Dragon, Cloud
- Armor Class
- 0 [19]
- Hit Dice
- 10–12
- Attacks
- Bite (2d6+2)
- Special
- variable breath weapon, shape change, spell use
- Move
- 12/24 (when flying)
- HDE/XP
- 12/2,000; 13/2,300; 14/2,600
Description
Cloud dragons have the most varied appearance of all true dragons. Indoors or underground a cloud dragon appears bright and metallic; outdoors its coloration is brighter, less metallic, and may take on the red or blue cast of sunrise or sunset. Hatchlings are coppery, then brighten toward silver, gold, and finally platinum.
Cloud dragons are not cruel and do not kill for sport, but they are as avaricious as other dragons. Tales of helpful cloud dragons are common; tales of cloud dragons lending treasure are not.
A cloud dragon has no fixed breath weapon. Choose one standard dragon breath weapon for most cloud dragons. Old or older cloud dragons may choose between two breath weapons; in either case, the cloud dragon has the matching immunity or resistance. The dragon can also change shape into a humanoid at will.
Use the normal White Box dragon age rule for hit points and breath damage: age determines hit points per Hit Die and breath damage per Hit Die. The breath weapon is usable three times per day, and a successful saving throw halves the damage. Cloud dragons that can speak may cast spells as Magic-users of a level equal to their age category, at the Referee’s discretion.
Dragons
All dragons have a breath weapon of some kind, which can be used up to three times in a day. The Referee chooses when a dragon will use the breath weapon or may roll for it (50% chance) in any given round.
Referees should not roll for a dragon’s hit points, like one would for other monsters. Instead, determine the age category of the dragon—this will give both the dragon’s hit points per hit dice and how many points of breath weapon damage per hit dice the dragon inflicts.
For example, an “Adult” dragon has both 4 hit points and 4 points of breath weapon damage per hit dice. So an “Adult” black dragon with 6 HD would have 24 HP and deal 24 points of acid damage when using its breath weapon.
Table 41: Dragon Age Category
| Roll | Age | Hit Points/Hit Dice | Damage/Hit Dice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very Young | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Young | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Immature | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Adult | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Old | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Very Old (100 years) | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Aged (100–400) | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Ancient (400+) | 8 | 8 |
Table 42: Dragon Breath Weapons
| Shape* | Type |
|---|---|
| Cloud | Gaseous |
| Cone | Fiery/Frosty |
| Line | Spitting |
* The dimensions of a dragon’s breath differ according to the dragon’s type.
Note that dragons, while dangerous opponents, are not by any means invincible. In a medieval-type fantasy world, dragons are a common problem rather than a godlike creature of legend—so the statistics for dragons reflect a deadly but not mythical foe. The Referee is, of course, free to create stats for a more “mythical” conception of dragons. Since dice aren’t rolled for dragon hit points, it is possible for a truly mythical dragon to have more “numbers” per die than it’s actually possible to roll on a hit dice.
See Also
Other creatures in the Dragon category: Dragon, Black, Dragon, Blue, Dragon, Cave, Dragon, Death, Dragon, Gold, Dragon, Green, Dragon, Plains (Yellow Dragon), Dragon, Red, Dragon, Sea (Gray Dragon), Dragon, White.
Source note: This creature is converted from Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game, 4th Edition Release 142, © 2006–2025 Chris Gonnerman. The Basic Fantasy textual material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International; this page adapts that creature to White Box.