tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post696263346149930992..comments2024-03-28T22:00:35.840-07:00Comments on Playing D&D With Porn Stars: "Let Their Way Be Made Difficult" or, DragonsZak Sabbathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-73919790465254272892016-01-24T02:37:57.648-08:002016-01-24T02:37:57.648-08:00Reading back to these posts really inspires me to ...Reading back to these posts really inspires me to make my games both evocative and uniquely mine.<br /><br />Green Dragons have always been a favourite of mine. I love how they're manipulative and corrupting, how they collect the living like treasures. Their breath being poison is something I take quite literally. Some of the greatest past-times of humans are poisons, drugs and alcohol. The Green Dragon is that to me, it is insidious, corrupting, sweet, and strange. It will take hold of you and manipulate you to do it's bidding.Godjawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02991842464047761317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-55801176077586504262014-09-12T14:37:39.622-07:002014-09-12T14:37:39.622-07:00It is big fun to go through your posts. It trigger...It is big fun to go through your posts. It triggers so many ideas. The talk about dragons makes me want to:<br />- Use a blue dragon that is entirely made out of lightning. Similar to the Gandalf-dragon-fireworks in LoTR. Your mentioning of vibrating metal did me make wanting to do something with metal armor/weapons: maybe in stead of a straight jolt of electricity, use a branching lightning streak, jumping from one metal object (armor/swords) to another <br /><br />Your talk about albino reptiles made me totally want to trick the players into believing that they are about to fight a white dragon, but in fact it is an albino [insert any other color] dragon. Like they show up fearlessly knowing that they all have protection vs cold or something and then get toasted by fire pileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06008654668836414680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-26110902604257159832011-06-12T15:14:51.430-07:002011-06-12T15:14:51.430-07:00Regarding the "chlorine gas" breath: it&...Regarding the "chlorine gas" breath: it's a matter of terminology. I don't like the way it's phrased either, I would never put it that way to my PCs. Forget about chlorine. What matters is this: it breaths poison. Its breath is death. When men attack it, they die choking. Metal corrodes, plants wither, animals die. The mouths of its lair leak deadly fumes - you have to draw it out to fight it, because if you go inside you'll find yourself stumbling around in dark, cramped tunnels, blind and unable to breath, and then the dragon will come. Its bite, presumably, is also poison - like the old night-scather of Beowulf.<br />Fafnir breathed poison. Lots of dragons breathed poison, especially the older ones, pre-Christian era. It's got good mythological basis. It also provides more plot-hooks than firebreathing - even if the dragon's not doing anything, it's still poisoning the land by its very presence, metaphysically or otherwise. I had a green dragon that was poisoning a lake it had taken up residence by - causing death in a town miles and miles away that bordered the same lake, and blighted and killed all the crops for a mile around the water, all without actually doing anything.redmoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02207204444768770701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-86227298471702397172010-05-31T01:40:29.647-07:002010-05-31T01:40:29.647-07:00Does said dragonnel live on the left side of your ...Does said dragonnel live on the left side of your thought box?DeadGodBirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491627017991342331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-60123796631691156832010-03-21T23:34:38.156-07:002010-03-21T23:34:38.156-07:00Great, great stuff.
