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A Dragon's size


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#61 oralpain

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Posted 03 June 2005 - 03:46 PM

Very true guest. Maestro does have a bit of a point if he is refering to later 2e material (wich is what I happen to use, most of the time), however. Still, I would rather make up for any percived deficit in power with creativity, than with more raw power.

A bit off-topic - In the newer Dragonlance novels there exist the super-sized dragons from another world... I don't know if they appear in any pnp, but wouldn't that be quite overpowering, no matter what edition we're talking about?

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There have often been unique, or extremely rare dragons of exceptional size and power.

I haven't read any recent Dragonlance novels, but I have read an excerpt from one where an abnormal large read dragon was mistaken as a manifestation of takhiksis by a younger black dragon who ran into her, and was then killed by her. This dragon was also from another world.

I simply took this to be a great wyrm, not a new dragon type or anything. Great wyrm dragons (esp red dragons) are rare enough, large enough, and powerful enough to have easily fit what I read, even refering to 2nd edition dragons. I could be mistaken in my assumption however, I read about 15 pages.

A maximum age, size, and strength red dragon, by core second edition rules, would be 354 feet long overall; have 184 hit points; a negative 3 THAC0; a negative 11 armor class; 65% magic resistance; base attacks doing 1d10+12/1d10+12/3d10+12 damage, plus acess to all the special forms of draconic attack (wing buffets, tail slaps, snatches, plummets, kicks, and anything else plausible); the ability to cast 4 mage spells of levels 1 through 4, 2 first level priest spells, and a second level priest spell, all funtioning as if cast by a 21st level caster (also dragonic spells have only verbal components and all have a casting time of 1); these innate spell-like powers: affect normal fires(3/day), pyrotechnics(3/day), heat metal(1/day), suggestion(1/day), hypnotisim(1/day), detect gems, kind and number, in a 100' radius (3/day), these powers can be uses simultaniously with any action besides spell asting or the breath weapon; a fire-based breath weapon of 24d10+12 damage; powerful senses of sight, smell, and hearing, that allows the dragon to sense invisible, hiden, and perhaps, illusionary objects with in 120'; finally, a natural clairaudience ability with respect to it's lair.

A dragon of this age would also have an immense hoard, and would make use of enchanted objects from that horde, if possible. I rolled randomly based on the treasure types and came up with 8 scrolls, 7 potions, and 6 randomly selected items. The dragon would be able to use all of the potions and scrolls, and most any non-clothing item in other categories. It could use very nearly anything while polymorphed into a humanoid form.

I don't think I have seen any dragons in IE games use magical items. This should be added. It is only logical has a significant precident in pnp.

#62 Archmage Silver

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Posted 04 June 2005 - 12:24 AM

Yeah, that red dragon must have been Malystryx, one of the dragonlords in dragonlance. I don't recall reading the name of the realm where Malys and other dragons came from, but Malys was about 250ft long and it was said that she was small compared to the largest kin of her realm.

#63 oralpain

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Posted 04 June 2005 - 01:19 AM

I'm pritty sure that Malystryx and her kin are "normal" dragons, just of advanced age.

250 feet would put her at the "old" age category (401-600 years old, 8th category out of 12), minimum.

Some where between old and venerable seems about right to me. It would make her larger than all but the very largest of native krynn dragons, while still leaving some dragons where she came from as being larger.

#64 Archmage Silver

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Posted 06 June 2005 - 03:47 AM

Sounds like it could well be that way. I guess that the larger dragons don't exist on Krynn because of the wars before and all that which got many dragons killed.

#65 Archmage Silver

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Posted 06 June 2005 - 04:03 AM

Hmm... what do you think about this information?

The Dragon Overlords

The coming of the Dragon Overlords in the Age of Mortals was one of the most influential and devastating events to occur upon Krynn. A world reeling from the effects of the Summer of Chaos, soon found itself ground under the talon of mighty dragons who claimed large areas of lands for their own domains. Soon the continent of Ansalon was carved up into pieces by the dragons who claimed dominance and also changed climates to suit them.

Origins of the Overlords

The most common question about the overlords were why they even came to Krynn. Takhisis took Khellendros from the alien dragon world over 200 years before the War of Souls, so that he could be the ruler of her new world order, when she was the only god. Due to his complacency, he was later replaced in that role by Mina. Over time, Khellendros garnered an affinity with the local Krynnish dragons and considered himself more of a Krynnish dragon than an alien dragon. When Takhisis stole the world, the other dragons found their way through the ether and into Krynn and spoiled some of Takhisis' carefully laid plans, by dominating the world. So whilst Takhisis only ever planned for Khellendros to be drawn through the portal, a number of others found the way through on their own.


Malystryx (The Red Marauder)

Malys arrived from the far east, one year after the Second Cataclysm. She was the first of the alien dragons to make the cross into Krynn on her own, and engineered the way for her kin to follow her through the ether. Malys attacked the Dairly Plains and the Elian Wilds, and soon made a sweep across Ansalon. Next Malys attacked Kendermore, which she completely decimated. In the process she also slew the legendary hero Riverwind and over a thousand kender. Once Malys had ravaged a large part of the land and slain all dragons within reach, she transformed her domain into a fiery, burnt-out wasteland. Her domain became the largest dragon realm upon Ansalon and was known as the Desolation. Malys was over four hundred feet in length, by far the largest dragon on Ansalon and also the most powerful. She called an end to the Dragon Purge as she did not want to drive the dragons into extinction, and she called the other dragons to serve under her or to die. All chose to serve under Malys and to aid her in her ascension to godhood. Her ascension was thwarted however by the Heroes of the Heart and also with Khellendros' interference. Malys was thrown into the sea and defeated by the powerful blue. Since then, Beryl's domain became even larger than hers. Malys built her red spawn forces and waited for the day to strike. She slew Khellendros during the War of Souls and claimed his domain as hers, and prepared to claim the slain Beryl's domain also. Enraged at the audacity of the human girl Mina, she flew to destroy her and was slain in the attempt by the girl and the powers of Takhisis. The dominion of the overlords was broken as the greatest of them all finally fell from the skies.

Edited by Archmage Silver, 06 June 2005 - 04:04 AM.


#66 oralpain

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Posted 06 June 2005 - 06:07 AM

That makes it reasonably clear that she was not a typical red dragon.