dragon monster card

Dragon Monster Card art by Tyler Hall

 

Dragon Culture, Psychology, & Lore

by Alec Wilson

“Set aside your staff, little king. Look out upon the valley.  Let us talk of days when our years were young.”

– Ek-Tromaur, Ancient Red Dragon, to the Elven Mage-King Ragolad, on the King’s 1200th birthday.

Culture & Psychology

Dragons arrived in the known world before the Elder Age, during the Age of the Sun. Their coming was noted by Elves, as in this surviving report from an unknown scribe of Pelen-Garad, razed by dragonfire in the year 276:

“Great wyrms, winged and hoary, whose colors are Red, White, Black, Blue, and Green. They breathe fumes of flame, frost, acid, lightning, or venom. Keen riddlers they are, and destroyers of towns. They are proud, exultant, and think themselves wise. Their knowledge is deep, but perhaps it is not overly wide, for their own thoughts and interests are too often at the center of things. They are prone to anger, and beguiled by gold and precious stones. Seldom do they give their full names, but call themselves Draykkons.

Several of the largest we have treated with, and bought their allegiance. One we destroyed, the vast, black wyrm Kemenkuria, who rose above Pelen-Garad roaring that she would reduce us to sizzling bones. Her roar shattered windows and stopped the Clock of the King, at the 16th hour of the 163rd day, Year 274.

In the aftermath, the Draykkons seemed curious and willing to bargain, as though surprised by the strength of our magic. Our tack with them had been too measured, too kind.

Kemenkuria’s head now serves as the gate of our City. Hourly our horses march through her silent maw. At night we lower the gate, and the clack of her teeth echoes down the valley.”

Dragons are found in all climates, be they freezing, temperate, or hot. They dwell in mountains, ice lands, deserts, plains, and forests. Dragons inhabit great lairs, with many passages and caverns in which to amass their hoard. Younger dragons will occupy natural caves, but adults, especially ancient dragons, live almost exclusively in the ruins of cities or keeps they have destroyed. They prefer dwellings that extend above and below ground.

Dragons of all ages are enamored of gold, platinum, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls, jade, and magic items. They obsessively hoard this loot and sift through it endlessly. Dragons are aware of each trinket in their hoard, no matter how small. They elaborately display their favorite pieces in prominent locations throughout their lairs.

Dragons prefer easy meals and predate on livestock when they can find it. When none is available, they eat villagers, Orcs, Ogres, Hill Giants, bears, and anything else on the landscape. Dragons enjoy fine meals, but rarely take the time to cook for themselves. Occasionally they raid large banquets in royal halls to partake of roast turkeys, beef, hams, sweets, and the bodies of celebrants, washing it all down with barrels of wine.

Mother Dragons with wyrmlings guard their children ferociously, from the time they are in the egg.  Dragons are attentive parents, protecting and instructing their offspring until their breath weapons develop fully in early adolescence, around 20 Human years.  Dragons with wyrmlings in the lair are extremely dangerous.  They are less playful than Dragons without children, forgoing their usual interest in banter and riddles, and slaying intruders regardless of whether they pose any real threat.  Occasionally, they will allow their young to toy with unfortunates who stumble into the nest, to hone their fledgling hunting skills.

Dragons have huge territories and seldom interact with each other. Those of similar ages congregate only when one is facing a threat. Dragons will fight together when the strength of their enemies merits it, but this is exceedingly rare. It is uncommon for Dragons to war against each other, but occasionally they fight over treasure and territory.

Some Dragons are motivated by the accumulation of political power. They assemble armies of monsters or men, depending on their environment. They demand tribute from the settlements within their territory and set themselves up as Kings. Dragon Kings are known to be capricious and fickle, they lionize their own achievements and make impulsive judgments over those they rule. Sometimes they set up alliances and trade with other kingdoms but these rarely last for long. Dragons often treat their subjects like playthings and are easily bored by the minutiae of day-to-day rule.

Special Tactics

Dragons use their special abilities to the utmost.  Unless they are provoked to rage, or have badly underestimated the strength of their enemies, Dragons take to the air and use their breath weapon.  In close quarters they stay at range whenever possible, to maximize the effectiveness of their breath weapon.  Dragons attack with claws and teeth only when forced to.  They use tail attacks when enemies are within 30′ and use their wings to swamp multiple enemies and knock them prone.

When unsure of the forces amassed against them, Dragons use their Compelling Voice ability to befuddle opponents.  To stall their enemies, they tell stories of foreign wars in forgotten times, and use the threat of Dragon relatives and other powerful friends to discourage attacks.  If conflict with powerful PCs seems unavoidable, Dragons may offer to trade spells with the spell caster, or to give up a magical item from their hoard.  Dragons often have impressive magic to choose from in the form of scrolls, spell books, weapons, and other items, but rarely part with them.  They will open negotiations primarily to forestall combat until they have the upper hand.  Dragons are hard bargainers, and almost never reveal the true extent of their wealth.

