Adult Silver Dragon

Source: Monster Manual p. 117. Available in the SRD

The friendliest and most social of the metallic dragons, silver dragons cheerfully assist good creatures in need.

A silver dragon shimmers as if sculpted from pure metal, its face given a noble cast by its high eyes and sweeping beard-like chin spikes. A spiny frill rises high over its head, tracing down its neck to the tip of its tail. A silver wyrmling’s scales are blue-gray with silver highlights. As the dragon approaches adulthood, its color gradually brightens until its individual scales are barely visible. As a silver dragon grows older, its pupils fade until its eyes resemble orbs of mercury.

Dragons of Virtue

Silver dragons believe that living a moral life involves doing good deeds and ensuring that one’s actions cause no undeserved harm to other sentient beings. They don’t take it upon themselves to root out evil, as gold and bronze dragons do, but they will gladly oppose creatures that dare to commit evil acts or harm the innocent.

Friends of the Small Races

Silver dragons enjoy the company of other silver dragons. Their only true friendships outside their own kin arise in the company of humanoids, and many silver dragons spend as much time in humanoid form as they do in draconic form. A silver dragon adopts a benign humanoid persona such as a kindly old sage or a young wanderer, and it often has mortal companions with whom it develops strong friendships.

Silver dragons must step away from their humanoid lives on a regular basis, returning to their true forms to mate and rear offspring, or to tend to their hoards and personal affairs. Because many lose track of time while away, they sometimes return to find that their companions have grown old or died. Silver dragons often end up befriending several generations of humanoids within a single family as a result.

Respect for Humanity

Silver dragons befriend humanoids of all races, but shorter-lived races such as humans spark their curiosity in a way the longer-lived elves and dwarves don’t. Humans have a drive and zest for life that silver dragons find fascinating.

Hoarding History

Silver dragons love to possess relics of humanoid history. This includes the great piles of coins they covet, minted by current and fallen humanoid empires, as well as art objects and fine jewelry crafted by numerous races. Other treasures that make up their hoards can include intact ships, the remains of kings and queens, thrones, the crown jewels of ancient empires, inventions and contraptions, and monoliths carried from the ruins of fallen cities.

A Silver Dragon’s Lair

Silver dragons dwell among the clouds, making their lairs on secluded cold mountain peaks. Though many are comfortable in natural cavern complexes or abandoned mines, silver dragons covet the lost outposts of humanoid civilization. An abandoned mountaintop citadel or a remote tower raised by a long-dead wizard is the sort of lair that every silver dragon dreams of.

Metallic Dragons

Metallic dragons seek to preserve and protect, viewing themselves as one powerful race among the many races that have a place in the world.

Noble Curiosity

Metallic dragons covet treasure as do their evil chromatic kin, but they aren’t driven as much by greed in their pursuit of wealth. Rather, metallic dragons are driven to investigate and collect, taking unclaimed relics and storing them in their lairs. A metallic dragon’s treasure hoard is filled with items that reflect its persona, tell its history, and preserve its memories. Metallic dragons also seek to protect other creatures from dangerous magic. As such, powerful magic items and even evil artifacts are sometimes secreted away in a metallic dragon’s hoard.

A metallic dragon can be persuaded to part with an item in its hoard for the greater good. However, another creature’s need for or right to the item is often unclear from the dragon’s point of view. A metallic dragon must be bribed or otherwise convinced to part with the item.

Solitary Shapeshifters

At some point in their long lives, metallic dragons gain the magical ability to assume the forms of humanoids and beasts. When a dragon learns how to disguise itself, it might immerse itself in other cultures for a time. Some dragons are too shy or paranoid to stray far from their lairs and their treasure hoards, but bolder dragons love to wander city streets in humanoid form, taking in the local culture and cuisine, and amusing themselves by observing how the smaller races live.

Some metallic dragons prefer to stay as far away from civilization as possible so as to not attract enemies. However, this means that they are often far out of touch with current events.

The Persistence of Memory

Metallic dragons have long memories, and they form opinions of humanoids based on previous contact with related humanoids. Good dragons can recognize humanoid bloodlines by smell, sniffing out each person they meet and remembering any relatives they have come into contact with over the years. A gold dragon might never suspect duplicity from a cunning villain, assuming that the villain is of the same mind and heart as a good and virtuous grandmother. On the other hand, the dragon might resent a noble paladin whose ancestor stole a silver statue from the dragon’s hoard three centuries before.

King of Good Dragons

The chief deity of the metallic dragons is Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon. He dwells in the Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia, but often wanders the Material Plane in the magical guise of a venerable human male in peasant robes. In this form, he is usually accompanied by seven golden canaries-actually seven ancient gold dragons in polymorphed form.

Bahamut seldom interferes in the affairs of mortal creatures, though he makes exceptions to help thwart the machinations of Tiamat the Dragon Queen and her evil brood. Good-aligned clerics and paladins sometimes worship Bahamut for his dedication to justice and protection. As a lesser god, he has the power to grant divine spells.

Dragons

True dragons are winged reptiles of ancient lineage and fearsome power. They are known and feared for their predatory cunning and greed, with the oldest dragons accounted as some of the most powerful creatures in the world. Dragons are also magical creatures whose innate power fuels their dreaded breath weapons and other preternatural abilities.

Many creatures, including wyverns and dragon turtles, have draconic blood. However, true dragons fall into the two broad categories of chromatic and metallic dragons. The black, blue, green, red, and white dragons are selfish, evil, and feared by all. The brass, bronze, copper, gold, and silver dragons are noble, good, and highly respected by the wise.

Though their goals and ideals vary tremendously, all true dragons covet wealth, hoarding mounds of coins and gathering gems, jewels, and magic items. Dragons with large hoards are loath to leave them for long, venturing out of their lairs only to patrol or feed.

