“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
Well, if it's a power grab you would be looking more towards green or blue dragons, It would definitely depend on what kind of power and how things are being done to decide which of those two though.
Edit: I would go with a blue dragon as it seems unlikely with the base lore in the MM that a green dragon would be doing that
Not every dragon adheres perfectly to the Monster Manual's description of their species, so sure, any color of dragon could theoretically be running a crime syndicate, even a white. It's pretty easy to declare yourself in charge if you can just eat anyone who disagrees with you.
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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 think I am going to follow my gut and go with the red dragon. But if anyone has any better ideas let me know. Also my campaign is happening in the north so I don’t think a blue or green dragon is going to be nearby…..
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“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
I think your red dragon should be the #2 in charge. Either have a white or blue (bigger) dragon be the actual bbeg. The red when taken down appears to end the syndicate, but after that the players will let their guard down, and the white/blue one will come in personally and take charge and build back up quickly and more dangerous.
I think your red dragon should be the #2 in charge. Either have a white or blue (bigger) dragon be the actual bbeg. The red when taken down appears to end the syndicate, but after that the players will let their guard down, and the white/blue one will come in personally and take charge and build back up quickly and more dangerous.
The problem with that is that red dragons are higher CR than green/blue dragons.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
Yeah, any dragon would run a crime syndicate if you gave them a personality where they'd want to, and a goal that it makes sense for them.
The goal is the important part IMO. While "they feel like it" is always a valid reason, especially for a more chaotic personality (for something as long-lived as a dragon, running a crime syndicate for a decade could be as small as deal as blowing off work and going to a movie would be for a person), it's going to work better for the players if there's a more draconic-feeling reason behind it. If it's a power grab, what's the purpose that the dragon wants the power for?
I think what I am going for is the dragon is carving out its own kingdom so it can be worshipped as a god and they use the the syndicate to gain money to fund their conquest and hoard, Allie’s it can call on without them knowing the full plot, and using the syndicate to weaken other cities supplies and to stir panic.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
The dragon runs a syndicate, with slowly putting out a charm spell on a pin of some sort. Maybe a pin use the color of whatever dragon you want. A red rose, for red dragon, green 4 leaf clover for a green dragon and so forth. This pin gives the wearer a little boost to their persuasion and deception. And slowly infiltrates the minds of the wearer. Giving all credit to the pin (and unknowingly the creator) for their success.
In effect they all start worshipping the pin and of course the pin is connected to the dragon. So now he gains the city. Most everyone is wearing it. Outsiders who come to trade start bringing back to their towns and cities. Spreading even farther and so on it goes.
And you name the pin so it is part of the name of the dragon. For example, Red Dragon name is Ashardalon. So as the people spread the pin they call it This is the Ashar Rose Pin.
Just some rough idea of why a dragon would run a syndicate
I think that a red dragon would be lazy and reveal its hand due to being the most deadly and hot headed. Greens are more cunning and more likely to run a casino or indeed a crime syndicate.
Go to work. Send your kids to school. Follow fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Save for old age. Obey the law. Now repeat after me. "YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS"
I would think Green dragons because red dragons are more hotheaded and would brag or whatever.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Go to work. Send your kids to school. Follow fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Save for old age. Obey the law. Now repeat after me. "YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS"
I think, if you are going for basic motivations and personality archetypes of the chromatics, then it really just depends on how you want this dragon to run the syndicate. From the shadows with maximum manipulation? Green. Mastermind who never get their own hands dirty except in the most extreme circumstances? Blue. Exerting raw power to bully everyone into submission? Red.
That said, dragons are intelligent creatures and fully capable to going against their "nature", so do whatever you want!
EDIT: as far as a red working under a blue or something like that... well, they don't have to be the same age category.
If I was going to use a Red, I think it would be one who came so very close to death that it no longer holds to the superiority complex that lore gives them. Working from the shadows to build an unassailable power base so as to actually become invincible as opposed to merely believing that none can defeat them.
I will probably use blue or red and I will just make red less hotheaded and a little more intelligent
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
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I mean as a power grab and not just for money.
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
Well, if it's a power grab you would be looking more towards green or blue dragons, It would definitely depend on what kind of power and how things are being done to decide which of those two though.
Edit: I would go with a blue dragon as it seems unlikely with the base lore in the MM that a green dragon would be doing that
Not every dragon adheres perfectly to the Monster Manual's description of their species, so sure, any color of dragon could theoretically be running a crime syndicate, even a white. It's pretty easy to declare yourself in charge if you can just eat anyone who disagrees with you.
