D&D General Companion to D&D Survivor: Gem Dragons

[Corinnguard]

I also use to have the Council of Wyrms setting. Back in 2e, you could play a dragon and one of the kindred races (Elves, Gnomes and Dwarfs) who worked alongside the dragons. You could also play a Half-Dragon. Half-Dragons in this setting were very different from their 5e counterparts. They started out in life resembling an elf, a gnome or a dragon, and they could only be sired by Gold, Silver and Bronze Dragons (these three were the only dragons who could assume a humanoid form at the time). At a certain point in their life, they would undergo a transformation into an anthropomorphic dragon. Humans in this setting weren't a PC race. They were an enemy race who had been used by Io to unify the dragons into creating the Council.

If Council of Wyrms was updated for 5e, would we still be using the island archipelago from the original setting? I ask because of the Dragon continent of Argonnessen in the Eberron setting. It has it's own council of wyrms, you know.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I must admit, of all the D&D dragons, I have the least interest in the gem dragons

 

[JEB]

I do note the Fey Moonstone Dragon isnt listed…

I'm hoping they, and the Mystaran gemstone dragons, make an appearance in a future survivor thread.

 

[RealAlHazred]

I'll just leave this here:

The Legend of Sardior

The Legend of Sardior

web.archive.org

Oh, well, in somebody's home game I'm sure he's a dragon-god. And I guess being published on the official site gives it a little more sway. But he's a much better mortal NPC than a deity. Suave bastard that he is.

 

[RealAlHazred]

does any one have the quick descriptions of the gem dragons as I feel like some of us no less that we should about them

Sure.

• Amber dragons are perhaps the most solitary and aloof of all the neutral dragons, preferring to wander throughout the heavily forested regions that they call home. Although not unfriendly, these dragons are so closely attuned to their natural surroundings that their moods often reflect the capricious nature of the elements.
• Amethyst dragons are wise and regal, and ignore what they consider to be petty squabbles between good and evil, law and chaos. When hatched, they are a light, translucent purple. As they grow older, the shade of the scales gradually darkens to a sparkling violet.
• Crystal dragons are the friendliest of the gem dragons, always curious about the world. Though they seldom seek out company, they willingly converse with visitors who do not try to steal from them.
• Emerald dragons are quite curious, particular! y about local history and the customs of other creatures. They are the most paranoid of the gem dragons, and do not like to have people get too close to their treasure.
• Jacinth dragons may be the rarest of any non unique dragon species; only a dozen at most exist on any given world. The hide of a jacinth sparkles and shifts with many shades of flame-bright orange in seemingly constant motion. Jacinth dragons make their homes in large deserts, enjoying the hot, dry climate. Over the years, this species has developed the ability to go for weeks without water or food. They shun all other forms of life and enjoy their solitude, though they can at times be overly curious of visitors.
• While not actively hostile, Sapphire dragons are militantly territorial and initially distrustful of anyone who approaches them. These beautiful dragons range from light to dark blue, and sparkle in the light, even at birth. Sapphire dragons are often mistaken for blue dragons, unless someone recalls the latter's preferred arid environment.
• Topaz dragons are unfriendly and selfish. They are seldom pleasant to deal with because of their erratic behavior. Topaz dragons neither seek company nor welcome it.
• Sardior the Ruby Dragon is the Prince of Neutral Dragons. He dwells in a magical castle that roams the night sky, high up in the atmosphere. He keeps his castle moving so that it is always in earth’s shadow. Often, when Sardior’s castle is sighted, sages think they are seeing a reddish star making unusual conjunctions with other stars in the night sky. Sardior keeps a court of 5 thanes, one each of the various breeds of neutral dragons. Their names are: Hrodel (a female Crystal dragon), psionic disciplines of Empathy and Invisibility; Tithonnas (male Topaz dragon), disciplines of Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, and Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions; Smargad (male Emerald dragon), disciplines of Domination, Hypnosis, and Teleportation; Charsima (female Sapphire dragon), disciplines of Cell Adjustment, ESP, Suspend Animation, and Etherealness; and Aleithilithos (male Amethyst dragon), disciplines of Detection of Good/Evil, Detection of Magic, Object Reading, Energy Control, and Dimension Walk. Occasionally (10%), one of these dragons will roam the earth without Sardior and the other thanes. If encountered, the thane may reward beings that find favor with it, usually in the form of gems, but sometimes in the granting of a boon. All of Sardior’s thanes are huge, ancient dragons. It must be remembered, of course, that Sardior and company are a stay-at-home lot, not given much to interfering with others’ businesses. All the Neutral dragons honor Sardior, but being what they are, his sovereignty does not much affect their daily lives of treasure-mongering. All are agreed. however, that Sardior is the most brilliant conversationalist and raconteur of all dragons.

