The life cycle of the dragon is somewhat different than natural creatures. Dragons are incapable of breeding true, though they are hermaphrodites who lay eggs. These eggs produce dragomen (monstrous creatures twisting draconic features into humanoid forms) and lesser dragons (wyverns, dragomen, and griffin-like creatures known as drakes - blue drakes, brass drakes, gold drakes, and so forth). Instead, they reproduce by means of a little-understood aura that pervades the area around the dragon and imprints on those humans - the most mutable of races - who dwell in the shadow of the dragon's wings. While most only result in the sorts of mutations that mark the dragon-clansmen as distinct from free humanity, some are born with greater power and slowly develop more and more draconic features as they age until they finally metamorphose into a young adult dragon when they would normally die of old age. At first they retain much of their old personalities, but as they age into draconic maturity their personalities and alignments often change to fall more in line with their particular species of dragon. Scholars little understand this process, and dragons do not encourage its study. Of particular curiosity is the dragons' origin, for there are more natural creatures similar to dragons extant who do not metamorphose from humans.
In game terms, they are sorcerers who take levels in the dragon disciple prestige class all the way up to the capstone. When they would ordinarily die of old age, they then undergo a sort of metamorphosis that converts their class levels into dragon hit dice, with leftover dragon disciple levels converting into sorcerer levels. Thus, many dragons have class levels.
Lesser dragons include wyverns, pseudodragons, dragomen, dragonspawn, and drakes.
Wyverns are the most primitive of the lesser dragons, breeding true in the hinterlands. They have a similar relationship to dragons as apes do to humans, being a more primitive form of the original dragon stock. The orcs and goblinoids of the wilds have tamed wyverns to serve as mounts, as have some humans living outside the Dragon Realms.
Pseudodragons are much less primitive, and are perhaps an offshoot of the draconic lineage derived from wyverns or share a common ancestor with both wyverns and dragons.
Dragomen are the most humanoid of the lesser dragons, with several hatching from each egg. They straddle the line between dragon and human, and are perhaps a throwback of sorts to the dragon's secret human origins. They are less fertile than humans, but with lifespans similar to those of elves are able to maintain a steady population even with their frequent employment as soldiers.
Dragonspawn resulted from alchemical manipulation of unhatched eggs, but they are capable of breeding true without draconic interference. The only dragonspawn are from chromatic dragons under the sway of Tiamat, as metallic dragons have not engaged in such experimentation on their own offspring.
Drakes are the most like their draconic sires, and when someone refers to a 'lesser dragon' they are typically talking of a drake. They are sterile, but serve their draconic sires as envoys and in roles similar to nobility. Many young drakes serve in knighthoods as cavalry alongside a human companion, giving rise to the classic image of the dragon-riding champion. They are matched by the griffon-riders of the free cities and the goblin wyvern-riders.
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