Dragons

Dragons are the most ferocious creatures in the DragonQuest worlds. They have a long, thin, tapering body (about 25 feet for mature males). They are generally reptilian in form, with sharp claws, a pointed tail, leathery wings, large fangs, a long neck, and spiked ridges along their backs. Their eyes glow with a shine of intelligence inherent in no ordinary reptile, however. Dragons are seven-hex monsters. Dragons have heavy scales all over their bodies, with the exception of their undersides which are generally softer. As some dragons age, however, they accumulate and sleep on a hoard of gem stones that will become embedded in them, making them as nearly invulnerable from below as from above. A dragon's Armour Protection Rating will be between 10 and 12 from the top, and will be between 2 and 15 on the bottom, depending on the level of encrustation. There is a 50% chance that a dragon will have one vulnerable spot along the underside, regardless of encrustation. If a character knows the location of a weak spot, he has a 20% chance of hitting it on any successful Strike Check. The Armour Protection Rating at this spot will be 1 or 2. All dragons are highly intelligent. Most dragons will be able to speak 1-5 human tongues at Rank 10, and 10-15 other human and humanoid languages at Rank 6-8. The least intelligent of dragons will be as bright as the average human, and most will be ultra-intelligent by human standards. With the exception of golden dragons, dragons are highly malicious, loving to cause as much pain and destruction as they can. They enjoy playing with humans, manipulating and outwitting them. Their intelligence, however, gives them a sense of caution, and a dragon will not hesitate to fly away from or attempt to verbally conciliate a more powerful opponent. In times of rage, however, they sometimes become reckless, and it is at these times that they are the most vulnerable. Most dragons are greedy, and as they age they will accumulate a tremendous hoard within their lair. Their treasure will usually be composed of gold, gems, and other items on which the dragon will make its bed. All dragons except the Black Dragon can occasionally be persuaded to reveal information or perform a service for a character if enough wealth is offered. All save the Golden Dragon will attempt merely to steal the treasure offered, if possible, unless it is well guarded or the character protects themself well in some other way, for dragons hate servitude. By the time a dragon reaches maturity, the wealth accumulated even in their hides will be worth a huge fortune. Dragons love puzzles and word games and anything else that challenges their intellect. They love riddles and trick questions. They also enjoy flattery, although they will see through it almost all the time. Nevertheless, they will be better disposed toward a flatterer than to one who is insolent. In general, dragons are very hot-tempered and quick to respond to insult. Dragons have incredibly acute senses of hearing, smell and sight. They can see perfectly in the dark, and they have a 90% chance per pulse of detecting physically hidden characters. They have a 75% chance per pulse of detecting the presence of invisible or otherwise magically hidden creatures. They will not know the exact location of invisible creatures, although they will be able to guess well enough to hit the character with their breath weapon (if they have one and want to use it). Dragons of all types generally prefer to live in caves, narrow at their open ends, but gradually widening into long, deep caverns. The mouth of the cavern will usually just be large enough for the dragon to pass with folded wings, while the main cavern will be spacious enough for the dragon to turn easily. A dragon's lair will usually contain a number of wards to snare the unwary before they can approach the dragon. Dragons have a fierce territorial imperative, attacking any creature that intrudes upon the area surrounding their lair, be it human, another dragon, or some other powerful creature. The area around a dragon's lair will often be a wasteland, devastated by the creature. Dragon lairs themselves will reek horribly, with solid rock floors melted and scarred by the creature's acidic excretions. The air surrounding a dragon is noxious; a dragon's breath is foul, and its aroma sickening. Because of their smell, all creatures fight with 5 taken off their Base Chance to hit the dragon. Golden Dragons are the exception to the above, with pleasant-smelling lairs surrounded by normal countryside. Dragons can fly according to the speed for their respective types, or they can crawl, although comparatively slowly. They can also hover motionless in the air, their wings beating furiously, creating blasts of wind beneath them. Dragons are usually encountered alone, although rarely (10%) a lair will be occupied by a female with [D - 6] young dragons (40%) or [D - 2] eggs (60%). Dragons' blood is highly corrosive; any time a weapon penetrates a dragon's armour and does damage to the creature itself there is a 30%chance that any weapon will be rendered useless, -10% per magical Rank inherent in the weapon. In addition there is a 30% chance that some of the blood will splatter onto the wielder of the weapon if the weapon was used in Melee