I highly recommend that you g...Great, great stuff.<br /><br />I highly recommend that you get a copy of original white-box D&D (and Chainmail). Reading my copy (since 2007) has clarified and highlighted a lot of the traditions of D&D. For example:<br /><br />"One thing I really don't like about D&D's dragons is the symmetry of the orginal dragon scheme good metal dragons on the left--evil colored dragons on the right."<br /><br />The "original" dragon scheme had just 6 dragons (as in, roll d6 to see which one). 5 were evil and base (white, black, green, blue, red). Only 1 was good and intelligent (gold/oriental). I really, really like that view for my fantasy world: 5/6 awful and cruel and in need of fighting. Just 1/6 peaceful and wise, "barely moving, buddhalike, dully reflecting in the sun," as you put it.<br /><br />I too think that the introduction of symmetry to the good/evil dragon types (in Supplement-I) was a grievous mistake.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-50012985457026700022010-03-21T15:44:46.203-07:002010-03-21T15:44:46.203-07:00I see your point; I guess I'm just hoping to s...I see your point; I guess I'm just hoping to share the way I imagine a beast that might exhale a cloud of chlorine when it's thinking maybe someone should die. On the musical spectrum, it's doom metal. Slow, calculated, vicious. It's not prideful; it's a sniper, a mine-layer, a terrorist... chemical weapons, right? Anything ornate or baroque is going to decay and fall to pieces around this thing. Swinging your axe around is just going to make you breathe harder and faster.<br /><br />From a DM perspective, I think this is the kind of foe PC's may need to come back for later. Direct confrontation isn't going to work because the dragon isn't going to let a direct confrontation happen. But it's a great foe to have around in a more free-form campaign. The *dragon*, not the DM, is working the railroad angle. PC's are going to try some strange things, the game mechanics will come into play, and given adequate context the story will write itself.<br /><br />I've always preferred to provide as much context as players want, then a layer or two more. For me, that's where the story happens. Green dragons are good for emphasizing peripheral details (interactions between terrain, abilities, NPCs, equipment, etc.). I imagine them less as the predator in the woods, more as a powerfully mindsick, paranoid, perhaps hallucinating beast. It is fighting for survival and territory, even though it outmatches everything near it. Hence: disproportionate force and asymmetrical tactics.<br /><br />But to each their own. That's where it's interesting!Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11750177718994906827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-77794845668843922812010-03-21T03:46:06.535-07:002010-03-21T03:46:06.535-07:00Jonathan--
I understand chlorine gas is dangerous,...Jonathan--<br />I understand chlorine gas is dangerous, I'm just talking about how it feels viscerally, as a fictional element.<br /><br />Like a cyanide injection is deadly, but the idea of a dragon grabbing my arm, pulling it out, and injecting me with a syringeful just doesn't seem aesthetically right. The scale seems off. That's what we're talking about.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-42793851837905619952010-03-21T03:16:46.040-07:002010-03-21T03:16:46.040-07:00All those belittling the typical green dragons'...All those belittling the typical green dragons' chlorine gas "bad breath," please, read an MSDS (materials safety data sheet) for the stuff. Or just the health effects section of the wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine#Health_effects .<br /><br />The gas is heavier than air, so it always sinks to the bottom of a space. It's easy to smell and it's an ominous color. It turns into acid in your lungs. It can contribute to ignition. It weakens many common metals.<br /><br />Pockets of gas left in confined spaces or low areas? Weapons and armor degrading? Fire of any kind a bad idea? Nasty. Anything but dainty.Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11750177718994906827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-25324484198539362442010-03-19T15:44:00.929-07:002010-03-19T15:44:00.929-07:00IIRC the Asian Dragon looks leonine because that&#...IIRC the Asian Dragon looks leonine because that's one of the animals in the mix. It's supposed to be a mix of dog, lion, deer (i.e. the horns), snake and even catfish (ditto the weird whiskers it has).<br /><br />Funnily enough, Dragons have never struck me as reptile. To me, that's like calling dinosaurs a kind of reptiles. Purely personal thing though.<br /><br />Birds aren't scary? I never want to meet one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorusrhacidae<br /><br />I didn't initially mind the original dichotomy between metallic and chromatic dragons. 5 of each with an ultimate metallic (I think Bahamut was made of platinum or something) and ultimate chromatic (all 5 colours up in da bitch yo, Tiamat the world-eatin' ho), and then Io, the Creator-God Dragon who is basically the cosmos itself or something.<br />Things got silly when they started adding more and more variants. Gem Dragons with psychic powers, infinite sub-species of metal dragons like Adamantite, Mercury, Aluminium...<br />They ran out of interesting, practical breath weapons before they ran out of materials. <br /><br />Another couple that could be on the list: Zombie Dragon and Dracolich. <br /><br />A Dracolich is Bad-Ass Incarnate. All the powers of a dragon AND undead? Yet more immunity to it's already impressive immunity list? It's not merely long-lived, it's frickin' immortal? No need to eat, drink or sleep anymore? Magic powers turbo-boosted? Yep...a bad-ass.<br /><br />Love your assessment of the Green dragon. Probably makes more sense if it had a liquid poison weapon like the Spitting Cobra, rather than bad breath.<br /><br />Blue dragon: What if it had Van de Graaf generators for horns? Would that work? :PVastadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06065276531794551915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-8984488996786696842010-03-19T09:19:12.224-07:002010-03-19T09:19:12.224-07:00I've always liked Wayne Reynold's Tiamat:
