Dungeons and Dragons

Are you making a character and don’t know what race to pick? There are a lot of options in the Player’s Handbook, but where do you start? Unless you’re trying to make the most optimal character, race and class combinations don’t matter. Pick something that you like the sound of or are interested in playing. It’s your character after all. If you’ve never played before, here’s a brief explanation of Dragonborns (without all the confusing numbers attached to it).

What can you expect from a Dragonborn?

The Dragonborn are considered as one of the exotic races, and therefore there are generally fewer in the world. Whether shaped by the draconic Gods or by dragons themselves, either way, the Dragonborn hatched from eggs and became a unique race, combining attributes from dragons and humans. Though they look like dragons, the Dragonborn don’t possess either wings or a tail (but most Games Masters are ok with Dragonborns having tails. Always ask first though). Much like the Dwarves, the Dragonborn have clans, and these clans can be seen as more important that life itself, owing their devotion and respect to their clans, even more so than their Gods. If they do anything that would disrespect or dishonour their clan, it could result in expulsion or worse, exile. Dragonborn are driven to be the best, constantly pushing themselves to their limits, improving their own skills and becoming self-sufficient. Although they tend to rely on their own abilities, they understand that sometimes they need help, and that’s what the clan is for. They also have an interesting naming convention when they are children, normally giving them a nickname of sorts depending on what they are good at, like Earbender or Shieldbiter.

How does this translate to your character sheet?

As you may have guessed, Dragonborn are strong, but they are also very charismatic as a race as well. Their age is a little different from the other races so far. From the time they hatch, they roughly have the size and development of a ten-year-old human child, by the age of three. They reach maturity at the age of fifteen and can live up until their eighties. A fully grown Dragonborn averages around six foot tall and weighs about two hundred and fifty pounds, meaning they get the usual walking speed (30ft). They are also one the races where ancestry means something more than just their heritage (more on this in the section below). They have the ability to breathe elemental breath (I promise this will make sense when you read the next section). Finally, they can speak common (like all the races) and draconic. Yes, this does mean you can have a conversation with a dragon, that is, if they are willing to chat and not attack you for trying to steal their horde.

Subraces:

Unlike a lot of the other races, Dragonborn don’t have traditional subraces, but what they do have is their draconic ancestry. What does this mean? Simply put, it all boils down to the colour of their scales. There are two main colour types that break down into others. Starting with Chromatic dragons, these include: Black (acid), Blue (lightening), Green (poison), Red (fire) and White (cold/ice). The elements in bracket relate to their breath weapon and resistances. A blue dragon can breathe lightening, and is therefore resistant against lightening damage. On the other side of things, we have the Metallic Dragons, which include: Brass (fire), Bronze (lightening), Copper (acid), Gold (fire), and Silver (cold/ice).

What class should I pick for a Dragonborn?

Due to their strength, they make good front line fighters, so anything like a Barbarian or a Paladin would suit them well, but as I always say, this doesn’t and shouldn’t limit your options. You want to make that Dragonborn Monk and become Liu Kang’s Animality, go for it, or maybe you have an idea for a Bard Dragonborn that eats fire… and then breathes it out.

Does that mean there are more varieties of Dragonborn?

Unfortunately, no, but there are a couple of technicalities. In a later supplement (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything), there is a feat that can be taken by Dragonborn that allows them to grow claws to use as weapons, and within Unearthed Arcana (test material for D&D) there’s a feat that allows them to have wings. The other technicality is Half-Dragons. They all just like Dragonborn, but with more draconic blood within them, making them stronger than a usual Dragonborn. This however, is a monster from the Monster Manual and not normally something that would be playable for a Player Character.