It probably said "Death to Gnome Paladins!"no what did it sayy
It probably said "Death to Gnome Paladins!"no what did it sayy
Man, you guys must be fun to watch a movie with! Sometimes, and it's pretty often, you should just set aside concerns over realism and have fun. Just immerse yourself and have fun.
That is a fair point. Flying is much more energy-intensive than walking.It would take an awful lot of both energy (which is where the circulation etc. questions come in) and wingspan to get that off the ground.
That's what we're doing right here in this thread. If you don't like it, no one's forcing you to participate.Just immerse yourself and have fun.
You forgot to include my smiley face. It means I am having fun with you. You, and others in this thread, are not being attacked or put down because of this discussion. It was an attempt at a bit of humor, i.e. just immerse yourself in this thread and have fun.That's what we're doing right here in this thread. If you don't like it, no one's forcing you to participate.
That depends, doesn't it? Flying is much more energy-intensive for certain things, but many birds simply soar which requires little or no energy.That is a fair point. Flying is much more energy-intensive than walking.
However, I don't think it calls for any additional magic to address it. If we are already invoking unobtainium to make the dragon's body lighter and stronger by a (combined) factor of 10 or more, those same properties will make it much, much easier to meet its circulatory needs. Blood that is 20% the density of normal blood should require far less energy to pump through a large body; and the dragon's arteries and veins could withstand much higher blood pressure than a normal animal's.
That's what we're doing right here in this thread. If you don't like it, no one's forcing you to participate.
Once they get up there, sure.That depends, doesn't it? Flying is much more energy-intensive for certain things, but many birds simply soar which requires little or no energy.
Or could the front legs almost be retractable, such that when it's flying they look like little Tyrannosaur arms* but when on the ground they extend into something more sizeable/useful/menacing?You could, in theory, have something similar to dragons without unobtanium if they not only had hollow bones but bones and air sacs filled with hydrogen to give them buoyancy. They can bleed off some of that hydrogen which, along with some other substance, ignites in order to create fire. You'd probably also have to get rid of the front legs though, because the muscles and anchor points needed for the wings would interfere with the front legs.
Yes - great big glass cannons, which (maybe or maybe not coincidentally) is kind of how Gygax designed them right from the start. Very interesting take.However, that dragon would likely be quite fragile. Assuming they could get to be the size of the quetzalcoatlus (the pterosaur as tall as a small airplane and as tall as a giraffe) they could still be plenty terrifying though.
Yes. This being a fantasy setting, I'm assuming that the unobtainium is a magical substance rather than the product of fictional technology.Isn't unobtanium just another word for supernatural? It comes back to supernatural being the easiest explanation.
Yes, this is the Peter Dickinson/"Flight of Dragons" model discussed upthread. It has interesting ramifications, but the resulting dragon is very different from what we're familiar with.You could, in theory, have something similar to dragons without unobtanium if they not only had hollow bones but bones and air sacs filled with hydrogen to give them buoyancy. They can bleed off some of that hydrogen which, along with some other substance, ignites in order to create fire. You'd probably also have to get rid of the front legs though, because the muscles and anchor points needed for the wings would interfere with the front legs.
Well sure, but in your example unobtainium = magical IMO. There is not relevant difference between impossible/unknown materials and magical materials.That is a fair point. Flying is much more energy-intensive than walking.
However, I don't think it calls for any additional magic to address it. If we are already invoking unobtainium to make the dragon's body lighter and stronger by a (combined) factor of 10 or more, those same properties will make it much, much easier to meet its circulatory needs. Blood that is 20% the density of normal blood should require far less energy to pump through a large body; and the dragon's arteries and veins could withstand much higher blood pressure than a normal animal's.
That's what we're doing right here in this thread. If you don't like it, no one's forcing you to participate.
Never said there was. Nothing about "unobtainium" is exclusive of "magical material." It just means a material with desired properties for a given application (e.g., constructing a working dragon), which does not exist in reality.Well sure, but in your example unobtainium = magical IMO. There is not relevant difference between impossible/unknown materials and magical materials.