Steel dragons, originally known as Greyhawk dragons, are a fictional race of dragon

Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...

 in the Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

roleplaying game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting

Campaign setting

A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...

. The creatures would later find their way into other settings, such as the Forgotten Realms

Forgotten Realms

The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...

.

Publication history

The steel dragon appeared in first edition in Dragon

Dragon (magazine)

Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...

#62 (June 1982).

The steel dragon appeared in second edition for the Forgotten Realms

Forgotten Realms

The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...

 setting in Draconomicon

Draconomicon

The Draconomicon is an optional sourcebook for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, providing supplementary game material focusing on dragons. Different versions of the Draconomicon have been printed for different editions of Dungeons & Dragons...

(1990). The steel dragon was further developed in Dragon Annual #3 (1998).

The wyrmling steel dragon, the very young steel dragon, the young steel dragon, the juvenile steel dragon, the young adult steel dragon, the adult steel dragon, the mature adult steel dragon, the old steel dragon, the very steel dragon, the ancient steel dragon, the wyrm steel dragon, and the great wyrm steel dragon appeared in third edition for the Forgotten Realms setting in Dragons of Faerûn (2006).

Description

Steel dragons are much like the other races of metallic dragon with one primary exception: they prefer to maintain the form of a human (or other sentient race) in order to mingle with, infiltrate and study the cultures of men and their ilk. Because of this, few people know when they are interacting with a Steel Dragon.

When in human form they will always have a feature which betrays their nature, though it may be carefully concealed. This may be a shock of steel-gray hair, or an eye that appears silvered over with age, or any other feature that resembles their natural complexion.

In dragon form, a steel dragon has hair-like spines around its head and a cat-like body with a vaguely human-like face. Its scales, of course, resemble steel armor.

Steel dragons in the World of Greyhawk

In the World of Greyhawk setting these creatures are known as Greyhawk dragons. It is known that at least one is deeply involved in the Free City of Greyhawk

Free City of Greyhawk

The Free City of Greyhawk, also known as Greyhawk City and the "Gem of the Flanaess," is a fictional city-state in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...

's affairs.

Within the Greyhawk setting, such dragons are known to have made journeys into other material planes where they have come to be called steel dragons.