 

[RealAlHazred]

I'm hoping they, and the Mystaran gemstone dragons, make an appearance in a future survivor thread.

As far as I could tell, the Moonstone dragon and the Mystaran gemstone dragons aren't the same as the psionic Gem dragons. They will be in their own Survivor thread, probably composed of all Mystaran dragons.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Uh... Sardior has never, in any edition, been a god, though. Or is every dragon with a name a god, then? Somebody tell Ashardalon, although he already suspected that, I'm sure...

"Sardior was the dragon god of night, psionics, and secrets, and he was also the Master of gem dragons."

Citation: The Legend of Sardior.

Sardior
The Ruby Dragon, Master of the Gem Dragons
Lesser Deity
Symbol: A ruby with an inner glow
Home Plane: Prime
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Neutral dragons, night, psionics, secrets
Worshippers: Neutral dragons, psions and psychic warriors
Cleric Alignments: Any neutral.
Domains: Knowledge, Scalykind (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting), Trickery
Favored Weapon: Claw

Oh, well, in somebody's home game I'm sure he's a dragon-god. And I guess being published on the official site gives it a little more sway. But he's a much better mortal NPC than a deity. Suave bastard that he is.

If we consider "somebody's home game" to be the correct description of the official Forgotten Realms canon, sure. Note that that "published on the official site" thing is simply reprinting and translating to 3.x statistics something that was written in 1980 (Dragon Magazine #37.)

You can find the actual magazine online and see the text yourself. It calls him the "Master of gem dragons," of course, but it also speaks of him moving his domain about through the planes. That's something only gods do, AIUI.

Edit: Ed Greenwood explicitly says Sardior is worshiped as a god in FR. So that would mean, officially, he is one in both 3e and 5e.

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Separately from the above, can someone explain like...what exactly it is that makes gem dragons cool/interesting?

Because I've never really understood it apart from "they're psionic." No intent to yuck anyone's yum (I get enough of that as a metallic fan, not gonna do it to anyone else!), I just generally don't feel anything about gem dragons and thus wonder if I'm missing something.

Also...what's the deal with topaz dragons having backwards wings? Like...just....why?

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Oh, well, in somebody's home game I'm sure he's a dragon-god. And I guess being published on the official site gives it a little more sway. But he's a much better mortal NPC than a deity. Suave bastard that he is.

He is treated as deity-like (similar to Tiamat and Bahamut) in Fizban’s IIRC

 

[Mind of tempest]

"Sardior was the dragon god of night, psionics, and secrets, and he was also the Master of gem dragons."

Citation: The Legend of Sardior.


If we consider "somebody's home game" to be the correct description of the official Forgotten Realms canon, sure. Note that that "published on the official site" thing is simply reprinting and translating to 3.x statistics something that was written in 1980 (Dragon Magazine #37.)

You can find the actual magazine online and see the text yourself. It calls him the "Master of gem dragons," of course, but it also speaks of him moving his domain about through the planes. That's something only gods do, AIUI.

Edit: Ed Greenwood explicitly says Sardior is worshiped as a god in FR. So that would mean, officially, he is one in both 3e and 5e.

---

Separately from the above, can someone explain like...what exactly it is that makes gem dragons cool/interesting?

Because I've never really understood it apart from "they're psionic." No intent to yuck anyone's yum (I get enough of that as a metallic fan, not gonna do it to anyone else!), I just generally don't feel anything about gem dragons and thus wonder if I'm missing something.

Also...what's the deal with topaz dragons having backwards wings? Like...just....why?

most dragons need a reason to care and interact with stuff most are lacking past eating, killing stuff/each other and stealing gold they need more dynamic goals

I think the backwards wings are to look interesting and possibly work better underwater.

 

[Scribe]

Also...what's the deal with topaz dragons having backwards wings? Like...just....why?