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 think I am going to follow my gut and go with the red dragon. But if anyone has any better ideas let me know. Also my campaign is happening in the north so I don’t think a blue or green dragon is going to be nearby…..
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
I think your red dragon should be the #2 in charge. Either have a white or blue (bigger) dragon be the actual bbeg. The red when taken down appears to end the syndicate, but after that the players will let their guard down, and the white/blue one will come in personally and take charge and build back up quickly and more dangerous.
"Would a green or red dragon run a crime syndicate?"
YES!
Anzio Faro. Protector Aasimar light cleric. Lvl 18.
Viktor Gavriil. White dragonborn grave cleric. Lvl 20.
Ikram Sahir ibn-Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad. Brass dragonborn draconic sorcerer Lvl 9. Fire elemental devil.
Wrangler of cats.
The problem with that is that red dragons are higher CR than green/blue dragons.
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
Be sure to name the dragon Lofwyr.
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.
Yeah, any dragon would run a crime syndicate if you gave them a personality where they'd want to, and a goal that it makes sense for them.
The goal is the important part IMO. While "they feel like it" is always a valid reason, especially for a more chaotic personality (for something as long-lived as a dragon, running a crime syndicate for a decade could be as small as deal as blowing off work and going to a movie would be for a person), it's going to work better for the players if there's a more draconic-feeling reason behind it. If it's a power grab, what's the purpose that the dragon wants the power for?
I think probably green, they tend to be more inclined towards manipulation
Shoutout to the 2 Crew! - the cast of Not Another D&D Podcast
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. He/Him.
Ravenclaw, bookworm, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, rock climber, pedantic about spelling.
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and the theatre.
I think what I am going for is the dragon is carving out its own kingdom so it can be worshipped as a god and they use the the syndicate to gain money to fund their conquest and hoard, Allie’s it can call on without them knowing the full plot, and using the syndicate to weaken other cities supplies and to stir panic.
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
The dragon runs a syndicate, with slowly putting out a charm spell on a pin of some sort. Maybe a pin use the color of whatever dragon you want. A red rose, for red dragon, green 4 leaf clover for a green dragon and so forth. This pin gives the wearer a little boost to their persuasion and deception. And slowly infiltrates the minds of the wearer. Giving all credit to the pin (and unknowingly the creator) for their success.
In effect they all start worshipping the pin and of course the pin is connected to the dragon. So now he gains the city. Most everyone is wearing it. Outsiders who come to trade start bringing back to their towns and cities. Spreading even farther and so on it goes.
And you name the pin so it is part of the name of the dragon. For example, Red Dragon name is Ashardalon. So as the people spread the pin they call it This is the Ashar Rose Pin.
Just some rough idea of why a dragon would run a syndicate
I think that a red dragon would be lazy and reveal its hand due to being the most deadly and hot headed. Greens are more cunning and more likely to run a casino or indeed a crime syndicate.
Okay what a weird topic but OKAY!
Go to work. Send your kids to school. Follow fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Save for old age. Obey the law. Now repeat after me. "YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS"
I would think Green dragons because red dragons are more hotheaded and would brag or whatever.
Go to work. Send your kids to school. Follow fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Save for old age. Obey the law. Now repeat after me. "YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS"
No. But that’s why it might be terrifying.
Either one would absolutely terrify anyone who found out. It’s not really a measure of the fear factor.
Shoutout to the 2 Crew! - the cast of Not Another D&D Podcast
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. He/Him.
Ravenclaw, bookworm, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, rock climber, pedantic about spelling.
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and the theatre.
I think, if you are going for basic motivations and personality archetypes of the chromatics, then it really just depends on how you want this dragon to run the syndicate. From the shadows with maximum manipulation? Green. Mastermind who never get their own hands dirty except in the most extreme circumstances? Blue. Exerting raw power to bully everyone into submission? Red.
That said, dragons are intelligent creatures and fully capable to going against their "nature", so do whatever you want!
EDIT: as far as a red working under a blue or something like that... well, they don't have to be the same age category.
If I was going to use a Red, I think it would be one who came so very close to death that it no longer holds to the superiority complex that lore gives them. Working from the shadows to build an unassailable power base so as to actually become invincible as opposed to merely believing that none can defeat them.
I will probably use blue or red and I will just make red less hotheaded and a little more intelligent
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"