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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5767599" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Magazine Issue 260: June 1999part 3/7Greater drakes: So you want to ride a dragon, but your DM doesn't want something that'll overshadow the entire party, and is just maybe small enough that a Dragonlance could actually make sense as a combat implement. I think we have a perfect niche to be filled by an article. After all, they've already given us a whole load of draconic familiars, and lesser dragon variants to fight, and half-dragons for when you have sex with them, and equipment made out of their body parts. Why not adapt them to fill other niches in your life as well. Or would that just be unhealthy? Vandalraug are the base model, bigger and tougher than most, but with no special features. If it's raw damage you want, then go for the vanilla option. Kavainus are bony and spooky, can see ghosts, and become ethereal. This makes them amazing on a tactical level, and handy when hunting undead. You can ride them nearly anywhere, but you can't mistreat them, because they'll be able to escape any restraints. Better be good to them. Arsalon have yellow and black scales, and form a symbiosis with a wasp or bee nest in their throat. Which means their breath weapon is bees. (my god) That's both interesting and pretty funny. I want to use these just to see the looks on people's faces. Retchenbeast are little and toadlike, perfect for riding in swamps, and regurgitate swamp muck at their enemies. Since there are real world creatures that do similar, this makes perfect sense, and doesn't violate physics at all. And it's a better idea than trying to tame a froghemoth, that's for sure. Silisthis are the underwater ones, long and thin and eel-like. They work like elephants or octupi, storing water in their throat sacs and then squirting it at high pressure to knock down assailants or speed their swimming. Once again, this seems grounded in real world ecological principles. Which actually isn't surprising, given it's been written by our resident ecologist. These are much better than his previous attempts at making new monsters. Fumarandi breathe smoke formed by the chemical reactions of their toxic digestive systems. They tend to be quite cranky, and of course you might want a gas mask if you're gonna ride them, but there are worse things than adding chemical warfare to your arsenal. Have fun trying to properly train them. Of course, these new options aren't complete without some kits to make it easier for players to get on board. In the spirit of generosity, Johnathan gives one to each class group. Air Knights are the popular heroes of the sky, inspiring the population as they protect them, and probably acquiring nicknames along the way. But if they lose their mount, they will mope. Generally, I think that's a substantial net positive. Sky Wizards have things even better, as they don't even have that minor drawback. Like swashbucklers or dragon hunters, their only "drawback" is that they're so awesome that they're very likely to be the first target for any major trouble. Which from an adventurer PoV is just another benefit. Twinkitude! Storm Priests, on the other hand, bear the weight of responsibility for their team on their shoulders, and suffer if they start to lose. Better make sure you're tactically prepared and on the winning side then. Wind Scouts aren't so popular, because the public doesn't appreciate the strategic importance of knowing the terrain before a battle. They also have a tendency to be grumpy loners. After all, they're more legit than most rogues, but they're still not perfectly suited to the military life. So these are pretty fun, but do slant towards a higher-powered game by default. Having flying and substantial extra attack capabilities right from 1st level will make a huge difference. Ahh, the silver anniversary rereleases. Now these mark the point where D&D really started feeding off it's own past rather than outside sources. Sort of an orobourus wyrm, getting more and more incestuous with each generation.</blockquote>

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