D&D General Companion Thread to D&D Survivor: Dragons, Chromatic

[RealAlHazred]

There's also The Other Brown Dragon (A variant Gold dragon of all things, to be the Gold's counterpart along with the jewel-based counterparts to the classic Chromatics) that I think all originate from Basic

You know, I don't have any of the BECMI material; my experience with Basic ended with B/X, and since OSE came out that's replaced my falling-apart originals. So, I definitely missed whatever dragons made it into BECMI and the RC.

 

[Mecheon]

You know, I don't have any of the BECMI material; my experience with Basic ended with B/X, and since OSE came out that's replaced my falling-apart originals. So, I definitely missed whatever dragons made it into BECMI and the RC.

So good news, not too many. The standard 6, but there's the variant Gemstone dragons who are each an equivilent of the standard ones but with differing breath weapons and alignments. Crystal, Onyx, Jade, Sapphire, Ruby and Brown (Noted as Brown/Amber in the Rules Cyclopia, but just Brown in Master Set). These all have the same treasure, preferred terrain and everything of their standard counterpart, but differing alignments and breath weapons, and were probably the starting point for the Mystara Appendix ones you've already got. The exception is the Brown/Amber who is not a druidic forest dweller, but a flat out counterpart to the Gold with its breath weapon being either the super-hot flame of the Ruby, or the rotting disease of the Jade. Biggest difference is the Chaotic alignment rather than Lawful, and while in the Cyclopia its grouped with the gemstone dragons, it very specifically isn't in the Master Set that just has it as a random dragon.

And going through my list there's also another Grey dragon in Dragon 146, though this one is basically an advanced White dragon

 

[Cadence]

Unless there is a big rally, looking like

 

[AnotherGuy]

why do people keep up voting for red dragon it is so common at this point it needs to be taken down a bit as far as presence goes.

Our table has never encountered a red dragon in the current campaign (7-8 years)
Black plenty, white yes, blue and green for sure but never a red (as yet).
The Tyranny of Dragons AP does not showcase a red dragon.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

Sad the white dragon is gone. They are my favorite of the primary five. I love giving my white dragons either Barbarian-like features to showcase their primal ferocity or give them Ranger-like features to show how skilled they are at being masters of their harsh arctic environment.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Sad the white dragon is gone. They are my favorite of the primary five. I love giving my white dragons either Barbarian-like features to showcase their primal ferocity or give them Ranger-like features to show how skilled they are at being masters of their harsh arctic environment.

My favorites of the Chromatics actually goes "Purple, Rahab, Yellow (Salt)/Brown, most of the rest, and then Tiamat." I liked shaking up the expected color variations in my games back in the day, and one of the things I loved about Eberron is that Keith Baker unlinked alignment from color, so you don't instantly know what to expect going into a dragon's lair. Which is as it should be!

 

[dave2008]

why do people keep up voting for red dragon it is so common at this point it needs to be taken down a bit as far as presence goes.

Because it is the best dragon design! Seriously, reds have always been my favorite, but the Lockwood+ red design is classic dragon. It is, generally, what people think of when you say "dragon." And it breaths fire. And it is the most powerful of the chromatics.

Now I will say, that though they are my favorite, after today I am dropping out of the pole as I like them all so much I don't want to down vote any of them!

 

[CleverNickName]

In my games, dragons don't have "colors." They all have the ability to change their color to blend into their surroundings, like certain lizards. In BECM, it meant that dragons could hide like a Thief of equal level, in 3.x Edition they got a racial bonus to Hide checks, and in 5E it's advantage on Stealth.

But most importantly, it meant that the party of heroes couldn't anticipate a dragon's energy types at a glance. They had to do a little bit of homework, investigation, or experimentation to figure out what they were dealing with.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

My favorite chromatics in order are White, Black, Gray (4e), Red, Brown (4e), Purple (4e), Blue, and Green.

I also have Pink, Yellow, Orange, and Indigo dragons in my world, but since these are fairly different from the ones created for Dragon Magazine I didn’t include them in my ranking list.

 

[el-remmen]

In my games, dragons don't have "colors." They all have the ability to change their color to blend into their surroundings, like certain lizards. In BECM, it meant that dragons could hide like a Thief of equal level, in 3.x Edition they got a racial bonus to Hide checks, and in 5E it's advantage on Stealth.

But most importantly, it meant that the party of heroes couldn't anticipate a dragon's energy types at a glance. They had to do a little bit of homework, investigation, or experimentation to figure out what they were dealing with.

In my old homebrew each dragon is unique and the colors were a way to try to identify their lineage but there was no guarantee that they'd behave as sages (working mostly from books and accounts not personal experience or trustworthy data) say they should according to their color.