or Close Combat, doing [D + 2] damage. Armour will absorb this type of damage, but reduce the Armour's Protection Rating by 1 each time it is hit by the blood. A dragon's gaze is transfixing, and any creature that looks into a dragon's eyes must roll 3 x Willpower or less on D100 or remain paralysed until the dragon removes his gaze. All dragons are able to induce fear at will in those confronting them. Characters must roll 3 x Willpower or less on D100 or run away in panic, dropping weapons and packs in headlong flight. Once a character has successfully resisted panic, he will never have to check again for the duration of the encounter. There is an 80% chance that any dragon encountered in its lair will be sleeping, but dragons are very easily awakened. If any character is wearing metallic armour or makes a noise exceeding a whisper they will awaken instantly. Even if a party is completely silent, there is a 50% chance that their scent will be enough to awaken the dragon. Dragons can occasionally be coerced into service if they see that there is otherwise a good chance that they will be killed. They will never submit gladly, however, and will try to rebel and kill their "master" at the earliest safe opportunity. All dragons know the generic true name of everything, profiting from such knowledge in the ways described in the Namer College. Powerful dragons also make it a point to learn the true names of the most important individuals around them in case they should be needed at some future date. All dragons are spell casters to a greater or lesser extent, most specialising in the College of Sorceries of the Mind. Most dragons are awesome magicians, knowing all spells rituals, or talents within their College at Ranks of 15 or higher, not to mention the many talents inherent to their species. All dragon magic functions exactly as the human magic of the same name. For range purposes, all spells are assumed to emanate from the dragon's head. Dragons can teach their spells to humans, but they will only do so for vast amounts of treasure or in exchange for some highly valuable bit of knowledge. Dragons can use their magic while flying or hovering, but not while participating in physical combat. All dragons know all special knowledge and general knowledge counterspells for all colleges at Rank 15, unless noted otherwise. If a dragon is slain, it can cast a death curse on its treasure. The curse can be more specific at the GM's option, but in general the curse will be one of bad luck, the effect of which is to influence any roll on D100 involving the character(s) adversely by 15. The most deadly physical weapon of most dragons is their ability to breathe fire. The breath will emerge as a cone stretching from the dragon's mouth, with the length and the base of the cone varying with the type of dragon. On the tactical display the cone of fire is considered to be present until the dragon's next action (or Pass) after breathing, with all creatures entering the cone taking damage as if breathed upon. To breathe fire while on the Tactical Display a dragon must execute a Fire action. Damage from a dragon's fire depends on the type of dragon, but all dragon's fire will ignite anything flammable within the cone. Non-magical weapons or armour have a 10% chance of being rendered useless if caught by dragon's fire. In any case damage caused by a dragon's flame cannot be absorbed by armour. Dragons can create windstorms with their wings (by executing a Pass action) if they are in an area large enough for their wings to reach their full span (30 feet). Any creature in front of a dragon creating a windstorm and within 25 feet of the dragon itself must roll 2 x Physical Strength or less on D100 or be blown [D100 - 10] feet. Subtract 20 from both rolls if the creature rolling is wearing metal armour. All creatures will fall prone after being blown, and any creature which is blown a distance of 10 or more feet will take [D - 4] damage, only half of which (round down) can be absorbed by armour. In Melee Combat a dragon can attack in any or all of three ways per Pulse without penalty. In any of the hexes of its Strike Zone it can attack with two claws and a bite, and it can attack any creature in a rear hex (a hex from which a creature attacking the dragon would get the rear bonus) with its massive tail. If a character is hit with the dragon's tail, the character must roll 3 x Physical Strength or be knocked to the ground, in addition to any damage received. All characteristics given above as well as those for specific dragons are for mature dragons. Young dragons will have half the Rank of mature Dragons in any spells, talents, and rituals. They will breathe with a cone of half the width, depth, and damage of fully grown dragons, and cannot produce windstorms. In combat, subtract 15 from all Base Chances and 4 from the damage of immature dragons. Very old dragons will have the same spell capacity as mature dragons, but their cone of flame will be 20 feet longer and 10 feet wider and will do 2 additional points of damage. The windstorm from a very old dragon will do 2 additional points of damage, and all characters add 20 to their D100 rolls to see if they blow away. In combat, very old dragons add 15 to their Base Chance and 4 points to all damage rolls.

