The metallic write ups are nearing completion. I'm asking for feedback a bit early because I'm less happy with them than the chromatics, and in particular I think the Brass write up is inspired but I'm much less enthusiastic about the other ones.
I really quite like them! I think the aromas (maybe I'd make them more an odor given off all around the dragon, or in their lairs/places they go vs. just, necessarily, their 'breath" smell) are a wonderful flavorful addition and the attributes you assign them (creativity, hope, energy & transformation, etc...) are ALL "inspired." Makign them something more than, and perfectly opposed to, if I might coin a phrase, the "elemental death machines" or pinnacle of destructive/corrupting powers of the chromatics. Creatures of higher ideals and civilized thought, which naturally helps explain their various levels of sociability and interest in watching, if not always interacting with, races and civilizations that might possess or grow from those ideals. I think the write ups, as are, are very good.
A bit of background, I've never actually used a metallic dragon in game, and I've not really been happy with how metallics played out in settings where I was the player, or with any of the lore I'd seen built around them (mechanically or in its write up). I've just never seen the point of them - why do we need good dragons and what role would they have in a story where the PC's are protagonists? (I've often speculated that the good dragons were actually intended to be the oriental dragons in a lose way, before becoming their own thing when oriental dragons were considered more closely.) In fact, my lack of use for metallics has led me from time to time to think about officially establishing within my setting that they don't in fact exist. Indeed, the only metallic I'd ever considered in my setting is the rogue bronze that serves the Slaad Lord Ylorg, and while it is interesting that that creature may have a noble ulterior motive for doing so, it's such deep dark lore of my setting and so relatively unimportant that I didn't think it necessary worth including metallics in the setting.
Understandable and, I don't think, terribly singular. My own games and setting have barely used metallics either. They are exceptionally rare. For the most part, other than a handful (really) they have left the world/plane of the setting for other worlds/planes/pastures for who knows what -if any- reasons. I've made it a point in my lore to really make Golds, in particular, an extraplanar entities, so rare and amazing even among dragonkind they are hardly ever seen even by their own kind. Silvers, as you note are the most 'organized," I guess I'd say...moreso than social (which falls to coppers and their general jovial loquaciousness). Silvers and Bronzes are really the noes intereested in keeping an eye on things and making sure ancient powerful evils don't get out of hand or flights of chromatics don't decide to just "take over" everything. The Brass help them out a bit, something of guardians (insofar as they are stationed/assigned places to "watch") and messengers...draconic "scouts/rogues" as it were.
But for in game actual interaction with PCs -the rightful protagonists of any game- I think there's a Bronze NPC that has had some interactions...mostly used just as a font of knowledge...like a scaly library. And I think, once, I used a Copper...who was actually raiding/doing damage to things, as a plot point to get an adventure going...which I believe is from some old supplement, but I had it turn out it was actually ensorcelled by another dragon (green or black, I don't remember) to collect treasure for them...and obviously, give the copper dragon a bad rep and/or if it were slain in its errands all the better from the chromatics' pov.
So I'm probably not the best person to do the write up.
As i said. I really enjoyed them. A little different than I would have done...and different than my setting's lore, naturally. But very thorough and I think enjoyable.
That said, the concept that I decided on using works I think brilliantly for the Brass dragon, to the extent that for the first time I'm actually trending in favor of 'metallic dragons actually exist in the world of Sartha'.
Cool! Good.
Big things:
1) I'm not nearly as happy with the innate power selections for most of the metallics as I am for the Chromatics and the Brass dragon. Any suggestions would be appreciated, though in 1e the possible spells that are core are pretty limited. The more I worked on them, the harder it was to capture the ideas. The Silver and Gold are particularly weak I think.
Ok, so...you like the Brass: "kindle hope and drive away darkness." They can: Remove Fear & Light (that's sunlight, to boot) each 1/day per age category; at ANCIENT: Cure Pestilence (as Cure Disease for 10 people/age category + additional effects) 1/day, 2/day @ wyrm, 3/day @ great wyrm.
