Should dragons always be evil? What I mean is dragons are seen as just monsters by DMs. I think dragons should be seen as NPCs. And with time NPCs can change alignment. I included a baby white dragon that imprinted on my players and they love him. He is CG in alignment.
Should dragons always be evil? What I mean is dragons are seen as just monsters by DMs. I think dragons should be seen as NPCs. And with time NPCs can change alignment. I included a baby white dragon that imprinted on my players and they love him. He is CG in alignment.
dude just ignores 4 whole categories of dragons making this post lol
The most iconic monster in Dungeons And Dragons is the Dragon.
Yes, the Evil ones should always be irrevocably evil. From right out of the egg and all the way to their deaths. Dragons are supposed to inspire awe. The evil ones are supposed to inspire fear, to make people panic and run. Having one as a pet destroys that.
The broader question is "should NPC alignments be static?" Devils and Angels being a more polarizing example. Official content has plenty of examples of "corrupted" angels, so clearly alignment is not canonically locked.
Some games benefit from being more Black/White. It's more "fun" to play a crusader when you don't have to question whether your actions are morally justified. Other games thrive on shades of grey. Choose your system of morality according to the type of game you want to play.
In general, it is easy to assume that the alignment listed in a creatures statblock represents a "natural tendency" for that type of creature, if encountered under normal conditions. However, a creature that is "nurtured" can be swayed. A Chaotic Evil creature is unlikely to become Lawful Good, but it might eventually become Chaotic Good, or True Neutral. (Assuming each Alignment Step requires a greater investment.)
For a baby White Dragon to be Chaotic Good, for me, is unbelievable, but if it were Chaotic Neutral, and became Chaotic Good over time, then that would feel like the players were actively nurturing the white dragon. (White Dragons are, by nature, solitary, so "imprinting" is as out of character as being "good".)
The broader question is "should NPC alignments be static?" Devils and Angels being a more polarizing example. Official content has plenty of examples of corrupted angels, so clearly alignment is not canonically locked.
Some games benefit from being more Black/White. It's more "fun" to play a crusader when you don't have to question whether your actions are morally justified. Other games thrive on shades of grey. Choose your system of morality according to the type of game you want to play.
You are rite! There are a lot of examples of this in sourcebooks!
The most iconic monster in Dungeons And Dragons is the Dragon.
Yes, the Evil ones should always be irrevocably evil. From right out of the egg and all the way to their deaths. Dragons are supposed to inspire awe. The evil ones are supposed to inspire fear, to make people panic and run. Having one as a pet destroys that.
Except in worlds where that's very specifically not the case, like Eberron and Ravnica. It depends on both the world and the campaign. At some tables it's more fun when Dragons are color-coded for your convenience, but at others it's more fun for it to have more nuance than "That one is red! Kill it now!!!"
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
The most iconic monster in Dungeons And Dragons is the Dragon.
Yes, the Evil ones should always be irrevocably evil. From right out of the egg and all the way to their deaths. Dragons are supposed to inspire awe. The evil ones are supposed to inspire fear, to make people panic and run. Having one as a pet destroys that.
Except in worlds where that's very specifically not the case, like Eberron and Ravnica. It depends on both the world and the campaign. At some tables it's more fun when Dragons are color-coded for your convenience, but at others it's more fun for it to have more nuance than "That one is red! Kill it now!!!"
Well, the idea of a dragon is that, "Oh crap, it's a dragon." You don't probably don't care what color it is when you see any kind of dragon, and if you're seeing its true form, you're likely needing to run anyways.
People keep confusing evil for hostile. Just because a dragon is an aggressive, greedy control freak doesn't mean that it's automatically going to kill and eat the party.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I mean, dragons have been shown to be all manner of things. Natural disasters or unyielding guardians. Destroyers of life or destined heroes of fate. Champions of gods and fiends alike. Masters of magic or brilliant tacticians of war. Benevolent leaders or cold and cruel dictators. Puppet masters and schemers. Beneficial allies or shady deal makers. They can be quest givers or a party patron. They can be a lone threat or the final boss of an entire organization.
And honestly, any of the dragon types can fit into these categories if you so choose. Dragons might have strong ties to their alignment types, but they are also intelligent creatures with free will, just like most humanoids and have been shown throughout D&D lore to be able and willing to go against type. Heck, being an evil dragon doesn't automatically mean they have grand villainous goals. Many dragons like to live in isolation and only attack those that enter it's territory or threaten it's life or hoard.
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"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
I haven't seen anyone else run dragons the same way I do. Instead of having a dragon's color determine their alignment, their alignment determines their color. Let me explain. All dragons are born an ash-grey color, the same color as their god. Over the next few months, as their personality develops, they gain a color based on it. While obviously, most dragons don't fit solidly in one mindset or another, each color has two personality traits that are represented in those of their kind.
