Aluminium dragon? Taupe* dragon? Oooh, oooh, Cheese dragon!

[Gez]

The ancient Greeks were known to have items made of both electrum (silver+gold) and orichalcum (gold+tin)

Wasn't it rather gold+copper? Etymologically, or=gold, chalcum=copper.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Here's a random page I put together to showcase the profusion of dragons in D&D:

http://mwtools.thyle.net/d_list.html

 

[Aeolius]

Wasn't it rather gold+copper? Etymologically, or=gold, chalcum=copper.

From what I have read, it's probably more like gold + copper + tin + other stuff

I have tried, from time to time, asking local jewelers about the availability of electrum and orichalcum. They were not amused.

 

[Turjan]

Well, I see the many types of dragons as a matter of choice, where you are free to pick the ones you think make sense in your campaign. Personally, I go with Red, Green, Shadow, and Gold Dragons (with traits of D&D Silver Dragons). I won't exclude that White Dragons will make it, if the campaign ever hits the icey North, but that's enough dragons for me .

 

[buzzard]

Especially given that bronze and brass are synonyms. Both terms design the same alloys...

It can be explained by the fact they choose only noble metals (gold, silver, copper, bronze were used for jewelry and coinage, brass has a different symbolical meaning than bronze, of resilience and stuff). There's no iron or lead dragon (at least in the core 5 metallic). And the Platinum Dragon is their god.

My inner metallurgist must correct you. Bronze and Brass are not the same thing. One is a copper tin alloy, and the other is a copper zinc alloy. They are very different in appearance, though their physical properties aren't too wildly different.

buzzard

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Here's a random page I put together to showcase the profusion of dragons in D&D:

http://mwtools.thyle.net/d_list.html

Don't forget Greyhawk dragons, from the Greyhawk Adventures hardcover. I seem to remember a 3E version, but I don't remember exactly where -- one of the Living Greyhawk articles, probably.

I don't mind the profusion of dragons (it is Dungeons & Dragons, after all, not Enclosures & Elves). But I certainly don't use all of them in a campaign -- the most recent campaign had a blue, a deep, a silver, some wyverns, and a green(unencountered).

 

[Agback]

Especially given that bronze and brass are synonyms. Both terms design the same alloys...

Nope. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin (or it was originally, there are copper-aluminium and copper-arsenic 'bronzes' now). Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. They look different and are used in different roles (brass is yellower and shinier than bronze, more malleable and ductile, but not hard enough for weapons or armour).

Regards,


Agback

 

[Agback]

Wasn't it rather gold+copper? Etymologically, or=gold, chalcum=copper.

The 'orichalcum' used in Roman coinage was an alloy of copper and zinc. In short, it was brass. If the 'or' represents Latin "aurum", as you suggest, it must be because brass looks more like gold than other copper alloys do.

Quite possibly the coins we have are the result of typical government fraud. Maybe orichalcum was properly an alloy of copper and gold, and the government of the time was trying to pass off brass as red gold. I'd like to see some evidence, though. Encyclopedia Britannica says that orichalcum (brass) coins were first minted by Julius Caesar for small denominations, to make up the lack of copper coins at Rome at that time, and that Augustus minted 'abundant' "yellow brass (orichalcum) and red copper".

Regards,


Agback

 

[Aeolius]

Don't forget Greyhawk dragons, from the Greyhawk Adventures hardcover. I seem to remember a 3E version, but I don't remember exactly where -- one of the Living Greyhawk articles, probably.

Hrmmm....an Oerthblood dragon.... where's my pencil?

The 'orichalcum' used in Roman coinage was an alloy of copper and zinc. In short, it was brass...Maybe orichalcum was properly an alloy of copper and gold, and the government of the time was trying to pass off brass as red gold.

You learn something new every day. I wonder how many other alloys we have forgotten, as the years have passed.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

and presenting the newest Dragon type : Ectoplasm !

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psb/20040123a

edit - oh, and of couse thet are from the "Demiplane of Ectoplasm" -!

Every dragon subtype requires it's own homeplane, right?