GMs: Do you change the colors of your dragons?
- Thread starter interwyrm
- Start date
Desdichado
Hero
In standard D&D, I don't strictly speaking change them; but I often apply templates that might affect the coloration--a shadow-tinged Red Dragon will probably be black or dusky gray, for example, although he'll still have Red Dragon stats, for the most part. I also go the Eberron route; you can't count on the color-coded alignment for dragons--a silver dragon might be more inclined to torture and eat you for showing up in his neighborhood, and a black dragon might be friendly, chatty and helpful.
In non-standard D&D, or non-D&D fantasy, color means absolutely nothing. My favorite dragons are the Privateer Press ones in the Monsternomicon. And they'd be a big (and extremely unpleasant) surprise to anyone who tried to fit them into D&D chromatic/metallic dragon molds.
In non-standard D&D, or non-D&D fantasy, color means absolutely nothing. My favorite dragons are the Privateer Press ones in the Monsternomicon. And they'd be a big (and extremely unpleasant) surprise to anyone who tried to fit them into D&D chromatic/metallic dragon molds.
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
For my current game, I've aligned Dragons with the elements. There are Fire Dragons, Earth Dragons, Water Dragons, and Air Dragons. There are color and power variations within each category, and I'm keeping certain variations as "corrupted" dragons - like Shadow Dragons and Hellfire Wyrms.
kigmatzomat
Legend
With the exception of outsiders, I generally abolish racial alignment restrictions.
I treat the "core" dragons as the norm, especially with hatchlings where they rely on instinct. As they age they can and do drift alignments but rarely more than 1 or 2 steps. Of course, the players also understand that even a good dragon is likely to look at adventurers as likely thieves.
Dragons have a distinct, if somewhat complicated, culture that is best summed up as "Dragons are the only ones who deserve respect." IMC it's also "illegal" for dragons to use disguises against each other and doing so outside of times of war may result in exile. Heck, dragons failing to introduce themselves properly may result in sanctions as it implies disrespect to someone (either the one you're speaking to or your parents).
Non-dragons, of course, deserve no respect.
I treat the "core" dragons as the norm, especially with hatchlings where they rely on instinct. As they age they can and do drift alignments but rarely more than 1 or 2 steps. Of course, the players also understand that even a good dragon is likely to look at adventurers as likely thieves.
Dragons have a distinct, if somewhat complicated, culture that is best summed up as "Dragons are the only ones who deserve respect." IMC it's also "illegal" for dragons to use disguises against each other and doing so outside of times of war may result in exile. Heck, dragons failing to introduce themselves properly may result in sanctions as it implies disrespect to someone (either the one you're speaking to or your parents).
Non-dragons, of course, deserve no respect.
DragonLancer
Hero
These days I usually stick to the alignments in the relevant monster book, though I may vary depending on the plot.
My first homebrew setting back in 2nd ed days had dragons of any alignment since that made some encounters a little more interesting.
My first homebrew setting back in 2nd ed days had dragons of any alignment since that made some encounters a little more interesting.
RuminDange
First Post
I removed the always from the alignment and explained (at least to me for now until the players figure it all out) why certain dragons tend to fall within certain alignments. But it can never be taken for granted how a dragon will be or even what it can do. My dragons also gain class levels in between age categories so it is a major warning to beware of any dragon no matter the age. Got a Copper that has 12 levels of Bard for example or a LG Black with 14 levels of Cleric.
“Never judge a book by its cover” has become a major saying among my players.
RD
“Never judge a book by its cover” has become a major saying among my players.
RD
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
My dragons tend to run towards their listed alignments, but it's in no way an absolute. And when I'm DMing Eberron, anything goes in terms of alignment/color relations (although there's only been one dragon so far...)
Demiurge out.
Demiurge out.
TheAuldGrump
First Post
Homebrew dragons. Each unique. Fire and poison gas are common to most dragons.
The Auld Grump
*EDIT* Some recent ones based on the Todd MacFarlane Dragons line.
The Auld Grump
*EDIT* Some recent ones based on the Todd MacFarlane Dragons line.
Nyeshet
First Post
It depends, really. . . .
In some campaigns - especially those placed in a specific published campaign world - I'll use whatever the campaign setting uses. In my homebrew I created my own pattern for dragons.
I've played under one dm whos stated that all dragons were brown, and unless we had ranks in Knowledge (dragon) we could not tell (from horns, ridges, etc) what specific breed it was - and therefore its alignment, breath weapon (until it was used), etc.
I've also played under another dm that always did them by the book, more or less, but occasionally granted a dragon a personality that didn't really seem to fit its alignment. Of course, this was also the dm that had a true neutral dragon quasi-deity whose main purpose was to hunt down and eat the great wyrm dragons - keeping the population down, especially those that stood out too much.
In some campaigns - especially those placed in a specific published campaign world - I'll use whatever the campaign setting uses. In my homebrew I created my own pattern for dragons.
I've played under one dm whos stated that all dragons were brown, and unless we had ranks in Knowledge (dragon) we could not tell (from horns, ridges, etc) what specific breed it was - and therefore its alignment, breath weapon (until it was used), etc.
I've also played under another dm that always did them by the book, more or less, but occasionally granted a dragon a personality that didn't really seem to fit its alignment. Of course, this was also the dm that had a true neutral dragon quasi-deity whose main purpose was to hunt down and eat the great wyrm dragons - keeping the population down, especially those that stood out too much.
First, I believe that dragons can have a different alignment than their race's norm, just as humans can. Second, I think it's possible that a dragon's scale colour could vary a few shades from what's described in the MM (Knowledge (arcana) to be sure of its race).
I prefer the Monsternomicon concept of dragons, though.
I prefer the Monsternomicon concept of dragons, though.
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