In lieu of a dragon-based campaign setting I've been working on, and some ideas I've had brewing for a while about fighting larger size class monsters, I wanted to create some rule sets that make dragons feel like they are truly huge, legendary beasts. When players fight them, I want them to feel the scale of their opponent as well as its power relative to theirs. I'll try to update this thread with new rules, but I'm also posting so all can give thoughts and some of your own advice and experience when it comes to 'legendary' combat. (I also plan to add sections to this later with similar rules for creatures like the Kraken, dragon turtle, purple worm, and other titanic creatures). These rules are mainly meant for adult or ancient dragons, to reflect both their size and the power that comes with their long years.
Legendary Combat
For a huge or larger dragon consider adding the following benefit:
Resistance to Bludgeoning and Slashing damage, Immunity to Piercing damage*
this feature gives the feel that the dragon is not only tough, but that their puny mortal weapons are not sufficient to pierce its ancient hide. Although I'm sure I haven't covered every weapon that probably should be covered with this rule, the point is that bludgeoning and slashing damage generally make more sense to damage a dragon, while piercing with certain weapons just shouldn't be enough to damage a dragon (Bard dances in with a fancy +1 potsticker, tries to poke the dragon and leave with a parting gibe? No sir!)
*The following weapons bypass the dragon's immunity to piercing: War Pick, Heavy Crossbow, Lance Pike, or Longbow
The following feature adds a level to realism that I think is missing from breath weapons. The effect in the sample below is called 'Burn' as I used the red dragon as an example, but you can change the name to reflect the damage type.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 63 (18d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Each creature that fails the saving throw suffers from severe burns and has disadvantage on attack rolls and until the end of their next turn.
This effect still makes thematic sense no matter what dragon you use. The acid from a black dragon would still corrode and burn, as would lightning from a blue dragon, a white dragon's cold gives extreme frostbite, and the gas from a green dragon's poison breath would cause disorientation that lasts till their next turn. The point of the effect is to add a fun and more detailed layer to a dragon's breath, given that it's such a powerful effect.
In adult or ancient dragons, I add the following to the Claw and Tail attack options:
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack:+14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage, and the target must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack:+14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked back 15 feet away from the dragon.
These both give the dragon a sense of power and force behind its attacks and provide a fun mental image of the dragon flinging its targets around like ragdolls.
Elemental Fury
When the dragon is below half its hit point maximum, the cracks in its scales begin to widen, and flames* begin to wreathe the dragon's body. Any creature that enters within 10 feet of the dragon must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) fire damage.
*Or lightning or acid etc. You get the idea.
The Dragon Hammer is an item that you don't necessarily have to use against dragons, but is useful tool when trying to keep one grounded, especially if you choose to use the added resistances listed above^.
Dragon hammer
heavy, two handed, rare
You gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls with this weapon and have advantage on attack rolls against creatures size class Large or larger. If you hit a Large or larger creature with an attack from this hammer, it must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn.
While these hefty hammers serve well against all titanic creatures, landing a hit or two with this on a grounded dragon will allow your companions to move in on the stunned beast and attack more effectively.
Those are all the rules I have on paper now. Obviously, these aren't perfect, so feel free to add tweaks or rules you would use to make dragon combat more exciting. toodles
I like these a lot. The burns in particular are a nice addition. The weapon resistance feels a little obvious so I’d probably replace it with, say, a reaction that allows the dragon to send a whip of flame at an attacker or something like that. Good work with the hammer too.
Hmm. Not quite sure what you mean by 'obvious'. The reason why I included it is to give the dragon a more accurate feel as far as weapons are concerned. In world I would have it be common knowledge among dragon hunters and weapons merchants that certain weapons are no good against dragons.
