This quote from Josh Herman...
I like to imagine that a green dragon would constantly scheme and plan to seize power, but being that it doesn’t have the raw power of a red dragon, it would need to go about those plans differently. So, rather than kicking down the door and burning the town, it would lure people into the forests where it could manipulate and deceive them, telling lies about why they were brought there and spinning tales about how they needed to help the dragon. A green dragon would use its intelligence and other regional effects to make it appear as invisible as possible, because it knows that being forward about its goals wouldn’t help it accomplish them.
...makes me wish the Monster Manual would include Fronts (ala Dungeon World) for its big, powerful monsters. Something like:
Stages of a Green Dragon Manipulating a Kingdom
1. Rumors spread of a mysterious wizard living in the forest who rewards favors for treasure. The wizard is actually the green dragon, staying hidden and projecting his voice.
2. A humble forester returns from the forest laden with treasures and buys up a large tract of land, reestablishing a wealthy barony. The forester has made a deal with the green dragon to do its bidding in return for power.
3. Bards in the realm start to sing of a scepter hidden in the forest, that would provide unimaginable power to any ruler who wielded it. Adventurers are sent into the forest, but most do not return. Those who do speak of a voice who commanded that only those of royal blood may seek the scepter. The dragon, of course, is spreading these rumors, hoping to attract a sovereign figure they can manipulate.
4. A local sovereign, wielding a magic scepter, suddenly increases their taxes tenfold, and drafts an army to guard a nearby forest. The sovereign has made a deal with the green dragon: they funnel gold and treasure to the dragon's hoard, and guard the forest from pesky invaders, and the dragon will use their magic and might to eliminate any threats to the kingdom.
A DM could use something like this to easily have big bad guys doing their thing in a campaign, and have the characters hear rumors or just drop into the middle of it.
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