How do you like your dragons?

Skarp Hedin · Nov 23, 2002

In my current campaign, they're large dangerous monsters with animal intelligence. They are more cunning than animals of course, probably around Int 3 maybe. I haven't fully plotted out their intelligence and etc. They've got no magical abilities, and are classified as Beasts.

There are different colors, but so far they all breathe either fire or acid, and acid is extremely rare.

They are, however, favored targets for demons looking to possess something dangerous, which has given rise to myths about intelligent talking dragons. Clerics generally try to educate people that the intelligent dragons are just demons riding in a giant lizard body, but rumors persist.

jdavis · Nov 23, 2002

Top of the foodchain. In our Campaign dragons are the ultimate Monster native to the Prime Material Plane(we have yet to encounter a Metallic one), Alot depends on the type, and it's age but we always respect a good fight with a Dragon, It's a big deal when one turns up, they are fairly rare and extremely feared, but for the most part they are just another Monster.

Dark Dragon · Nov 23, 2002

IMC, dragons come shortly after the gods regarding their power. They use all their abilities, innate magic, superior tactics and minions to get rid of a problem. Dragons are one of the oldest races. Evil dragons are plain unpredictable and arrogant at best and ravaging monsters at worst (or both on the same day

). Good dragons are sometimes moody, sometimes helpful, but in the first instance, there is no doubt who makes the rules. They're sometimes sought for an advice and live in reclusive areas. Epic dragons could even rule a whole continent (or world) but are unlikely to be met (and those who encountered them rarely have an occasion to tell the story).
The group I'm currently DMing never managed it to kill a dragon as long as I am DM. They encountered Balagos (Red Great Wyrm) several times and were forced to serve him: the party had to remove the traps in Azurphax' lair before Balagos showed up and finished off the smaller Green Dracolich. The pay: the PCs life and loss of several magic items to the wyrm...Brown, black and other red dragons caused heavy damage before the dragon retreated (and plans its next step).
Yep, dragons are really versatile and powerful

Celtavian · Nov 23, 2002

Re

Ancient creatures of great cunning and magical power who ruled the world until other races grew in magical power. The only reason dragons don't rule now is because of their slow reproduction and territorial nature. They will not suffer other dragons, even their own young, to live within their territory and they will not form collective armies.

Dragons view many of the other races as formidable and seek to avoid conflict with them. They understand that individually they are more powerful, but they are less numerous. The dragons understand that humans and other races often fight collectively and will willingly sacrifice one or many of their own to destroy the threat of a dragon. This make battling the lesser races a dangerous conflict that will most likely result in their own destruction while not really affecting the other races who can reproduce faster.

Dragons understand that they will never be able to work together as humans and other races do, so they have removed themselves from the visible rulership of the world. They now reside in places where humans cannot easily reside or venture to, and they ruthlessly hold their territory making it just as dangerous for humans or other races to encroach upon their lands. They only hope that no other race decides to make a concentrated effort take what they have resulting in a conflict to the death.

Some dragons tend to make treaties with the neighboring races to avoid conflict.

This is how I view D and D dragons, though I have a different style of dragon for a homebrew world.

arwink · Nov 23, 2002

Mostly I run them as individuals, but I had one campaign where dragons were guardians of ancient sites of magic, set in place by the gods. Killing, bypassing or befriending one universally meant access to artifact level items or raw magical power.
For the most part, they were greedy creatures pressed into service, and several were very unhappy with the situation.

Snoweel · Nov 23, 2002

I'm currently overhauling my homebrew, and before I launch my next campaign, I'm looking to find an important place for D&D's signature monster in my setting.

I must say, this thread is VERY cool.

Skarp Hedin said:
In my current campaign, they're large dangerous monsters with animal intelligence. They are more cunning than animals of course, probably around Int 3 maybe. I haven't fully plotted out their intelligence and etc. They've got no magical abilities, and are classified as Beasts.

There are different colors, but so far they all breathe either fire or acid, and acid is extremely rare.

They are, however, favored targets for demons looking to possess something dangerous, which has given rise to myths about intelligent talking dragons. Clerics generally try to educate people that the intelligent dragons are just demons riding in a giant lizard body, but rumors persist.

Incredible. This is pretty much what I've got so far for the Dragons in my setting, though this is even better than my take on Dragons.

Well done - you've started me on another round of inspiration. (And will I ever get my homebrew back off the ground?)

First Oriental Adventures, then SHARK selling me on the merits of high-fantasy, now this. I'm sure Malhavoc's Arcana Unearthed will throw another spanner in the works...

LoneWolf23 · Nov 23, 2002

I've been thinking of making all dragons related in one aspect or another, with only one deity: Tiamat, the Mother of All Dragons (Neutral Greater Goddess). She would be a Mythos-like creature beyond Human comprehension, with both Creator aspects (Metallic) and Destroyer aspects (Chromatic). She would embody not only those two types of Dragons, but ALL other Dragons as well: Gem Dragons, Cloud Dragons, Shadow Dragons, Force Dragons, etc.

The Metallics and the Chromatics would have differing points of view, the Chromatics believing in "Might makes Right" and the Metallics believing in "Do onto others as you would have them do onto you". Each group would also see the other as an aberration, corrupting the essence of Tiamat with their very existance, and as such would be at war with each other, blinding themselves to the fact that Tiamat doesn't care about Good or Evil in any way.

They would behave in ways very similar to the Vorlons and Shadows, with the Metallic trying to influence mortal races into building peaceful, ordered civilisations and the Chromatics trying to encourage war and strife to weed out the weak. Dragon "Treasure Hordes" would be wealth and various items accumulated over centuries of war and plotting, generally to be used to further their plans: Items would be handed over to the Dragon's agents (knowingly or no), while Wealth would be used for various expenses, generally for buying people's cooperation.

The various Neutral Dragons would be uninterested in this conflict, and would pursue personal agendas and private pass-times, only interacting with mortals on a case-by-case business.

the Jester · Nov 23, 2002

In my campaign the dragons are pretty much gods. There's a dragon priest prestige class (similar to the dragon disciple but dating back as a specialty priest to 2e).

If a dragon lives on your continent you pretty much know it. They claim things like mountain ranges as their "immediate lairs" and if you go through their lair you'd best leave some damn fine tribute.

There are waaaay more than twelve age categories in my game; there is a dragon who is one million years old, who flew into a range of severe mountains and destroyed the twelve dwarven kingdoms in them... just to take their treasure. ALL their treasure.

seasong · Nov 23, 2002

I use dragons a lot of different ways. I usually run a new setting every year or so, and I like big scary lizards in my fantasy

.

One of my favorite D&D ideas: restrict dragons to about 50 years old at the most (before they die of old age), drop their intelligence and spell casting and spell-like abilities, and you've got some pretty rocking horses.

I hope B.A.D.D. doesn't come cream me for that one.

You can also check out my story hour for a different sort of red dragon. Essentially, they're balance-oriented druids who maintain the wilderness and restrict where humanity can build.

Leopold · Nov 23, 2002

Dragons are a might and power house all of their own. If there is a reason a dragon is somehwhere it will be there. You will not see dragons in random encounters, You will not find them in just any old hole in the wall.

I hold them over for encounters to scare and frighten and mystify the PC's. I use them very very rarely if ever and if I do I play them to the hilt, they are insanely intellegent and live nearly forever so they know when to fight and when to run.