BLACK DRAGON

Natural Habitat: Caverns
Frequency: Very Rare
Number: 1
Description: Black dragons have reflective scales of a solid black colour.
Talents, Skills and Magic: General abilities for all dragons, as noted above. A black dragon can also use all the talents, spell and rituals of the College of Ensorcelments and Enchantments or Illusions at Rank 20. A black dragon's breath cone is 40 feet in length and 20 feet in width at the base, and does [D + 15]. A black dragon can breathe fire [D -6] times per day or a minimum of 1 time. A black dragon uses all counterspells at Rank 20.
Movement Rates: Flying 850; Running: 300

PS 220-240	MD 20-22	AG 20-22	MA 30-35
EN 70-80	FT 100-120	WP 30-34	PC 28-32
PB 2-4	TMR 17/6	NA Top scales absorb 10 DP

Weapons: The Base Chance for a black dragon's bite is 50%, with damage [D + 12]. The two claws have a Base Chance of 40%, with [D + 10 damage, while the tail's Base Chance is 50%, with [D + 6] damage.
Comments: Black dragons are questers for knowledge, and they will occasionally release those in their grasp if they can give them rare or valuable bits of knowledge.

BLUE DRAGON

Natural Habitat: Caverns
Frequency: Very Rare
Number: 1
Description: Blue dragons are sky blue, making them difficult to spot against a clear sky.
Talents, Skills and Magic: General abilities for all dragons as noted above. A blue dragon can also use all talents, rituals, spells, etc., both general and special of the College of Illusions or of the Mind at Rank 18. A blue dragon cannot breathe fire.
Movement Rates: Flying: 700; Running: 250

PS 230-250	MD 16-18	AG 15-17	MA 30-35
EN 75-85	FT 100-120	WP 30-34	PC 28-32
PB 2-4	TMR 14/5	NA Top scales absorb 11 DP

Weapons: The Base Chance for a blue dragon's bite is 50%, with damage [D + 10]. The two claws have a Base Chance of 45%, with damage [D + 8], while the tail's Base Chance is 55%, with [D + 6] damage.
Comments: Blue dragons are more cunning than some of their brethren and if they capture a character they will often let him live in exchange for service in the outside world. Rumours, contact with others, transport of goods, etc., will be expected of any released, and if they attempt to evade service, the dragon's wrath will be great.

GOLDEN DRAGON

Natural Habitat: Caverns
Frequency: Very Rare
Number: 1
Description: Golden dragons are bright gold in colour, shining from a distance in a dazzling display. For one unfamiliar with dragons, however, there is a 50% chance that a golden dragon will be mistaken for a yellow dragon. Note that golden dragons do not have the stench of other dragons.
Talents, Skills and Magic: General abilities for all dragons as noted above. In addition golden dragons can use all talents of the College of the Mind or the College of Illusions at Rank 18, and can use all rituals or spells, both special and general at Rank 20. Golden dragons cannot breathe fire. Knowledge of all counterspells is at Rank 20.
Movement Rates: Flying: 850; Running: 300

PS 300-320	MD 20-24	AG 18-20	MA 32-37
EN 90-100	FT 140-160	WP 32-37	PC 30-35
PB 5-7	TMR 17/6	NA Top scales absorb 12 DP.

