The Ability Scores (CWS)

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Characters in the Council of Wyrms setting, including dragons, have the same six ability scores used by player characters and nonplayer characters in other AD&D games: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. For dragons, these ability scores are applied somewhat differently from the way more traditional characters use them. What follows is a discussion on how dragon PCs use the ability scores. Half-dragon characters and kindred demihumans use ability scores as they are defined in the AD&D Player's Handbook. 
==Strength==
For dragons, Strength indicates how much weight can be carried or lifted, and how easily doors and other barriers can be forced open. Unlike human, demihuman, and humanoid characters, dragons gain no attack roll or damage bonuses based upon their Strength, as they have a different kind of musculature and do not make use of weapons that can be augmented by Strength. The combat bonuses dragons do receive are determined by other factors, such as size and natural weapons, and are discussed later in this chapter. 
While dragons are strong, relatively speaking, they do not have the mass or weight of other creatures their own size. The weight allowance listed on the Strength Tobie in the Player's Handbook is the maximum weight a dragon can carry (or be loaded down with) and still be able to fly and move without hindrance. Maximum press indicates the heaviest weight a dragon can pick up and lift in its claws or jaws for a brief period of time (such as during a snatch attack). The definition for open doors is extended to include knocking down any kind of stout wooden barrier, such as a wall. Dragons cannot lift gates as such, but they can bend bars by throwing their bulk against them. Whether they can then fit through whatever portal the gate protects depends on the size of the particular dragon. 
A dragon can cause damage to structures built for use by beings of a smaller size category than itself. It can't use this method against structures built to withstand creatures of dragon stature (such as structures designed for use by dragons). When attempting to cause structural damage, a dragon tries to roll its bend bars/lift gates percentage or less on 1d100. The percentage is modified as follows, according to the dragon's size category (based on its body size, not including its tail): 
* S and M: no modifier 
* L: +5% 
* H: +10% 
* G: +20%. 
A roll of 100 is always a failure. If the modified roll succeeds, the structure must save vs. a crushing blow (see the DUNGEON MASTER Guide, Chapter Six). A save indicates that the structure received damage but was not destroyed. Successive damage adds a +2 penalty to the save each time. A failed save indicates that the area struck has been destroyed.
==Dexterity==
A dragon's Dexterity determines how clumsy or agile its front claws are. This ability score doesn't help or hinder a dragon's reaction, missile attack, or defensive adjustments. The lower a dragon's Dexterity, the more animal-like its claws. Conversely, the higher the Dexterity, the more a dragon's claws can be used as a human uses his hands. Dexterity scores below 7 indicate that a dragon has almost no ability for even crude manipulation. Scores ranging from 7 to 13 allow a dragon to employ its claws for simple tasks, such as lifting large pieces of treasure. Any score above 13 lets a dragon perform fine manipulations, within reason. These dexterous specimens can unroll scrolls, use brushes and pens, and open small chests. Even with an 18 Dexterity, a huge dragon would be hard pressed to pick up a single gold piece with its sword-sized claws. 
Dragon mages and priests are required to have Dexterity scores of 13 or more. 
==Constitution==
Dragons make hit point adjustments based upon their Constitution scores, like other ·characters. They never use the parenthetical values, however. 
They do use the resurrection survival, but not the regeneration, portion of the Constitution Table provided in the Player's Handbook. They also use the system shock and poison save columns of that table. Poison saving throws work as they do for other character races. System shock has a specific function for dragonkind. 
When a dragon uses its polymorph self ability (either the natural ability available to gold, silver and bronze dragons, or a learned spell used by another dragon type), it must make a system shock roll based on its Constitution score. If it is in dragon form and attempts to polymorph into something else, a failed roll indicates that the change did not occur. After a full round has passed, the dragon can try again (if it has not exhausted its polymorph self ability for the day). 
