All 10 Dragon Types In D&D's 2025 Monster Manual
Dragons are the most iconic monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, with many unique types offering many challenges and awe-inspiring moments for any campaign. With the 2025 Monster Manual's release, each base chromatic and metallic dragon type has been updated. With new stat blocks, the titular creatures of the game retain what keeps them interesting while also gaining new abilities to make them more menacing than ever.
For the 2025 Monster Manual, dragons fall into two categories - Metallic or Chromatic. Chromatic dragons are your typical monstrous creatures of folklore, huge and prideful creatures who hoard treasures, dominate villages, and decimate any who stand in their way. On the other hand, Metallic dragons can be passive or benevolent, with some having motivations outside sheer lust for treasure and battle.
10 Green Dragons Are Still Poisonous Manipulators
New Ways To Lower Your Guard
The amphibious Green Dragon returns among its Chromatic kin, using manipulation and schemes to get what it wants. These dragons have always been masters at deception, disguising themselves and using servants to accomplish their self-indulgent goals. Lurking in the wilderness of ancient lands, older Green Dragons are patient and observant, sometimes waiting for decades before enacting their master plan.
In the 2025 Monster Manual's new content, Green Dragons receive a much-needed update to their skills, gaining new abilities. While always the masters of Constitution, Green Dragons have usually only had their Poison Breath, which doesn't make them as threatening at higher levels of play. Now, the larger versions of this dragon type gain new magic and Legendary Actions to synergize with its tricky nature.
Green Dragons get a Noxious Miasma, an alternate form of Breath that consumes a Legendary Action, that can deal Poison damage and reduce a target Armor Class (AC). While the Green Dragon can't use this again until the start of its next turn, this is a great way to shred the defenses of even the most stalwart player character. The extra Poison also combines well with Poison Breath, which already does a lot of damage.
Every Dragon in the 2025 Monster Manual now has Spellcasting in their Ancient and Adult stat blocks. This gives them magic to use as actions rather than typical Rend or Breath attacks, which can help if the latter has not recharged.
If you're dealing with players who can resist Poison, the new Green Dragon has good magic to deal with them. Spells like Mind Spike and Geas are now in the Green Dragon arsenal, allowing you to attack the mental fortitude of players. Psychic damage that may eliminate a player's ability to hide makes Green Dragons all the more deadly.
9 Copper Dragons Are Affectionate Friend-Seekers
Build Community Rather Than Tear It Down
The most friendly type of dragon is the Copper Dragon, who doesn't seek to fight. Copper Dragons are endlessly curious and fond of the humor, hospitality, and kindness of mortals throughout the world. These dragons can be found in forests, bequeathing gifts to travelers in need of help, and bolstering the morale of communities, but only fighting with their Metallic skills when attacked directly.
Should you end up fighting a Copper Dragon, its new abilities through the 2025 Monster Manual make it no pushover. While armed with its usual Slow and Acid Breaths, Copper Dragons now gain Giggling Breath as a Legendary Action. This ability enforces a Charisma saving throw on one creature the dragon can see within 90ft, dealing Psychic damage and causing that target to reduce their next ability check or attack roll by 1d6 should they fail.
This reverse Bardic Inspiration action allows Copper Dragons to disable and "play" around with players more rather than outright hurt them. This can clue parties into a Copper Dragon's true, whimsical nature, teaching a lesson of humility. Spells like Greater Restoration, Major Image, Minor Illusion, and Mind Spike for extra defenses give Copper Dragons more personality through action rather than in lore alone.
8 White Dragons Are Deadly Harbingers Of Winter
Freeze Any Interlopers In Place
One of the deadliest types of Chromatic dragons is the White Dragon - a cold and calculating creature that resides in the world's coldest regions. Whether a party discovers a White Dragon in a glacier, under a frozen lake, or at the peak of a frost-covered mountain, this dragon shows no mercy. White Dragons are fierce defenders of their winter lairs, hoarding treasures from great battles that symbolize their might in combat.
One of the biggest complaints of 5e related to dragons was the overwhelming Frightful Presence ability the creature type had. While the Frightened condition has many ways to be resisted, the innate ability of dragons to have this skill simply by existing could be tiresome to players not built to defend against it. While most dragons do not have this ability anymore, White Dragons still retain Frightful Presence as a Legendary Action.
White Dragons are almost unchanged from base 5th Edition, but their Frightful Presence works slightly differently. Instead of imposing a save right away, the dragon casts the spell Fear, using a Charisma DC 14 saving throw to frighten players.
This makes sense for the intimidating aura White Dragons give off, especially when you consider how damaging their Cold Breath attack can be. Like the other dragons, White Dragons gain a new Legendary Action called Freezing Burst, which creates a 30ft sphere that players have to make a Constitution saving throw in. On a failure, players have their movement speed reduced to 0, giving a White Dragon the perfect opportunity to freeze them in place.
