silver	Cold	15 ft. cone (Con. save)
White	Cold	15 ft. cone (Con. save)

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 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. You regain the use of your Breath Weapon by rolling a d6 dice roll. If you get 6, you regain the use of your breath weapon. Otherwise, regain your breath weapon after a minute.

Damage Resistance

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

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic. 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.

Darkvision

you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.