So he calls himself "Dragonslayer"...

[Flyspeck23]

Here's the story: in a recent game the party faced a bunch of human mercenaries with a very young red dragon ally (and it wasn't a true dragon - it was sort of a "cavern" variant: it hadn't got wings).

The party's paladin defeated the dragon nearly single-handed. So far so good.
But now the paladin calls himself "Dragonslayer".

Granted, a very young red dragon is a large creature, but it's still very young. Somehow it seems wrong to take on the title of "Dragonslayer" if you basically killed a whelp... so I tried to talk the paladin out of it, but he's pretty stubborn on the subject - or am I?

Is it justified for the paladin to call himself "Dragonslayer"? Or should a dragon at least be a young adult, or even older? Or is it a silly title anyway (my POW)? Should I smack the paladin's player silly, or should he smack me?
In short: what's your opinion?

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Well, give it a couple of levels and the word will go round that he's calling himself Dragonslayer. Sooner or later a Dragon will hear about it, and either send some minions to try and kill him and turn up in person.

Dragon's are smart. Attacking him when he's not ready for it is the best way to make sure that this "Dragonslayer" doesn't become a "Wyrmslayer".

Basic rule - make him live with the consequences of his actions.

 

[thullgrim]

word gets around about a feat like slaying a dragon, and these things have a way of growing with the telling. I suspect that before long every peasant and freeholder with a problem with a dragon (or any other creature for that matter) will come looking for him to solve their problem as well. I mean after all this guy slew a dragon, surly he can handle a small orcish raiding party or the local well drying up, or find the cure for cancer....the more he plays it up, you play with it. look at it as an opportunity to hang any old adventure hook on. not to mention the random people who have heard of this guy and need a problem solved. If one of my players did this I would be dancing a jig..seriously...

oh and as paladin he is almost required to help these people out...
Thullgrim

 

[Chacal]

I prefer thullgrim's solution.

But don't be too harsh with the player and the PC.
In my experience (as a DM or player) there's often a temptation from the DM to "cure" the PC's delusions of grandeur, or lack of accountability for their actions, but I've found out
it's better not overreact just to "teach them".
Prefer the fun to the lesson.



Chacal

 

[Nightfall]

If he gets too much out of line, sic a Unholy Ravager of Tiamat on him.

 

[Gnarlo]

Well, he did actually do more than the 'dragonslaying' king in Dragonslayer did...

 

[diaglo]

read the Story Hour in my sig.


my character slew multiple dragons..

don't forget wyverns have the dragon subtype too.

also i negoiated with dragons. i used the title all the time. it has a certain pizzazz

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Let 'im take the title. Let that point of pride be his downfall. Someone will eventually learn of his braggartry and someone will eventually come to challenge him. At some point, someone bigger and badder than he will show up.

However, don't do this as a punishment to the player/character. Turn it into a plot point! There are some great plot ideas that can come from this, including but not limited to a possible recurring villain out to discredit/destroy/prove wrong the paladin.

 

[dreaded_beast]

What are the "player" motivations behind this? Have you asked your player what he wants out of being called Dragonslayer?

In my opinion, if your player is genuinely sincere and proud about slaying a "dragon", I say let him. If I accomplished something I felt was important or grand, I wouldn't mind giving myself a "cool" title. For me, image plays a big part in my enjoyment of the game. Don't punish your player if he just wants be a "hero", at least in his own eyes.

On the other hand, if he expects unreasonable accolades and rewards heaped upon him because he single-handedly slew a might red "dragon", that's another story.

I'm of the opinion that DND players sometimes want to feel like "heroes" and that they have done "heroic" things. So give them a chance to have fun and feel like heroes. If the encounter was actually tough or difficult for them, I say let them have their moment in the sun.

Don't punish them for wanting to feel like heroes (unless that is not the type of campaign you are running)

 

[Mystic_23]

We had a similar experience in a game I was in a few years ago. In it we met a middle-aged black dragon pretty much right away when we were 1st level. Needless to say, he was pretty much ripping us to shreds and we were just trying to do our best to clear out of there as quickly as possible. Then this weird "man in black" type guy came along and killed the thing. He soon disappeared, and we were left with a dead black dragon...and his hoard. (It's not what you think...we ended up having to use the majority of the hoard to hire a merc group to help protect our town from the invading Zentarim. (Long story)

When we got back to town, we were telling our story, and when we got to the part with the dragon, the BDF (Big Dumb Fighter) interrupted saying "And we KILLED the dragon!". He insisted from that moment on that we killed it, and if anyone else tried to tell the story differently, he would argue with them..."We killed it!"

Anyway...to get back on topic, I agree with thullgrim and Nightchilde-2. I think you should use this to your advantage. Make it a part of the plot. I'm not even saying that you should use it to punish the paladin's player. After all, he's roleplaying. He made a decision about his character, and he's sticking with it. When it comes down to it, that's not a bad thing. Who says you can't have a "Braggart Paladin".