Dragon, Brown

Brown dragons, also known as great desert dragons, migrated from the desert Raurin and now frequent much of the wastes in Eastern Mulhorand. Brown dragons are ferocious beasts; while they are intelligent, they view human beings as food, and believe it peculiar to talk with one's meal. They do not have wings and cannot fly.

Brown dragons have a coloration similar to that of desert sands, ranging from dim brown at hatchling stage to almost white at great wyrm stage. They have small, webbed claws that well developed for digging, and very large, long mouths. Their scales are leathery and not as hard as other dragon armors.

Brown dragons speak their own tongue and the language of blue dragons. They have a 5% chance per age category of being able to communicate with any intelligent creature.

Combat: Brown dragons prefer to dig deep trenches in the sand and wait for prey to appear so they may ambush them. They have a 90% chance of hearing a man sized creature's footsteps on the desert sands from as far down as 500 feet.

Brown dragons breach the desert sand with incredible silence, imposing a -5 penalty to opponents' surprise rolls. Older brown dragons use illusions or even invisibility spells to conceal themselves.

The brown dragon's breath weapon is a powerful acid, which it spews in a 5-foot-wide spray that extends in a straight line from the dragon's head up to 60 feet. All creatures caught in the spray can roll a saving throw vs. breath weapon for half damage.

Brown dragons use the spray against large numbers, but not against mounted foes, since they know that horses are good eating and don't put up as much struggle as humans. Brown dragons cast spells as 8th-level wizards.

They are born immune to acid and the effects of the desert heat. They may survive in airless environments nearly indefinitely. As they age, brown dragons gain the following abilities:

Habitat/Society: Brown dragons are found in desert, often close to settled areas. They typically dwell in deep burrows nearly 1,000 feet beneath the sand, where they carve out vast chambers.

The brown dragon mates and raises a family for only a short period of time; all parents encountered are in the mature adult stage of development. Many brown dragons do not mate.

Man is the main enemy of brown dragons. Humans hunt for them for their hides and treasure. Blue dragons also attack brown dragons.

Battles between brown and blue dragons are legendary for their ferocity. The people of the desert have a curious respect for the brown dragon, so tales often make the blue dragons more evil than the brown.

Ecology: Brown dragons are able to digest sand and other mineral materials to sustain themselves over long periods of time. However, meat is the preferred diet, with horseflesh a particular favorite.