Focusing on dragon-hunting

[Klaus]

So I got to watch the TV cartoon Dragon Hunters (recently turned into a nice CGI movie), and it got me thinking of how to put together a campaign that focuses on dragon-hunting, keeping a fantasy setting and the cool locations like those in the Dragon Hunters movie and the D&D cartoon. Other inspirations are movies like Dragonslayer, Dragonheart and Reign of Fire.

Any ideas?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't know the series of which you speak, but you've listed off a few nice exemplars.

1) I'd start off by getting my hands on the Draconomicon and Dragon Magic.

2) Run your dragons like the alpha predators they are. The dumb ones should be like ravenous eating machines. The smart ones should be as calculating and crafty an opponent as you can face.

And that is regardless of age or type.

One thing that is essential to running any dragon properly is to remember that they are not only alpha predators, they are AERIAL alpha predators. They naturally think of combat in 3 dimensions. Most humans think of combat in 2 to 2.5 dimensions (IOW, they rarely look up or down).

In addition, even the dumbest dragons are smart enough to use their native environments with cunning. A black dragon in its swamp will probably lurk in a fashion not unlike a gator or croc, and be virtually invisible until it attacks. A smart one may even camouflage itself, draping itself with mosses or algae and other aquatic flora...

See also: http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-3r...g-dragon-vs-high-level-party.html#post4826842

3) Remember, not all dragons are evil. The campaign might be improved- and the party challenged- by encountering the occasional draconic ally.

4) While I generally don't care much for half-breed races, the Half-Dragon and other variants & sentient reptile-men to be found in 3PP and D&D products fit well in such a campaign.

 

[Kaodi]

Not all draconic allies have to be "good", I imagine. Being so manipulative and smart, I bet that there are some dragons, where confronted with news of a new dragonslaying party, think neither, " Dear Tiamat, what am I going to do to save my skin? " nor, " Puny mortals could not possible hurt me, " but instead pull out a giant map of dragon territories and ask, " What do I want to seize now that there are some new free agents in town. "

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I wouldn't be surprised to find humanoids of any species in thrall to a dragon.

And if the dragon is a shapechanger (for whatever reason), they may not even be aware that the being directing their efforts is a "Scaly Master."

 

[Aloïsius]

So I got to watch the TV cartoon Dragon Hunters (recently turned into a nice CGI movie)

I have see the CGI movie, its dragons are more of the "ravenous beast" than the manipulative evil genius kind (well, the one at the end is something else )... This is an important choice to make I think. Killing sentient creatures, especially if you can interact with them peacefully from time to time, is not the same thing as destroying dumb super-predators on a rampage.

 

[Klaus]

I have see the CGI movie, its dragons are more of the "ravenous beast" than the manipulative evil genius kind (well, the one at the end is something else )... This is an important choice to make I think. Killing sentient creatures, especially if you can interact with them peacefully from time to time, is not the same thing as destroying dumb super-predators on a rampage.

Which is why I also listed Dragonslayer and Reign of Fire as other inspirations. I want dragon/humanoid relations to be very, very rare. In Dragonslayer, for instance, you never see Vermithrax talking to a human, but we know the king staved her off with the lottery of girls thing.

I forgot to add another inspiration: Curse of the Ring, an adaptation of the Ring of the Nibelungs arc, with Kristanna Loken as Brunhild. Fafnir was awesomely done there.

 

[mudbunny]

I would be interested in seeing how you plan this out. It is an idea that I have had in the back of my mind for a campaign.

 

[Klaus]

I did some reading of the FRCS, and Returned Abeir seems promising as a setting. Of course, I'd downplay the ruling dragons: only those in charge of towns know that they pay heed to a hidden overlord, which turns out to be dragons.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Not all draconic allies have to be "good", I imagine.

In fact, Draconomicon (plug, plug ) talks about draconic patrons, and it definitely includes ideas for such that aren't even remotely "good."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

only those in charge of towns know that they pay heed to a hidden overlord, which turns out to be dragons.

And much like Terry Brooks' Word and Void books have turned out to be a prequel to his Shannara books, this campaign could turn out to be your own unique prequel to Dark Sun...