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.

Unlike a typical dragon, this Balloon's hoard consists not of shiny treasures, but rather a particular variety of children's toy she pilfers from the nearby human settlements. Fashioned out of soft fabric and sewn into cute animal shapes, the toys are then filled with dried beans to add weight and make them posable. She keeps her "babies", as she calls them, pristine at all times because she insists that they are worth just as much as any gold coin or jeweled bauble. Should an unwary hatchling try to actually play with her collection, she will swiftly chase them off while muttering about "tags" and "mint condition".