D&D 5E Wandering Monsters Chosen of Bahamut Dragons part two!

[I'm A Banana]

It implemented changes from 3.5e's "Xorvinthaal dragons" (MM5), which removed a dragon's spellcasting in exchange for abilities that were, for a lack of a better word, draconic. This made them more exciting to include, easier to run and no less versatile, since customization in 4e is so easy.

See, to me, it removed their interesting abilities, and replaced them with MOAR FITAN POWERZ RARH. 2e/3e blue dragon: deceptive illusionist that lures enemies to their doom wandering for days in the sandy wastes. 4e blue dragon: Dire Pikachu. 2e/3e white dragon: Hunter in the blizzard, picking off flailing prey in the snow and ice. 4e white dragon: Lion with a breath weapon.

The spellcasting in general I can take or leave, it's the iconic spell-like abilities and behaviors implied by them that made D&D dragons what they are to me: masters of weather, wind, and the elements, devious plague-spreaders, avaricious creatures who watch every last gold piece, deceivers and manipulators, creatures who can shape the world and who cause adventure to be created by their very presence. I need a dragon to be so much more than a good fight. I need monsters in general to be that, but as dragons are the iconic monster, one of the two great challenges in the game, I especially need dragons to be that.

Fightin' powers certainly fit a need, and I wouldn't really begrudge folks that, but it's not interesting or fun or enjoyable to me. I need a bigger footprint, larger versatility, and less pure focus on the encounter, with more usability in the game at large.

 

[Klaus]

creatures who can shape the world and who cause adventure to be created by their very presence.

That's the whole idea behind my notion of "dragon country". I really ought to write it up someday.

As for the spell-like abilities, many of them were available in the Draconomicons, in addition to the usual manner of adding templates/themes or rituals to a dragon. Take, for instance, Rezcoreth, the green dragon warlock in Draconomicon I, which I referenced in Heroes of the Feywild. He was a master of his domain, with powers of illusion and deceit, and could wipe a character's memories and leave him sleeping for years. None of the versatility changed with 4e, but the ease of use increased, and dragons felt more draconic (3e dragons suffered from the "it's a spellcaster who just happens to be a dragon" syndrome; in 4e you could make a "it's a dragon, and he happens to cast spells").

 

[howandwhy99]

I totally forgot about gold dragons who can change themselves into humanoid form. Silvers too. Given some creative thinking, it isn't too hard a stretch to see either of these with a sort of lair in a large urban city or complex. In fact, they may be exhibiting the very height of Savoir-faire in civilization

Morale checks for "pulping" an ally. Basically, NPCs allied with a character who is "pulped", not just killed, but killed in a single shot or sustaining damage far beyond anything their intelligence judges they normally handle, those NPCs roll a morale check. This should cut low challenge combats short, but still offer players the ability to potentially run after and mow down Large Rats at epic levels if they so desire.

Combats don't need to last as long as Hit Point totals, damage roll averages, and To Hit odds determine. Smarter creatures not in desperate situations will avoid a larger threat when possible. They don't actually have to be all that smart either.