GMs: Do you change the colors of your dragons?

[Nightcloak]

I'm going to be using AE's notion of dragons probably from now on -- no universal look, no universal personality or alignment, each one a little unique and unpredictable.

Exact same thing here.

 

[tarchon]

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).

That makes sense. I was thinking it might be against some sort of taboo for them to pose as other types of dragons among themselves, kind of like minstrel-show blackface.

 

[Venport]

So Far i have alwasy stayed with the MM standard however i'm tired of the Meta game crap that some of my players do so soon there will be dragons and the will look the same and they will not know what is going on until they see a breath weapon and that will not always tell them what is going on,,, however i have always given dragons with a elemental weakness energy resitance before hey go into battle (if they can cast that spell)

 

[Zandel]

I need the Other option as well.

I once had a swamp with green dragons that were coloured silver by minerals in the water. Really stumped the PC's when they heard tales of really mean 'silver' dragons.

 

[Gantros]

I'm afraid I don't get what the fuss is about. A good red dragon is like a good beholder, or a good mind flayer. An evil gold dragon is like an evil solar. In other words, theoretically possible (maybe due to possession or some other unusual circumstance), but very rare and bizarre. Would a character like Drizzt be half as interesting if all the other drow weren't cruel and sinister?

These iconic monsters fill certain roles - just like PCs are needed to fill the role of heroes, there are various creatures that fill the role "big, bad opponent", and "powerful ally". I've found there are plenty of other interesting ways to keep PCs on their toes besides altering their basic nature.

 

[Drowbane]

Rarely, have my PCs ever been put up against a Dragon. I don't believe in Dragons being everyday villains. Thus, a PC is not very likely to come upon any Dragon of younger than Juvenile... and most will be Adults. That said, even adult Dragons in my games have been rare. However, if the PCs truely want to test themselves... they can go hunt down Naculdacar the Black (Great Wyrm ~ Black Dragon) or....

 

[S'mon]

I do change dragons, but I'm not saying how...

 

[Tonguez]

imc the true dragons are a single species (who can breath fire or spit acid) any other effect (like cone of cold or lightning) is spell use. Dragons change colour depending on environment (green in forest, bronze in deserts, blue in mountains) and use russet (red) tones as a display colour amongst males looking for a mate

(3 other dragon types exist - the Mystic Dragons (oriental type), Sea Dragons and Celestial Dragons (usually gold (male) and silver (female) in colour))

 

[The Lemon Merchant]

I used to play it Metal = Good, Chromatic = Evil. However, I got to thinking that it didn't really make sense that way. If you can have orcs and hobgoblins that go against the norm, why can't a dragon, who realistically is far more intelligent than an orc or hobgoblin go against the grain as well. In Terra Viejo, the campaign world I use, a dragon's alignment isn't determined by its color. Sure there are your typical Evil Red's that hoard their treasure and terrorize the surrounding area, but there's also that (and TerraDave keep this to yourself if you're reading) Chaotic Good Red with a fondness for gnomes, the Lawful Good White that serves as a Paladin's mount, or the Chaotic Evil Silver that revels in sowing discord among the nobility.

Obviously I mix it up a bit. Dragons are far too intelligent to be pigeon-holed into an alignment.

 

[ephemeron]

I use color-coded dragons, but in my homebrew world, dragons all hatch neutral and translucent-ish and then become chromatic or metallic as a side-effect of becoming evil or good (or gemstone-colored if they stay neutral). So a silver dragon and a white dragon could be siblings.

I also use the old Dragon article "From Hatchling to Immortal Guardian" (issue 170), mostly the idea that dragons get most of their hit dice and powers from magical rather than natural growth.