Killed a dragon, now they wanna strip it

Im a first time DM. My group just slayed the dragon in the Kolbold Hall game and one of them wanted to skin the dragon. He said that dragon parts are great to sell and wanted to chop it up, carry as much as they wanted, and come back as needed.

I made them do a few nature and arcane rolls and said that they do not have the tools nor the expertese to do such a thing. The guy was bumed and so I said he could pull a few teeth (he pulled out 6)

I was wondering is their a guide somewhere that discusses what part of the dragon could be sold/turned into magical stuff? Becuse I know that if a dragon is introduced at some point, the same guy is going to want to do it.


EDIT: I should mention that the rest of the group was trying to talk him out of it as they know that
1. I had no clue on what parts can be used
and
2. There is no 4th edition manual that says so.

They mention that in a previous edition that there was a guide about what could be used for what. Anyone know what this guide is called

I'd take the GP value of a treasure packet or two and make them ritual components worth that much. This also lets them be used to create magic items, since that's a ritual.

i don't know of any 4e resource describing the arcane or commercial uses for creature parts, but it's certainly a reasonable thing for players to try.

something the players don't know (or maybe they do, but they put it in the "i don't think of that" box while they are playing) is that you control the total loot they get, when and in what form it arrives, and you have to keep it within certain boundaries for the game math to work as intended. So clever ideas like skinning the dragon for extra cash only means you will have to dole out less cash later to keep them on track.

Still, you'd like to say yes, to reward fun ideas. My solutions:

A. Adventure hook. Yes, dragon skin CAN be used to make enchanted hide armor, but it's not the only ingredient needed. Finding the formula (or maybe even reinventing it - the technique was lost after the fall of Bael Turath) and then all the ingredients to make a few good suits of +2 hide of some kind will take about 3 levels of adventuring, coincidentally just enough to justify counting the armor as a treasure parcel.

B. Expendables. Well, you sliced his hide up so thoroughly that it's not worth saving, but the bile in his gizzard can make potions of dragon breath. An alchemist in town will make you each one free potion if he can have the leftover bile. This brief blip in the treasure per level power curve will be gone as soon as they use it up.

C. Prestige. No one knows how to make anything magical out of dragon parts, but a taxidermist ( or a hard Nature roll) can preserve the head or some other part and incorporate it into your helmet, granting a +2 to Intimidate checks in some circumstances but pretty well spoiling any Diplomacy checks vs. dragons.

in 4e, that could be

a) arcane ritual components of whatever worht/value you (as the DM) assign to it (probably take it out of would-be gold treasure)

b) look at magic items on the same theme as dragon stuff or fire (if it's a red dragon, for instance). And say that it counts as the material component cost for one of those magic items (for instance, i think there is something called red dragonscale armor that gives resist to fire and something along those lines).

Draconomicon 1 details this exact thing: Dragon parts as treasure. Chapter 2 gives various uses for different body parts and how they might be used in rituals. It also has the following to say about dragon armor:
Unfortunately for those who desire to make armor from dragon scales, harvesting scales is difficult, and armor constructed from such scales lasts only a few weeks after it is taken from a living dragon. Everyone knows stories of unique sets of magic armor made of dragon scales, but it might be impossible to construct a mundane armor from harvested scales without a long-lost creation ritual.

Destil said:

I'd take the GP value of a treasure packet or two and make them ritual components worth that much. This also lets them be used to create magic items, since that's a ritual.

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This. Next time they want to cut up a dead monster, just say "sure", cross of one or two treasure parcels for the level, and hand it out in hoard treasure / resellable trophies / alchemical components.

4th edition is pretty easy that way. Note that a treasure parcel of, say, 400 gp, doesn't mean it has to be 400 gp in gold pieces, it can just as well be dragon claws, a golden statue of zehir, or giant frog togues.

fettsvett201 said:

2. There is no 4th edition manual that says so.

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Rule books can't cover everything. That's why the game has a DM, and the DM has a brain.

I would say:

Easy Level 4 Check (the dragon's level 4, right?); if they make it, they get a random monetary treasure parcel (roll 1d6+4) in alchemical reagents.

Nature or Arcana checks could be used.

My players got oddly specific with me. My brother in particular made a list of the organs he was harvesting to place in jars for Arcane components for rituals, while another wanted to skin the dragon to make Hide armor, etc. I told them they can take the skin with them, but they are going to need a tanner or something if they expect any gear made from it. As it was a Black Dragon, I think some Resist 5 Acid armor seems appropriate.

Destil said:

I'd take the GP value of a treasure packet or two and make them ritual components worth that much. This also lets them be used to create magic items, since that's a ritual.

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This. Collecting monster parts is both fun and flavourful. It's something I've allowed and even encouraged in every edition of the game. It's also great for side-quests.

Just make sure to take it into account, i.e. it's not a way to earn extra treasure parcels.

In ADnD we were used to milking dead monsters´s poison and acid, taking dragon scales and such. We followed this tradition in our 3rd edition games and with the idea of rituals i would gladly say yes if a player tries it.

Having seen all the discussions of rituals costing too much i think this is the perfect way to incorporate them into the game. Maybe a simple line in the ritual cost which reads like:

Ritual components can be purchased or you can find them with appropriate arcana/nature checks to extract them from monsters/or the natural enviroment...

think about it: a druid having to go into a shop to buy ritual components when he can cut his mistletoes himself?

A wizard buying bat guano if he just fought a giant bat?

Just tell your player, that without conservation and expending a bit of his bought alchemical items and a bit time, those thinks lose their power very fast.

So you have: use it or lose it, giving wizards a reason to use rituals or doing alchemie regularily.