Draconomicon: surprises ahead! (scoop + speculation)

[LordArchaon]

I know most of you could have already seen this, but since I didn't see this mentioned by anyone, not even the unofficial 4e info page, take a look at the official Wizards' Products page for Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons...

We'll have THREE new chromatic dragons and some more crunch too it seems.
And given the size of the book, good fluff seems inevitable.

The dragon depicted on the book cover could be a white but maybe also a new dragon: it seems tied to the sea environment.​

I know that many of you hate the "splatbook" politics of Wizards, but I think that they're changing the quality and contents of their books for the better.
Adding three brand new dragons per Draconomicon, along with additional options, would be a good deal IMO.

What I'd also like would be a greater differentiation of the dragon types by POWER SOURCE or maybe by linking to PLANES.
For example I'd see Metallics more tied to Feywild and Arcane power, while Chromatics more to Natural (material plane) and Martial power.
Or maybe Metallics to the Astral, with Divine power, and Chromatics to the Elemental Chaos, with Arcane.
Then they could easily put the Gem dragons in the mix, with their Psionic power, tying them to Feywild (psionics are being developed with a strong focus on what was the enchantment school, so it becomes more fey-flavored IMO) or maybe Astral or Natural again.

Speaking about the contents of the book, I would like it to give alternative powers for dragons (maybe they could implement different power sources in this way), much in the way 3.5 Dragon Magic gave "alternative special abilities", and maybe also some templates or special dragon-designed feats that may constitute an exception to the general rule of "monsters don't get feats".

 

[hong]

Is "power source" something that NPCs/monsters even have in the first place? So far, it's only been mentioned in conjunction with organising the PC classes.

R&C describes dragons as being a fusion of astral spirits into raw elemental power, FWIW.

 

[LordArchaon]

Is "power source" something that NPCs/monsters even have in the first place? So far, it's only been mentioned in conjunction with organising the PC classes.

R&C describes dragons as being a fusion of astral spirits into raw elemental power, FWIW.

Well it's just an idea of mine, I don't really see it as so probable, but given that they're not tying them to alignments anymore (except for a vague chaos VS law contrast that I find is present pretty much in everything in the PoL "meta-setting"), I thought they could at least give to their powers a resemblance of a common power source for each type, or at least a home-plane, because I think that it would justify the creation of other dragon types for the Primal (a return of the feral Lindworms?), Psi, and who knows... KI power source (Lung Dragons).

 

[hong]

Eh. Using different power sources to "justify" creating new dragons is just asking for a return to the old symmetry-based classification scheme. A new dragon (or any new monster, really) should be compelling in and of itself, without requiring such rationales.

 

[Belorin]

Is "power source" something that NPCs/monsters even have in the first place? So far, it's only been mentioned in conjunction with organising the PC classes.

R&C describes dragons as being a fusion of astral spirits into raw elemental power, FWIW.

Perhaps those with more astral became the metallics and those more elemental are the chromatics.

Bel

 

[Cadfan]

If dragons are chromatic, then you've got symmetry based design schemes. What's compelling about "blue?"

A storm-and-lightning themed dragon who happens to be blue is compelling.

Blue is not compelling.

One of these days some artist is going to send WOTC a picture of, I don't know, a black dragon with red stripes. And its going to blow their minds. How can a dragon have two colors? Does it breathe acid AND fire? How does that even work!

Sincerely,
Cadfan,
Who believes that chromatic dragons MURDERED dragon art, and will never forgive them.

 

[hong]

Perhaps those with more astral became the metallics and those more elemental are the chromatics.

Bel

Ooh, now that makes sense. Well, modulo what Cadfan said, anyway.

 

[LordArchaon]

Eh. Using different power sources to "justify" creating new dragons is just asking for a return to the old symmetry-based classification scheme. A new dragon (or any new monster, really) should be compelling in and of itself, without requiring such rationales.

I meant "justify" not much in game terms, but just in "what can we expect" terms. I mean, you have seen the new monsters: they all get unique abilities, so they don't need any meta-game justification.
I just think that the whole concept of power sources and the "so close" planes in the 4e cosmology could simply open up new horizons, and ultimately bring us more types of dragons, (maybe without any symmetry in their "type classification") than the original more symmetric scheme of 3e and predecessors.
I mean, we have a more varied "world" (meant as "general idea of world", like in Worlds and Monsters), I guess we could have more varied dragons.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

I'm saving up for the Flumphinomicon, personally.

 

[breschau]

So wait, are the chromatic dragons going to be in the Monster Manual?

How the hell can there be a Monster Manual without black, white, and red dragons?