The first dungeon I ever made was a chapel of a dragon cult that I spent days painstakingly crafting. It was a pastiche of the cult of Set in the 1982 Conan the Barbarian movie. Every long-running D&D campaign I've ever run since that has been dragon-centered. Even the published adventures I've run that don't have dragons. I'll add a dragon final boss fight if I have to. There is no other fantasy I've spent so much time chasing than the epic climax of heroic adventurers facing off against the ultimate challenge: one big "fuck you"-sized evil dragon.
As a general rule, I prefer dragons to each be unique. The notion that there are types of dragons implies that somebody has lived to encounter at least 3 dragons and began noting patterns. Preposterous. But I'll admit that, as far as classification systems go, D&D's is pretty good. I like color-coding, I like good vs evil, I even like some of the iconic "looks" that they've settled on for each type. The problem is that it's so wrapped up in their own brand, so distinct to Forgotten Realms and its relatives.
If you forced me to create some kind of categorization of dragons, I'd probably make it terrain-based. Just a wee bit more flexible than D&D's version. "Desert dragon" doesn't necessarily mean blue scales, lightning breath, evil alignment, and an autocratic control-freak nature. It's more of a general template, giving them an ability to create sandstorms or a burrowing ability and some tremor sense or something like that. Recreating the classic D&D blue dragon within that template is perfectly fine, but you could explore other possibilities as well.
But we're here to talk about the Monster Manual's hall of fame, warts and all. Starting with the chromatic dragons (which are way better overall).
Black Dragon
Simply marvelous. I'm glad D&D has always resisted the temptation to just make this a "shadow dragon." Acid breath is such a winner. Obviously you can imagine them spitting it like an insect, but that seems a bit too delicate to me. How about they have acid vomit instead? Gooping, oozing saliva dripping from their jaws at all times, and then BAM. Torrent of corrosive puke.
Swamps are my favorite terrain type for fantasy adventure. They're probably my second-most frequently used scenario setting after dungeons. The only problem is that they feel like they really ought to go with the green dragon. No matter! I would reassign the black dragon's lair to ruins and battlefields instead.
Blue Dragon
This is the odd one out among the chromatics. In a good way. Something about it is vaguely sci-fi-ish. Living things are rarely blue, outside of flashy flowers and birds.
The lightning breath is a masterstroke. It was the only one they had to come up with themselves, and it's perfect. The best part? Combine sand and lightning and you get a lair made of glass. What a fucking cool dungeon theme.
I've heard some people criticize the lightning breath for being weird. That it's hard to picture in your head what it would look like. I think the problem is that they're trying to imagine a lightning bolt shooting from the dragon's mouth in a single strike. Try to instead imagine it as a continuous, sustained arc of electricity. The dragon boss fight in Super Mario Odyssey actually shows this, of all things. Same with King Ghidorah in those newer Godzilla movies.
Green Dragon
This is probably my favorite of all the dragon types. Hell, it's a strong contender for my favorite monster. In my mind, it's kind of the purest of all dragons. If you've only ever really consumed modern fantasy fiction then you may just assume that fire breath is surely the most classic and traditional weapon of a dragon. But at least in mythology and historical folklore, dragons worldwide are far more consistently associated with poison than with fire.
Like with the black dragon's acid, it's easy to imagine a venomous spit like a cobra. But again, I insist that you go crazy. You'll scare your players a lot more by describing the smell of bleach making their eyes water before they watch jets of green chlorine gas burst from the dragon's mouth like a geyser, choking them to death. Even worse, a rocket of yellow mustard gas that causes your skin to completely boil over into layers of blisters and then shred itself apart.
My biggest problem with them is that forests just feel too quaint and cozy for a dragon. Maybe in a spooky, haunted woods or something. But dragons ought to lair in the terrains which are inherently hostile and inhospitable. Hence my suggestion of swamps. In fact, it feels like green dragons probably transform forests into swamps when they move in, just as a natural side effect of establishing their toxic, gruesome lair.
Red Dragon
Meanwhile, the problem with the red dragon is that it's too good. It's such a perfect, classic dragon that it almost lacks an identity of its own. The black dragon is cruel and necromantic, the blue dragon is all about illusions and mirages, the green dragon favors enchantment and plant control, and the white dragon is dumb and vicious. What does that make red dragons? In 3E they were "the most covetous." The greediest of dragons, who are already greedier than any human. Whereas the other colors get innate spells for, y'know, manipulating their environment and whatnot, the red dragon just has spells for finding stuff they're looking for. I think that's a bit weak.
If I had to give them a gimmick, I'd say they're probably obsessed with grandeur. Their own mythic status. The most easily flattered, the most likely to demand tributes, the most interested in lore and legends and songs. The most likely to have political aspirations.
White Dragon
And, unfortunately, there's the "boring" one. I'm down for a totally bestial dragon, and white is a good color on reptiles, but this one has always felt the most shallow out of the chromatics. When you've committed to a color-coded elemental theme, all that's left for white is "snow and cold." It's gimmicky in a way that the others are able to avoid. Not to mention that they've never found an artist who can draw the head to not look terrible.
What else is associated with the color white? Bones, which recall death. Old age, which recalls antiquity (like a marble statue). Clouds, which recall the sky and flight (something no other dragon focuses on in particular). The moon. Chalk. Egg shells. Paper.
