How have you used dragon parts in recipes?

[VelvetViolet]

Found this interesting article on mythology/folklore that you guys might find useful: The Uses of Dragon Parts in Mythology and Folklore

I found the implication that the immortal eastern dragons shed their brains every so often to be surreal, but if the immortal hydra can regrow its heads doubled then it's not all that unusual I guess.

Have you used dragon parts in recipes, remedies, forging, etc? How did that work out?

 

[Eltab]

In the adventure Hoard of the Dragon Queen you get a chance to smash some dragon eggs that the bad guys were trying to hatch. Rather than get into some icky descriptions, I suggested the abstract concept that contents of the eggs could be harvested for "power boost" spell components. Double range, max damage, better accuracy, turn a line spell into a cone, similar concepts. Say 1d6 such uses per egg.

I have never seen anything published that would emulate what you are asking about, but I am sure homebrew concepts exist in private use.

 

[VelvetViolet]

I have never seen anything published that would emulate what you are asking about, but I am sure homebrew concepts exist in private use.

Medieval bestiaries are full of medicinal uses for animal parts both real and imagined. I find it really odd that this hasn't filtered into more fantasy fiction and gaming outside of Harry Potter and Monster Hunter.

 

[aco175]

I recall an old Dragon Magazine article for using monster parts for items and ingredients. We had a 2e party who went around for an old mage to collect things to use in potions and item creation.

I would be open to having some dragon parts be some sort of focus in spells or items where it boosts something. I could see a dragon wand from a red dragon be able to deal +1d6 fore to fire spells or cast them at +1 level. It would be similar to a +1 sword or something.

 

[Blue Orange]

2nd ed monster descriptions had an Ecology section that often turned into a shopping list.

In 1st ed, Gary Gygax's DMG had a table (of course) for monster ingredients for potions, which uses dragon blood, scales, and brain, and some other interesting monster bits:

animal control: organ or gland from representative type or types tovbe controlled
clairaudience: human or simian thalamus gland or ear from anvanimal with keen hearing
clairvoyance: human or simian thalamus gland or eye from an animal with keen sight
climbing: insect legs (giant)
delusion: doppleganger flesh or rakshasa ichor
diminution: powdered kobold horn and wererat blood
dragon control: brain of the appropriate dragon type
ESP: mind flayer brain
extra-healing: troll blood or hair of a saint
fire resistance: fire elemental phlogiston or salamander scales
flying: hippogriff feathers and wyvern blood
gaseous form: vampire dust or ogre magi teeth
giant control: brain of appropriate giant type
giant strength: drops of sweat from appropriate giant type
growth: ogre magi gland healing ogre magi blood or thread of saint’s garment
heroism: heart of lion or similar giant cat
human control: vampire eye or nixie blood
invisibility: invisible stalker ichor
invulnerability: gargoyle horn or lycanthrope skin
levitation: beholder eye (from stalk) or will-o-wisp essence
longevity: dragon blood and treant sap or elf blood
oil of etherealness: shedu fat or demon brain
oil of slipperiness: purple worm gland or liver of giant pike
philter of love: dryad hair
philter of persuasiveness: harpies’ tongues or devil tongue
plant control: shrieker spores and umber hulk eye
polymorph (self): mimic skin or succubus hair
speed: pegasus heart and giant weasel blood
super-heroism: giant wolverine blood and minotaur heart
sweet water: water elemental eye or triton blood
treasure finding: gold dragon scale and six different powdered gem stones
undead control: dust of freshly destroyed spectres or vampire brain or ghost ectoplasm or lich tongue
water breathing: water naga blood or nixie organs

 

[Tonguez]

I also make Alchemy/Crafting relevant by requiring specialist knowledge to process monster bits

Armourers can use Dragon hide armour to make light armour that is as hard as plate and has elemental resistance.

Dragon stomach fluid is acidic and collected by Alchemist as a essential ingredient to the Universal Solvent, which is itself a precursor to the Philosophers Stone.

Dragons heart can be preserved and used as a phylactery/a source of immortality

Dragon claws are crushed and alchemically recrystalized to make a Necklace of Fireballs

Dragon teeth can of course be sown where they will grow into an army of skeletal warriors

 

[John Dallman]

In the early 1980s, one of my DMs invented Necklaces of Protection vs Dragon Breath. They were made out of a full set of adult dragon's teeth, and gave immunity to that kind of dragon's breath weapon. This only lasted for a few hundred points of damage they'd saved you from, but that was plenty for acquiring more teeth. They were banned after a few scenarios as being too good.

 

[Bohandas]

This reminds me of an idea I had a whike back for an NPC character. This would be a dragon who's sort of "the Ed Gein of dragons" and would be the PCs' main supplier of items made out of dragon parts.

 

[Richards]

My son's gnome fighter had red dragonhide plate armor made from the scales of a red dragon the party slew.

I also had a green dragon use large pieces of its eggshells to "infuse" an unborn elf with the half-dragon template; he not only had the pregnant mother using the eggshell piece as her bed (she had been taken captive in his cave during her pregnancy), but ground up pieces of eggshell into the gruel he fed her each day. Sure enough, when the baby was born she was half elven, half green dragon. (She ended up being the queen of the PC's small kingdom in the follow-on campaign, though, so it all worked out for her.) But I wanted there to be an alternate route to the half-dragon template other than "dragons can mate with anything."

Johnathan

 

[Hand of Evil]

Bunch of cannibal Eating intelligent races. In my games it is a two edged sword, if not done right, you are poisoned but if done, you get a bonus based on the size of the dragon. Different parts for different effects; heart = strength, brain = intelligence, and such. Parts were used to make items.

I also put in a down side that characters would have same bonus as a minus when dealing with dragon-kin. This was for humor, had a pack of kobolds that was so ticked at a character, they followed him around throwing dung and rotten eggs at him randomly.