On that note, here's an idea I had for arrows for dragon hunting, similar to the Black Arrow:
Ironclaw Arrows
Ammunition
The Ironclaw arrows are special arrows meant to pierce the hide of a dragon. The shaft is made of a durable wood, with a longer iron head affixed to the top. The latter shaft is weighted to be slightly heavier to account for the large head. When used with a heavy crossbow or longbow, these arrows deal 1d12 piercing damage. This damage overrides the dragon's immunities and resistances.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Updog
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
In lieu of a dragon-based campaign setting I've been working on, and some ideas I've had brewing for a while about fighting larger size class monsters, I wanted to create some rule sets that make dragons feel like they are truly huge, legendary beasts. When players fight them, I want them to feel the scale of their opponent as well as its power relative to theirs. I'll try to update this thread with new rules, but I'm also posting so all can give thoughts and some of your own advice and experience when it comes to 'legendary' combat. (I also plan to add sections to this later with similar rules for creatures like the Kraken, dragon turtle, purple worm, and other titanic creatures). These rules are mainly meant for adult or ancient dragons, to reflect both their size and the power that comes with their long years.
Legendary Combat
For a huge or larger dragon consider adding the following benefit:
Resistance to Bludgeoning and Slashing damage, Immunity to Piercing damage*
this feature gives the feel that the dragon is not only tough, but that their puny mortal weapons are not sufficient to pierce its ancient hide. Although I'm sure I haven't covered every weapon that probably should be covered with this rule, the point is that bludgeoning and slashing damage generally make more sense to damage a dragon, while piercing with certain weapons just shouldn't be enough to damage a dragon (Bard dances in with a fancy +1 potsticker, tries to poke the dragon and leave with a parting gibe? No sir!)
*The following weapons bypass the dragon's immunity to piercing: War Pick, Heavy Crossbow, Lance Pike, or Longbow
The following feature adds a level to realism that I think is missing from breath weapons. The effect in the sample below is called 'Burn' as I used the red dragon as an example, but you can change the name to reflect the damage type.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 63 (18d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Each creature that fails the saving throw suffers from severe burns and has disadvantage on attack rolls and until the end of their next turn.
This effect still makes thematic sense no matter what dragon you use. The acid from a black dragon would still corrode and burn, as would lightning from a blue dragon, a white dragon's cold gives extreme frostbite, and the gas from a green dragon's poison breath would cause disorientation that lasts till their next turn. The point of the effect is to add a fun and more detailed layer to a dragon's breath, given that it's such a powerful effect.
In adult or ancient dragons, I add the following to the Claw and Tail attack options:
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage, and the target must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked back 15 feet away from the dragon.
These both give the dragon a sense of power and force behind its attacks and provide a fun mental image of the dragon flinging its targets around like ragdolls.
Elemental Fury
When the dragon is below half its hit point maximum, the cracks in its scales begin to widen, and flames* begin to wreathe the dragon's body. Any creature that enters within 10 feet of the dragon must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) fire damage.
*Or lightning or acid etc. You get the idea.
The Dragon Hammer is an item that you don't necessarily have to use against dragons, but is useful tool when trying to keep one grounded, especially if you choose to use the added resistances listed above^.
Dragon hammer
heavy, two handed, rare
You gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls with this weapon and have advantage on attack rolls against creatures size class Large or larger. If you hit a Large or larger creature with an attack from this hammer, it must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn.
While these hefty hammers serve well against all titanic creatures, landing a hit or two with this on a grounded dragon will allow your companions to move in on the stunned beast and attack more effectively.
Those are all the rules I have on paper now. Obviously, these aren't perfect, so feel free to add tweaks or rules you would use to make dragon combat more exciting. toodles
Updog
Hmm. Not quite sure what you mean by 'obvious'. The reason why I included it is to give the dragon a more accurate feel as far as weapons are concerned. In world I would have it be common knowledge among dragon hunters and weapons merchants that certain weapons are no good against dragons.
On that note, here's an idea I had for arrows for dragon hunting, similar to the Black Arrow:
Ironclaw Arrows
Ammunition
The Ironclaw arrows are special arrows meant to pierce the hide of a dragon. The shaft is made of a durable wood, with a longer iron head affixed to the top. The latter shaft is weighted to be slightly heavier to account for the large head. When used with a heavy crossbow or longbow, these arrows deal 1d12 piercing damage. This damage overrides the dragon's immunities and resistances.
Updog