The yellow dragon is a traditional monster in both fantasy fiction and role-playing games.
Yellow dragons are so rare that they only exist in theory on most worlds. Dragon theory is a very popular topic amongst some sages, and the yellow dragon, its habitat and demeanor were theorized centuries before one was ever found. They
are usually a medium sized type of dragons. They are
fairly intelligent, but they do not speak any languages other than the (very simple) yellow dragon language.
Yellow dragons are hatched from eggs and they come out with soft
tan scales. These scales will become harder and lighter in
color as the dragon ages, and will finally take on a color
that is close to the yellow of desert sand. Yellow dragons have a breath weapon similar to that of the brown dragon, they breath in a large
amount of sand and then expel it in a mighty blast of 300 degree air that is capable of blinding those that it does not kill. Some
older dragons gain the ability to become invisible and control the desert sands
themselves. But those powers are far from
universal.
Yellow dragons always make their homes in sandy
deserts. They prefer to live far from human settlements but close to trade routes. They consider the brass dragon to
be their biggest rival.
Many yellow dragons do not mate at all. They are very protective of their territory and will only meet with other dragons for mating purposes. The females raise the young alone, and will drive them out of her territory at a fairly young age. Yellow dragon mothers seem to care little for their hatchlings and will not even put much effort into protecting them.
Yellow dragons dig their own lairs, usually a quarter
mile or more beneath the desert sands. They rarely leave any
obvious openings, instead they tunnel to their lair through
sand dunes that will collapse behind them. They prefer to eat fresh meat, but can survive on sand and dirt indefinitely.
The chief reason why yellow dragons are so unknown is their hunting tactics. They dig themselves into the sand in elaborate ways and then lay in wait for a humanoid or large animal to come along. At the right moment they will raise their wings causing their victim to slide right into their freshly opened mouth. If their prey was a member of a small group then the dragon will slaughter the rest of the group, otherwise it will dig far underneath the sand and escape, and the eyewitnesses will think it was some sort of giant desert worm instead of a dragon.
My monster nodes are usually based upon material in the
various AD&D rulebooks. But they are my own work, as I
often expand the information. In some cases I will
blatantly disagree with the source material. None of these
nodes are cut and paste. You are free to use my
descriptions in any material of your own (even commercial
material), as long as I am credited as the
source.