Gold = Fair and Secretive Silver = Loyal and Energetic Brass = Virtuous and Talkative Bronze = Righteous and Eager Copper = Kind and Curious Red = Arrogant and Charismatic Black = Vain and Pragmatic Green = Treacherous and Cunning Black = Sadistic and Ambitious White = Vicious and Determined
If you look, you'll notice that only one of each chromatics' traits is arguably 100% bad. That's because their alignments aren't necessarily set in stone. Is a sadistic and ambitious Black Dragon likely to be Lawful Good? No. But could it be Chaotic Neutral, or Lawful Evil? Certainly. Their color depends on their personality, which means that their alignment isn't always going to be the same, even if two dragons are the same hue.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
I haven't seen anyone else run dragons the same way I do. Instead of having a dragon's color determine their alignment, their alignment determines their color. Let me explain. All dragons are born an ash-grey color, the same color as their god. Over the next few months, as their personality develops, they gain a color based on it. While obviously, most dragons don't fit solidly in one mindset or another, each color has two personality traits that are represented in those of their kind.
Gold = Fair and Secretive Silver = Loyal and Energetic Brass = Virtuous and Talkative Bronze = Righteous and Eager Copper = Kind and Curious Red = Arrogant and Charismatic Black = Vain and Pragmatic Green = Treacherous and Cunning Black = Sadistic and Ambitious White = Vicious and Determined
If you look, you'll notice that only one of each chromatics' traits is arguably 100% bad. That's because their alignments aren't necessarily set in stone. Is a sadistic and ambitious Black Dragon likely to be Lawful Good? No. But could it be Chaotic Neutral, or Lawful Evil? Certainly. Their color depends on their personality, which means that their alignment isn't always going to be the same, even if two dragons are the same hue.
That’s a really cool idea! I might adopt that myself, if you don’t mind. For myself, I’d modify it to having an inherent bias to be like the parents, but still have the option of them becoming a different color.
Stat blocks show you a typical example of that monster. The vast majority of monsters with an alignment also have free will. There's a few that are manifestations of a specific alignment and it's very rare for those to deviate. Even then, there's known cases of angels falling from grace and Modrons going rogue.
The Monster Manual entry for chromatic dragons suggests to me they're evil because that's the culture they're born into. They probably don't hatch knowing all about Tiamat and thinking themselves superior to all other creatures; that's learned behavior.
Perhaps a bigger and better question is, what does a dragon need to be in order for PCs to want to kill it.
You can ride dragons.
You can get quests from dragons.
You can befriend a dragon.
You can become a dragon.
But nothing, dare I say, nothing, is more fun than killing a dragon. I'm not even sure if that's debatable.
That being said, isn't making them evil (the one's you kill at least), the simplest solution to why you would partake in such activity? It's evil, therefore, when we are able, it must die.
Should dragons always be evil? What I mean is dragons are seen as just monsters by DMs. I think dragons should be seen as NPCs. And with time NPCs can change alignment. I included a baby white dragon that imprinted on my players and they love him. He is CG in alignment.
Lover of pugs, dinos, dragons, and chickens
FEAR AND LOVE ME MORTALS!
Leader of the cult of bwba (barbarians with big axes)
RAW = yes, chromatic dragons are always evil.
RAF = do whatever makes a good story :)
dude just ignores 4 whole categories of dragons making this post lol
Check out my homebrew subclasses spells magic items feats monsters races
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help create a world here
https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters?filter-type=0&filter-search=dragon&filter-cr-min=&filter-cr-max=&filter-armor-class-min=&filter-armor-class-max=&filter-average-hp-min=&filter-average-hp-max=&filter-is-legendary=&filter-is-mythic=&filter-has-lair=
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
The most iconic monster in Dungeons And Dragons is the Dragon.
Yes, the Evil ones should always be irrevocably evil. From right out of the egg and all the way to their deaths. Dragons are supposed to inspire awe. The evil ones are supposed to inspire fear, to make people panic and run. Having one as a pet destroys that.
<Insert clever signature here>
In case it was not obvious, in saying "dragons" I ment white, green, black, blue, and red dragons.
Lover of pugs, dinos, dragons, and chickens
FEAR AND LOVE ME MORTALS!
Leader of the cult of bwba (barbarians with big axes)
The broader question is "should NPC alignments be static?" Devils and Angels being a more polarizing example. Official content has plenty of examples of "corrupted" angels, so clearly alignment is not canonically locked.
Some games benefit from being more Black/White. It's more "fun" to play a crusader when you don't have to question whether your actions are morally justified. Other games thrive on shades of grey. Choose your system of morality according to the type of game you want to play.