If the dragon is in another form (such as human or demihuman) and tries to polymorph back into its natural form, a failed roll not only indicates that the change did not occur, it also indicates that the dragon has forgotten its true form! For a number of years equal to how badly the system shock roll was missed, the dragon must remain in its polymorphed form. In this form, it forgets all of its dragon memories and lives as others of that type do. After half of the allotted time has passed, the amnesiac dragon can attempt to remember its true self (see "Intelligence" below). After the years have passed, the dragon can make another system shock roll to polymorph back to its true form. If the roll is failed again, it continues to remain trapped in its polymorphed form. Dragons with the shapechange ability also follow this rule. 
For example, a gold dragon has polymorphed herself into the form of an elf. When she decides to return to her natural form, she makes a system shock roll. Based upon her Constitution score of 12, she needs to roll 80% or less on percentage dice to revert back. In this example, the polymorphed dragon rolls a 92. She is trapped in the elf form for twelve years (92-80 = 12), forgetting her true self for at least six of those years (see "Intelligence" below). After twelve years, she can try another system shock roll to change back into a gold dragon. 
. Once a dragon reaches its mature adult age (7th level), it no longer has to make system shock rolls in conjunction with its polymorph self or shape-change abilities. It can shift forms without risk of being trapped in a lesser form. 
==Intelligence==
As with other types of characters, Intelligence represents a dragon's capability to remember, reason, and learn. A dragon PC uses most of the Intelligence Table from the Player's Handbook in the usual fashion. Intelligence determines the number of languages a dragon can learn beyond its own native tongue (if it is so inclined and wants to spend its proficiencies in this way). Intelligence also determines the number of extra noncombat proficiency slots a dragon receives (dragons get one half of the number indicated, rounded down), the highest spell level it can cast, and the chance to learn a particular spell it comes across (for dragon mages only). Finally, this ability shows the maximum number of spells per level a dragon -mage character can know. Dragons ignore the last column of the table, spell immunity. 
Intelligence has one additional function for dragon PCs. Those characters that have polymorphed into another form and forgotten their true selves (as described in "Constitution " above) can attempt to remember after half of the allotted period of amnesia has passed. To do this, once each year after the halfway point the polymorphed dragon PC can make an Intelligence check using the "chance to learn spell" column of the Intelligence Table. A successful roll indicates that the dragon PC regains its full memory and knows who her or she is, though it must finish out its allotted number of years in the polymorphed form. 
==Wisdom==
As with other characters, a dragon's Wisdom encompasses the creature's enlightenment, judgment, guile, willpower, common sense, and intuition. As dragons naturally have their own magical defenses, they do not use the magical defense adjustment or spell immunity portion of the Wisdom Table presented in the Player's Handbook. Dragon PCs created with the new dragon priest kit do get to use the bonus spells and chance of spell failure columns. 
==Charisma==
Dragon Charisma, when measured against other dragons, indicates a dragon's persuasiveness, personal magnetism, and ability to lead. It also determines how members of other species will react to a dragon, and can be used to bolster (or lower) the power of dragon fear. 
Dragons don't normally work together in quite the same way as humans do. Even those dragons of the Io's Blood Isles tend to cooperate from afar. So, the maximum number of henchmen and loyalty base columns of the Charisma Table presented in the AD&D Player's Handbook reflect the number of non-dragons a particular dragon can coax, frighten, or inspire to serve as loyal retainers (not counting a kindred demihuman). The reaction adjustment column determines how much stronger or weaker a particular dragon's aura of fear is due to its natural Charisma. The bonus or penalty is applied to the saving throw vs. petrification of the creature or creatures within the dragon's fear aura
==Rolling Ability Scores==
Ability scores are obtained randomly by rolling dice. To determine the ability scores of dragon, half-dragon, and demihuman PCs and NPCs, roll 3d6 once for each ability score. The dice are rolled for each score in order, the totals being recorded as rolled. Then check under the Racial Ability Adjustments Table to see which scores, if any, must be modified due to the particular dragon type (or other race) being played. 
If the DM decides to allow players more flexibility when creating characters, any of the character creation methods described in the AD&D DUNGEON MASTER Guide can be used. The DM's job is to be familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of each method before deciding on one (or more) to use in play.