D&D General Which Edition Had The Best Dragons?

[Chaltab]

It's the cover of a Dragonlance novel; the horn patterns by type weren't codified (or a thing at all) until 3e.

Interesting. I'm aware there were very specific designs starting with 3E, but even as far back as the 1E monster manual, the forward pointing nose horn was a thing:

 

[Voadam]

It's the cover of a Dragonlance novel; the horn patterns by type weren't codified (or a thing at all) until 3e.

The core D&D monster book dragons were distinct and consistent in AD&D, but there was a lot of variation outside of them.

For example here is the Black Dragon with its forward facing horns and prominent sail crest in the 1e MM, the 2e Monstrous Compendium I, and the 2e Monstrous Manual.

The 2e FOR1 Draconomicon had art of dragons that was sometimes consistent and sometimes inconsistent with those standards.

 

[Chaltab]

Well this has been a neat history lesson.

Honestly while I like each dragon variant having particular physical features, I will say that kind of hate the way the blue dragon's nose horn is usually depicted in 3E and later: just massive and completely dominating the head.

 

[Reynard]

It's the cover of a Dragonlance novel; the horn patterns by type weren't codified (or a thing at all) until 3e.

Not true. Dragonlance followed the 1E MM styles, which were codified and distinct between dragon types.

 

[Voadam]

Also here is the original Dragonlance novel cover with the same Highlord Kitiara and the same blue dragon, Sky, with the same back pointing horns and no rhino horn.

This one is an Elmore cover, the module was a Parkinson one.

 

[Chaltab]

The vibe I'm getting is that the core Monster Manuals had these traits but that art in non-core books didn't always reflect that.