As a relatively recent arrival to D&D playable races, appearing at the end of the third edition (3e) and becoming a core race in the fourth edition (4e), Dragonborn has established itself and hit its stride in the latest fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons (5e).
Contrary to popular belief, although they do have draconic ancestry, this exotic race doesn’t stem from one dragon and one humanoid parent. A creature born through this coupling wouldn’t be a Dragonborn but a half-dragon. Dragonborn are a race of their own, hatched from dragon eggs, with a mysterious history. They usually live isolated from the world, in clan-based societies, and are an unusual sight even in the settings of D&D campaigns.
Their appearance is a good combination of humanoid and draconic features. This race is larger than your average Joe, weighing in at around 250-300 pounds and standing at more than 6 feet tall. Just to give you a better idea of what they look like – this stature firmly puts them in the “super heavyweight” category, and in addition to the razor-sharp claws on their hands and feet, they look menacing enough that even the bravest tavern brawlers wouldn’t pick a fight with them. They are covered in scales that were vibrant and colorful a long time ago, but nowadays, they are mostly duller shades of bronze or brass, and one thing that sets them apart from their dragon ancestors is that they lack wings and a tail.
Now, let’s get into the fun stuff – what makes Dragonborn so exciting and how to play this race.
Are Dragonborn Really That Cool?
The short answer to this question would be yes, they are very cool. The popularity of Dragonborn characters has been steadily rising since they appeared as a playable race. According to the official rules, you can’t play as an actual dragon in D&D, so playing a dragon-like character who can potentially breathe fire and wield a weapon seems like a perfect second choice for many fans of epic fantasy. Unfortunately, Dragonborn lack wings, so your character won’t be able to fly and wreak havoc on their enemies from above, but choosing this race still has many upsides.
When creating a Dragonborn character, your Strength score automatically increases by two and your Charisma score by one. These modifiers make this race a good fit for both martial and spellcasting classes, which gives you many options to choose from. Additionally, as a Dragonborn, you can speak Draconic as well as Common, and this might come in handy during adventuring since the former is considered one of the oldest languages and is frequently used in the study of magic. As I’ve previously mentioned, this race does stem from dragons, and their draconic ancestry manifests itself in many traits, the most important ones being Damage Resistance and Breath Weapon, which I’ll expand on a bit later.
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything also offers you a choice of two racial feats for your Dragonborn character, either Dragon Hide or Dragon Fear.
The Dragon Hide feat makes the scales covering your body harden and form a sort of natural armor on their own. Even though this feat definitely increases your immersion in the game, gives you some flavor, and helps you feel like a badass dragon that has impenetrable skin and claws as sharp as a knife, these benefits are still only suitable for low and mid-level campaign difficulties, but once you get to level 10 and beyond, Dragon Hide isn’t really beneficial for you anymore.
Your other option is Dragon Fear, which you can use instead of your Breath Weapon to exhale menacing energy in the direction of your opponents. This gives you a good advantage in situations where you have to fight a large group of enemies, but it isn’t that great if the enemies are spellcasters with high Wisdom scores that can easily pass the saving throw.
How Relevant is Draconic Ancestry for a Dragonborn?
When creating a Dragonborn character, you can choose their draconic ancestry from five chromatic (black, blue, green, red, white) and five metallic dragons (brass, bronze, copper, gold, silver). Be careful to choose wisely because every type of dragon is connected to a particular element. Therefore, the draconic ancestry impacts the size, shape, and type of elemental damage dealt by your Breath Weapon, as well as the type of damage you are resistant to. For example, if you decide on the red, brass, or gold dragon as your ancestor, as a Dragonborn, you will be resistant to fire and will be able to deal fire damage through your Breath Weapon. To see all the different draconic ancestry types and their corresponding elements and decide the best fit for yourself, you can check out the Player’s Handbook.
How to Best Take Advantage of Dragonborn’s Breath Weapon
Breath Weapon is one of the key features of a Dragonborn character in D&D 5e. During their turn in combat, your character can use it to exhale energy and deal damage to one or multiple opponents. In D&D 4e, using this weapon was considered a minor action (equivalent to a bonus action in 5e), and it could be used with another action during a player’s turn. In D&D 5e, unfortunately, Breath Weapon is considered a full action, and you can use it only once per short or long rest.
As I’ve previously mentioned, the type of draconic ancestry you choose will influence whether your Dragon Breath will deal damage in a straight line or in the shape of a cone. To fully take advantage of the breath weapon, I would personally prefer a cone shape rather than a line. Since the creatures you will encounter on your adventures would probably be spread out during combat, having a weapon that deals damage in a larger area and affects more of your opponents would definitely be helpful. Picking a cone shape obviously has some downsides, too, and when aiming, you have to be careful not to singe the eyebrows of a friendly NPC or freeze a party member half to death. This might land you in hot water, and they might give you a cold shoulder afterward (pun intended).
Additionally, I would suggest choosing the type of damage your Dragonborn character deals carefully to maximize its power. Although fire damage is a great power to have, many of the monsters you will encounter in your adventures may also be resistant to it, which would make your Breath Weapon pretty much useless.
Maybe take a peek at the Monster Manual and check out which element affects the most creatures you might encounter on your quests. Alternatively, if you are in your DM’s good graces, you could ask them for help. Since they are planning to send you on an adventure with certain types of dungeon dwellers, if they’re feeling extra generous, they can help you choose an appropriate type of damage to deal through your breath weapon.
Best Classes to Play as Dragonborn in D&D 5e
As I’ve already mentioned, when creating a Dragonborn character, you get a +2 for Strength and +1 for Charisma. These boosts make Dragonborn an excellent fit for a lot of classes, both martial ones that rely on Strength and spellcasting ones that depend on Charisma.
You can choose to capitalize on your Strength boost and play a Barbarian. Can you imagine a fire-breathing Dragonborn wielding a war hammer or a mace? That sounds epic. The Barbarian rage can boost your attacks, and since this class has the benefit of an extra attack, you can take full advantage of your Breath Weapon and use it in combination with a melee attack. Also, since Breath Weapon is technically a ranged attack, it can add more variety to the Barbarians’ typically close-quarters combat. Finally, the clan-oriented society of Dragonborn has many similarities to the Barbarian tribes, which gives you an opportunity to create an amazing backstory for your character.
Similarly, a Fighter is also an excellent choice for a Dragonborn in D&D 5e. Fighters are very experienced in combat, and their armor, weapon, and skill proficiencies can make up for the fact that the Dragonborn race has no innate ones. Comparably to a Barbarian, Breath Weapon also gives Fighters a ranged attack, which can help you gain control of the battlefield.
If you want to make the most out of your Charisma boost, you should choose one of the spellcasting classes, like a Sorcerer. This class is an excellent choice for a Dragonborn adventurer because your draconic heritage can be a source of your power and give you an excellent opportunity to create a compelling backstory about it. Also, you can get other draconic traits because of your innate magic, like a scale-like armor, the ability to sprout dragon wings and fly, or even the presence of a draconic ancestor who can frighten your opponents.
Finally, some D&D fans would agree that a Paladin is the best choice for a Dragonborn character since they will benefit from both strength and charisma boosts.
Even though I have given you many great options here, you have to remember that the most important part of D&D is to have fun, not to have the most OP character. In 5e, there isn’t one particular optimal class for every race. All of them have benefits, although some more than others. I gave you my suggestions, but in the end, choose whichever class you want to play. Your choice should mostly depend on your preferred style of attack. If you cannot make a decision by yourself, consult your DM or even talk to other players to see what they think the team needs. Make a great backstory, and have a fantastic time adventuring with your friends!
