Dragon Age: Infancy
Here now is a look at dragons from hatching to the age of eight. Each entry starts off with the category number, followed by the age range for the category. For instance, an infant dragon between the age of three and four is in category four. Each category determines how large the dragon is, how large it grows, how much damage its natural weapons make, and at a very young age how much control the dragon has over his breath weapon.
This posting covers the first eight years of a dragon's life, when he goes from a nigh helpless bag of appetite and odd 'outgassings' to something one might almost take out on social occasions.
BTW, if a dragon parent ever tries hiring your PC to watch her kids, and your GM has a copy of this book, make sure she provides protection and medical, along with hefty pay.
Infancy
1: 0-1
A newly hatched dragon is a rather helpless beast. It can’t move very well, has no appreciable attacks, and no control over its breath weapon. This makes caring for a hatchling dragon hazardous to non-dragons. (For this reason dragon parents looking for baby sitters will provide some sort of protection as part of the arrangement.)
During their first year dragons make remarkable progress. By four months they are beginning to crawl, creep at 8 months, and it’s a rare infant dragon that’s not walking (albeit on wobbly pins) by 10 months. At 12 months (one year) most can say a few words. Coordinations improves remarkably, and by one year of age the infant is engaging in play combat and hunting.
Still, even at a year of age the dragon has a long way to go
2: 1-2
In their second year dragons really pick up on the art of gabbing. Often to the point the mother is about ready to strangle the motormouth (“Thank the gods for babysitters.” is a common refrain of mother dragons around this time.) They also gain some control over their breath weapon, but still present a hazard to those who tend them.
Most will start pretending to fly at the age of 18 months. Fortunately they make no real progress in this, since toilet training has yet to start. Still, their wings are strong enough by then to raise a serious breeze, and when ‘motivated’ dragons at this age have been known to blow out candles and other small flames.
Coordination has improved to the point an infant dragon can now present a credible threat in combat. Though they much prefer to screech for mom, lashing out blindly against an attacker. The breath weapon is not used deliberately against a foe until the infant is about 20 months of age, and even then the child has no reliable control over when it breathes, or even where the breath goes.
3: 2-3
This is when dragons begin to shine. That’s what dragon grandparents say, and they should know.
Around 2 and a half a dragon will start making wobbly flights. This is also when most dragon infants start toilet training. Some insist the two are not coincidental. Coordinaton continues to improve, and the infant will start exploring places it couldn’t before. This is also the time when the parents will start looking away fragile items of great sentimental value and selling of stuff they see no need for.
Close to the age of 3 a dragon can start making deliberate attacks, and has some degree of facility with the breath weapon. Still it is possible for the child to panic and lash (or breathe) out at random.
4: 3-4
The infant continues to get larger, more coordinated, and better at “breathing”. Flying remains erratic. But except for a few accidents the critter is pretty much toilet trained.
The little monsters also get a little bossy around this time. They have all these neat, nifty abilities and their heads get filled with all sorts of notions. For one, they will start laying claim to most anything they can. Especially bright and sparkly items, or an item somebody else shows a great deal of interest in. It is said that Charlemagne’s Durandal was ‘gifted’ to the Louvre in Paris after the owners’ three year old started dragging it around and screamed when anybody tried taking it away.
5: 4-5
This is the age when the parents start taking the child out to see the world. This is also the age when dragon infants start getting friendly, greeting everybody they can with great glee. They do this not because they actually like the other fellow (at least not at first), but to see how their parents react. Getting a rise out of dad is lots of fun.
They also get even more rebellious than at the age of three, though they also pick up on signals from their parents that they’ve gone too far a lot quicker.
A mistake the parents of a dragon this age make is assuming that the child understands the value of money. Not so. A four year old dragon has no real understanding of value, as far as he’s concerned it’s a pretty and should be shared with everyone he meets. The four and a half year old who gave the Holy Grail to a homeless man is an example of this. (It was returned to the dragons watching over it a year later, along with a letter thanking them for their kindness and assistance. The grail is now kept in a safe and taken out only on religious occasions. Junior is kept well away from the cup.)
6: 5-6
By now the infant has taken on mostly adult proportions. The legs and wings still need to do some growing, but beyond that the dragon looks like a miniature version of the adult.
Still, they do require some degree of supervision. They are also still a bit clumsy, and could spontaneously breathe under stress.
At this age their world is starting to expand in a serious way. They show interest in outside matters, and have some skill at making friends. It’s about this time dragon parents will start meeting friends and neighbors so their children can meet other children.
Dragon vocabulary makes remarkable strides around this time. While their store of words has been growing ever since they learned to talk, baby dragons really advance when it comes to gabbing. Brass dragon infants make extraordinary progress at this age, but infants of other species are not that far behind.
7: 6-8
This is the cusp of infancy and childhood. During this time a dragon learns how to reason. Not all that well, but he can now figure some things out.
This is also the friendly age, when the child makes friends with most anyone or anything he meets.
Dragons learn to read about this time. They also start hunting training, though that’s still mostly play.
The legs begin to assume more adult proportions, the wings continue growing, and the child will experience two or more growth spurts during these years. By the age of eight a dragon will be at least three feet in length and weigh about 25 pounds. Though lighter in weight than a human child of the same age, a six or seven year old dragon is dangerous when crossed. Being a child, dragons at this time are rather easily crossed.
The age of six is when a dragon has near total control over his breath weapon. Though accidents can still occur up to the age of 12. The age of six is also when dragon parents, and their friends and relatives start laying down the law when it comes to the use of the breath weapon. Good dragon parents still keep a close watch on their children during this time, to prevent incidents and intervene when tempers get heated.
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