D&D General How do you use dragons in your game?

In my 5e Iron Gods campaign half the party were Acme dragon cultists who followed the dragon Aasterininian who might be the dragon god of humor and invention and a messenger of the dragon gods or a copper dragon who lives in the world physically and franchised out an invention cult.

The party steampunk space marine cleric and the kobold bard were members in goood standing with the orc mech barbarian joining the cult.
 

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I am a fan of city buster sized dragons as ultimate enemies and forces of nature. Early exposure to Record of Lodoss War and Godzilla I guess.
I just ran across this image over on ArtStation and thought of you:

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Dragons in my homebrew setting are an endangered species because the world was blown up, leaving only fragments preserved by the gods. Dragons unwilling to work with society or find some place to be a hermit didn't last too long. The party has encountered 5 dragons in six years of play in this setting.

  • Latrisha, a copper dragon philanthropist. Party stopped a robbery of her hoard.
  • Ichigo, Latrisha's pink gold grandson. A young dragon (around 115) but the high priest of Bahamut.
  • Winterwing, a fey-touched Adult White sent by an archfey to assassinate someone. The party killed it with the help of the target and a dryad wizard at level 7.
  • A Mirage Dragon of unknown name. The party put it out of its misery. This one was part of a module and thus I didn't really do much with it.
  • An adult purple dragon called Somnivorax (CR 15) that feasted on the dreams of a nearby Duergar/Sverfniblin city. This one I had some fun with, because it toyed with the townsfolk, gave each of the party members a unique nightmare, and had a dream fight when they all passed their saving throws against its nightmare. So the dragon made it personal before they fought it for real and it put them through the wringer. Might have even gotten away if the Warlock hadn't said something that really pissed it off and kept it around when it really should have fled.
 

I'm considering a fantasy victorian error game where, due to a short story/campaign idea I read somewhere, dragons run the banks. They're also the reason the world still uses pence, shillings, and pounds rather than moving to the easier to understand dollars and cents.
 



In DND/PF, I use them all the time. BADD has sent me repeated notices, which I ignore.

They usually fight one around fourth level, about the earliest it makes sense to me. The campaign, set in my own version of FR, will be in several dragon's area, according to them, and trouble eventually happens. Dragons are more reproductive and not many survive young age to become an adult. I also age them faster, like adventurers, such that any age category of dragon could be encountered.

I think there are two things I try and do with dragon's. One, overall, it is rare that the characters meet something that, if it becomes a fight, they can't win. It might not be easy, it might cost them, but it won't be impossible. Two
I want to make it memorable. I want it to be something they enjoyed. Of course, I want that for every session and am hard on myself when it isn't.

DND/PF game mechanics don't allow for dragons to be truly scary, IMO. Alternity RPG dragons of Good toughness, much less Amazing, require a dragon slaying sword for the party to stand a chance or unique magic. Exalted 1E/2E (I haven't played 3E) dragons can be scary if treated like at least a second circle demons. And of course, never, ever make a deal with Dunkelzahn!
 

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