...I've always liked Wayne Reynold's Tiamat:<br /><br />http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mm4_gallery/82296.jpg<br /><br />For having a cult gathered below her that she barely seems to acknowledge. Except maybe to scream at them.<br /><br />I like Western dragons when they embody the Seven Deadlies. When the lay on treasure 'cause they are Greedy, & they want virgins to slake their Lusts, when they ravage towns out of Wrath & banter with hobbits because they are Prideful. When they target a single hero out of spite & Envy. That sort of thing.<br /><br />I used one of those spark-plug-&-junk welded sculptures of the Hive Queen from Aliens to be the "final boss" dragon of one of campaigns. Looking at it now, the mini is awesome, but the rules-- eek, what a mess 3e was.<br /><br />http://mordicai.livejournal.com/1348802.htmlmordicaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05713766652793265867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-82319381728690783082010-03-19T08:27:32.949-07:002010-03-19T08:27:32.949-07:00Great article. What are those dragon images from ...Great article. What are those dragon images from (particularly the 2nd and 4th)? I'd love to see bigger versions.widderslaintehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16364618128943330961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-36076143114912957372010-03-19T04:06:59.828-07:002010-03-19T04:06:59.828-07:00I would be remiss if I did not point out that the ...I would be remiss if I did not point out that the image of the Dragon, as it exists in D&D and Medieval art, is is based on <a href="http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-wales.html" rel="nofollow">"Y Ddraig Goch"</a>, the Welsh Dragon. <br />Disclaimer: it is also the nation of which I am a proud member!. <br /><br />For Asian dragons you don't have to look further than the <a href="http://images.google.co.uk/images?um=1&hl=en&nfpr=1&tbs=isch:1&ei=KVqjS-XBLcmI4gaM65GBCg&sa=X&oi=spell_nofullpage&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=couatl&spell=1" rel="nofollow">Couatl</a>, the flying snakes of the D&D world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-33740695732920662592010-03-19T02:49:10.790-07:002010-03-19T02:49:10.790-07:00Funny, in all my 25+years of gaming I never actual...Funny, in all my 25+years of gaming I never actually played in a campaign where we got to fight one. <br /><br />I did make a chart when I was 12 though, where my 200th Level Ranger (yep) was breeding colour dragons. <br /><br />White Mother, Red Father... Pink Dragon.Jezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09648892955926127864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-38385171719689011352010-03-19T02:38:06.629-07:002010-03-19T02:38:06.629-07:00A dragon ecology I like is that presented in McKin...A dragon ecology I like is that presented in McKinley's The Hero and the Crown.<br /><br />The idea is that dragons breed a whole lot. And while the protagonist has the idea that 'dragon hunter' will be the stuff of glorious legend, what she discovers is that for the most part it's a tedious and unpleasant chore: nests of dragons smaller than dogs, infesting the countryside like a plague of not-very-bright fire-breathing rodents.<br /><br />The legendary dragons, the world-destroyers who can crumble kingdoms just from the aura of utter bleak despair they exude, are the ones that somehow survive centuries of being savage appetites with wings. In a sense, humanity is forcing dragons to evolve, by culling 99% of the population, leaving only the nastiest and most powerful.<br /><br />The big dragon in Hero and the Crown (and there is only one, and it's suggested there's only been one for a very long time, because it's been eating all its possible competitors) is so damned horrible that just keeping its head as a trophy nearly causes the kingdom to die of malaise, mischance, and despair.<br /><br />For a short time I ran a 1e campaign centered around dragon-hunting in this kind of ecology; the idea was that the PCs would be, essentially, exterminators. The end sequence, which we never actually reached, involved the PCs squaring off against the World-Serpent.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13185778323826500331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-13287529686618984222010-03-19T00:41:04.680-07:002010-03-19T00:41:04.680-07:00Miko: "How can you be certain it was evil, th...Miko: "How can you be certain it was evil, though? Are you not aware that there are dragons who live only to serve the greater good? Without proper training, it is nigh impossible to tell the good dragons from the evil ones? In your ignorance, you may have slain a powerful force for Good in this world! What proof do you have that you did not vanquish a stalwart defender of the weak in your mad lust for treasure?"<br /><br />Roy: "Ummm... its scales weren't all shiny?"<br /><br />Miko: "Ah. Then its destruction was just and necessary."<br /><br />Elan: "Dragons: color-coded for YOUR convenience!"<br /><br />--The Order of the StickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-11445919050781888642010-03-18T21:36:01.804-07:002010-03-18T21:36:01.804-07:00> PCs better have a fucking plan.
That is how ...> PCs better have a fucking plan.<br /><br />That is how I feel about Dragons.Norman J. Harman Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01319655075997712313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-84325467959918575872010-03-18T21:33:28.943-07:002010-03-18T21:33:28.943-07:00Holy shit. That's the most convincing theogen...Holy shit. That's the most convincing theogeny, like, <i>ever</i>.Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06368676086759298705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-6053775638355405382010-03-18T20:18:00.268-07:002010-03-18T20:18:00.268-07:00Pure brilliance!Pure brilliance!brandykrusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00188759625786631969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-16563017821958723882010-03-18T20:16:01.626-07:002010-03-18T20:16:01.626-07:00I like the fire-breathing Leviathan from Job 41. ...I like the fire-breathing Leviathan from Job 41. Well done.Jomo Risinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13552294536240059611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-85171291097618298992010-03-18T19:54:11.387-07:002010-03-18T19:54:11.387-07:00"The black here is not simple negation--it..."The black here is not simple negation--it's a deep and devouring black--like a black pit or a black hole."<br /><br />Perfect imagery. Kind of negates the need for the gloom/shadow/whatever-else-is-black dragon, though; I just roll it all into one NONE MORE BLACK black dragon.<br /><br />Tiamat gets my vote for awesomest monster. EVER.nextautumnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201978755112508204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-76927102244520255412010-03-18T19:52:22.894-07:002010-03-18T19:52:22.894-07:00Nick--
oh yeah, thanks, correctedNick--<br />oh yeah, thanks, correctedZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-8096580461934217842010-03-18T19:46:26.572-07:002010-03-18T19:46:26.572-07:00This blog is a phenomenal resource. Chewing throug...This blog is a phenomenal resource. Chewing through an article with the forethought and analysis (alongside caprice and mischief) of most of your posts is unbelievably refreshing. I've been gaming since my age hit double digits and I'm not sure I've ever come across a comparable level of thought and analysis.<br /><br />BravoSethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09885180647559392840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-75133354915780547412010-03-18T19:36:00.436-07:002010-03-18T19:36:00.436-07:00Really good and inspiring post, Zak. I have always...Really good and inspiring post, Zak. I have always had a love/hate relationship with dragons, especially when it comes to the sort of standardized and categorized approach used by D&D, but reading your thoughts on them made me consider revisiting the scaly guys in the near future.<br />Thanks!Jeppehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00412366300452210734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-24926529603356725572010-03-18T19:15:16.374-07:002010-03-18T19:15:16.374-07:00Am I missing the Gold Dragon completely? Am I goin...Am I missing the Gold Dragon completely? Am I going blind?<br /><br />Anwyay - wonderful post and thanks very much for the link to the dragon generator. I want my next fantasy game to have unique dragons and I am definitely borrowing the idea of the Wyvern as just a another word for dragon.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07151421349574401246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-59368984882903598792010-03-18T19:14:39.722-07:002010-03-18T19:14:39.722-07:00Most excellent Zak! And thank you for the link!
I...Most excellent Zak! And thank you for the link!<br /><br />I love your treatment of the Monster Manual dragons. It's spot on.<br />A dragon is an embodiment of our dark urges and fears. It is Terror and Lust and Rage and Avarice and Cruelty, beyond the human limits of our feeling. <br />I rarely use one, and when I do it's an event.E.G.Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10229893317543621720noreply@blogger.com