Weapons: The Base Chance for a golden dragon's bite is 65%, with damage [D + 11]. The two claws have a Base Chance of 50%, with damage [D + 7], while the tail has a Base Chance of 70%, with [D + 4] damage.
Comments: Golden dragons are the only dragons that can be described as just. They will not attack unless provoked, and can be bargained with more readily than other dragons. They generally despise evil dragons, and will frequently attack them.

GREEN DRAGON

Natural Habitat: Caverns
Frequency: Very rare
Number: 1
Description: Green dragons have outer scales the colour of dark pine needles.
Talents, Skills and Magic: General abilities for all dragons, as noted above. Green dragons can also use all spells, talents, rituals, etc., of the College of the Mind or the College of Illusions at Rank 12. The cone of fire of their breath is 60 feet long and 30 feet wide, and does [D + 12] to all within the cone. They can breathe fire D10 times on any given day.
Movement Rates: Flying: 700; Running: 250

PS 300-350	MD 19-21	AG 17-19	MA 22-25
EN 85-95	FT 120-150	WP 27-33	PC 27-30
PB 2-4	TMR 14/5	NA Top scales absorb 12 DP

Weapons: The Base Chance for a green dragon's bite is 60%, and damage is [D + 12]. The two claws have a Base Chance of 50%, with [D + 6] damage, while the tail's Base Chance is 70%, with damage [D + 4].
Comments: Green dragons are quite evil, although they are curious and will question captives thoroughly before disposing of them. After a green dragon dies, for the next hour or so a sip of its blood will allow permanent comprehension and ability to speak with any normal animal or avian without damage to the drinker.

RED DRAGON

Natural Habitat: Caverns
Frequency: Very Rare
Number: 1
Description: Red dragons are fiery coloured dragons, with flecks of gold along their scales.
Talents, Skills and Magic: General abilities for dragons, as noted above. They can also use all spells, talents, and rituals, both general and special, of the College of the Mind at Rank 17. The cone of fire of a red dragon is 80 feet long and 40 feet wide at the base, and does [D + 15] to any creature in the cone. The breath weapon can be used [D + 3] times in any given day.
Movement Rates: Flying: 750;Running: 250

PS 250-300	MD 18-20	AG 16-18	MA 25-30
EN 10-90	FT 110-140	WP 30-35	PC 21-30
PB 2-4	TMR 15/5	NA Top scales absorb 12 DP

Weapons: A red dragon's bite's Base Chance is 70%, and damage is [D + 10]. The two claws have a Base Chance of 50%, with [D + 4] damage, while the tail's Base Chance is 60%, with damage [D + 2].
Comments: Red dragons will play games with those they encounter until they tire of their pitiful struggles and then slowly kill them and take all their treasure. If a character somehow impresses a red dragon, there is a 40% chance they will be left alive.

YELLOW DRAGON

Natural Habitat: Caverns
Frequency: Very Rare
Number: 1
Description: Yellow dragons have yellowish scales. Note that when seen from distances of 100 feet or more there is a 50% chance that this dragon will be mistaken for a golden dragon, and vice-versa.
Talents, Skills and Magic: General abilities for all dragons, as noted above. Yellow dragons also use all spells, talents, rituals, etc., of the College of the Mind or the College of Illusions at Rank 15. Their breath's cone of flame is 60 feet long and 30 feet wide and does [D + 12]. They can breathe fire [D + 1] times on any given day. Yellow dragons use all counterspells at Rank 12.
Movement Rates: Flying: 700, Running: 300

PS 280-320	MD 20-22	AG 18-20	MA 24-27
EN 80-90	FT 110-140	WP 26-32	PC 27-30 TMR 14/6
PB 2-4	NA Top scales absorb 11 DP o

Weapons: The Base Chance for a yellow dragon's bite is 60%, with damage [D + 10]. The two claws have a Base Chance of 45%, with [D + 5] damage, while the tail's Base Chance is 65%, with [D + 3] damage.
Comments: Yellow dragons have a particular fondness for gold over gems and other items of value.