7 Bronze Dragons Are Protectors Of Civilization
Explosive Defenders Of Justice
Bronze Dragons are another type of aquatic dragon, dwelling near shores and oceans. This type of Metallic dragon uses its power to strike down evil-doers, protecting innovative societies and it helps rise others into greatness. Throughout the endless beauty of the sea, Bronze Dragons seek to preserve treasures that have been lost, and can fight and communicate to solve a plethora of problems.
These balanced dragons return in the 2025 Monster Manual with their Repulsion Breath, which knocks opponents away. Like other dragons, they receive a new Legendary Action, with theirs called Thunderclap. This ability enforces a Constitution saving throw in a 20ft sphere, causing all targets within it who failed to take Thunder damage and become Defeaned until the end of the dragon's next turn.
This explosive ability pairs well with new spellcasting afforded to Bronze Dragons. Older variants of the creature can cast Guiding Bolt and Thaumaturgy, playing into both its fierce and commanding nature. Other magic, such as Shapechange, Water Breathing, and Speak with Animals, allow Bronze Dragons to approach life in a variety of new ways as either a protector or enforcer of justice.
6 Black Dragons Erode Hope And Dissolve Joy
Acid And Plague Upon Enemies
The Black Dragon inhabits the swamps of the earth, the corroded places where ancient lands have collapsed. These Chromatic dragons are spiteful hoarders who relish in the destruction of civilization, oftentimes subjugating allies to enforce its wrath. Black Dragons in the 2025 Monster Manual use their signature Acid Breath to melt and tear down anything that stands in their way.
New spellcasting options give Black Dragons more destructive potential in their Adult and Ancient forms. With 2024's new spell mechanics, the Black Dragon's ability to cast Fear through a Frightful Presence Legendary Action can crumble the resolve of even the most resilient players. With other spells like Melf's Acid Arrow and Vitriolic Sphere, Black Dragons can deal more AoE damage than they were ever capable of doing before.
Most dragon Wyrmling and Young forms remain the same, with slightly tweeted Armor Class and Hit Point values to reflect altered Challenge Ratings for a variety of adventures.
Like other Dragons, Black Dragons gain a new Legendary Action tied to a saving throw. Using an ability called Cloud of Insects, Black Dragons can enforce a Dexterity save to one creature it can see within 120ft, causing that creature to take Poison damage on a failed save. In addition, that creature has disadvantage on Concentration checks for a turn, making it hard for spellcasters to maintain magic against a Black Dragon.
5 Brass Dragons Tell Stories To The Masses
Share Tales Of Undying Heroism
Like other Metallic dragons, Brass Dragons prefer to talk than to fight. However, this dragon type takes this philosophy a step further, preferring to have long orated tales of stories, songs, and art to anyone who will listen. A patron saint of bards and scholars, Brass Dragons typically reside in warm areas, like deserts, awaiting a chance to regale travelers who travel to its lair with a forgotten epic lost to time.
When they need to defend themselves though, Brass Dragons will not roll over to die quietly. These dragons come equipped naturally with their familiar Sleep and Fire Breath attacks in the 2025 Monster Manual, along with new spells. Adult and Ancient versions of this dragon can cast Scorching Ray, Control Weather, Detect Thoughts, Minor Illusion, and Shapechange, hosting one of the largest collections of magic among any dragon.
With their new spread of Legendary Actions, Brass Dragons can cast Scorching Ray again or use their new ability - Scorching Sands. By imposing a Dexterity saving throw on a creature that a Brass Dragon can see within 120ft, the target takes Fire damage on a failure. In addition, any creature who fails this save also has their movement halved, giving a Brass Dragon room to talk down any misunderstanding or prevent enemies from getting too close.
4 Blue Dragons Are Thunderous Conquerors
Destructive Lightning To Dismantle Kingdoms
Blue Dragons are literal embodiments of a storm, using signature Lightning Breath to annihilate kingdoms they covet. These dragons hoard emblems of past powers, flaunting their conquest against entire nations who dare dwell near them. Dwelling in deserts where people can see their majesty for miles, Blue Dragons are prideful to a fault, seeking out fights with anyone whose defeat would further spread their glory.
In the 2025 Monster Manual, not even the new subclasses released for Dungeons & Dragons can rival a Blue Dragon at lower levels. This dragon type gains spells like Scrying and Sending, allowing it to communicate with hosts of minions who seek to expand their empire. In addition, Blue Dragons gain Invisibility, Mage Hand, and Shatter, allowing them to sneak up on unsuspecting parties before unleashing their fury.