In general, it is easy to assume that the alignment listed in a creatures statblock represents a "natural tendency" for that type of creature, if encountered under normal conditions. However, a creature that is "nurtured" can be swayed. A Chaotic Evil creature is unlikely to become Lawful Good, but it might eventually become Chaotic Good, or True Neutral. (Assuming each Alignment Step requires a greater investment.)
For a baby White Dragon to be Chaotic Good, for me, is unbelievable, but if it were Chaotic Neutral, and became Chaotic Good over time, then that would feel like the players were actively nurturing the white dragon. (White Dragons are, by nature, solitary, so "imprinting" is as out of character as being "good".)
Drow used to be irrevocably evil too. Note the past tense. Do what you want.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
You are rite! There are a lot of examples of this in sourcebooks!
Lover of pugs, dinos, dragons, and chickens
FEAR AND LOVE ME MORTALS!
Leader of the cult of bwba (barbarians with big axes)
Except in worlds where that's very specifically not the case, like Eberron and Ravnica. It depends on both the world and the campaign. At some tables it's more fun when Dragons are color-coded for your convenience, but at others it's more fun for it to have more nuance than "That one is red! Kill it now!!!"
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Well, the idea of a dragon is that, "Oh crap, it's a dragon." You don't probably don't care what color it is when you see any kind of dragon, and if you're seeing its true form, you're likely needing to run anyways.
Come participate in the Competition of the Finest Brews, Edition XXVIII?
My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
People keep confusing evil for hostile. Just because a dragon is an aggressive, greedy control freak doesn't mean that it's automatically going to kill and eat the party.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I mean, dragons have been shown to be all manner of things. Natural disasters or unyielding guardians. Destroyers of life or destined heroes of fate. Champions of gods and fiends alike. Masters of magic or brilliant tacticians of war. Benevolent leaders or cold and cruel dictators. Puppet masters and schemers. Beneficial allies or shady deal makers. They can be quest givers or a party patron. They can be a lone threat or the final boss of an entire organization.
And honestly, any of the dragon types can fit into these categories if you so choose. Dragons might have strong ties to their alignment types, but they are also intelligent creatures with free will, just like most humanoids and have been shown throughout D&D lore to be able and willing to go against type. Heck, being an evil dragon doesn't automatically mean they have grand villainous goals. Many dragons like to live in isolation and only attack those that enter it's territory or threaten it's life or hoard.
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
Characters for Tenebris Sine Fine
RoughCoronet's Greater Wills
I haven't seen anyone else run dragons the same way I do. Instead of having a dragon's color determine their alignment, their alignment determines their color. Let me explain. All dragons are born an ash-grey color, the same color as their god. Over the next few months, as their personality develops, they gain a color based on it. While obviously, most dragons don't fit solidly in one mindset or another, each color has two personality traits that are represented in those of their kind.
Gold = Fair and Secretive
Silver = Loyal and Energetic
Brass = Virtuous and Talkative
Bronze = Righteous and Eager
Copper = Kind and Curious
Red = Arrogant and Charismatic
Black = Vain and Pragmatic
Green = Treacherous and Cunning
Black = Sadistic and Ambitious
White = Vicious and Determined
If you look, you'll notice that only one of each chromatics' traits is arguably 100% bad. That's because their alignments aren't necessarily set in stone. Is a sadistic and ambitious Black Dragon likely to be Lawful Good? No. But could it be Chaotic Neutral, or Lawful Evil? Certainly. Their color depends on their personality, which means that their alignment isn't always going to be the same, even if two dragons are the same hue.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
That’s a really cool idea! I might adopt that myself, if you don’t mind. For myself, I’d modify it to having an inherent bias to be like the parents, but still have the option of them becoming a different color.
Stat blocks show you a typical example of that monster. The vast majority of monsters with an alignment also have free will. There's a few that are manifestations of a specific alignment and it's very rare for those to deviate. Even then, there's known cases of angels falling from grace and Modrons going rogue.
The Monster Manual entry for chromatic dragons suggests to me they're evil because that's the culture they're born into. They probably don't hatch knowing all about Tiamat and thinking themselves superior to all other creatures; that's learned behavior.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
Perhaps a bigger and better question is, what does a dragon need to be in order for PCs to want to kill it.
You can ride dragons.
You can get quests from dragons.
You can befriend a dragon.
You can become a dragon.
But nothing, dare I say, nothing, is more fun than killing a dragon. I'm not even sure if that's debatable.
That being said, isn't making them evil (the one's you kill at least), the simplest solution to why you would partake in such activity? It's evil, therefore, when we are able, it must die.
All things Lich - DM tips, tricks, and other creative shenanigans
Counteroffer: nothing is more fun than tricking a dragon, assuming said dragon considers itself mighty tricksy (as is nearly always the case).
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Clearly someone's never kissed a dragon.
Personally, I like to utterly dominate my enemies, and riding them is the ultimate form of humiliation.
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