Iron dragon

Version 0.16: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

For a list of all dragons, see list of dragons.

iron dragon D
HP	103-132
HD	18
XP	1717
Speed	8
AC	20
EV	6
Will	160
Attack1	25 (bite: plain)
Attack2	25 (claw: plain)
Attack3	25 (trample: trample)
Resistances	rF+, rC+, rPois+, rDrown, rWater
Vulnerabilities	Dragon Slaying
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	Animal
Uses	Uses nothing
Holiness	Natural
Size	Giant
Type	dragon, iron dragon
Flags	See invisible Unbreathing Warm-blooded

A very heavy, slow and apparently flightless dragon. It is named for its scales, which are so tough they might be iron. Small flakes of metal trail from its nostrils. “On the other hand, Confucius is made to say to his disciples, ‘I know how birds can fly, how fishes can swim, and how animals can run. But the runner may be snared, the swimmer may be hooked, and the flyer may be shot by the arrow. But there is the dragon. I cannot tell how he mounts on the wind through the clouds, and rises to heaven. Today I have seen Lao-tsze, and can only compare him to the dragon.’” -Life of Confucius “This Dragon had Two furious Wings Each one upon each Shoulder; With a Sting in his Tail as long as a Flail, Which made him bolder and bolder. He had long Claws, and in his Jaws Four and forty Teeth of Iron; With a Hide as tough, as any Buff, Which did him round environ.” -“An Excellent Ballad of a most dreadful Combat, fought between Moore of Moore-Hall, and the Dragon of Wantley”, retold by Ambrose Philips, _A Collection of Old Ballads. Corrected from the Best and Most Ancient Copies Extant. With Introductions Historical, Critical, Or Humorous_. 1723.

Useful Info

Iron dragons are every bit as tough as their name implies. They're slow and can't fly, but make up for this by having high AC, HP, magic resistance, and resistance to fire, cold, and poison. They deal significant amounts of damage both in melee and at range, and as they take a while to bring down, be prepared to take a beating in the process. These dragons can be found occasionally in the Vaults and the Depths, and appear very frequently throughout the Iron City of Dis, particularly on its final floor.

Unlike some dragons, butchering an iron dragon does not produce a hide.

Spells

Spell set
Slot1	Metal Splinters (3d30)	Natural flag

Tips & Tricks

• The only commonly available element they aren't resistant to is electricity. If you've got significant Air Magic training or the right items, feel free to zap them.
• As they're slow, kiting iron dragons is also an option, but only if you have the room to do so and Repel Missiles or Deflect Missiles active in order to disable their breath attacks. Dis:8 and Vaults:5 generally aren't too conducive to the practice, unfortunately.