Blue Dragons: Sand or Sea

[Ichneumon]

Whether blue dragons should live in the desert or on the coast has long been a bone of contention amongst blue dragons themselves. The more traditional blues insist that the desert is their proper place, where they can soar regally over their domain, camouflaged by the bright blue sky. But of late, the younger dragons have been extolling the virtues of the coast. Their arguments focus on how the ocean is really just another type of sky, only down instead of up, and with more to eat in it. They also mention that in the desert they must compete with brown dragons, who've adopted the ignoble but effective strategy of hiding in the sand, often allowing them to prevail in surprise attacks against the more physically powerful blues.

On coasts, the only draconic competitors are bronze dragons, and many blues have taken advantage of those creatures' benevolence by painting themselves bronze to trick adventurers. The desert-dwelling blues grumble about how the younger generation is prepared to jettison eons of proud history for a bit of convenience and easy living, but they grudgingly accept the right of young blues to live where they wish. Of course there's the occasional troubling example, like the degenerate rogue blue Corrodus who went to live in the swamp, but no one talks about him.

 

[Tovec]

However, a lot of us do like the idea that white dragons, (being, you know..white and all) don't live in forests, because of their complete lack of camouflage for that environment.
I know this is contrary to how some people feel, but I prefer some semblance of rationality behind monster habitats and the monster itself.

I never said whites don't belong in the cold, or that they should be in the forest. I don't disagree with this assertion either. I can understand all whites being 'cold' dragons but I don't see how them being 'cold dragons' has anything to do with making them automatically arctic. I don't think white dragons need to be bound to geography necessarily. If they are born and raised in the arctic that is fine. But why can't one find their way to the forest? For that matter why do we have silver and white beyond alignment?

White dragons in the snow, green dragons in the forest, black dragons in the swamps, blue dragons in the deserts (the cloudless skies of the desert are their camouflage, to me, less of a stretch than a stormy coast lacking blue skies) and red dragons where ever the heck they want, because they are bigger and stronger than everyone else, but also mostly in volcanic regions.

Personally, I think that all the dragons should be strong enough to go wherever the heck they want. A white might be weak compared to a black or red but they certainly beat out the local bears or panthers in the jungle.

That's my preference for some semblance of "natural selection" type coloration and environment crossing. White alligators don't live long in the swamps.

Aren't there such a thing as white alligators?
http://mvc.bioweb.dcccd.edu/weblinks/images/lead014b.gif
Yep, it seems there are. Even though I suspect their are ill-adapted to camouflaging in the swamp they would be worse than useless in the arctic. Either way, even if they are white, they are still apex predators. Now just imagine if they could breathe fire (or ice).

 

[billd91]

Is there any reason that people can't ignore the fluff? I mean, if you like blue dragons gliding through the hot desert air - play it that way. If you like blue dragons sailing down over coastal bluffs - play it that way. If you don't like blue dragons at all - well, ignore that monster entry or refluff it to whatever you want.

It makes absolutely no difference to me what WotC puts as fluff in their books; I can change that. For me, halflings will always be chubby farmers with hairy feet, Nerull will always be the god of death (suck it, Raven Queen), and blue dragons will always live in the desert.

It may not matter to you, but it matters to a lot of other people, particularly when the mechanics go through such substantial changes. If you're substantially changing both the mechanics and the lore, you're pretty much just bringing the trademark along for the ride because you're showing that the historical identity of that property means very little. People are going to complain and it'll probably hurt adoption of the game among people who want their game to feel like it fits in with the ongoing tradition.

 

[howandwhy99]

Blue dragons breathe lightning bolts. Underwater lightning bolts burst in a sphere. Caster or creature, a lightning burst centered on you sucks without being immune / metallic. A breed of dragon which hunts and takes lair underwater isn't suiting to any current breath weapon, especially lightning. Try Control Water for devastating effect.

Sure the original was based on a little known tale about splitting the sea, but it covers water vortex inhalations and water spout exhalations too. Consider it a creature specific variant.

 

[Jacob Marley]

It may not matter to you, but it matters to a lot of other people, particularly when the mechanics go through such substantial changes. If you're substantially changing both the mechanics and the lore, you're pretty much just bringing the trademark along for the ride because you're showing that the historical identity of that property means very little. People are going to complain and it'll probably hurt adoption of the game among people who want their game to feel like it fits in with the ongoing tradition.

I get where you are coming from - I was there, in 2008. I complained A LOT on the WotC boards about the changes made to the fluff. I hated, HATED the flavor changes that 4th Edition was pushing. This article, for example, was the subject of a great deal of my ire. Halflings love water? What? Who thought that was cool? Suck it, Chris Sims!

Of course, now I have had four-and-a-half years to reflect and what I see now is: who cares? The WotC flavor changes to halflings had no real effect on my campaign. The changes to blue dragons had no effect on my game. Hell, even Eladrin were solved by saying all eladrin are now high elves.

I do think WotC would have been better served by mostly keeping the flavor consistant. But WotC cannot go back and redo all the 4th Edition changes - too many people actually like the changes. Why pick one to the exclusion of the other when it is just so easy to play it the way you like?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Blue = desert

Sea = dragon turtle!

 

[Mercule]

I said desert, but there could be far worse changes. That doesn't mean I'm indifferent. I definitely have a preference.

Besides, bronze dragons live on the coasts.

 

[Grimmjow]

and brown dragons live in the sand, with brass and copper

 

[Obryn]

Change for the sake of change? No thanks.

Point of order... Right now, blue dragons are coastal. So "change for the sake of change" doesn't really apply when keeping them coastal.

Changing them back to desert? Well, that could be "change for the sake of change." Or for the sake of "tradition." Or for any number of reasons which are probably tied up in vague edition warring. Or because the visual is cool.

Me, I like blue dragons in the desert. But more than that, I simply don't care much.

-O

 

[triqui]

Blue dragons should be related to Magic, just like brown is tied to Time. Everybody knows that since World of Warcraft launch