Species profile: Halfdragons

Halfdragons are a hybrid draconic race who are mostly draconic but somewhat human, and unlike dragonborn and halfbloods, they are neither fully draconic nor half-dragon. Like both dragonborn and halfbloods, halfdragons were once humans centuries ago and opted to undergo the draconification ritual under their dragonlords. In the draconic hierarchy, the more draconic and closer to true dragons one is, the higher on the hierarchy they are. So in the draconic hierarchy, halfdragons rank below dragonborn and true dragons, although they rank above halfbloods and lower-caste kobolds.

In draconic society, halfdragons assume the middle rank of the nobility, either being landowners or warriors who serve as junior commanders and squires under Rittersdrache (dragon knights). Halfdragons are gentry and possess landed estates with a manor staffed with kobold servants, although younger halfdragons who are training as junior knights usually live in a dragonborn’s castle complex. Halfdragon families are monogamous, consisting of a bounded (married) husband and wife, with their households containing most of their extended family, combined with Kobold servants who are considered an honorary part of their family.

Halfdragons have good relations with other draconic races, their draconic blood and features making them an honored part of draconic society. Like all draconic races, halfdragons revere their dragonlords, be they great or lesser dragons. Kobolds honor halfdragons because of their draconic blood and serve in their households as servants or advisors. Dragonborn respect them as smaller versions of themselves, and help teach them the ways of draconic knighthood. Halfbloods look up to halfdragons due to their high ranking and admire their draconic traits. Nonkin (non-draconic races) find halfdragons exotic-looking, either revering them because of their draconic blood, fearing them, or even being resentful of them since they are seen as “lackeys” of dragonlords.

Physically, halfdragons have a mostly human build in terms of their body, such as having a plantigrade stance unlike a digitigrade stance in Kobolds or dragonborn, or having hair, which is usually a darker version of their scale color. Their draconic traits are far more accentuated than in a halfblood, with their entire body covered in scales, with ventral scales covering their chest and abdomen. They have a snout for a face with sharp, serrated teeth, draconic slit eyes, and a pair of large horns on their head. They have wings and a tail that is usually larger and more prominent than in halfbloods. Because of their patron dragonlord, who physically transformed them through draconification, halfdragons always bear characteristics of their dragon patron.

Halfdragons are around the height of humans, although they are taller than average humans, with females around 5 ½ feet tall on average while males are around 6 ½ feet tall on average. Both male and female halfdragons possess physical sexual dimorphism, with males having a more muscular and sturdy figure as well as larger horns and a longer tail, while females have an hourglass figure and a more slender build. Halfdragons have a lifespan of up to 150 to 200 years, and like all draconic races, they lack physical aging as they become elderly and remain relatively strong even in old age.

Halfdragons can use their wings for flight and are quite versatile when in the air, and can remain in flight for far longer than halfbloods and even dragonborn due to their lightweight build. They can also breathe fire, possessing a miniature version of a dragon’s biological mechanism to produce fire. While halfdragons can breathe fire in bursts far longer than halfbloods, they cannot breathe for as long, nor is their fire as hot as a dragonborn’s. Halfdragons are physically strong while also possessing a greater sense of smell, acute hearing, and sharp sight. For their diet, halfdragons are carnivores, with the bulk of their diet consisting of meat.

Like their draconic counterparts, halfdragon males and females have internal sexual genitalia, and females lay a large egg rather than giving live birth as in halfbloods. Once impregnated, a female can expect to deliver one egg, although having 2 eggs and more at once is not unknown. An expectant female’s gravid phase lasts around 5 months, and once they lay their egg, the incubation phase lasts for another 5 months until the egg hatches. Once hatched, halfdragon babies possess innate motor skills, being able to walk in their first year, and are fed softened hard foods like meat. It takes around 20 years for a halfdragon to mature into an adult, slightly longer than in a human due to their long lifespan.