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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DarkKestral" data-source="post: 3104773" data-attributes="member: 40100">As I would use them, higher CR dragons tend to fall into a group of monsters that are more plot device and BBEG than combat monster, but when I would use them as such, they are as often patron as they are enemy. They aren't gods, but some feel that they are servants of the gods or the 'true' children of the gods. Most are circumspect about it, however. Those that have lived a long time can often prove to be rather agnostic, having seen enough time to have lost any real belief. (Divine magic is magic through belief if I'm gonna run it. You can be evil and still cast 'good' spells. Perception is EVERYTHING with the divines.) They are still unusually intelligent, and I prefer to play them that way; they have agendas, and can be capable of immense foresight and planning, often so much so that others would not be able to easily divine a dragon's true purpose. This quality is what makes them very formidable even if transformed into physically weaker forms, which many spend a lot of time in, as they have often put a lot of thought into their protections. I won't play dragons as being terribly prone to hoarding; IMCs they aren't any more so than the average PC race. These changes are meant to change them from 1-dimensional creatures of power and greed that are pure plot device to rich characters that are actively involved in the world. They may be wealthy, but that is as often due to age and careful maneuverings as it is pure greed and desire for acquisition. However, those that are interested in wealth often keep their hoards in places that players wouldn't often assume are dragon hoards. Some do, but many keep theirs in banks, castles, and other places that won't scream "I am a dragon hoard. Kill my owner and loot me for cash and valuables."As a result, dragons, in my games, will still be somewhat mythic in their abilities, but often present in ways that the PCs may not expect if they solely see dragons with the eye towards MM crunch. Dragons can and do have reputations, both good and bad, associated with them, even in my games, which may vary a bit from the norm, but they do so in ways that I personally find satisfying, and each age group (not the D&D age category) has a different associated general characteristic in the legendary tales of heroes, villains, saints, corrupted beings, gods, and fiendish entities that would make up the primary bits of my cosmologies in non-planar-oriented campaigns.Since the gods aren't actively present, tales of myth and legend form the core of belief, and from those spring belief in the gods. There are those who revere dragons, and those who revile them. Due to their changes to make them more varied in form and less prone to being out and out 'dragony' in the classic 'hyper-intelligent monster that wants to kill you for no apparent reason' way, they are often found in tales being heroes and martyrs. Young dragons are only occasionally spoken of in tales (typically as humor-producing sidekicks to the main hero, or as hatchlings who need to be protected) while the older ones can be placed in the classic roles relatively easily. Elders ARE still near-mythical, so that ensures some remaining mysticism about them. They are meant to be personalities that shape things.</blockquote>

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