Black dragon

Black dragons are abusive, quick to anger, and resent intrusions of any kind. They like dismal surroundings, heavy vegetation, and prefer darkness to daylight. Although not as intelligent as other dragons, black dragons are instinctively cunning and malevolent.

At birth, a black dragon's scales are thin, small, and glossy. As the dragon ages, its scales become larger, thicker, and duller, which helps it camouflage itself in swamps and marshes.

Black dragons prefer to ambush their targets, using their surroundings as cover. Their favorite targets are Humans, who they will sometimes stalk for several minutes in an attempt to gauge their strength and wealth before attacking. A black dragon's breath weapon is a stream of acid that extends in a straight line from the dragon's head. They are born with an innate water breathing ability and an immunity to acid.

Black dragons are found in swamps, marshes, rain forests, and jungles. They revel in a steamy environment where canopies of trees filter out most of the sunlight, swarms of insects fill the air, and stagnant moss-covered ponds lie in abundance. Black dragons are excellent swimmers and enjoy lurking in the gloomy depths of swamps and bogs. They also are graceful in flight; however, they prefer to fly at night when their great forms are hidden by the darkness of the sky. Black dragons are extremely selfish, and the majority of those encountered will be alone. They lair in large, damp caves and multi-chambered subterranean caverns.

Note: Black dragons originally appeared in this form in the 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual for the AD&D game from TSR. Their use here is for the purposes of providing context for the campaign only.