Bothered About Disposable Dragons (B.A.D.D.) Membership Drive

[Nifft]

Count me in! There are lots of little, smart things in the world (like gnome liches); there are also lots of big, dumb things (like half-fiend dinosaurs). Having a category of big, smart things seems obvious; and let's face it, outsiders are often too morally constricted to be interesting patrons.

Cheers, -- N

 

[NilesB]

I must disagree. I think it actually more of a modern thing to portray dragons as big, dumb animals. Look at Chinese mythology. Dragons in there are not run of the mill monsters. Jormungand of Norse mythology was the offspring of a god. These were some real meanies, not dumb pushovers.

Even if Jormungand were a Dragon, which it's not, it would be about as representive of Dragons as the Fenrir is of wolves.

As for chinese "Dragons" the mythological basis's of D&D dragon had more in common with a rotweiller than them.

lets look at some examples here:

Greek Dragons are mostly put to sleep and whatever they're guarding taken without a fight.
Fafnir took one sword stab.
Depending on the version Saint Georges Dragon was put down with either a single lance thrust or just by by the sign of the cross.
The Abbington Wyrm was chopped to pieces by a single well equipped knight.
Even Smaug the Super dragon with (excepting extra heads) all abilities of every folkloric Dragon ever and the unique ability of being smart enough to use language, was shot dead with a single arrow.
In Arthurian legends it's treated as a more impressive feat for a knight to slay a lion than a dragon; and they slew many.

If you think D&D Dragons are shorted, feel free. But don't claim folkloric precedent. It's not with you.

 

[Wolfspider]

Even if Jormungand were a Dragon, which it's not, it would be about as representive of Dragons as the Fenrir is of wolves.

As for chinese "Dragons" the mythological basis's of D&D dragon had more in common with a rotweiller than them.

lets look at some examples here:

Greek Dragons are mostly put to sleep and whatever they're guarding taken without a fight.
Fafnir took one sword stab.
Depending on the version Saint Georges Dragon was put down with either a single lance thrust or just by by the sign of the cross.
The Abbington Wyrm was chopped to pieces by a single well equipped knight.
Even Smaug the Super dragon with (excepting extra heads) all abilities of every folkloric Dragon ever and the unique ability of being smart enough to use language, was shot dead with a single arrow.
In Arthurian legends it's treated as a more impressive feat for a knight to slay a lion than a dragon; and they slew many.

If you think D&D Dragons are shorted, feel free. But don't claim folkloric precedent. It's not with you.

Well argued. I have to agree.

Even Glaurung, the dragon I like to bring up whenever I talk about how dragons should be portrayed, is killed by a single sword blow (but what a sword and what a blow!).

Of course, such might be anticlimactic in a game, but are fine in fiction. In Glaurung's case, Turin's blow doesn't really end the conflict at all really....

 

[Corbert]

A dragon is not another beast to be led meekly to the slaughter. A dragon is a force of nature, an elemental force. A being of such potency as to make the gods themselves quiver upon their celestial thrones, and the mightiest demons quake in their iron-bound citadels.

A dragon is the Earth in the throes of an earthquake. A dragon is the sky in the grip of a storm. A dragon is the sea in the midst of a typhoon. A dragon is the volcano as the lava bombs assail the heavens themselves. A dragon is not XP.

QFT