Kindle Hope and drive away darkenss...so, like my game, they
are guardians/watching over places or items, also messengers bringing hope and good news, driving away despair or darkness before them. They're the kinda "scout/herald."
Copper: "creativity & regeneration." I confess I was surprised, here, not to see illusionist spells. They can: Material & Mending, 1/day/age category; at ADULT: Create Food & Drink (for 10 people per HD[?] + @ Ancient gains benefit of Heroes Feast) 1/day; at ANCIENT: Regenerate (with pain? I dont' quite get), 1/day, 2/day @ wyrm, 3/day @ great wyrm.
I think here, I would take out the regenerate power. Leave the Create Food/Drink as an Adult ability that increases effectiveness into older ages...and instead of a specific Ancient/Wyrm/Great Wyrm power, make a second Adult power that extends effectiveness into Ancient/Wyrm/Great Wyrm. I'm kinda thinking, riffing off the Mending ability, I would make it Woodshape (well, "Warp Wood" in 1e) adding Stoneshape at Ancient and then increasing uses per day for wyrm/great wyrm, as normal.
The other direction to go, as I mentioned, would be illusion-based stuff. Give them, perhaps: Dancing Lights & Mending. Leave the Create Food/Drink (because that's just fun, and useful, and I very easily imagine any Copper would certainly LOVE to just "throw a party" if some friendly folks showed up. But then make the secondary Adult feature some illusion (Phantasmal Force, presumably, that has some increased effectiveness as you've done for the rest...since the Create Food upgrades to Heroes Feast, maybe have a large scale Phantasmal Force that upscales to Hallucinatory Terrain or Mirage Arcana. Then increases in daily uses as normal.
Creativity and Regeneration, I might say...taking into account their general sociability and enjoyment of company, chatting, storytelling, and (traditionally in 1e) jokes and laughter, the Coppers might be seen as the "artists" or "entertainers" (another reason/possibility for inserting illusion magics in there) of the dragon world.
ANOTHER way to go, "creativity/regeneration", would be to make the Coppers the "druids" of dragonkind. Use druidic magics for them. As they're already the "reverse blacks" with their acid breath, make them the antithesis of blacks' corrupting/tainting/wicked evil nature of swamps thing into the "growing green things/advancing nature/rebirth" dragons.
Bronzes are "Energy & Transformation." Aid & Dispel Magic...at Ancient: Polymorph Any Object. That seems...less than you used for the Copper. I might follow the Copper's advancement, making Polymorph Other an ADULT ability, upgrading to "Any Object" at Ancient. But other than that, I think their spell selection is spot on.
2) I don't like the 'Heal' power associated with the ancient Silver dragon in part because Heal is and was a broken spell (even with its 1 round casting time), and wonder if it should be made 'Heal Other' or changed to some other spell the captures the idea.
Just riffing off of my own world's metal dragon lore, I tend to organize the dragons in a "class" hierarchy. The Golds are, not "divine" per se, but like "Saints" among dragonkind. They are the ones with predominantly clerical magics. So golds are, like, the priests/clerics. The Silvers are the "wizards/mages." Gathering together, studying and recording what transpires in the world/races around them. The Bronze are more "on the ground" kind of warriors or soldiers...they're the "Fighters."
To that end, I might remove the Sanctuary and Healing magic (though I do like the flavor of the Silvers offering sanctuary to those that find them/they find or help in dire situations), especially since you're not happy with it anyway. Replace it with something more "sorcery/wizard-kick-assery" kind of magical ability. Keep the Sanctuary OR the Protection from Evil (you certainly don't need both). I would say keep the Pro/Evil and add in something more "divinatory" or utility maybe? Then make the older powers things like Ice Storm or Call Lightning/Weather Control or something. Something Air/Mountain Toppy that could deal damage.
3) I'm not certain how much text to copy over from the chromatics write up. Have I copied enough to be clear?
I think so. But it's totally up to you.