D&D 5E Wandering Monsters: Not-Dragons

[SkidAce]

And there is the problem! True dragons put on a pedestal and are assumed to have vast overreaching power to destroy anything that offends them. It gets so bad in some games that managing to slay one dragon turns the campaign into "Flee from the dragon mafia!"

Touche...


Although I might add that "we" don't take it to the extreme.

 

[Weather Report]

...drakes are for kids...

 

[Dausuul]

And there is the problem! True dragons put on a pedestal and are assumed to have vast overreaching power to destroy anything that offends them. It gets so bad in some games that managing to slay one dragon turns the campaign into "Flee from the dragon mafia!"

Really? Weird. My take on dragons has always been that the individual dragon is huge and terrifying, and ancient dragons can go toe-to-toe with demon princes and archangels*; but being so powerful individually, they have no interest in cooperating, and feel no impulse to avenge one another's deaths (with the exception of parents avenging their offspring). If you kill one dragon, the reaction of other dragons is:

a) For a human, that's impressive. Respect.
b) You know, though, old Smaug had a damn fine hoard. And you humans don't live very long.
c) When you die of old age, we'll see if your heirs are badass enough to defend what you were badass enough to take.

[size=-2]*Not to imply that an ancient dragon can compare with the total power at a demon prince's command, since the prince rules vast armies of lesser demons. But in single combat, the dragon and the demon are on par.[/size]