From: parkerma@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Mark A. Parker)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: More on intelligent opponents (dragons)
Keywords: dragons
Date: 14 Oct 92 07:26:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: master.1bgi2eINN6qn
Reply-To: parkerma@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Mark A. Parker)
Organization: Computer Science Department at Rose-Hulman
NNTP-Posting-Host: o231-25.nextwork.rose-hulman.edu


	A couple more devious ideas...
1).  For all of those dragons that still lair in caves, one tactic for an  
effective area effect attack could be to cave in the ceiling on their  
attackers. Admittedly, knocking a hole in one's ceiling might not seem  
like a good idea (rock/ice/ whatever might be impossible to repair, amd  
lairs are probably hard to come by), but if the dragon were in trouble, it  
would probably be desperate enough to wreck its home to save its life.  
There aren't many defences designed to counter avalanche (this would be  
great to nail the munchkins). A few smashes of the claws, a breath, or a  
spell (lightning bolt (splinters stone) seems to be designed for this  
purpose) could do the necessary damage to drop a few boulders on that  
warrior at the dragon's feet, or take that wizard with fire/lightning/  
cold resistance and globe of invulnerability / ring of spell turning out  
of the game. It also covers up those blasted cubes of force with enough  
rock to not only prevent attacks coming out of it but also to make  
deactivating the cube (which is keeping the rock from hurting our intrepid  
band) less than desirable (and when those charges run out...). Most  
dragons would be able to dig out the mess caused by this to reopen that  
lair exit, if need be.

2). With TSR running out of different things for a dragon to breathe, a  
few of the officially created dragons are now breathing some form of light  
weapon (rainbow and mercury dragons, in particular). These could set up a  
number of mirrors in their lairs (melt down the s.p., apply it to the  
walls, and have the slaves polish it every so often). In a small enough  
room with enough surfaces to reflect off of, one breath could light up an  
entire side and anyone in it suffers). A missed breath attack might bounce  
and hit someone else. Since rainbow and mercury dragons are immune to  
their own breath weapons (and I believe all other light attacks), they  
wouldn't have to worry about accidentally hitting themselves because of a  
bad deflection.

3). As I'm sure about everyone has mentioned, dragons would make use of  
any magic item they could that was in their possesion (one dragon I  
created had a pair of wands that he always kept on himself: fireballs and  
illusions). Come to think of it, couldn't dragons make their own magic  
items?

4). Dragons outside their lairs might not have to resort to meleeing with  
their enemies, providing it can fly. It could still use range attacks  
(spells, breath weapons, drop a few rocks...) against the PCs, possibly  
even at a height where the party's range attacks can't reach. Flying  
attackers who haven't trained in airborne fighting (almost every humanoid)  
should have negatives to attack.

5). Take the snatch attack one step further. Inside the lair a dragon  
could grab and throw an opponent into a nearby wall (a good way of  
figuring out damage might be to count it as a fall, but that contingency  
to cast Feather Fall for falling more than 9' won't take effect, since it  
isn't a true fall; the victim would probably also be stunned unless he  
were made out of rubber) or into a deep pool (armored opponent strips or  
sinks and drowns). Outside the lair, the dragon could grab an opponent,  
take him up a few hundred feet, then come back down (fist with opponent  
leading the way) and crush the hapless victim between the ground and the  
shock of a few tons of dragon hitting it at a good clip.

6).  The OLD EMPIRES sourcebook details a red dragon that, through a  
little political manuvering and over the course of a few centuries, now  
has the status of a demigod. How extreme can you get?

7). Ever hear of Dracoliches? Just apply everything you've been hearing  
about dragons and liches to one of these, and you've got one helluva  
threat.

8).  On the other end of a spectrum, how about a dragon with the abilities  
of a paladin? Bahamut, being a lawful good Power level creature, could  
probably grant this to the rare silver, gold, or bronze worshipper that is  
exemplary in his/her faith, much like the human paladin is granted his  
abilities by the god he worships.

	I love where the this thread is going. Keep the ideas coming.

					Mark Parker
	"This nasty little fully-vorpal weapon slices, dices and juliennes  
your enemies, and now can be yours for only 19,095 GP!!"
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd