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Have you ever looked at a dragon and thought, man, it would be so cool to be like them? In a small way, you’re able to if you pick a dragonborn as the species you play in aDungeons & Dragonscampaign. It may not come with the legendary actions or a sweet lair, but it’s a little slice of that power.
Plus, you get to look cool, which is just as important. This guide will go over everything that you need to know about dragonborn in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, from lore to what exactly has changed for them since the 2014 ruleset.
What Are Dragonborn?
So, yes,dragonborn are descended from the great chromatic and metallicdragonsof the multiverse. There are a couple of different theories as to how dragonborn came to be.
The first of which is thatBahamut and Tiamat, who are the dragon gods, wanted tomake a species that was in their image. So they blessed eggs, making the creatures who hatched fromthem bipedal representations of these powerful deities.
The other uh. Well. Some dragons were getting up to some unholy business thatwas NOT sanctioned by the gods. No names are named, like bards or anything, but regardless,dragonborn were a thing now, whether the gods liked it or not.
While theydon’t inherit the wings of their dragon ancestors, dragonborn resemble them in every other way, just in a much smaller package. Even thedistinct colors of their scales. Which the guide will get into.
Dragonborn Traits
Dragonborn havefive different traits, four of which are uniqueto them. One of them, however, isn’t a trait they can useuntil you’ve reached level fivewhile playing one.
You choose which kind of dragon you are descended from.
Breath Weapon
You can use this instead of your traditional attack, unleashing a breath attack similar to dragons.
The damage is based on your Ancestry choice.
Damage Resistance
You gain resistance to the same damage as your Ancestry choice.
Darkvision
You are able to see for 60 feet in dim light and darkness.
Draconic Flight (At Level Five)
You can give yourself spectral wings that last for ten minutes.
This gives you the ability to fly.
Draconic Ancestry has youpick the kind of dragon that you are descended from. Not only do you resemble them in your physical appearance, but itinfluences both your Breath Weapon and yourDamage Resistancefeats.
As mentioned before, there are both chromatic and metallic dragons, and those make up the list of your choices.
White (Cold)
Silver (Cold)
For your Breath Weapon, it’s not only about what you pick. When you decide to use this as your attack, you get tochoose between either a 15-foot cone or a 30-foot long linethat is also five feet wide.
Any creature, allies too, who are caught in this mustmake a Dexterity saving throw.
You can choose the shape of the attackevery time you use it, not just when you pick your Ancestry.
They are trying to beat whatever the number is when you add your Consitution modifier and your proficiency bonus plus eight. To simplify, it looks like this:(8 + Con modifier + Proficiency Bonus).
If they fail,they’ll take 1d10 damage. The damage typingis determined by the type of dragonborn you are(shown in table above). If they do succeed on their saving throw, then theytake half as much damage. But, when you hit certain levels, that damageincreases by 1d10. Those levels arefive, 11, and 17.
you’re able to use your Breath Weapononly a set amount of timesbetween each long rest. That number isequal to your proficiency bonus, which is also based on what level your character is.
For yourDamage Resistance, that is entirely about what you pick when it comes toyour Draconic Ancestry. That will also match the damage from the table above and your Breath Weapon.
Darkvision is the one trait that you get that is not something exclusive to a dragonborn’s arsenal, as a number of the other species get this ability to see in the dark as well.
It is incredibly helpful, though, and it makes it easy todungeon dive or explore spaces that don’t have much light, like the Underdark.
Then,at fifth level, you can summon forth spectral wingsthat resemble the wings of your dragon ancestor. Doing so isa bonus action. The wings onlystay for ten minutes, but they give you aflying speed that matches your walking speed, which is 30 feet.
You candismiss them early(but who wants to do that). The only other way they leave you before time is up isif you become incapacitated. You then have to wait until you’vecompleted a long rest before you can use them again.
Which Class Should You Consider?
There are some different schools of thought. You can go downthe spellcaster route or take up a class that doesn’t naturally have access to spells.
If you’re leaning toward spellcaster, it is so helpful to have your Breath Weapon as an extra attack soyou aren’t burning through all of your spell slots.
If you’re deciding between the more martial classes, not only is the Breath Weapon going toprovide you a longer distance attackyou can use. It also gives youthat helpful Resistance, which can bail you out when you are in the middle of a fray.
The spellcasting classes that would get the most use from your natural abilities arethe squishiest of the bunch: sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards.
Clericshave access to the best armorand can be up in the middle of the action alongside the fighters and barbarians. Druidscan transform into a beastthat will keep them safe.
Sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards typicallydon’t have much armor, if any at all. So, if an enemy is bearing down on you, youcan hit them with a powerful breath-based attack. And, of course, when you hit level five, you canuse your wings to get out of tricky situations.
For the physical fighters, there isn’t really a wrong choice. With that said,think about being a barbarian. All the martial classes can make use of theBreath Weapon and Damage Resistance. But barbarians will becomemore fortified in their defense and could really use that ability to fly.
When barbariansuse their Rage,they gain resistanceto the standard physical damage types ofbludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. They will now,as a dragonborn,have a fourth resistance. It’s one more option that lets you be a wall for your team.
Then, with the Draconic Flight, if your foes are airborne, you don’t have to stare at them with all the rage in your heartwithout being able to hit them. you’re able to chase them down. No one on land or in the sky is safe from catching your blades with their face.
Differences In The 2024 Player’s Handbook
There are two major differences. That is totheir Breath Weapon and regarding their Draconic Flight. Other changes arechoices made across the board, such asno species gaining additional points to their abilitiesandlearning different languages.
In the 2014 Player’s Handbook, when you chose the type of dragonborn from your Breath Weapon,it also determined the shape of the attackandthe type of saveneeded to try and avoid the damage.
Not only did your choice influence the type of damage. Evenyour alignment was meant to side with either Bahamut or Tiamat, making you good or evil.
Youdidn’t have to stay true to that description, but it was suggested that your dragonbornwould follow that when choosing your alignment.
As an example, black dragonborn hada 30-foot line,and the creatures caught in it needed tomake a Dexterity saving throw. But green dragonborn hada 15-foot cone,and creatureshad to roll a Constitution saving throw.
While it made each dragonborn more individualistic, you werelocked into the shape and couldn’t adjustto the current combat situation. Plus, for Dungeons Masters (DMs), having every Breath Weaponhave the same saving throwmakes it all less confusing.
ForDraconic Flight, dragonborndidn’t have it, or the ability to fly. This makes dragonbornstronger all aroundas this replaces the trait aboutwhich languages they would learn. If you had to pick between learning a language and flying, which would you choose? There is a right answer.
