White dragons (also known as ice dragons or glacial wyrms) were the weakest and most feral of the classic chromatic dragons.[8][9]
Contents
- 1 Description
- 2 Personality
- 3 Abilities
- 3.1 Breath weapon
- 4 Society
- 4.1 Diet
- 4.2 Lairs
- 4.3 Religion
- 4.4 Parenting and development
- 5 Notable White Dragons
- 6 Appendix
- 6.1 Gallery
- 6.2 Appearances
- 6.2.1 Adventures
- 6.2.3 Comics
- 6.2.4 Video Games
- 6.2.5 Board Games
- 6.2.6 Card Games
- 6.3 References
- 6.4 Connections
Description[]
White dragons were physically the smallest of the chromatic dragons, even smaller than black dragons. They appeared in shades from white to grey and ice-blue, and in arctic environments, this appearance served as good camouflage.[9]
White dragons were physically distinguished by several features: their necks were short and they had a flap of skin, called a dewlap, lined with spines beneath their chins. Their heads were very streamlined and featureless, and they had high crests atop their skulls. They have a crisp, vaguely chemical odor.[8]
White dragon toes were spaced more widely than those of other dragons, with barbed claws to aid movement on ice. Their very thin eyelids prevented snowblindness when observing arctic landscapes.[9]
When in the stage of being a wyrmling, white dragons had a less pronounced crest and small stubs where their future horns would be. They completely lacked the dewlap and their bodies were protected by a leathery white hide in place of scales.[10]
A dragon egg could be identified as belonging to a white by the greenish-white tinge seen when held in front of an intense white light, though it shared this trait with green dragons and any dragon breed with a gas or vapor breath weapon.[11]
Personality[]
Whites also had exceptional memories,[8][9] and would often hunt down beings who crossed them, no matter how long it might take.[8] They were not as cruel as black dragons and were not as ferocious as reds, but they were still competent in combat.[9]
White dragons preferred to attack first, then eat their prey, rather than pausing to ask questions. They did not often contemplate what to eat, simply choosing the most convenient prey, and would often freeze it after the kill by burying it in snow or ice for days.[8][9]
Abilities[]
Breath weapon[]
White dragons expelled a cone of intense cold.[5]
Society[]
They were still powerful enough to overwhelm most humans and had exceptional long-term memories. Adult white dragons had several abilities well suited to their arctic habitat: they could climb ice cliffs with ease, fly very high and fast, and were exceptional swimmers. They loved to swim in cold water; the more frigid, the better. Much of their diet consisted of aquatic creatures, even whales.[9] White dragons preferred to scavenge for and collect treasure, rather than involving themselves in politics as other dragons might. Like other dragons, they looked down on others, and tended to view other creatures as prey.[9]
Diet[]
White dragons, as with some other dragon breeds, were unable to chew their food. Hence, to aid digestion, they swallowed small stones, pieces of metal, and even coins, which went into a small second stomach like a bird's gizzard. These stomach stones ground down their food and were eventually expelled in waste.[12]
Lairs[]
Most white dragons laired in ice caves, often dug into the side of an arctic mountain, on tundra, or glacial plains, although they did not need ice and snow, and some settled near mountain peaks or in forests. They could create their own caves by applying the breath weapon to tightly packed snow in order to transform it into solid ice.[9]
White dragons made their homes in frozen lands and ice-covered mountains.[8]
Whites preferred glittery treasure that resembled ice, such as diamonds or light gems, but platinum, silver, and anything reflective or polished works of art were also popular.[9]
Religion[]
Back when her domains included winter, some white dragons were known to worship the Raven Queen.[13]
Parenting and development[]
White dragons usually laid about eight or ten eggs in a clutch. A white dragon egg was incubated for fourteen months. The first three and a half months were within the mother's body. On average, between a quarter and a third survived to hatching.[9]
White dragon eggs had to be buried in snow or encased in ice while incubating.[14] The parents did not bother to tend or protect the eggs in any way, although they would usually lay them near their lairs. A newly hatched white wyrmling had scales as clear as ice, which became white as the dragon matured. They were expected to survive on their own from the moment they hatched, although some white dragon parents would permit their young to live in their lair until they reached adulthood.[8]
The wyrmling developed into a young dragon after about three or four years, and then into an adult after about 100 years. Elder white dragons aged from about 750 years, while ancients aged from 1700 years, and the oldest white dragons lived around 2100 years.[9]
Notable White Dragons[]
- Arauthator, also known as "Old White Death"
- Arveiaturace, also known as "White Worm"
- Cryovain
- Glacialamacus[15]
- Ghaulantatra, also known as "Old Mother Wyrm"
- Ghaulathator, also known as "Wintercloak"
- Glazhael the Cloudchaser
- Icasaracht
- Ingeloakastimizilian, also known as "Icingdeath"
- Ma'fel'no'sei'kedeh'naar, also known as "Winter Fang"[16]
- Thlaaklauthimir, also known as "Freezefire"
- Tymofarrar
Appendix[]
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Gallery[]
An elder white dragon, as depicted in the D&D Miniature's set "Against the Giants."
A white dragon from 2nd edition.
Another white dragon from 2nd edition.
The white dragon glazhael freezing one of his victims.
