Homebrew Cursed Dragon Species Details

 

She felt her hands tremble and shake in the cold night air, her once proud claws now delicate flesh and bone. her eyesight blurred and refocused as she stumbled forward, feeling pain flash and burn from her palms and her knees as she fell forward, feeling hair fall past her face. she was small, fragile... mortal. The wizard had changed her in a way that she never could have expected... the great golden dragon, now reduced to the same flesh as those she tried so hard to shepard. 

— The Fall of Auralianix

A cursed dragon is not a common sight, as the particular magic used to permanently change a being as powerful as a dragon is not easily obtained. However, there are rare cases of former dragons who became cursed to live their lives as a mortal. How the dragon handles their transformation varies from dragon to dragon, from mighty Red Dragons ragefully lashing out with a power they no longer possess to Silver Dragons who embrace their new life among their beloved lesser races.

Echos Of A Past Life

Cursed Dragons are humanoid in appearance, often appearing as humans or elves, with a few noticeable details that act as reminders of who they once were. these details can include vibrant and unusual eye, hair and fingernail colours, patches of coloured scales across the body, reptilian pupils and other bodily features common amongst dragons. aside from those features, they are no more easily spotted than the everyday person. As with all Dragons, their appearance varies based on what dragon they once were, spanning between bright red, green, blue, or white, lustrous black, or gleaming metallic gold, silver, brass, copper, or bronze.

The Quest For Restoration

In order for a Cursed Dragon to be created, a dragon must be cursed. The origin of the curse can vary from angering a powerful entity to claiming the wrong artefact as their own, but the curse is the same... the permanent change from dragon to humanoid. Due to their incredible power, a cursed dragon does not take kindly to this change and will seek to restore themselves to their former self.

Cursed Dragon Names

Cursed Dragons often keep their names from when they were once full dragons, which can vary widely from region to region. Following their change, however, many Dragons take on a title-like surname, often making reference to their breath weapon, such as "Frostwalker" or "Venomwood". 

Cursed Dragon Traits

Your draconic heritage manifests in a variety of traits you share with your former body.

Telepathic Call

You know the Message cantrip.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence or Charisma ability score increase by 2, and either your Strength, Constitution or Dexterity ability score increases by 1.

Age

Cursed Dragons can be extremely old mentally, as the memories of their past life continue to stay with them. Cursed dragons are often created as adults, and share a similar lifespan as humans, giving them approximately 80-90 years to live after their curse is applied.

Alignment

A cursed dragons alignment varies depending on their colour, with Metallic Dragons leaning towards the good alignments and the chromatic leaning towards the bad alignments. This is not set in stone however, and there is no reason why a chromatic dragon cannot become good, or a Metallic dragon fall to evil

Size

Cursed Dragons can vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of what form you take, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Superior Dark Vision

You can see in dim light within 120 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.

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)

 

Other options Include the Gemstone Dragons, but I don't know how to edit tables in here so here's the one literally copy and pasted from elsewhere

DRAGON	DAMAGE TYPE
Amethyst	Force
Crystal	Radiant
Emerald	Psychic
Sapphire	Thunder
Topaz	Necrotic

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 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 and Draconic.