Dragons!!!!!

[Scrasamax]

It would only make sense that as a magic user grows in power the more their sanity slips away. How many bumbling old wizards are sane? Most are cracked in some manner, some moreso than others. Zedd (Wizards First Rule, Terry Brooks) was a voracious eater despite his scrawny appearance, and made monsters into pets, and swore by his socks. Gandalf, the iconic old mage wandered around smoking halfing dope, and following his nose, making fireworks and mischief while looking for the ring of power.

I like the Mage game in how it handles the use of magic. Heavy magic users gain magic residue over time, if they use magic responsibly, they accumulate very little, and stay pretty much normal. Those who are heavy users, or who cast spells hastily, make mistakes, and other such errors gain this residue very quickly. Some start loosing their sanity, others are struck catatnoic, the less fortunate are attacked by offended spirits of magic and such.

But I digress, this has nothing to do with dragons.

Dragons are magical, but are not cracked, why? Because, unlike humans, dragons are innately magical. Their spells and powers do not come in the form that we imagine. Their flight is magical, as their entire physiology does not support the mechanics of flight. Flyers have light build, little or no armor, and choose flight over fight in confrontations. Also, in a wing to body mass ratio, dragon wings are always drastically too small. If a human being had wings to fly, they would have to have a wingspan of something like 20 feet to lift our compact heavy bodies off of the ground. The breath weapon, unless the dragons consumes a diet of chemically combustable elements rich in sulfer, phosporus, and other reagents and regurgitate them to spew fire, it is magical. I like magical better than scientifically explained. The science aspect requires the dragon to seek out certain minerals to fuel their breath weapon which robs them of some of their mytique.

[Ancient Gamer]

My Dragons:
I seldom use dragons, as a matter of fact I never exceed a dragon a year. The players have met or read about dragons five times the last decade(RL)...

Dragons are powerful creatures hatched from eggs. Their legendary ability to sleep for centuries only applies when they guard their eggs and while the young grow. A dragon can sleep atop an egg for three centuries before they hatch.

A young dragon is no smarter than a dog. Their intelligence develops as they age, and after some thousand years they may have attained a brilliant mind. They spend a long time in an animalistic existence before they suddenly evolve to a state of awareness. This is a defining moment for the dragon and is called "The Awakening".

The dragons exist in various shapes and colours. The largest species has four legs, two wings, a ridiculously long tail and an enormous body. This species has been recorded by the imperial sages and seem to come in four different colours. These colours are red, white, black and green. They have the ability to breathe fire from their very mouths and a single dragon of this species can level a town in a matter of minutes. The only dragon of this species to be known by name is Dhostamnarangadla*, and thus the sage Falandrius of Cormalth recounts his journey to her lair:

[...]And as we descended into the mountain we found the old, dwarven highway. As we travelled upon it, we felt a draft through the tunnels. A strange wind it was, hot and with an acrid smell. First the wind came from the direction we were heading, then several minutes later it would change and come from behind.

Still we continued closer to the fallen capital of Khun-Khatorum, where the ancient dragon was rumoured to lair. As we went, the wind grew hotter and the distant, slow beating on a giant drum shock through the halls. We felt the sound vibrate through the stonework and wondered what kind of fell beast pounded this infernal instrument.

After a while we reached the city. The dwarves lead us into the secret hallways of the Axe, the path of the Warrior Clans of the King. Here the dwarven cleric Erskand had to purify the air around us, as a smoke was in the hallway and growing ever thicker. As we reached the secret entrance to the city, we felt a strange heat in the metal doorhandle. A heat emanating from the dragon itself.

Two hundred dwarves were set for a charge and burst through the door. Dragon Slayers they were, elite among their kind, and while they distracted the dragon, I was to reclaim the Royal Crown and Sceptre.

I could do naught.