Qualities

Megalomaniacs.  Dragons are firmly convinced of the superiority of themselves and their worldview.  They are supremely confident in the knowledge that they are the wisest, most powerful, and most beautiful beings on earth.  Dragons often slip into their own thoughts while others are talking, and rarely take the opinions of others seriously.  To capture a Dragon’s attention, one must show it something it has never seen before, or prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that one’s thinking on a subject is correct.  Dragons will debate endlessly, never giving an inch.  To prove something that a Dragon is disinclined to believe, one must replicate the outcome in front of them.  In addition to being stubborn and self-centered, Dragons are vain and love flattery.  They hoard as many huge mirrors as they can find, typically placing them throughout their hoard where they reflect not only the choicest bits of the Dragon’s treasure, but the Dragon herself as she passes by.  To make a Dragon more disposed toward them, PCs must roleplay a coherent compliment and win an opposed INT check vs. a 16-22 INT.

Moody.  Despite their immense power, Dragons are emotionally sensitive creatures susceptible to criticism and insults.  They anger easily, and are prone to outbursts and sulking.  Dragons who get angry during combat make mistakes, for example, they may land to attack their enemies in melee rather than staying airborne and waiting for their breath weapon to recharge.  To anger a Dragon, PCs must roleplay a coherent insult, then win an opposed WIS check vs. a 14-20 WIS.

Riddlers.  Dragons love battles of wits.  Adult, and especially ancient Dragons, have large stores of riddles they use to test those who wander into their domains.  Sometimes solving a Dragon’s favorite riddle is the route to a friendship, other times it earns a bath in Dragon breath.  To best a Dragon in a riddle contest PCs must either solve an actual riddle provided by the DM, or roleplay a good riddle, then win two opposed WIS checks vs. a 14-20 WIS.  If they win, PCs may choose to roll d4 on the table below:

  1. The Dragon becomes angry, and attacks with its breath weapon.
  2. The Dragon sulks and withdraws.  It will not engage further with the PCs until after a long rest, after which it is predisposed to dislike them.
  3. The Dragon’s opinion of the PCs improves.  It is likely to grant them a favor, such as a ride on its back to a location within 300 miles.
  4. The Dragon roars with laughter and gifts the party one magical item from its hoard.

Wise.  Despite their vanity and tendency toward anger, the long-lived race of Dragons is wise.  They have excellent memories, and can recall fine details from events that occurred thousands of years ago.  Old and ancient Dragons possess a great wealth of knowledge on a huge range of topics, from war and magic, to geography, art, and botany.  Sometimes Dragons share their knowledge with PCs they favor, or offer it as a reward for a completed quest.  Other times they lie, providing false details to confuse and waylay their enemies.

Weaponry

There are many Dragon subtypes, DMs should refer to the specific damage and recharge stats given in core rulebooks for Dragon attacks based on subtype.  The information below provides tactics for Dragon attacks, regardless of subtype.

Melee 1.  Bite/claws.  Dragons rarely attack in melee.  They much prefer to take to the air and use their breath weapon.  They will attack in melee if:  1) They have overmatched their foe, and wish to finish her off in close quarters, 2) they have badly underestimated their opponent and believe it will be an easy battle, 3) they are enraged during combat and have lost the use of their better judgment, 4) their breath weapon is recharging and they sense an opportunity, or 5) they are cornered, or wounded, and have no other choice.

Ranged 1.  Wings.  Note:  This is not a physical attack, but an attack of the air currents generated by a Dragon’s wings.  In open spaces, or when swooping down from flight, adult Dragons use their powerful wings to knock foes prone.  When within 20 feet, they can affect up to four Medium creatures, or two Large creatures with their wings.  Foes must Save DC DEX 16 or be knocked Prone by the wing attack.  Unless otherwise noted, a Dragon’s wing attack recharges every four rounds.

Ranged 2.  Breath weapon.  Dragons are feared for their powerful breath weapon.  Dragons in combat use their breath weapon to the best of their ability, and will use a tactical retreat while it recharges, except under extreme circumstances.

Ranged 3.  Tail whip.  Dragons within 30′ use their barbed tails to slash at their foes.

Special Units

Dragon King.  Dragon Kings inhabit the towns, cities, castles, or keeps that they have overthrown.  They raise armies of 100-1000 humanoids and make war with all who oppose them.  Dragon Kings demand tribute from those they have conquered and expect the adoration of their subjects.  They enjoy visits from foreign emissaries and kings, so long as they sit at the head of the table and are the final arbiters of all decisions.  The rule of Dragon Kings tends to be short.  They are brutal masters who care little about the welfare of the humanoids whose lives they govern.  Dragon Kingdoms are often overthrown from within.