True dragons pass through four distinct stages of life, from lowly wyrmlings to ancient dragons, which can live for over a thousand years. In that time, their might can become unrivaled and their hoards can grow beyond price.

Dragon Age Categories

Category	Size	Age Range
Wyrmling	Medium	5 years or less
Young	Large	6–100 years
Adult	Huge	101–800 years
Ancient	Gargantuan	801 years or more
^dragon-age-categories

"name": "Adult Silver Dragon"
"size": "Huge"
"type": "dragon"
"alignment": "Lawful Good"
"ac": !!int "19"
"ac_class": "natural armor"
"hp": !!int "243"
"hit_dice": "18d12 + 126"
"modifier": !!int "0"
"stats":
  - !!int "27"
  - !!int "10"
  - !!int "25"
  - !!int "16"
  - !!int "13"
  - !!int "21"
"speed": "40 ft., fly 80 ft."
"saves":
  - "dexterity": !!int "5"
  - "constitution": !!int "12"
  - "wisdom": !!int "6"
  - "charisma": !!int "10"
"skillsaves":
  - "name": "Arcana"
    "desc": "+8"
  - "name": "History"
    "desc": "+8"
  - "name": "Perception"
    "desc": "+11"
  - "name": "Stealth"
    "desc": "+5"
"damage_immunities": "cold"
"senses": "blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21"
"languages": "Common, Draconic"
"cr": "16"
"traits":
  - "desc": "If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead."
    "name": "Legendary Resistance (3/Day)"
"actions":
  - "desc": "The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks:\
      \ one with its bite and two with its claws."
    "name": "Multiattack"
  - "desc": "*Melee Weapon Attack:* +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 19\
      \ (2d10 + 8) piercing damage."
    "name": "Bite"
  - "desc": "*Melee Weapon Attack:* +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 15\
      \ (2d6 + 8) slashing damage."
    "name": "Claw"
  - "desc": "*Melee Weapon Attack:* +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. *Hit:* 17\
      \ (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage."
    "name": "Tail"
  - "desc": "Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon\
      \ and aware of it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened\
      \ for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of\
      \ its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving\
      \ throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the\
      \ dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours."
    "name": "Frightful Presence"
  - "desc": "The dragon uses one of the following breath weapons.\n\n- **Cold Breath.**\
      \ The dragon exhales an icy blast in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area\
      \ must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 58 (13d8) cold damage\
      \ on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.  \n- **Paralyzing\
      \ Breath.** The dragon exhales paralyzing gas in a 60-foot cone. Each creature\
      \ in that area must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed\
      \ for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of\
      \ its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.  "
    "name": "Breath Weapons (Recharge 5-6)"
  - "desc": "The dragon magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge\
      \ rating no higher than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its\
      \ true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is absorbed\
      \ or borne by the new form (the dragon's choice).\n\nIn a new form, the dragon\
      \ retains its alignment, hit points, Hit Dice, ability to speak, proficiencies,\
      \ Legendary Resistance, lair actions, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma\
      \ scores, as well as this action. Its statistics and capabilities are otherwise\
      \ replaced by those of the new form, except any class features or legendary\
      \ actions of that form."
    "name": "Change Shape"
"lair_actions":
  - "desc": "On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a lair\
      \ action to cause one of the following effects:\n\n- The dragon creates fog\
      \ as if it had cast the fog cloud spell. The fog lasts until initiative count\
      \ 20 on the next round.  \n- A blisteringly cold wind blows through the lair\
      \ near the dragon. Each creature within 120 feet of the dragon must succeed\
      \ on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) cold damage. Gases and\
      \ vapors are dispersed by the wind, and unprotected flames are extinguished.\
      \ Protected flames, such as lanterns, have a 50 percent chance of being extinguished.\
      \  \n\n**Additional Lair Action.** At your discretion, a legendary ([adult](/3-Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-silver-dragon.md)\
      \ or [ancient](/3-Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/ancient-silver-dragon.md)) silver\
      \ dragon can use the following additional lair action while in its lair:\n\n\
      - **Icy Grip.** A sudden, supernatural chill fills the lair near the dragon.\
      \ Each creature of the dragon's choice that it can see within 120 feet of it\
      \ must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be restrained until initiative\
      \ count 20 on the next round. Creatures that have resistance to cold damage\
      \ have advantage on the saving throw; creatures that have immunity to cold damage\
      \ succeed automatically.  "
    "name": ""
"regional_effects":
  - "desc": "The region containing a legendary silver dragon's lair is warped by the\
      \ dragon's magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.\n\n- Once\
      \ per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its\
      \ lair. The dragon doesn't need to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical\
      \ to the control weather spell.  \n- Within 1 mile of the lair, winds buoy non-evil\
      \ creatures that fall due to no act of the dragon's or its allies. Such creatures\
      \ descend at a rate of 60 feet per round and take no falling damage.  \n- Given\
      \ days or longer to work, the dragon can make clouds and fog within its lair\
      \ as solid as stone, forming structures and other objects as it wishes.  \n\n\
      If the dragon dies, changed weather reverts to normal, as described in the spell,\
      \ and the other effects fade in 1d10 days."
    "name": ""
"legendary_description": "Legendary Action Uses: 3. Immediately after another creature's\
  \ turn, the dragon can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The dragon\
  \ regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns."
"legendary_actions":
  - "desc": "The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check."
    "name": "Detect"
  - "desc": "The dragon makes a tail attack."
    "name": "Tail Attack"
  - "desc": "The dragon beats its wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon\
      \ must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning\
      \ damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying\
      \ speed."
    "name": "Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions)"
"source":
  - "MM"
"image": "/3-Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/token/adult-silver-dragon.webp"

Environment

mountain, urban