All Dragon types in the 2025 Monster Manual also have the Detect Magic spell in their Adult and Ancient forms. This spell allows Dragons to sense magical traps, lingering effects, and other spells players may try to use against them.
Blue Dragons gain more of the cunning shared by other Chromatic types with the Legendary Action Cloaked Flight. This ability lets a Blue Dragon turn invisible without using the Invisibility spell, saving it an Action and allowing it to immediately fly using half its movement speed. When combined with the Legendary Action Sonic Boom that allows the dragon to cast Shatter right away, Blue Dragons have more ways to fight parties on their terms.
3 Silver Dragons Are Paragons Of Leadership
A Champion To Even The Most Decorated Heroes
The Metallic Silver Dragons are one of the greatest allies to humanoid heroes, who work tirelessly to preserve peace and greatness within mortal lands. Usually living at the peaks of mountains, Silver Dragons are inspirations to kings, generals, knights, and leaders who seek to balance their lives with discipline and honor. Silver Dragons admire people with noble ambitions, aiding those who they deem worthy to help.
Like White Dragons, Silver Dragons have Cold Breath to attack their enemies, but their returning Paralyzing Breath can halt any foe in their tracks. In the 2025 Monster Manual, Silver Dragons gain the Chill Legendary Action, which allows them to cast Hold Person instantly. This is another way for Silver Dragons to lock down unworthy enemies alongside the Hold Monster spell the dragon gains in its new stat block.
Silver Dragons also have the spells Ice Knife and Ice Storm for damage, while Shapechange allows them to communicate with mortals easily. Zone of Truth helps Silver Dragons detect honesty in potential allies, but to those who stand against them, the Cold Gale Legendary Action is an option. This skill lets a Silver Dragon produce a 60ft long, 10ft wide line that enforces a Dexterity saving throw, dealing Cold damage and pushing back enemies who fail the save.
2 Red Dragons Are Iconic Fire-Starters And Treasure Hoarders
The Greatest TPK Machine In The Game
There's no dragon more iconic than the Red Dragon in Dungeons & Dragons, and for good reason. These are the quintessential dragon - fire-breathing flying lizards of pure death and destruction, collecting gold and treasures into massive hordes they defend fiercely. Red Dragons believe they are the greatest creatures in existence, both in might and cunning to pillage and conquer anything they set their sights on.
In the 2025 Monster Manual, Red Dragons gain Fireball as a spell they can use once per day, as if the dragon didn't already have powerful enough fire. With Command and Scorching Ray, Red Dragons gain the least amount of magic, but each reflects its direct nature. Red Dragons do not make plans, as they are rage-filled beasts who tend to shoot flames first and ask questions if anything survives.
Every dragon in the 2025 Monster Manual gains a Pounce attack among its new spread of Legendary Actions. When using this, a dragon can move up to half its Speed, then make a Rend attack for some physical damage.
The updates for this classic monster also include the Commanding Presence Legendary Action, which allows a Red Dragon to cast Command freely. This adds more to the dominating power of a Red Dragon, especially when you add the Fiery Rays Legendary Action on top of that. This second action gives the Red Dragon a way to cast Scorching Ray in between turns as well, giving it ways to cause destruction constantly.
1 Gold Dragons Bend Fate For A Better Tomorrow
Let Good Prosper In The World
Lawful Good Gold Dragons are the most benevolent of their Metallic types, seeking to build brighter futures for all mortals in the world. Living near natural wonders, Gold Dragons seek to rout evil and put aside treasure in pursuit of greater goals that benefit others. The opposite of Red Dragons in every way, Gold Dragons prefer to amass knowledge and support heroes who would found impressive civilizations.
As the mightiest of the Metallic dragons, Gold Dragons have many new tricks in the 2025 Monster Manual. For starters, they gain Zone of Truth and Flame Strike as spell options, alongside Guiding Bolt. With their usual Weakening and Fire Breaths, Gold Dragons can debuff foes before using golden fire to eradicate their evil from the face of the earth.
While the Legendary Action Guiding Light allows a Gold Dragon to cast Guiding Bolt freely, this isn't the strongest new ability this dragon type gets in 2025. Gold Dragons gain the Banish Legendary Action, which enforces a high Charisma saving throw on a target the dragon can see within 120ft. If that creature fails, it is Incapacitated immediately before being transported to a harmless demiplane of the Gold Dragon's choosing.
This ability is huge, as it allows a Gold Dragon to simply remove a foe from the battlefield for a turn. When combined with its natural strength and new spellcasting, these changes in the 2025 Monster Manual make the Gold Dragon one of the biggest winners among all dragon types in Dungeons & Dragons.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974
- Publisher
- TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
- 2-7 Players
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