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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Shapeshifting dragons - only metallic?
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 6804947" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>In the case of Ember, if I'm recalling correctly, it was in the module on which Autumn Twilight was based/part of and he had a ring that allowed him to polymorph into human form...or maybe just that he was ancient enough to be a spellcaster and had polymorph self as a spell (it was some time ago). But there was definitely an item or spell, not just "he's old enough to/dragons in Krynn can do that."</p><p></p><p>As others have noted, from 1e on only the "upper" metallics could. It's just always been a D&D thing. Bronze could transform into animals only. Silver could transform into humans or elves, only. Golds could transform into whatever they wanted. Over the years/editions, their respective shapechanging abilities have just all become any humanoid or animal.</p><p></p><p>As for the "why"? I would think it probably just has to do with the idea that, "In the beginning...[of D&D]" the number of evil dragons around (or at least encountered) were going to far outweigh the number of good ones. Extrapolating this means that they are a) more numerous than metallics, b) more obvious/visible than metallics, c) more likely to "interfere" with adventurers and/or civilization than are metallics, or d) all of the above: giving them a little "extra" power above what chromatics could do made sense to maintain that ephemeral D&D "balance."</p><p></p><p>Probably all stemming from the fact that the original game had only Gold as "good" dragons and golds were designed/based off Asian style dragons (who are well-known in eastern myth as highly magical and shapeshifters). They could shapechange. So when more "metal/good" dragons were added to the lexicon, that ability was written in.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 6804947, member: 92511"] In the case of Ember, if I'm recalling correctly, it was in the module on which Autumn Twilight was based/part of and he had a ring that allowed him to polymorph into human form...or maybe just that he was ancient enough to be a spellcaster and had polymorph self as a spell (it was some time ago). But there was definitely an item or spell, not just "he's old enough to/dragons in Krynn can do that." As others have noted, from 1e on only the "upper" metallics could. It's just always been a D&D thing. Bronze could transform into animals only. Silver could transform into humans or elves, only. Golds could transform into whatever they wanted. Over the years/editions, their respective shapechanging abilities have just all become any humanoid or animal. As for the "why"? I would think it probably just has to do with the idea that, "In the beginning...[of D&D]" the number of evil dragons around (or at least encountered) were going to far outweigh the number of good ones. Extrapolating this means that they are a) more numerous than metallics, b) more obvious/visible than metallics, c) more likely to "interfere" with adventurers and/or civilization than are metallics, or d) all of the above: giving them a little "extra" power above what chromatics could do made sense to maintain that ephemeral D&D "balance." Probably all stemming from the fact that the original game had only Gold as "good" dragons and golds were designed/based off Asian style dragons (who are well-known in eastern myth as highly magical and shapeshifters). They could shapechange. So when more "metal/good" dragons were added to the lexicon, that ability was written in. [/QUOTE]
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