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Author Topic: Are Dragons just Mighty Beasts, or are they also Powerful Casters in your games?  (Read 2148 times)

Jam The MF

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As a DM, how do you portray Dragons?
Let the Dice, Decide the Outcome.  Accept the Results.

Svenhelgrim

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True dragons red, green, gold, etc.) all have innate spellcasting abilities.  Other creatures of the dragon subtype may or may not depending on the creature and circumstances.  A wyvern for example, would be a low int creature, barely smarter than most animals. 

Dragons, are rare and powerful.  In my game universe, they once had an empire that spanned many worlds (interperet that however you like). They view humans the same way most humans view kobolds or goblins.  A threat if ignored, but sometimes you can negotiate with them.

Krugus

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Dragons are intelligent beings and the older they get the more they should not be trifled with especially the spellcasting Dragons.   

In my homebrew world, there is a race of lizardmen that are ruled by a dragon goddess.     Lizardmen are the elder race in my world (not elves :p )  They have the largest kingdom on the planet only followed by a group of humans and luckily for the humans they are on the other side of the planet so they are not in direct competition for resources :p 
Common sense isn't common; if it were, everyone would have it.

Chris24601

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My dragons are primal spirits, basically akin to Gandolf/incarnated angels/demons. To call them a mere spellcaster is to miss the point. They ARE magic incarnate.

Ratman_tf

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I like The Dragon in Dark Sun. A singular creature*, the result of an epic magical process where a human slowly metamorphosizes into a dragon. By 2nd edition rules, a 30th level Psionicist/Defiler. (MU)

*The other Sorcerer Kings are in the process of their metamorphosis.

For "typical" D&D campaigns, it depends. I like beastial dragons, but I also like intelligent ones that can cast spells. Depends on what I think will be coolest for the scenario.
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Renegade_Productions

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As a DM, how do you portray Dragons?

If I'm playing D&D, they're end-of-a-campaign level enemies, if you push them to fight. They'll be hiding in human-sized guises, if they're able, or within their caves and hunting grounds otherwise, and always powerful magic-users once they hit Juvenile.

Arnwolf666

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Dragons are power spellcasters in my game. I give them spells similar to the ad&d 2E monstrous manual. Most of their spells are not combat oriented since they have such powerful natural attacks.

Ghostmaker

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"Never deal with a dragon." --Shadowrunner proverb

That being said, dragons take an intensely long-term view of things. When your lifespan is measured anywhere from 1000-4000 years or so, you can afford to do so. Indeed, one of their weaknesses as I see it is someone playing 'speed chess' with their schemes; sometimes they're left floundering if too many things go sideways at once.

Mind you, if they find out who's making a mess of their carefully laid schemes, expect fireworks to ensue.

Any type of 'true' dragon is capable of spellcasting. Typically as Arnwolf666 notes, they focus on buffs or other indirect spells. It should be noted that dragons can use magical items, though; a dragon is perfectly capable of fitting itself with some of its neater toys, and using them against a party.

ShieldWife

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For me, dragons are not merely casters, they are gods. Not like humanoid gods who desire worship and have human-like interests, they are destructive gods of primordial forces, perhaps even older than the gods. The (there is one) white dragon in my setting, and he is called Winter’s Father, and when he awakens a great ice age will come upon the world. There are dragon cults, but the true will of the dragon(s) they worship is mysterious to even the high priests.

Omega

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In most of my campaigns dragons are a loose knit civilization unto themselves and range from wild savage up to the city makers.

But in one they were beasts and in another they were intelligent but totally un-organzed and it was every lizard for themselves.

Whereas in my own book dragons are one of the early proto-races created. But failed due to a flaw of greed or powerlust. Which causes them to fight amongst themselves. After them came the Griffons who lacked the greed problem but instead were arrogant and manipulative.

Steven Mitchell

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Varies wildly by campaign, with the exception that an older dragon is usually more trouble than even the typical D&D stats would indicate.  Sometimes the younger ones are not that much trouble and a well prepared party can tangle with most of them.  Other campaigns, being born a dragon is supercharged.  Haven't quite gone to the "dragon as gods' level that others have discussed above, but I've gotten pretty close a couple of times.  I'm particularly inspired by the Dragon Quest dragons that have such a wide suite of abilities and options that messing with one is a losing proposition.  An encounter with one is measured by how much you can mitigate the bad outcomes, not by winning.  "Hey look, we only lost 60% of the party and Joe's left arm.  The rest of us got away, and all we had to do was agree to go rob this complex of wraith's on the other side of the wilderness and bring the main treasures back here."

In my current D&D campaign, I went a new route:  Dragons are native to the Fey plane--and pretty much the competition for rule of territory with the Seelie and Unseelie courts, frequently with buffer zones of wild territory between them.  The other twist is that the dragons are not loners.  Younger ones aren't that powerful, but they owe fealty to another dragon that is.  They are willing to talk  Let's the players operate with them on a level of intrigue.  Fighting one is even more serious business, not because of their individual power but because of the political implications. Dragons are relatively rare on the material plane.  The smaller ones can sneak through portals occasionally for a raid. The bigger ones can use magic to open portals.  They are all reluctant to do this for long because it breaks their connection with their territory while off the plane, and thus their ability to supernaturally sense what is happening there.  One of the few times you can get the best of a dragon is to find one stuck on the material plane.  They'll agree to a lot for help getting back, and most of them will honor the pledge to the letter and almost as many will honor the spirit. :D  They want associates they can trust to operate on the material plane.


HappyDaze

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I'm not a fan of dragons casting spells like people do. I am a fan of dragons having thematically linked innate powers that express the nature of a particular dragon (or type of dragon in settings where dragons are more common). This way a "fire dragon" or a "river dragon" each have a narrow range of powers that will surpass those of spellcasters in power, but not in overall utility/scope/flexibility.

As for intelligence, I don't mind bestial dragons more on par with Godzilla (an "atomic sea dragon") than what is commonly seen in D&D.

BoxCrayonTales

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It varies.

I like to delve into folklore for inspirations. Dragon folklore is wonderfully diverse.

Trond

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I like the old Scandinavian "Drakar & Demoner" version of dragons. They get much bigger, smarter, and more powerful in every way as they age. Ancient dragons are much more intelligent than most people and you would normally need an army to kill it.

Lunamancer

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As a DM, how do you portray Dragons?

Dragons are the shit that shits up your shit. Maybe by might. Maybe by magic. They vary greatly by individual. But what they tend to have in common is that it's better to face them now, on your terms, than later on the dragon's terms. So despite all the nasty ways they can hurt you, it behooves you to confront them.
That's my two cents anyway. Carry on, crawler.

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