Dragon 7 (21)

Early Access

Dragons are exceptionally territorial, vain, and greedy. Apex predators, dragons must eat large meals on a regular basis—horses, wild pigs, deer, and human-tended livestock are their most common fare, though they aren’t averse to eating humans. They love games of all sorts, especially when they get to consume the loser. Drawn to wealth and magic, dragons accumulate hoards of golden treasure. A hoard is not only an end in itself, but part of a never-ending contest between dragons of a certain age to see which one can accumulate the largest trove.

Motive: Self-aggrandizement, hunger for flesh, collecting treasure

Environment: Where wilderness meets the civilized frontier

Health: 45

Damage Inflicted: Major wound

Armor: 3

Movement: Short; long while flying

Modifications: Perception and riddles as level 8; dodge as level 6 due to size

Combat: Each round a dragon can either bite one foe or claw two different foes. A bitten creature is held by the dragon (unless the creature breaks free with a Might defense roll) and automatically takes damage on the dragon’s turn each round unless they escape or the dragon releases them.

Most dragons have one or more additional magical abilities they can bring to bear in combat, including the following.

• Captivate: The dragon psychically mesmerizes a non-dragon creature in immediate range who fails an Intellect defense roll. A captivated creature does the dragon’s verbal bidding until they use a one-hour or longer non-rest recovery. Confronting the creature about this control or their behavior allows them another Intellect defense roll to break the effect.
• Change Shape: A dragon with this ability can take the form of a human or similar humanoid as its action, or return to its regular shape. When so changed, the dragon’s disguise is nearly impenetrable without special knowledge. As a human, the dragon is a level 5 creature.
• Fiery Breath: A dragon can breathe a stream of fire up to long range, inflicting a moderate wound to all creatures within immediate range of each other. Creatures who successfully dodge the fire still take a minor wound. The dragon can’t use this ability on successive rounds.

Interaction: Like the many hues of dragon scales, dragon personalities run the gamut from beastly thug to refined connoisseur. Some dragons lie with every smoky breath, others consider the least bit of dishonesty a personal failing, and most fall somewhere in between. All of them can be flattered and even charmed by someone with courtly manners and grace.

Use: A dragon confronts the PCs, challenging them to a riddle game. If the characters win, the dragon gives them a manifest cypher. If the dragon wins, the PCs owe it a favor to be specified later—unless the dragon is hungry now.

Loot: A dragon’s hoard might contain 2d6 manifest cyphers, hard currency equivalent to 1d6 exorbitant items, and possibly a few artifacts (but a hoard is usually well guarded).

GM Intrusion: The dragon breathes fire while the character is trapped in its mouth, automatically inflicting a major wound.

Group GM intrusion: The dragon lashes out in all directions with tail, claws, and wings, making separate attacks against every creature in immediate range.