He may be brilliant (high Int), but that is still a Chaotic Evil force of nature. "Un-hurried mind" fits the manipulative Greens or the regimented Blues (not to mention Silvers and Golds).
Chaotic in D&D isn't necessarily about poor impulse control. Keep in mind that demon lords with multi-millennia plots and gods who never die and were never born are Chaotic. Chaotic in D&D is more about how you interact with others. Reds are independent -- they don't organize, they don't unify, they don't trust outside authority. But they don't have to be easily distracted. They can have
plans. Those plans are just self-interested, Chaotic ones. That's why I mentioned the "plot to collapse an empire just to own its ruins." They wouldn't LEAD that empire, but they'd absolutely terrorize it until it dies.
Big Red's entire body (and its much longer tail) form a continuous form, twisted by the motion. It is more of a "wyrm" (as in "serpent") than the Lockwood red (which I love, BTW). The muscles don't bulge out so much, they're more tightly packed into the form.
I'm not sure we're talking about the bulge in the same way. The Lockwood muscles look sleek to me -- smooth. The new concept's muscles look bulky, chunky.
Really? I think they're more
Smug Snakes. Certain individual red dragons might rise to Magnificent Bastardry, but their short tempers and unparalleled arrogance often cuts them short.
I think they're much more BBEG than sidekick. In the game called
Dungeons and Dragons that is about heroism and treasure they ARE the antagonists. They ARE the dragons. Their lairs ARE the dungeons. Their hoards ARE the treasure. They help define the tone of evil for the game. Personally, I wouldn't want to demote them to "easily duped arrogant guy."
Reptiles native to hot environments, such as gila monsters, rattlesnakes and horned lizards are *far* from smooth.
What, boa constrictors and coral snakes are suddenly temperate critters?
And have you ever seen the belly of a rattlesnake?
That is something to be decided later. I agree that pose is important. But again, "methodical"? This is a Chaotic Evil monster.
Chaotic Evil, not Chaotic Stupid. Chaos + Evil + Godlike intellect = schemes of vast an incalculable chaos and evil.
I prefer my (as [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION] has called them) "jack-o-lantern dragons" (mouth open, glowing from within).
That IS a pretty cool visual. But that breath weapon in an illo featuring the villain needs to be menacing and foreboding, not action-scene confrontation. I should look at the picture of the Red Dragon and see the reason I want to be a hero.
Does it need hands to feel manipulative? I think that is shown in the eyes and head. And if you give them hands, they stop looking like dragons and start looking like dragonborn.
I think hands can help achieve that feel, but they can also have long, dexterous
claws. The point is that they aren't on a reckless rampage, they're operating confidently, with efficiency.
I agree with you there. BUT I have to make a practical sidenote: a dragon's wings are huuuuuuuuge. But the space in a painting isn't, so you end up either cropping the wings off, or your dragon ends up looking tiny.
True, it's a balancing act. Still, unfurled and confident and majestic > tense and alert and aggressive, for the Red Dragon IMO.
If all the classic Chromatics, I think "RAR!!!" fits the Red more than any other, perhaps save the White.
I don't see Reds as so obviously aggressive. They don't need to be. Consummate badasses and some of the most eternal evil in the world. They're not going to go scream and frighten the villagers. They're going to
terrify the villagers -- with their mere shadow. I don't see Reds as reckless and untamed, I see them as the long-waiting entropy, beings who unravel entire civilizations for their own amusement, who have no real need to be frightened or aggressive. Anger is an emotion for those who don't get their way with a wave of their wing. It's a display to show others you're scary. Reds don't need to SHOW that. They are that. They KNOW they are that. Rather than simply an untamed force of nature, they are a creature that CAUSES the forces of nature.
"Rar!" is what you say when you want somebody to be afraid of you.
"Hello." is what a Red Dragon says when they want somebody to be afraid of them.
IMO, of course. I know this is probably part of the controversy JS was talking about.
Jester Canuck said:
To me red dragons are smart. But their intelligence is not their primary feature. They aren't smart first. Individual reds might lean to cunning, but most reds strike me as lacking patience. They can be manipulators but most won't bother, as lesser beings aren't worth the though. They're ants. Better to just take what you want and get back to something worth doing. They just can't be bothered by subtleties, that's for greens and blacks.
Perhaps weirdly, I don't see greens and blacks as particularly subtle.
When I think Green Dragon, I think,
Vanity. Green dragons are the sly snakes, the all-too-arrogant creatures likely to respond to flattery. They're not the highest dragon on the totem pole, and they make up for it by trying to be the center of a power structure that supports them and all their needs, reassuring their egos. They reflect the Fey in this way (which is why they have charm magic and plant magic) -- if they feel powerful, they're happy.
When I think Black Dragon, I think
Cruelty. Black dragons are sadistic and mean for the sake of it, petty, jealous, and reprehensible about twisting whatever knife they have in you. They aren't as concerned with power, they just want to see you yelp in pain, beg for release. This is why they focus on disease and acid and plague: a long drawn out death is vastly more amusing to them than a quick one.
For completeness, White =
Brutality (barbarism, savegry, anger, rage) and Blue =
Deception (lies, trickery, deceit, mind games) for me.
Reds don't need cults (though they're not above taking advantage of them). Reds don't delight in your particular suffering (what do YOU matter to a being of infinite aeons and unmatched power?). Reds don't care for unrestrained brutality (why rampage against an anthill?), and don't particularly get off on their own cleverness (what should they have to prove to children?). They value wealth, they value power, and they value themselves. Crass displays of fury and petty cries for attention are for creatures who aren't already absolutely assured of their own superiority. They have no need to prove it.
