I’m thinking of playing a Swarm Keeper Ranger and had a fun idea—could I flavor my swarm as a group of tiny, whirling dragons? The subclass allows you to determine the appearance of your swarm, so instead of insects, birds, or spirits, could I have a flock of young dragons?
Mechanically, I know that dragons take around 100 years to reach adulthood, so story-wise, I’d have to figure out a way for them to stay young. Maybe some kind of magical effect or a blessing? I just love the idea of being a “Mother of Dragons” with a cloud of little wyrmlings aiding me in combat.
Would this work within the rules, or has anyone done something similar? Would love to hear thoughts and ideas!
Within the rules, seems likely. As long as you're not trying to gain any notable advantage by doing so, I don't see any reason why your DM wouldn't allow it.
That said, it's ultimately your DM's call. If it doesn't fit the general flavor of the world, they may say no, or suggest compromises.
(They may also give you some kind of advantage for the flavor... or a disadvantage.)
According to the lore, wyrmlings are medium sized. You could argue that those are probably some minimum age, but how small do you think dragon eggs are? Of course, you can flavor things however you want.
They are spirits so you can probably flavor them however you want. They will only do what the rules say they do. How they look shouldn't really matter.
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I have certainly seen D&D worlds where tiny dragonets are occasionally just flitting around like sparrows or falcons (at least in some forests - I think Faerun even has one). So if I had a player that wanted this, I would absolutely let them have a swarm of tiny 'dragons.' IMO, that falls fully under "Rule of Cool."
As Wysppera said, you can flavor them to look like anything you want. However, they will only do what the swarmkeeper rules say they do. If you’re fine with that then I doubt most DMs would have a problem with the idea. If the idea is to have the swarm be ti y dragons with full abilities I doubt many DMs will allow it. The idea is certainly cool and I may well file off the serial numbers and make use of it myself.
The first thing that came to mind was the cover art for Anne McCaffrey's book "Dragonsong". I'd certainly think as long as you don't try to change how the swarm behaves, it should be allowed. Just make them miniature dragon spirits or something similar to the fire lizards in the book above, rather than real dragons.
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Hey everyone!
I’m thinking of playing a Swarm Keeper Ranger and had a fun idea—could I flavor my swarm as a group of tiny, whirling dragons? The subclass allows you to determine the appearance of your swarm, so instead of insects, birds, or spirits, could I have a flock of young dragons?
Mechanically, I know that dragons take around 100 years to reach adulthood, so story-wise, I’d have to figure out a way for them to stay young. Maybe some kind of magical effect or a blessing? I just love the idea of being a “Mother of Dragons” with a cloud of little wyrmlings aiding me in combat.
Would this work within the rules, or has anyone done something similar? Would love to hear thoughts and ideas!
Within the rules, seems likely. As long as you're not trying to gain any notable advantage by doing so, I don't see any reason why your DM wouldn't allow it.
That said, it's ultimately your DM's call. If it doesn't fit the general flavor of the world, they may say no, or suggest compromises.
(They may also give you some kind of advantage for the flavor... or a disadvantage.)
According to the lore, wyrmlings are medium sized. You could argue that those are probably some minimum age, but how small do you think dragon eggs are? Of course, you can flavor things however you want.
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Faerie Dragons and Pseudodragons are both tiny sized dragons so you could have an intangible swarm of extra tiny/baby versions of either of those.
They are spirits so you can probably flavor them however you want. They will only do what the rules say they do. How they look shouldn't really matter.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I have certainly seen D&D worlds where tiny dragonets are occasionally just flitting around like sparrows or falcons (at least in some forests - I think Faerun even has one). So if I had a player that wanted this, I would absolutely let them have a swarm of tiny 'dragons.' IMO, that falls fully under "Rule of Cool."
DM-dependent, though, so YMMV.
As Wysppera said, you can flavor them to look like anything you want. However, they will only do what the swarmkeeper rules say they do. If you’re fine with that then I doubt most DMs would have a problem with the idea. If the idea is to have the swarm be ti y dragons with full abilities I doubt many DMs will allow it. The idea is certainly cool and I may well file off the serial numbers and make use of it myself.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
The first thing that came to mind was the cover art for Anne McCaffrey's book "Dragonsong". I'd certainly think as long as you don't try to change how the swarm behaves, it should be allowed. Just make them miniature dragon spirits or something similar to the fire lizards in the book above, rather than real dragons.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha