Creatures: Dragons

Common dragons

Each dragon is descended from the two greater dragons corresponding to its moral codes. A fire dragon, Chaotic Evil, is descended from Absoloth and Tiemen, for example. Dragons often are sorcerors. They will either be non-specialized, or specialized in one of the two types of magic of their greater ancestors. Dragons are vain, and prone to riddle-solving even if no riddle exists. They are cunning and crafty, but not always wise.

Dragons may use their breath attack once every four rounds, and their eye attack once every two rounds. Eye attacks must be targeted at a specific individual. Dragons may use their breath attack at half power and thus use it again at half power in the very next round if they wish.

Entire adventures can be played around the defeat of a dragon, as in Tolkien’s Hobbit. The adventure won’t end with the dragon’s defeat. The death or removal of a creature as powerful, as wily, and as old as a dragon can easily create a bloody and wide-ranging power struggle in the region the creature once controlled, as we saw in Tolkien’s story. The dragon’s treasures didn’t come from nowhere. Everyone is going to want their old treasures back, and some will want someone else’s old treasures. The Elves will want the items of cultural and historical significance to them. The Dwarves will want the items the Dwarves created or were given. Elves and Dwarves may or may not bicker over the ownership of items of joint manufacture, but both will agree that such creations should not fall into the grubby, clumsy hands of humans. Each local government will send armies and representatives to bargain for their fair share of what was once theirs, or which they believe should be theirs because of the depredations they have suffered under the dragon’s tyranny. Merchants will petition their governments to send armies; and if the merchants are powerful enough to have their own armies, the local governments will send representatives to ensure that these private armies do not become too powerful. Even those who do not want treasure will want a say in how the treasure is distributed.

And then all the old enmities that were held in check by the dragon’s power will awaken, nearly fresh because they’ve been held in check only by tyrannical might, ensuring that such enmities have been nursed in private to even greater heights than such enmities originally scaled. (See the fall of the Soviet Union.)

The dragon held treasure and power, and both will be vied for when the dragon is gone.

Fire Dragon: The most commonly-known dragon is the red, or fire, dragon, and when “dragon” is mentioned, it is the fire-breathing dragon that comes to mind. Its scales glisten an earthy red and orange when it leaves its brooding and takes to the air.

Its fiery breath melts iron and burns stone, and boils water to steam in an instant. Those caught in its flame will lose 8d6 survival points, half if they make a successful Evasion roll. Its flame affects a cone a hundred yards long and thirty yards wide at its end.

Anyone caught in the gaze of the fire dragon’s evil eye must make a willpower roll or be charmed into submission. A charmed individual will assume a generally trusting attitude towards the dragon and be inclined to assist it. The charmed individual will not immediately attack friends and comrades, but may be convinced by the dragon over time.

The fire dragon is solitary and ruthless. Its depredations turn the surrounding lands into a wasteland, devoid of life, filled with the charred remains of forest and city.

Forest Dragon: The golden green dragon of the wood haunts the great forests of antiquity in solitude. Its gaseous green breath is poison to all who breath it. Those caught in its billow will lose 3d6 survival points, and must make an evasion roll or be sickened. This chronic ailment is strength 6, has an action time of 1 round, and causes 2d6 survival damage. The cloud can be up to twenty yards diameter, up to 70 yards from the dragon.

Those caught by the forest dragon’s eye must make a perception roll or fall into a dangerous pride. The victim will accept nothing even remotely resembling an order or command. They will expect their own orders, commands, and suggestions to be followed immediately. Their own judgment is infallible; that of others should always be second-guessed by their own. They are as great as the dragon, and only the dragon is worthy of their companionship.

The forest dragon is often the leader of a small roving band of like-minded, powerful creatures. It has no love for cities, nor for the steady expansion of farmland and field.

Storm Dragon: The bright blue, white-tinged storm dragon lives atop tall mountains and amidst high clouds. Its lightning breath splits tall trees and. Those caught in its lightning will lose 4d6 survival points, and must make an Evasion roll or be stunned for d6 rounds. All surprise, advantage, attack, and defense rolls while stunned will be at a penalty of half the damage done. Movement is similarly penalized. The storm dragon’s lightning affects everything in a straight line two yards wide at its start, four yards wide at its end, and a hundred yards long.

The storm dragon’s gaze awakens intense desire in the victim. The victim must make a willpower roll or intensely desire whatever the storm dragon has chosen: it might be a great treasure, or sexual desire for another individual, or some great knowledge, for example. The victim will move immediately to acquire that which is desired.

The storm dragon often stands at the head of a wide-ranging organization of righteous Order. It rules in secret from a strict hierarchy where each level often knows only its head and its subordinates.

Water Dragon: This grayish-blue monstrosity may move quickly in the air and under water, but not as quickly on land. They move at 28 while flying and at 16 while in or on water. Its breath freezes water to ice in a moment, shatters glass, and chills to the marrow. Anyone caught by its breath will lose 6d6 survival points, half on a successful Evasion roll. Its icy breath affects everything in a cone 80 yards long and twenty yards wide at its end.

The numbing gaze of the water dragon removes all willpower. A perception roll is required to withstand the gaze. If failed, the victim must make a willpower roll to initiate any action; even when taking action, attack rolls, defense rolls, reactions, and movement are at a penalty of six.

The water dragon is cunning and selfish, often heading great undersea kingdoms with an icy rule.

Dragon young

Dragons hatch from eggs as long, coiled snakes with prehensile heads. Within three years they learn to speak and are as intelligent as a child. They will usually by this time know both the dragon tongue and the local human or humanoid tongue. By the time they are six years old they have grown wings and can fly, but are still, in appearance, large flying snakes. In intelligence, the flying snake is a teen-ager. By the time they are twenty years old, they have grown claws and have begun to fatten around the middle. They have entered dragon puberty and will go through immense changes. By the time they are forty, they are recognizable as a dragon and may use their special breath attack. They are now a young adult dragon and will grow to adulthood, gaining increased size and power.

Throughout these stages they are always cunning, but cunning in different ways. Their cunning begins as childishness, progresses through naïve idealism, and finally progresses through greater and greater skills of manipulation as they grow older. Even a Good dragon cannot be trusted. Their goals are not the goals of mortals.

Greater dragons

Greater dragons live practically forever, outliving even Elves. Some have been worshipped as gods.

Greater dragons may fight with their powerful claws, however, they also have great magical attacks. Each has a unique breath attack, which attacks their opponents physically, and an insidious eye attack which attacks their opponents mentally.

Greater dragons are also sorcerors of great power. Each individual is a classical sorceror, specialized, of at least tenth level. Besides their gigantic winged serpentine form, the greater dragons may also change to a human form and so walk among mankind in secret. In human form, the greater dragons retain their level and their sorcerous and eye powers, but may not use their breath. An eye power may affect any number of creatures in a 90 degree arc from the dragon’s head.

Greater dragons may use their eye attack once per round, and their breath attack once every two rounds. They may use their breath attack at half power and be able to use it every round.

If a greater dragon is destroyed, a new greater dragon of that type will be born from one of its offspring.

Sun Dragon: The golden flame of the Sun Dragon can melt even metal and stone. It does 12d6 survival points to whatever it contacts (an evasion roll will result in half damage), in a range of 120 yards, with a diameter of thirty yards. Items not carried by a character and caught in the direct breath of the Sun Dragon make their reaction rolls at a penalty of five.

The eyes of the Sun Dragon will exacerbate any vices of the victim; only the most pure may withstand the gaze of the Sun Dragon without melting inside. Anyone falling under the gaze of a Sun Dragon must make a willpower roll at a penalty of four, or fall immediately into a frenzy of their top one to three vices.

Night Dragon: Diving up into the night sky, the Night Dragon’s bluish-grey form will blot out the stars like a huge thundercloud. The Night Dragon’s breath causes rot and decay. Food and flesh will bubble with maggots, leather and wood deteriorate and crack. The breath has a range of 120 yards and a diameter of thirty yards. It does 6d6 points damage, 3d6 on a successful evasion roll. On an unsuccessful evasion roll, items that the character carries must make reactions (at –2) or deteriorate. Armor will lose 2d4 points of defense; weapons gain a penalty of 2d3 to attack and to damage. Paper, wood, and cloth will fall to dust.

The eyes of the Night Dragon will decay mental and physical faculties. On a failed willpower roll, the target will lose 1 point each of intelligence, strength, agility, and endurance.

Cloud Dragon: Erilenian appears as a dragon of pure white, its white wings tinged with red at their tips. The storm breath of the Cloud Dragon may be ice storm, lightning storm, rain storm, wind storm, and/or cloud. The storm breath has a range of 200 yards and a diameter of 100 yards.

Cloud obscures all vision in a roiling, misty white vapor within the area of the vapor. A rain storm is a driving rain that soaks into everything, extinguishing any non-magical flame (and probably many magical flames). A lightning storm may target up to five victims per round. Victims must make an evasion roll or take 6d6 points damage from the lightning. An ice storm is a forceful hail that tears into everything. Victims will take 8d6 points damage, but may make an evasion roll to take only half that. Items such as papers or glass may need to make reaction rolls or be destroyed. A wind storm is a gale-force wind that blows anything and anyone who fails a fortitude roll 10 to 60 yards. (Non-medium sizes gain a bonus or penalty to this roll of twice the distance from medium.)

Erilenian may use any combination of storms each round the storm is in effect. Storms (except for lightning storms) last at half intensity for two rounds after they are started. (Reactions are at a bonus of four.)

Erilenian’s gaze causes sleep and then dreams. Victims must make a willpower roll at a penalty of 2 to avoid falling asleep. Once asleep, their dreams are under Erilenian’s control, though further willpower rolls may be allowed to break out of the dream at the Guide’s discretion.

Rainbow Dragon: The Chaos Dragon’s silvery skin reflects the full spectrum of colors. The defeat of the Chaos Dragon by culture heroes heralds the coming of civilization. In Sumerian, her Elvish name, Tiemed, became synonymous with Chaos itself.

Tiemen’s acidic breath tears down metals and clings to its victims. It does 6d6 survival points in the first round, 4d6 in the second, 3d6 in the third, 2d6 in the fourth, and d6 in the fifth. An evasion roll will result in half damage, but once failed is no longer applicable. It has a range of 100 yards, with a diameter of twenty yards.

The gaze of Tiemen can create fantastic, utterly immersive illusions covering all senses. Tiemen can thus apparently grant any wish. Tiemen’s illusions may draw on both Tiemen’s knowledge and the knowledge of the target, as long as Tiemen knows how to name that knowledge. Thus, a person asking for the return of their long-lost love could apparently be granted this return, even though Tiemen has no idea what that person or thing looks like.

Victims are allowed a perception roll, at a penalty of five, to avoid falling sway to the illusion. Tiemen’s illusions last for one day; at the end of that day the victim is allowed another perception roll with no penalty; if failed, the illusion lasts forever.

Lesser dragons

Lesser dragons are the result of interbreeding between common dragons. While generally weaker than normal dragons some of their powers hearken back to their Greater forebears and they are less limited by the constraints of their bloodlines. Lesser dragons retain the haughtiness, craftiness, and obsessiveness of their forebears, and while they have a lower intelligence it is still quite high.

Lesser dragons are long-lived. Many are mid- to high-level sorcerors.

The breath attacks, eye powers, and special forms of lesser dragons vary from dragon to dragon. They generally resemble those of their immediate ancestors, or of their dominant greater ancestor. Some lesser dragons will only have breath attacks, some will have a breath attack and either an eye power or a special form, and some will have all three.

Lesser dragons may use their breath attacks three times per day. If they have a medium-sized form, that form may use the breath attack at half power, six times per day. If they have an eye attack, they may use it once per day, and it will last up to an hour. If they have a secondary form, it may be used at any time. It will take one round to change.

Mud Dragon: Descended from water and forest dragons, the mottled-brown mud dragon may bury its opponents in a spew of thick, clay-like mud and roots. The spew entangles its victims for 2d6 rounds (d6 for large creatures, and d4 for huge creatures). An evasion or fortitude roll is allowed to half this time.

The mud dragon’s gaze can cause plants to grow tall and dense, and may also control such plants and grant them limb-like movement. The mud dragon may use this control to attack nearby victims for up to 3d6 points damage divided amongst up to three victims.

The mud dragon may transform into a flock of birds that may claw and peck for 2d6 points of damage to up to two opponents. It may separate itself into its separate forms of one bird per survival point which may exist up to two hundred yards apart.

Rotting Dragon: Descended from fire and water dragons, the dark blue rotting dragon lives amidst vermin and death. As its breath, it may spew clouds of maggots and biting insects onto its victims, doing 4d6 damage the first round, 3d6 the next, 2d6, and then d6. Victims may make an evasion roll each round for half damage. The vermin will affect any creature in a cloud centered up to five yards diameter, and up to 30 yards from the dragon.

The rotting dragon may also control any animal-intelligence insects, worms, rodents, or other vermin in their sight.

The rotting dragon may take the form of a swarm of insects. In this form it bites for 3d4 damage, and may do so to up to three opponents. It may separate itself into up to three swarms which may be up to a hundred yards apart and do d4 damage to up to three opponents.

Albino Dragon: Descended from water and storm dragons, the pale albino dragon takes obsessiveness to new levels. Albino dragons often have hobbies that require immense categorization and record-keeping. When the albino dragon screams, sharp obsidian shards spew from its mouth in a tearing spray. These shards do 6d6 points of damage to any in their path. An evasion roll is allowed for half damage. The shard beam is one yard at its base, and ten yards wide at its end forty yards down.

The albino dragon may command any victim that meets its eyes. The target is allowed a willpower roll to avoid the command. The target will remain under the effects of the command for 2d10 minutes.

The albino dragon may take the form of a normal sized, if gangly, pale human.

The albino dragon prefers darkness, and is at a penalty of one to attack and defense in bright light.

Laughing Dragon: Descended from fire and forest dragons, the yellow laughing dragon’s breath attack is an invisible gaseous cloud that causes its victims to laugh uncontrollably for 2d6 rounds. An evasion roll is allowed to avoid the effects, after which a health roll must be made each round, until the gas fades away or the victim leaves the gaseous cloud. The cloud is ten yards in diameter and up to thirty yards from the dragon.

The laughing dragon may affect any creature meeting its gaze with overperception. The victim will lose all ability to filter or prioritize incoming information or to tell the difference between their internal thoughts and external voices, people, and things. A willpower roll may be made to avoid the effects.

The laughing dragon may take the form of a human child.

Dragons: Cheimon

These stormy creatures resemble great, winged lions from the front. Their massive cat-like heads sport two long, sharp horns, and their sharp teeth conceal an iron-strong tongue that can slash flesh and bone. The cheimon has relatively small wings, scaled on the bottom and feathered above, in the middle of its body. It has two claws, in its front. Its hind part is of a huge, slithering serpent or dragon’s tail. Its sharp tongue can impale or slice.

The cheimon may move quickly both on land and in the air. On land, its front part is upright and it slithers on its tail.

The cheimon breathes blazing fire and intense cold. its breath affects a cone fifty yards long, fifteen yards wide at its end. Its flame causes a loss of 6d6 survival points, and its cold a loss of 4d6. These losses are halved on a successful evasion roll. Further, anyone caught in its cold breath must make a fortitude roll at a penalty of two or be chilled: a penalty of three to attacks, reaction, and movement for as many rounds as they lost survival points. The cheimon may use each of its breath attacks once every eight rounds.

The cheimon’s wings can create an intense wind. It may choose to beat its wings and blow back any creature of large size or smaller. This wind extends in a cone thirty yards long, ten yards wide at its end. Anyone caught in the wind must make a fortitude roll or fall backwards as many yards as they missed the reaction roll by. Small creatures are at a penalty of 2, tiny creatures at a penalty of 4, and fine creatures at a penalty of 6 on this roll. Large creatures are at a bonus of 2.

The cheimon may choose either its physical attacks or one of its breath attacks (if available) or its wind attack, in any round.

These ancient creatures are of unknown origin, but may be some strange offspring of Tiemen or birthed by lightning in great storms atop the tallest of mountains.

Dragons: Wyverns

The bastard children of dragons are often deceptively beautiful but not the bat-winged, barbed, and leathery wyvern. This predatory and destructive creature symbolizes war, pestilence, envy, and viciousness. Its attacks do not heal, and its tail can putrefy water, turning it into an undrinkable, poisonous mess.

The wyvern can attack with either its deadly claws and its rough and tearing teeth, or its barbed tail. Biting or tail biting each do d6 damage, but each are also poisoned. On a successful attack, the target must make an evasion roll or the damage—both injuries and the scratches and bruises of survival—do not heal. Only rest, and careful and repeated cleaning will allow the damage to heal, and then only per week instead of per day. The wyvern may attack separately with its claws/bite and its tail.

The wyvern’s tail contains a deadly poison that can be used three times per day. Its effect is d3 injuries, with an action time of one round and a strength of 4.

Once per day, if it has not used its tail poison, the wyvern can discharge its poison into a small body of water, causing the water to turn murky and brown, and making it poisonous and unable to maintain life. Wyvern lairs tend to be stinking cesspools, barren and devoid of any life other than that of the wyvern itself.