Some dragons (particularly metallic dragons) have two different kinds of breath, usually a lethal one (fire, ice, acid, electricity, etc.) and another that is typically non-lethal (paralysis, repulsion, confusion, etc.).ĭungeons & Dragons 3rd edition divided true dragons further into three main categories: chromatic dragons, such as green and black dragons, which are evil- aligned metallic dragons, such as gold and silver dragons, which are good and neutral-aligned gem dragons, rare creatures that possess psionic abilities. In Dungeons & Dragons, there are many color-coded races of dragons, each of which breathes a different element for example, red and gold dragons breathe fire, white and silver dragons breathe frost, and blue and bronze dragons breathe bolts of lightning. For example, they had magic resistance, could no longer be subdued, and had physical attack forms besides just claws and bites. In the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, dragons were completely reworked from their first edition counterparts, and were much more powerful. Other creatures with the dragon type include drakes, felldrakes, elemental drakes, landwyrms, linnorms and wurms. Examples of lesser dragons include dragon turtles and wyverns. Lesser dragons do not improve in age categories and may lack all of the abilities of true dragons. True dragons are dragons which increase in power by age categories (wyrmling to great wyrm).

The dragon type is broken down into several classifications.

The third edition of Dungeons & Dragons classifies dragon as a type of creature, simply defined as 'a reptilelike creature, usually winged, with magical or unusual abilities'.

Dragon magazine 2