Dragon Mage.  The most feared and powerful Dragons are Dragon Mages.  They have devoted themselves to the study of arcane magic on a timescale that makes shorter-lived spell casters weep.  Young Dragon Mages cast spells as 10th-level casters, Adults as 15th-level casters, and Ancient Dragon Mages as 20th-level casters.  Their hoards are rich in magic items, and occasionally contain unique or mythical items thought to have vanished in ages past.

Not all Dragon Mages are evil.  Their long study has shaped their thinking about the world and those who inhabit it.  Some Dragon Mages are more thoughtful than their malevolent brethren, and take a more considered, neutral view of events.  Dragon Mages are sought out for their counsel, and for their tutelage in magic.  Often, they require the completion of a deadly quest to part with such knowledge, but some of the most powerful humanoid mages in history were instructed by Dragons.

Withered Dragon.  Not all Dragons are born magnificent.  Runtling Dragons and those with deformities do not typically survive in the nest with their stronger, more aggressive siblings.  Those who do are called Withered Dragons.  They have unique personalities and are often more introspective than their peers.  Withered Dragons tend to have dry senses of humor, and take a pragmatic view of the world.  They are more willing to engage with non-Dragons, and to form alliances with humanoids.  Withered Dragons have been observed living in cave systems with Kobolds, Troglodytes, or Goblins.  They take on leadership roles with these creatures, but also depend on them for food and shelter.  Withered Dragons have humble hoards, comprised of gifts from their neighbors and spoils from their modest battles.  They lord over their hoards nonetheless, and fight to defend them.  Withered Dragons are about half the size of their brethren of the same subtype.  They have half the Hit Points, and do half damage on all attacks.

Wounded Dragon.  These Dragons have been critically wounded in great battles.  They may lack the ability to fly or to use their breath weapon.  Wounded Dragons hide their wounds whenever possible, and position themselves in their lairs to minimize the effects of their wound.  When pressed, they are more willing to negotiate than non-wounded Dragons.  Roll d6 on the table below to determine the Dragon’s injury:

  1. Wounded rear leg, Move reduced to 10.
  2. Front legs badly scarred, no claw attacks.
  3. Lower jaw missing, no bite attack.  Speech compromised.
  4. Tail severed, no tail attack.
  5. Wing ripped and punctured, cannot fly.
  6. Massive scar across throat, no breath weapon.

Special Abilities

Compelling Voice.  The gravely, silken voice of a Dragon can charm lesser foes.  Twice per long rest, Adult Dragons who use an action may speak with their Compelling Voice.  Enemies within earshot must Save DC WIS 15.  Those who fail may not attack the Dragon for one full round.

True Sight.  Adult Dragons are keen observers.  They automatically see through the Illusions of casters 8th level and below.  Casters above 8th level who attempt to deceive a Dragon’s sense of sight with magic must first make an opposed INT check vs. a 16-22 INT.  If they succeed, the spell proceeds normally.

Iron Mind.  Dragons are susceptible to non-magical flattery, but are very difficult to influence magically.  Dragons receive +3 on all Checks and Saves vs. spells, psyonics, or other abilities that attempt to influence their minds.

Roar of Dragon Rage.  Twice per long rest, as an action Dragons may let loose with a long, full-throated roar.  This roar shakes the ground and Deafens those within earshot who fail a DC 15 CON Save, for d6 rounds.  Deafened creatures may not communicate with each other using spoken language, and may not use verbal components to cast spells.  Dragons within 100 miles of a Roar of Dragon Rage will hear it, and may decide to come to the roarer’s aid.

Movement

Run.  Good.  Dragons move faster than humans do on the ground, over short distances.  They will give up on ground pursuit after 100′ and take to the air if possible.

Climb.  Average.  Dragons can climb cliffs with their hooked claws and sharp claws.  They rarely have occasion to, however, and prefer to fly.

Swim.  Poor.  Dragons can swim, but swimming Dragons have rarely been observed.  Occasionally they will dive from the air, deep into large bodies of water like oceans and lakes, to escape danger.

Burrow.  Average.  Dragons can dig through packed earth at a slow rate.  The tunnels they dig are smooth and wide enough for 3 Medium-sized humanoids to walk abreast.

Fly.  Good.  Dragons can fly for thousands of leagues without tiring  In combat, they can stay aloft in combat for hours, and during aerial migrations they can fly for a full day before taking a rest.

Grudges

Regardless of race, Dragons never forget those who invade their lairs, steal their loot, best them in combat, insult them, or beat them in games of riddles.  They remember hoard raiders by sight and smell.

Dragons eat Hill Giants when they find them, and detest the more powerful Giants, who can stand up to them in combat.  They have a particular hatred for Titans, one of the few non-immortal beings with whom Dragons perceive themselves in direct competition.

 

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