Balloon Dragons are so named because they are filled with a gas that makes them almost lighter than air, similar to balloons. However, they are not prone to bursting, as they are covered in tough skin and can deflate themselves if necessary. In addition, they generally are slow moving. They use their gas bladders to float to the tops of trees, where food is more abundant. They can shift their weight from their backs to their fronts, allowing them to reach leaves and fruit.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

Rabid Hot Air Balloon has a strange, inexplicable aversion to the ground. He refuses to go anywhere near it, for he believes that if a dragon touches the ground, it will have bad luck for years. Of course this isn't true, but Rabid Hot Air Balloon thinks he has seen nothing but evidence that supports his belief. He claims that he is perfectly happy drifting above the treetops, while the dragon clans that actually walk suffer from constant war and disease. He sometimes gets bored with nothing to do but drift about the treetops, but to Rabid Hot Air Balloon, this is better than having the slightest stroke of misfortune.