Gold Dragon

Gold Dragon (Draco Orientalus Sino Dux) <use Chinese characters for the ti. essential !>

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Civilized Mountains], [Cold Civilized Hills], [Cold Civilized Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Civilized Swamp], [Cold Civilized Plains], [Cold Civilized Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Wilderness Mountains], [Cold Wilderness Hills], [Cold Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Wilderness Swamp], [Cold Wilderness Plains], [Cold Wilderness Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Freshwater Surface])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Saltwater Surface])

Panndallor

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized Mountains], [Temperate Civilized Hills], [Temperate Civilized Forest], [Temperate Civilized Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized Plains], [Temperate Civilized Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Mountains], [Temperate Wilderness Hills], [Temperate Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Swamp], [Temperate Wilderness Plains], [Temperate Wilderness Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Freshwater Surface])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Saltwater Surface])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Civilized Mountains], [Tropical Civilized Hills], [Tropical Civilized Forest], [Tropical Civilized Swamp]
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Civilized Plains], [Tropical Civilized Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Hills], [Tropical Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Plains], [Tropical Wilderness Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Freshwater Surface])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Saltwater Surface])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level IV]) (VY, Y: Very Young, Young)
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level V]) (SA, YA: Sub Adult, Young Adult)
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VI]) (A: Adult)
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VI]) (O: Old)
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VIII]) (VO: Old)
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Dungeon Level IX]) (AN: Ancient)
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Dungeon Level X]) (AN, O: Ancient, Old)

<note: oriental dragon?>

NO. APPEARING : 1-3
ARMOR CLASS : 2
MOVE : 12"/30"
HIT DICE : 10-12
% IN LAIR : 65% (cave || castle, always solid stone) (if the latter, no encounter: the fortress will be seen from 1/2 to 5 miles away, depending on terrain) <>
TREASURE TYPE : [H], [R], [S], [T]
NO. OF ATTACKS : 3 ~ 10 (HD 10-11) | 9 (HD 12)
DAMAGE/ATTACK : 1-8/1-8/6-36 (claw/claw/bite)
SPECIAL ATTACKS : Breath weapon && magic use
SPECIAL DEFENSES : Nil
INTELLIGENCE : Genius
WISDOM: 8-18 (2d6 + 6)
ALIGNMENT : Lawful good
SIZE : L (54' long)

CHANCE OF :
    Speaking : 90%
    Magic-Use : 100%
    Sleeping : 10%

Gold dragons are able to dwell in any clime, but their lairs are always of solid stone - whether a cave || a castle.
Although they love precious metals and gems and use jewels and pearls as nourishment, all gold dragons are lawful, just and good.
They are able to assume the form of animals or the guise of humanity, for they can polymorph themselves without harm.
It is in some other form that they are typically encountered.

Q: The Monster Manual says that gold
dragons can polymorph themselves
without harm. Explain this.

A: A gold dragon has effectively unlimited
use of polymorph self spells, and makes no
system shock survival rolls in using them.
(131.63)

The attack of a gold dragon can be a claw/claw/bite routine or

Breath Weapon: one of 2wo breath weapons -- fire in a 9" by 3" cone, or chlorine gas in a 5" X 4" X 3" cloud.

Q. Can a gold dragon use its breath
weapon when it is in human or
animal form?
A. No. The breath weapon is a physical
function of the creature's dragon
form and cannot be used when the
dragon assumes another shape. It
must change back to its original form
before it can breathe on adventurers
or anyone else. The dragon can use
its spells in any of its forms.
(Imagine #23)

Magic Use: Also, a gold dragon is able to CAST spells of 1st through 6th level.
At the very young age the creature has but a single 1st level spell, as a young dragon it has two such spells.
Thereafter it gains 2wo spells of progressively higher level at each new age bracket through old.
At very old and ancient age they gain the USE of a 6th level spell.
Thus, at ancient age a gold dragon knows two of 1st through 6th level spells in +addition+ to being able to polymorph self three times per day.
As gold dragons are so intelligent their spells are always of the better sort, and at least half of them actually have regular spell books.

DLA: The most majestic (in their minds at least) of
the dragons, gold dragons are over 50 feet long.
They can dwell in any climate, but their lairs are
always made of solid stone--be it cave || castle.
They have the ability to polymorph themselves
and can appear in the guise of humans or animals.
This they do only rarely, believing it
demeaning to take on such puny bodies.
Gold dragons attack with teeth && claws or
with their breath weapons. They can breathe
fire || chlorine gas upon their victims. Gold
dragons are also extremely skilled in magic --
even the very young ones. Highly intelligent,
gold dragons rarely make USE of spell books.
Pyrite, the most ancient gold dragon living
upon Krynn, was the companion of the
renowned wizard, Fizban the Fabulous.

XP Totals by Ardanow Silverbow

GOLD DRAGON (additional special abilities: low AC, high damage, automatic spell use)
Dragon, gold (small, very young) 4040
Dragon, gold (small, young) 4180
Dragon, gold (small, sub-adult) 4470
dragon, gold (small, young adult) 4610
dragon, gold (small, adult) 5650
dragon, gold (small, old) 5790
dragon, gold (small, very old) 5930
dragon, gold (small, ancient) 6070
dragon, gold (average, very young) 5976
dragon, gold (average, young) 6152
dragon, gold (average, sub-adult) 6478
dragon, gold (average, young adult) 6654
dragon, gold (average, adult) 8230
dragon, gold (average, old) 8406
dragon, gold (average, very old) 8582
dragon, gold (average, ancient) 8358
dragon, gold (huge, very young) 5992
dragon, gold (huge, young) 6184
dragon, gold (huge, sub-adult) 6526
dragon, gold (huge, young adult) 6718
dragon, gold (huge, adult) 8310
dragon, gold (huge, old) 8502
dragon, gold (huge, very old) 8694
dragon, gold (huge, ancient) 8886

Gold Dragon

Quote:
Originally Posted by palleomortis
You GOTTA have a favorite DRAGON tho, everyone has a favorite dragons!!!!

Would you believe a gold one?
that's so even though Mordenkainen has two red ones in his citadel's subterranean complex...

Cheers,
Gary