The DnD Black Dragon Gets Terrifying New Look
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
When it comes to dragons in DnD, there’s no shortage of colors to choose from, with the game offering a veritable rainbow of draconic death and destruction, from the searing flames of red dragons to the bone-chilling blast of a white dragon.
Yet one of the most iconic DnD wyrms is the legendary black dragon, a monster that haunts the depths of swamps and is known for its deadly acid breath, even going so far as to make a brief appearance in the D&D Honor Among Thieves film.
As part of the upcoming 2025 Monster Manual, Wizards of the Coast recently revealed a surprising new design for the black dragon, with a more realistic approach to the creature. So just what can fans expect as DnD gets back in black? Below, we take a closer look at the new design.
What are black dragons in DnD lore?
Black dragons (also known as skull dragons or swamp dragons) are a type of chromatic dragon that has been a staple in Dungeons & Dragons since the earliest editions of the game. Known for their malicious and vengeful nature, they are sadistic predators who revel in the suffering of others and possess an unrivalled cunning.
Black dragons typically inhabit swamps, marshes and jungles, where they create lairs in murky, waterlogged caverns and ruined structures swallowed by the wetlands. These lairs are often filled with stagnant water and the stench of decay, protected by their natural environment with elements such as quicksand, venomous plants and treacherous terrain. Black dragons often use their mastery over their environment to create deadly traps and ambushes for unwary adventurers. They also have a particular affinity for relics of ancient, long-forgotten civilizations, which they amass alongside their treasure hoards.
Physically, black dragons are recognizable for their sleek, sinuous bodies, dark scales that glisten with an oily sheen and long, curving horns. They are also distinguished from the appearance of other dragons due to their skull-like faces, sunken eyes and broad, bat-like wings, with muscular limbs adapted for swimming and digging through their swampy habitats.
In combat, black dragons prefer to weaken their foes through hit-and-run tactics, using their natural ability to breathe underwater and their proficiency in stealth to launch surprise attacks. Their breath weapon, a line of caustic acid, can dissolve flesh and armor alike, leaving their victims in excruciating pain. When engaging in direct battle, black dragons often utilize their claws, teeth and powerful tails to great effect, often leveraging their Frightful Presence to instil terror and disarray among their enemies.
How are DnD black dragons changing in 2024?
While black dragons have remained largely unchanged since the 1970s, they are experiencing a major redesign as part of the launch of the new 2024 DnD Core Books. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Head of Art for D&D Josh Herman explained some of the new design choices, leaning into the ecology of the creature as part of the process.
“We want it to feel a little bit spikier. Have a sort of an alligator inspired, swamp creature, that would sit in the water very still looking like a stick or tree. That ambush predator kind of vibe,” says Herman. “We played around with the wings. We wanted the wing shape of each of the dragons to be distinct. So for this one, the webbing on the dragon’s wings doesn’t go all the way to the tips of the digits like it does on almost all the other dragons.”
Herman also says that the design team took inspiration for the new black dragon from an unlike source: Disney.
“A big piece of reference that I actually looked at early, and it kind of helped me set in my mind where we wanted to go, was the Lion King,” says Herman. “Looking at the Lion King, specifically between Scar and Mufasa, just the physical differences between them. Even if you didn’t know who they were voiced by, you didn’t know who they are in the movie, you can tell immediately who the villain is, and you can immediately tell who the hero is just through their physical traits.”
That villainous inspiration is definitely visible in the new design, with the skull-like visage enhanced to make it the black dragon look even more menacing. In fact, Herman says this kind of personalization was a key design goal when approaching the new look for all dragons in the new 2025 Monster Manual.
“The biggest thing when we talk about the Dragon designs, overall, the biggest goal was to give them more character and personality,” he says. “Those are the big things that if I had to give a critique on the previous designs, those didn’t come through as clear for me. I think that they were beautiful designs that really innovated and established what a lot of Dragon designs looked like for about 20 years, which is pretty impressive honestly when you think about that. But one of the things moving forward is that a D&D Dragon can talk, it can speak because it can cast magic spells, it has motivations, it has plots.”
This more narrative-focused approach makes sense when you compare the new black dragon to the the new green dragon and gold dragon redesign that was also unveiled in recent months, both of which have a more distinctive look than anything we’ve seen is past DnD editions.
Final Thoughts
The black dragon is an underappreciated monster that’s often overshadowed by other chromatics, and it’s great to see it get this kind of attention from the Wizards of the Coast art team. And while the overall design of the monster has been significantly changed , it’s not yet clear if the creature’s stats block will also be updated. We’ll just have to wait until the launch of the 2025 Monster Manual on February 18th, 2025 to know for sure.
You can pre-order your copy now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
More D&D News Coverage
For more from the world of Wizards of the Coast, visit our D&D News page.
Paige Stuart is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where she majored in English Literature at Northwestern University. She’s relatively new to Dungeons & Dragons having started playing 5th edition several years ago. Her favorite D&D campaign setting so far is the Forgotten Realms and her favorite character to play is a Wizard named Felician who hurls both bad puns and fireballs with equal ease.
* We are members of the Amazon Affiliates program, which allows us to earn a small commission for purchases made on those websites at no additional cost to you the consumer.
