D&D 5E Dragon Age Categories: The Poll!

[Minigiant]

I agree completely. There will be a progression through the ages without a doubt (another reason I want to keep the list small). I also want the different types of dragons to feel different and not all be the same (I am looking at you MM).

Ironically, my chart started small.
It got bigger as I pondered how draconic life events would change how the dragons fight and what resources they have. For example, a dragon wouldn't get full sorcery until they settle down and start thinking inward. That doesn't happen until they hit the mature adult age That's when they stop caring about insults, reproduction, or shows of power, and start focusing on their legacy and hoard.

 

[dave2008]

I just want to give this poll a bump to see if anyone else wants to vote before I update the 5e dragons.

 

[LizardWizard00]

I like the classic 8, but could go with the 8 + 1 model, so I voted for both.

 

[JuuB406]

@dave2008 How is the dragon revamp going? I am super excited to find a better dragon system than 5e offers, and it is really hard to try converting a draconomicon sample dragon.

 

[Quartz]

Four is sufficient for me. If I need to make the beastie stronger or weaker then that's not too much trouble. Adding the Mythic trait is a great idea.

 

[dave2008]

@dave2008 How is the dragon revamp going? I am super excited to find a better dragon system than 5e offers, and it is really hard to try converting a draconomicon sample dragon.

Oops! I guess I should have posted it here. The chromatics are complete and posted over at my 5e Updates: Monstrous Compendium; however, here are links for you (they are a bit more complex than the MM dragons ):

• True Dragons: General Information
• True Dragons: Alternate Actions
• True Dragons: Chromatic Dragons
  • Black Dragon, Wyrm/Great Wyrm (Mythic, CR 27)
  • Black Dragon, Ancient (Legendary, CR 23)
  • Black Dragon, Elder (Legendary, CR 19)
  • Black Dragon, Adult (Legendary, CR 15)
  • Black Dragon, Young Adult (standard, CR 11)
  • Black Dragon, Juvenile (standard, CR 7)
  • Black Dragon, Young (standard, CR 3)
  • Black Dragon, Wyrmling (standard, CR 1/2)
  • Blue Dragon, Wyrm/Great Wyrm (Mythic, CR 29)
  • Blue Dragon, Ancient (Legendary, CR 25)
  • Blue Dragon, Elder (Legendary, CR 21)
  • Blue Dragon, Adult (Legendary, CR 17)
  • Blue Dragon, Young Adult (standard, CR 13)
  • Blue Dragon, Juvenile (standard, CR 9)
  • Blue Dragon, Young (standard, CR 5)
  • Blue Dragon, Wyrmling (standard, CR 1)
  • Green Dragon, Wyrm/Great Wyrm (Mythic, CR 28)
  • Green Dragon, Ancient (Legendary, CR 24)
  • Green Dragon, Elder (Legendary, CR 20)
  • Green Dragon, Adult (Legendary, CR 16)
  • Green Dragon, Young Adult (standard, CR 12)
  • Green Dragon, Juvenile (standard, CR 8)
  • Green Dragon, Young (standard, CR 4)
  • Green Dragon, Wyrmling (standard, CR 1/2)
  • Red Dragon, Wyrm (Mythic, CR 30)
  • Red Dragon, Ancient (Legendary, CR 26)
  • Red Dragon, Elder (Legendary, CR 22)
  • Red Dragon, Adult (Legendary, CR 18)
  • Red Dragon, Young Adult (Legendary, CR 14)
  • Red Dragon, Juvenile (standard, CR 10)
  • Red Dragon, Young (standard, CR 6)
  • Red Dragon, Wyrmling (standard, CR 2)
  • White Dragon, Wyrm/Great Wyrm (Mythic CR 26)
  • White Dragon, Ancient (Legendary, CR 22)
  • White Dragon, Elder (Legendary, CR 18)
  • White Dragon, Adult (Legendary, CR 14)
  • White Dragon, Young Adult (standard, CR 10)
  • White Dragon, Juvenile (standard, CR 6)
  • White Dragon, Young (standard, CR 2)
  • White Dragon, Wyrmling (standard, CR 1/4)

 

[dave2008]

Four is sufficient for me. If I need to make the beastie stronger or weaker then that's not too much trouble. Adding the Mythic trait is a great idea.

I agree (it is easy to make things stronger or weaker), but I like more age categories (though it is a lot of work). Beyond that, I don't find the MM dragons particularly interesting. My versions are a bit more complex, but are definitely a better solo challenge than the stock version, IMO.

 

[Blue]

In order to have a preference, I need to have a goal.

For homebrew (so not taking up pages in the Monster Manual) would be as much granularity as possible so I always have the right kind of dragon around the right Challenge. It has nothing at all to do with any other aestetics.

For official I want a dragon age that each tier I can have a solo threat and a mated pair/family threat. And young stages that I can have threatened in a plot or a brood of them attacking. Without using up too many pages that could be for other creatures. The MM names are fine, but I feel the lowest tier are a bit too weak.

In one of the campaigns I run, the party has sort of adopted three brass dragon wyrmlings that had been prevented aging as an unintended consequence the (long dead) mother made to protect them several hundred years ago. They are now "catching up" aging, and I'm tweaking them every time there extensive downtime or travel towards Young. But this is a special case where no reasonable amount of granularity would be helpful.

 

[Blue]

I agree (it is easy to make things stronger or weaker), but I like more age categories (though it is a lot of work). Beyond that, I don't find the MM dragons particularly interesting. My versions are a bit more complex, but are definitely a better solo challenge than the stock version, IMO.

13th Age (a d20 game by Jonathan Tweet and Rob Heinsoo) originally had "D&D dragons" in their original monster section of the core book. But when they did the Bestiary (and it's later sequel), they really broke out of the mold and made them a lot more interesting. The 13th Age SRD is all online for free, it may be a place to mine for ideas from D&D lead designers (of 3.0 and 4e).

 

[dave2008]

13th Age (a d20 game by Jonathan Tweet and Rob Heinsoo) originally had "D&D dragons" in their original monster section of the core book. But when they did the Bestiary (and it's later sequel), they really broke out of the mold and made them a lot more interesting. The 13th Age SRD is all online for free, it may be a place to mine for ideas from D&D lead designers (of 3.0 and 4e).

I have the 13th age bestiary and really wasn't that impressed with the dragons. Maybe it was because I am not that familiar with the system. I haven't looked it in a long time though. I definitely looked at the 4e dragons (along with 1e, 2e, 3e, and PF2e) when I updated the 5e ones.

EDIT: I was thinking about the Core Book dragons I believe. I just checked and the bestiary dragons are more interesting, I still think mine are even more interesting though