Maybe most importantly, white is the color of void and emptiness. What do you think of a dragon that destroys treasure rather than hoards it? A dragon that would prefer to demolish rather than slumber? Maybe the reason the white dragon is the most destructive isn't because it's angry or animalistic, but because it's entropic.
Credit: Trina Schart Hyman
The metal dragons are a lot less memorable. Gold and silver are no-brainers, but including copper, bronze, and brass feels uninspired. Those are all variations on the same element. Culturally, we tend to just lump them all together. The other metal dragons should have been mithril, adamantine, that sort of thing. Or at least iron, quicksilver, and maybe cobalt. Ah well.
Brass Dragon
Not only is this one lame on paper, but good god does it have the ugliest horns on any dragon. They really ran out of ideas, huh? "Talkative and conversational" is also a waste of a dragon encounter. A dragon that uses conversation as a means to an end, like the cunning green dragon or the wise gold dragon, is a great encounter hook. But chit-chat as an end unto itself is such a weak motive for something as rare and special as a dragon.
Sleeping gas is a pretty good breath weapon, though.
Bronze Dragon
This is the designated "aquatic dragon" out of the main 10 types. That's a pretty inevitable niche but I wonder why it was assigned to bronze. I'm proud of TSR for not making that the blue dragon but still, this is an under baked idea. Shock wave repulsion breath is solid, though. Reminds me of shouts from Skyrim.
Copper Dragon
Trickster dragon is a great idea. Riddling with wyrms is absolutely the stuff of fairy tales. Another boring visual design. This is the one that should look like a languid, basking lizard. More inclined to toy with you verbally than to jump up and fight, like the Theban Sphinx or the Cheshire Cat. Copper also gets a very appealing green patina when it tarnishes, which is a great motif to convey age and corruption. The "slowing gas" breath doesn't make much sense to me, unfortunately.
Gold Dragon
Oh yeah, this one works. Regal and aloof, wise and mystical. This is the type most frequently given a touch of Asian dragon flavor. I'm sure part of that is just the tired trope of "the mysterious orient," but I think a big part is also that the Chinese winding sky serpent is inherently more majestic than the Western dragon. Although maybe it's worth noting that the original gold dragon, Mušḫuššu, is built more like a dog or lion and is often seen lounging at Marduk's side.
Traditionally, gold dragons have no favored terrain to make their lair. Instead, they're more likely to be wandering in the guise of a human. That's a really strong subversion of the formula. Reusing fire breath might have been a bit of laziness, but modern D&D replaces their poison breath with a "weakening gas." Not sure what to make of that one.
Silver Dragon
This was always my favorite dragon type growing up. Ben is a very big fan as well. They have one of the weirder head designs but it looks cool. Plus, y'know, cloud lairs are definitely in the top 3 adventure locations for me.
Whereas gold dragons are reclusive and subtle, silver dragons are like the paladins of dragon-kind. Knights in shining scales ever-crusading against the forces of darkness. So as not to trivialize all the world's conflicts, maybe there are only a handful of silver dragons left.
I've always been a bit disappointed by the ice breath. Ben feels that the simple binary of "fire and ice" is too classic to pass up, but they'd just look better with blue fire breath. D&D also gives them a "paralysis breath" which is, again, a bit hard to picture. Like a gas that causes your joints to lock up or your nerves to fail? Maybe straight up petrification would be better.
Credit: Ivan Bilibin
Gem Dragons
This is what D&D goes for whenever it's time to add a third dragon type. It's like Pokémon. When your first set are color-themed, and then you do metal themes, obviously you move on to gems next.
I believe D&D has been pretty consistent with their classic list of gem dragon types but I honestly have no longstanding opinions about any of them. They just aren't memorable in the way the main 10 are.
I'm really not a fan of psionics in general. There's a reason it's always an afterthought. It's a hollow idea. Sci-fi-flavored magic. Which is to say, functionally indistinguishable from the main thing that most of D&D is already about anyway.
And you know, anything that's characterized as being "especially neutral" is practically destined to be boring. I guess each of the gem dragon types would make for a fine enough individual dragon if you had room in your campaign for lots of unique dragons. But as a group? I'm not sold.
Dracolich
This is the edgiest thing ever. Ben feels very conflicted about this. I will admit that it's super extra. As if a dragon isn't badass enough.
...But I have indeed run one of these before. So I guess that tells you where my priorities are.
Shadow Dragon
I spoke too soon.
Unlike the dracolich, I don't think there's any good synergy here to excuse the ridiculousness of it. Shadows are weightless, intangible, ephemeral. Dragons should never feel that way. When you're in the same room as a dragon, you are hyper-aware of its presence, both physically and psychologically. I'm not a fan of the idea of a "stealthy dragon."
Oriental Dragons
Yeeeaaaah, I dunno about this one. "European" is default, "Asian" is a special exotic departure from that? There's a reason you don't see these anymore. I do really like Chinese dragons and wouldn't mind more of them in D&D. But this is part of why I advocate for getting rid of taxonomy altogether. This doesn't need to be a "type."
Dragons of the Great Game
OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS. BET YOU DIDN'T EXPECT XORVINTAAL, BABEEEE.
Credit: Daren Bader
But seriously this is like my favorite thing D&D has ever done with dragons. See prior blog post.
-Dwiz
"The notion that there are types of dragons implies that somebody has lived to encounter at least 3 dragons and began noting patterns. Preposterous."
ReplyDeleteGreat line.