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

[EzekielRaiden]

Brass Dragon 4
Bronze Dragon 9
Copper Dragon 6
Gold Dragon 2-2=0 (one post in this thread, one kill!)
Silver Dragon 8+1=9

Feeling proud of yourself?

 

[Tonguez]

I also don't--at all--see metallic dragons as "borne out of the silly alignment system." Even if there weren't chromatic dragons at all, metallic dragons still have value as Big Good types, something that is sorely lacking in nice, ready-to-hand archetypes for people to draw on. (Literally the only other classic Big Goods are God Himself, Santa Claus, the Good General, and the Good King/Judge/Officer/[insert official authority figure here].) The personalities of the chromatics, even in the absence of alignment, wouldn't ever be able to mesh with that role. All chromatics are cruel. They are literally an embodiment of the worst excesses of the rich and powerful, capricious, rapacious, often brutish, always haughty. Metallic dragons are an embodiment of the rich and powerful at their best, sharing, building others up, hoarding knowledge and beauty rather than crass wealth (hence my special love of gold dragons), dedicating themselves to tackling the worst of life's problems.

so essentially you’re casting Metallic Dragons in the exact same role as the various celestial archons, angels and devas? (not to mention ki-rin, lillends, lammasu, unicorns, pheonix, coatls, sphinx) - theres a whole pantheon of creatures that fill the Big Good role which are far more interesting than “another shiny dragon but this one breaths electric radiant fire balls”.

Now I do like gold dragons, because they fit the classic celestial dragon role (and imc have merged them with Tien lung), I dont mind magical silvers either, what I do get bored with is all the other variations of brass and copper and steel, all pretty much doing the exact same thing With minor alignment variation and a different breath weapon.

Dragons should be big and powerful and terrifying, the chromatics work as forces of destruction because nature is big and terrifying and in comparison people are very small. But if the Big Dragons are out doing good, tackling the worlds problems, when do the little people get to stand up against the terror and be heroes themselves?

 

[Seramus]

Feeling proud of yourself?

I am SO proud! The final blow was not just a downvote for the despicable me gold, but also an upvote for silver! Dances.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

so essentially you’re casting Metallic Dragons in the exact same role as the various celestial archons, angels and devas? (not to mention ki-rin, lillends, lammasu, unicorns, pheonix, coatls, sphinx) - theres a whole pantheon of creatures that fill the Big Good role which are far more interesting than “another shiny dragon but this one breaths electric radiant fire balls”.

Yes, but with two important twists:
1. Dragons are less of a cosmological commitment than various celestials. You aren't involving gods or true immortals or the like. Dragons are powerful, but they don't cross such a dramatic line.
2. It's a lot more believable that a relatively "mundane" or "ordinary" (meaning, non-outsider) villain could somehow manage to kill a good dragon. It requires significantly more mojo than what a typical mortal could manage to kill a deva or the like.

Now I do like gold dragons, because they fit the classic celestial dragon role (and imc have merged them with Tien lung), I dont mind magical silvers either, what I do get bored with is all the other variations of brass and copper and steel, all pretty much doing the exact same thing With minor alignment variation and a different breath weapon.

Dragons should be big and powerful and terrifying, the chromatics work as forces of destruction because nature is big and terrifying and in comparison people are very small. But if the Big Dragons are out doing good, tackling the worlds problems, when do the little people get to stand up against the terror and be heroes themselves?

Dragons can fight--and honestly are better at fighting--the systemic, pervasive problems. Perhaps some type of metallic is innately in tune with the natural order (might be a good idea for my "wolfram" dragons, the old German name for tungsten, hence its elemental symbol W), and thus better equipped to deal with the large-scale problems of deforestation, drought, habitat destruction, etc. Gold dragons preserve and disseminate knowledge, both helping to resist its loss (whether through the fog of ages or the collapse of civilizations), and to kindle its development (whether as new discovery or as the seed of new societies). Silvers, at least in the best cases, would be the ones actively joining with mortals, keeping the flames of courage and virtue alive in times of plenty (to fight indolence and avarice) and in times of deprivation (to fight callousness and cowardice). Etc.

I agree that dragons need to be used carefully. I love dragons, but I also know that when they show up, it should matter. They shouldn't ever become run-of-the-mill.

And that's part of why they don't solve every medium and small problem themselves. Maybe, theoretically, they could. It would run them ragged and leave them spent and broken, but maybe they could...and then who would be attending to the large-scale problems? Heroes are there to solve the immediate crises, the things that aren't amenable to "we'll fix it in three centuries," and the so-called "small" things, only "small" from the scale of beings that count their age in centuries, the problems of particular villages, or monarchs, or whatever else.

Heroes are great for crises. Dragons are great for glacial problems and eternal vigils. The two help one another, not detract.

I am SO proud! The final blow was not just a downvote for the despicable me gold, but also an upvote for silver! Dances.

I find such grave-dancing disheartening, to say the least.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

@EzekielRaiden I feel you might be taking this dragon thing a tad too personally.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

@EzekielRaiden I feel you might be taking this dragon thing a tad too personally.

I mean, they literally said "dances."

I never did that for any situation where an option I disliked for voted out. Even though I literally never see my preferred option win. IIRC, the last time was when Bahamut won the dragon god thing. More than two years ago.

 

[Seramus]

I find such grave-dancing disheartening, to say the least.

It's hyperbolic comedy, sir. While I do genuinely dislike gold dragons so my votes are sincere, my antics are just shenanigans for the sake of the faux dragon rivalry.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I mean, they literally said "dances."

I never did that for any situation where an option I disliked for voted out. Even though I literally never see my preferred option win. IIRC, the last time was when Bahamut won the dragon god thing. More than two years ago.

It's just a silly game and one that favours inoffensive mediocrity. The cool, edgy goth goddesses I like never win either, it is always some shiny paladin god of bland goodness. That's probably how Bahamut managed to win too.

 

[Maxperson]

Outside of this thread? Yes, entirely fair.

Also, inside this thread? It would be shocking to see anything else, considering all of the options were metallic!

Good God. I was at a wedding yesterday and got home tired.

You are correct.

 

[Corinnguard]

But if the Big Dragons are out doing good, tackling the worlds problems, when do the little people get to stand up against the terror and be heroes themselves?

You're assuming that the good dragons are actively tackling the world's problems before the little people get to do it. What if they go about finding the little people who have the most potential to change the world? They find such individuals and guide them without revealing their true draconic nature. In Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, Bahamut was often seen in a non-draconic mortal form teaching young spellcasters the ways of magic or helping a band of adventurers dealing with a major threat.

Also, let's not forget that dragons, with their long lifespans, see things from a long term perspective. Some of the world's problems would be short term problems for them. Problems best left to the little people to handle.