The wind we had felt was its breathing, the drumming its heartbeat. Its size was impossible, unimaginable. Each tooth was the size of a dwarf and the head rested atop a domed temple roof, casting shadows over the nearby residences. It was fast asleep, yet the dwarves thundered towards it, only halting for a scant few heartbeats after discovering its size.

The fools, they never stood a chance. Twenty was killed even before it awoke, as it buffeted its wing in response to whatever fey dreams such a being might have. I screamed in horror, yet I could not move. And as the dwarves charged into its right hind claw, hammering their axes into its scales, it awoke. I will never forget that moment. For a heartbeat, everything stood still, and then everything happened so fast.

I think I screamed all the time. Suddenly they were dead and she approached me, whispering, devouring dead dwarves. Her feet crushed into the floor with thundering noise, her tongue licked up every single piece of dwarf. When she reached me, I was sobbing like a baby.

She talked to me then, her voice as rocks grinding together, her breath an awful stench of sulphur and smoke. She wanted to know why we had come, she wanted to know who I was, she wanted to know everything. I was terrified, wanted to run for the secret exit. I could not move, I could not answer either, for her breath was choking me and the cleric was all too dead and his purifying magic with him.

I do not recall how I was able to leave her halls. I only remember the way she watched me, like she was a cat and I was her mouse, her toy. She would watch me for hours without a word, just look at me while I sweated and did not move.[...]

The smaller species is also known as dragons, although the correct term is wyvern. These are bipedal creatures with thin, serpentlike bodies and no arms, only wings. Their legs are clawed and their face beak-shaped with razor sharp teeth. They have a tail and their scales are black. They were domesticated by the herders of Apsulion, but that secret died with the nation.

*While Dhostamnarangadla makes all dragons seem like gods, she is unique. She was the first offspring between the two primeval draconic forces of chaos, the dragon deities. She has existed before creation and is a terror upon countless worlds, and a boon to some. She is sadistic and psychotic, delighting in the fear she instills in "little people".

[manfred]

Randomly on the topic of dragons, I thought of what use have gems and precious crystals for them.

If the offspring comes in the way described above, a perfect crystal could be a... meditational focus! Concentrating on its perfection, the dragon would try to create something perfect, too. Sadly, all gems have those tiny faults, even it not easily visible.


What about other treasure? Is it simply a fond memory on the joyous years of looting and burning, or is it for other needs? What do you think?

[Kinslayer]

Midian's Dragons are rare, unique, and immensely powerful.  

They are classed as Entities, as their physical form is something that's optional for them.  That is, a Dragon is not born or alive in the classical sense, but rather is a spirit that takes on a fleshly form.  They are ancient and wise, and may know whatever spell or skill--at whatever level--the GM decides he or she needs.  Dragons in Midian aren't given game statistics.  How can something that old and powerful even be counted on the same scale as a Human?

Dragons are very infrequently encountered.  They work much better as background elments than as yet another monster to kill.  

Dragons may be classed--Parameus, for example, she is a water-Dragon--but that is not to say that all Dragons must follow certain stereotypes or share certain features.  Parameus again, loves cheesecake, and is an incessant talker.  Boromius, also a water-Dragon, is sullen and violently anti-social.  Their only commonality is that they both prefer water as their dwelling place and material of choice for crafting a body.  Note that some Dragons choose bodies that look very organic (and are in the Asian style), but some choose elemental or ephemeral bodies instead.  

As immortal and nearly diety-like spirit beings, Dragons have little need for material wealth, and many do not even maintain a home.  This doesn't stop the rumours of vast hordes of gold & magic, however.

[Jonathans_Shadow]

I think dragons are what you make of them. The western ones were created to embody fear of teh unknown and were designed to be the most horrific things a man could meet. eastern dragons were created to embody the gracefullness of teh natural world, mostly water. dragons are what u make of them.

[CaptainPenguin]

Yes... That's what we've said before.

[youcouldbemine]

Dragons are sacred , they represent strongness and positve vibes.