How to Design a Dragon OC

This is part of our design series on how to make an OC! – The ultimate guide to character building.

Wanna design a super cool dragon for your next fantasy story? Well look no further! Whether you want to design a full-on dragon or a humanoid one, we have some tips to help you out.

Dragons are a fun type of character for a project, especially for a fantasy story. So how do you go about designing the perfect dragon OC? Let’s talk about it!

Deciding Your Dragon’s Fierce Form

The first thing to think about when designing a dragon is the form they’ll have. While the first thing that comes to mind when you think “dragon” might be a lizard-like creature with wings, there’s different types you can consider. The type of dragon might impact their lore, personality, as well as their design. For some different types to think about, you might consider, you might create:

• A full-blooded dragon
• A hybrid species dragon
• A humanoid dragon
• A shapeshifting dragon who can shift between forms

Dragon Details: Scales, Wings, and More

Another thing to think about as you design a dragon OC is the kind of details you want to give them. You can think about the kind or scales they might have or consider what size they’ll be. A more humanoid dragon character might have fewer scales than a full dragon, with scales only on their face and arms. It could be the same thing with wings: a hybrid OC might have smaller wings than a fullblood. You could also think about color symbolism and how it might impact a dragonish OC design. Here’s some dragon OC ideas to get your creativity flowing:

• A fullblood dragon with large, tattered wings and red scales to symbolize danger
• A hybrid dragon with less scales, feathered wings, and a green color scheme to symbolize growth
• A half-dragon with rounded scales, medium-sized wings, and a blue color scheme to symbolize stability
• A humanoid dragon with small, delicate wings and yellow scales to symbolize cowardice

Dragonic Powers and Limits

Now, it’s time to think about the powers and limits of a dragon. Dragons are often powerful beings with magic abilities. That being said, even the most powerful of creatures have their limits! There are dragons that breathe fire, there’s also ones that breathe frost, and others might breathe poisonous gas. You might think about how the dragon OC’s magic affects them, whether that be in a positive or negative way. A dragon OC might also be able to affect others with their abilities. If you need some ideas, here’s a few to consider:

• A supportive half-dragon with healing magic, but they can only use it for short periods of time
• A dangerous hybrid dragon who can breathe fire, but doing so for too long can burn their throat
• A villainous humanoid dragon with dark magic that slowly deteriorates their body over time
• A heroic fullblood dragon who can fly, but their wings could tear easily

Creating Your Dragon’s World

Another aspect to think about when designing a dragon is the world they’re in. You can think about the lore of the dragon species, their customs, or other factors. Perhaps a certain species of dragons paints their scales, while a different one uses jewelry and treasure to signify their status. Certain species might be territorial, while others aren’t. For some inspiration to think about, here’s some to get you thinking:

• A dragon species that’s territorial over their treasure and uses jewelry and gold as a status symbol
• A race of dragons who live in social groups and have territories in different forests, each one wearing a different color of paint on their scales
• Two groups of dragon species who have a long history of war between each other and wear unique armor based on their location
• Different dragon civilizations that are allies who hunt together and have matching gemstones

For help on how to develop a world for an OC story, check out our article with worldbuilding questions to help you create your world.

Personality of a Dragon

An important thing to think about when designing your character is what kind of personality they might have.  It’s common for dragons to be wise creatures or fearsome beasts, but there’s plenty of other archetypes to consider. A unique personality can help with deciding on what physical traits the dragon OC could have and help the audience guess what kind of character they are. You might consider using personality to decide their color symbolism, shape language, or their design theme. For some ideas, you could consider:

• A grumpy dragon with a grey color palette and sharp shape language
• A cheerful hybrid with an orange color palette and round shape language
• A mysterious shapeshifter with sharp and round shape language as well as a purple color palette
• A steadfast dragon with square shape language and a black color palette

If you need more ideas on how to decide on your OC’s archetype, we have an article on how to choose an OC's personality.

Where Your OC Fits in the Story

One more factor to think about while designing a dragon OC is where they’ll fit into the story. Some dragons might take the role of a mount or companion, while others might be the protagonist or villain of a story. Depending on what you go with, the design could have elements that match it. Accessories could reflect their role and give the audience an idea as to who the dragon is meant to be in the story. If you need some dragon OC ideas, here’s some to inspire you:

• A mount dragon who wears a saddle and gear
• A humanoid mentor dragon who wears robes and carries a book of spells
• A villainous fullblood dragon who wears skulls and bones
• A guardian shapeshifter who wears protective armor

Share Your OC on Unvale

There’s plenty of ways to go about designing a dragon OC. By thinking about their form, world, details, and more, you can create a unique dragon perfect for the story you want to tell.

Once you're finished designing your dragon OC, share them with us on Unvale. We’d love to see them! If you need a specific spot to share your dragon, make a post about them in the Unvale-Blog community!