A white dragon giving a group of adventurers a cold shoulder, and a cold everything else as well.
Adorable, yet deadly.
A white dragon defending it's hoard from a party of adventurers.
An adult white dragon from Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter.
Appearances[]
Adventures
Ruins of Zhentil Keep• City of the Spider Queen• Hoard of the Dragon Queen• The Rise of Tiamat• Storm King's Thunder• Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage• Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit
Novels & Short Stories
The Halfling's Gem• The Crystal Shard• Siege of Darkness• Passage to Dawn• The Titan of Twilight• The Ruin• If Ever They Happened Upon My Lair• Rise of the King• Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf• Archmage
Comics
Forgotten Realms #6, "Dragonspawn"• Tyranny of Dragons• Frost Giant's Fury• Honor Among Thieves: The Feast of the Moon
Video Games
Treasures of the Savage Frontier• Pools of Darkness• Icewind Dale• Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter• Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance• Neverwinter Nights series (Shadows of Undrentide • Tyrants of the Moonsea)• Icewind Dale II• Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter• Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms• Warriors of Waterdeep
Board Games
Card Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins(2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 100–103. ISBN978-0786965614.
- ↑ James Wyatt(October 2021). Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 168. ISBN978-0786967292.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt(June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 84–85. ISBN978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, et al.(November 2008). Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 187. ISBN978-0-7869-4980-9.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook(July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 77–78. ISBN0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Doug Stewart(June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 69. ISBN1-5607-6619-0.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gary Gygax(December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 34. ISBN0-935696-00-8.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Andy Collins, James Wyatt, and Skip Williams(November 2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 55–56. ISBN0-7869-2884-0.
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 Bruce R. Cordell, et al.(November 2008). Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 42–43. ISBN978-0-7869-4980-9.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, et al.(November 2008). Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 186. ISBN978-0-7869-4980-9.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood(January 1996). Volo's Guide to the Dalelands. (TSR, Inc), p. 193. ISBN0-7869-0406-2.
- ↑ Gregg Sharp(June 1988). “The Ecology of the Red Dragon”. In Roger E. Mooreed. Dragon #134 (TSR, Inc.), p. 36.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, et al.(November 2008). Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN978-0-7869-4980-9.
- ↑ Andy Collins, James Wyatt, and Skip Williams(November 2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11. ISBN0-7869-2884-0.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore(July 2007). Road of the Patriarch (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 6, p. 99. ISBN978-0-7869-4277-0.
- ↑ BioWare (June 2002). Designed by Brent Knowles, James Ohlen. Neverwinter Nights. Atari.
Connections[]
The Family of Dragons
Metallic dragons: Gold • Silver • Bronze • Copper • Brass • Electrum • Mercury • Platinum • Steel
Chromatic dragons: Black • Blue • Brown • Gray • Green • Orange • Pink • Purple • Red • Salt • White • Yellow
Gem dragons: Amethyst • Beljuril • Crystal • Emerald • Obsidian • Sapphire • Topaz • Ruby
Neutral dragons: Amber • Jacinth • Moonstone • Pearl
Lung dragons: Chiang lung • Li lung • Lung wang • Pan lung • Shen lung • T'ien lung • Tun mi lung • Yu lung
Ferrous dragons: • Cobalt • Iron
Planar dragons: Adamantine • Astral • Battle • Blight • Chaos • Ethereal • Hellfire wyrm • Howling • Mirage • Oceanus • Pyroclastic • Radiant • Rust • Shadow • Styx • Tarterian
Spelljamming dragons: Moon/lunar • Radiant • Sun/solar
Epic dragons: Force • Prismatic • Time
Catastrophic dragons: Blizzard • Earthquake • Volcanic
Miscellaneous dragons: Cobra • Dzalmus • Mist • Rattelyr • Song • Vishap
Draconic transformations: Air • Ascendant • Brainstealer • Hidecarved
Dragon eel • Dragon tortoise • Dragon turtle • Dragonnel • Dweomervore • Hatori (Tylor) • Ibrandlin • Landwyrm (Forest • Swamp • Tundra • Underdark) • Rock wyrm • Scalamagdrion • Sea serpent • Sea wyrm • Ssvaklor • Sunwyrm • Velroc • Wyvern
Linnorms: Corpse tearer • Dread • Stygian
Drakes: Ambush • Black firedrake • Dragonne • Elemental (Earth • Fire • Ice • Magma • Ooze • Smoke • Water) • Felldrake (Crested • Spitting) • Greater • Guard • Mind • Portal • Rage • Space • Storm • Vulture
Dragonets: Crow's-nest dragon • Draken • Faerie dragon • Firedrake • Pseudodragon
Related creatures
Abishai • Abyssal drake • Dracon • Dracohydra • Dracosphinx • Dragonborn • Dragonkin • Fume drake
Dragonbloods: Draconic creature • Dragonborn of Bahamut • Dragonspawn
Drow-dragon (shadow) • Drow-dragon (deep) • Half-dragon • Kobold (Dragonwrought • Urd) • Weredragon • Zar'ithra • Zekyl
Hybrid monsters: Dracimera • Dracolisk • Mantidrake • Wyvern drake
Undead dragons: Dracolich • Dragonwight • Ghost • Hoarder • Rathrea • Vampiric • Zombie
