Dragon, Orange
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Temperate woods and hills |
| Frequency | Very rare |
| Organization | Solitary or clan |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Special |
| Intelligence | Genius (17-18) |
| Treasure | Special |
| Alignment | Lawful Evil |
| No. of Appearing | 1 (2-5) |
| Armor Class | -3 (base) |
| Move | 10, Fl 35 (C), Jp 3 |
| Hit Dice | 15 (base) |
| THAC0 | 5 (base) |
| No. of Attacks | 3 + special |
| Damage/Attack | 1-10/1-10/4-40 (4d10) |
| Special Attacks | Special |
| Special Defenses | Variable |
| Magic Resistance | Variable |
| Size | G (50' base) |
| Moral | Fanatic (17-18) |
| XP Value | Variable |
Description
| Age | Body Length | Tail Length | AC | Breath Weapon | Spells Wizard/Priest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2-12 | 3-10 | 0 | 1d12+1d10+1 | Nil |
| 2 | 12-24 | 10-20 | -1 | 2d12+2d10+2 | Nil |
| 3 | 24-44 | 20-30 | -2 | 3d12+3d10+3 | Nil |
| 4 | 44-63 | 30-50 | -3 | 4d12+4d10+4 | 1 |
| 5 | 63-84 | 50-69 | -4 | 5d12+5d10+5 | 2 |
| 6 | 84-104 | 69-88 | -5 | 6d12+6d10+6 | 2 1 |
| 7 | 104-120 | 88-108 | -6 | 7d12+7d10+7 | 2 2 |
| 8 | 120-140 | 108-126 | -7 | 8d12+8d10+8 | 2 2 2 |
| 9 | 140-157 | 126-148 | -8 | 9d12+9d10+9 | 2 2 2 2 / 1 |
| 10 | 157-166 | 148-154 | -9 | 10d12+10d10+10 | 2 2 2 2 1 / 2 |
| 11 | 166-178 | 154-164 | -10 | 11d12+11d10+11 | 2 2 2 2 2 / 2 2 |
| 12 | 178-186 | 164-174 | -11 | 12d12+12d10+12 | 2 2 2 2 2 1 / 2 2 2 |
| Age | Magic Resitance | Treasure Type | XP Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nil | Nil | 3,000 |
| 2 | Nil | Nil | 4,000 |
| 3 | Nil | Nil | 6,000 |
| 4 | Nil | H, Z, U | 8,000 |
| 5 | 30% | H, Z, U | 10,000 |
| 6 | 35% | H, Z, U | 12,000 |
| 7 | 40% | H, Z, Ux2 | 13,000 |
| 8 | 45% | H, Z, Ux2 | 15,000 |
| 9 | 50% | H, Z, Ux3 | 17,000 |
| 10 | 55% | H, Z, Ux3 | 18,000 |
| 11 | 60% | H, Z, T, Ux3 | 19,000 |
| 12 | 65% | H, Z, T, Ux3 | 20,000 |
Orange dragons are one of the most powerful of all evil dragons. While they are not quite as greedy as red dragons, orange dragons still love to hoard treasure; magic items (especially wands and staves) are their most prized possessions.
At birth, an orange dragon's scales are a dull yellow or peach in color; they turn to a dull orange at the end of the young stage, and reach a bright orange once the young adult stage is obtained, at which time they also develop dark black ribbings on both the top and bottom wing surfaces.
Orange dragons speak their own tongue, a tongue common to all evil dragons, and 18% of hatchling orange dragons have an ability to communicate with any intelligent creature. The chance to possess this ability increases 5% per age category of the dragon.
Combat
Orange dragons prefer to make heavy use of magic in combat; this includes both spells and magical devices. A young adult orange dragon has a 25% chance of possessing at least one magic device when encountered; this chance increases 10% for each additional age category. There is an 80% chance that at least one of these magical possesssions will be a wand or staff.
Due to the high intelligence of orange dragons, they realize when magic is not necessary, so their spells and magic possessions are rarely wasted on inferior foes. Instead, the orange will use the more normal means of attack such as claw, bite, and, if necessary, breath attacks.
An orange dragon is a fierce opponent and will rarely, if ever, back down or flee from a flight, unless clearly outnumbered. If necessary, several orange dragons will work together to defeat a common foe.
Breath Weapon: An orange dragon's breath weapon is a cone of magma 100' long, 5' wide at the dragon's mouth, and 25' wide at the base. All creatures caught inside the area of effect must save vs. breath weapon for half damage. The magma expelled by the dragon will continue to burn for two additional rounds. Creatures still in the affected area (or those who move into it) suffer 1d6 points of damage per age category of the dragon (saves for half damage are applicable only to those who move into the area; those already in the area of effect are considered to be covered with the burning material, so saves do not apply.) Orange dragons cast spells and use their special abilities at 10th level, plus the combat modifier.
At birth, orange dragons are immune to heat and all forms of fire. As they age, they gain the following additional powers:
| Age | Special Ability |
|---|---|
| Very young | Burning hands (three times per day) |
| Juvenile | Flaming sphere (three times per day) |
| Mature adult | Wall of fire (twice per day) |
| Very old | Teleport (once per day) |
| Wyrm | Maze (three times per week) |
Habitat
Orange dragons may be found in both hilly and forested areas in temperate climates. Their lairs are usually well-hidden and well protected with traps, both magical and mundane; these lairs are normally underground and quite spacious.
Orange dragons prefer to spend the majority of their time outside their lairs; they enjoy soaring high over their domains, where they may survey their entire territory and all that takes place therein.
Orange dragons are excellent parents; they will protect their young to the death if necessary. Orange dragons are also quite sociable as far as evil dragons are concerned. It is not uncommon for them to work together, or even with other types of evil dragons, to further their goals. The two types of evil dragons they most often come into contact with, are green and red dragons. For the most part, orange and green dragons will cooperate with one another. As for the relationship between orange and red dragons, while they tolerate each other, they will rarely associate with one another; this is due mostly to the temperment of the red. Orange dragons will also not hesitate to work with evil humans when the situation warrants.
Ecology
Orange dragons prefer to eat meat, although they may consume nearly anything. They will hunt most medium or large creatures that can be found in their territory.