Rotipher of the FoS wrote:Actually, the "dragon" which Lord Soth confronted in Strahd's castle may not have been the genuine article. In the original I6 module, four dragons *statues* in Castle Ravenloft could come to life as (small) red dragons to attack intruders. Given the rarity of such beasts, Strahd's replacable "dragons" might make more sense as golems or oversized Figurines Of Wondrous Power than as true dragons; in the "House Of Strahd" 2E module update, they were replaced with gargoyle golems, IIRC.
Ravenloft 1983 TSR AD&D I6 9075 page 13:
K7. Entry
The ornate massive doors hang open. Fluttering torches cast dim yellow flickers of light from the entry way. Twenty feet into the castle, a second set of doors suddenly swings open effortlessly and the sounds of music flow out. Overhead, in the entryway, four statues of dragons glare down, their eyes flickering in the torch light.
If the PCs enter this room through the west doors, the dragons will not attack. If anyone except Strahd enters this room through the doors, the dragons come alive, drop to the floor hissing and spitting and attack. These small dragons allow adventurers into the castle, but not out of it. Whenever this room is empty, the dragons return to their perches and turn to stone. The dragons never leave this room
4 red dragons: AC-1; MV 9"/24"; HD 9; hp 18, 18, 18, 18 #AT 3; Dmg 1-8 / 1-8 / 3-30; AL CE
Master of Ravenloft 1986 TSR Advanced Dungeons&Dragons adventure gamebook 6 page 71:
You involuntarily close your night-accustomed eyes to the bright glare of torches beyond the doorway. When you see again, your eyes are drawn upward to four statues of dragons mounted above the door. You think you detect a momentary flash in one's eyes and tap it with your sword tip to find that it is indeed a stone statue.
Knight of the Black Rose 1992 TSR page108-109
A small entry hall, no wider than the main doors, greeted them. Near the ceiling, four dragons carved from red stone crouched. They seemed ready to pounce on unwelcome visitors, their gemstone eyes glittering menacingly.
on page 147-152 is found the battle with Soth and the red dragon. The text never mentions it was one of the four carved stone red dragons on page 108 (what happened to the other three?) but it does occur in the same entry way location. The Dragon dies from Soth's spell and remains a corpse not stone, and appears a real mortal red dragon that talks (and Soth speculates might be old enough to have learned spells) throughout the encounter.
House of Strahd 1993 TSR AD&D 2nd ed. RM4 9418 page 29:
7. Entry
....Overhead, in the entryway, four statues of horned and winged monstrosities glare down, their eyes flickering in the torchlight.
As Rotipher pointed out they are changed to Gargoyle Golems in House of Strahd, but it also lists the supposed "original description" from Ravenloft 1983 module:
Margoyles (4): AL CE; Int low; AC 2; MV 6, Fl 12 (C); HD 6; hp 40 each; THAC0 15; #AT 4; Dmg 1d6/1d6/2d4/2d4; SA Surprise; SD +1 weapon to hit; MR nil; SZ M; ML elite (13); XP 975.
The Margoyles are not actually statues, but their stony skin texture gives them the appearance of statues. They do not noticeably move or breathe. The margoyles won't even react if attacked, unless actual damage is caused to one of them. They are completely indistinguishable from statues until they move to attack.
Not an original description at all, as you can see from the actual 1983 Ravenloft module entry above. LOL! why would they fake the original version in the remake? The text in the description is largely the same but the game stats are completely new even in the "original description" panel.
Where did they get all of that from?
The Silver Anniversary Edition of Ravenloft module 1999 TSR (Wizards of the Coast) TSR 1397 page 21 entry description is largely the same as House of Strahd, but has different Gargoyle Golems game stats and a similar but different DM monster description, but no mention of dragons (or margoyles) at all. Clearly they Retconned these "Dragons" right out of Ravenloft.
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft 2006 D&D (3.5 edition) Wizards of the Coast page 93:
The small entry chamber is illuminated by flickers of fire in the mouths of two coiled stone dragons that form an archway at the room's far end. their mouths direct the light in your direction, cloaking the room beyond in darkness.
the new stats and half page description of their tactics and abilities for these two stone dragons (what happened to the original four red dragons?) are on page 128 along with this general monster description:
These stone dragons are relatives of gargoyles. They are serpentine in shape, longer than true dragons, with shorter legs and more slender bodies. Thye appear to hold torches wrapped in their tongues within their gaping mouths, but these are actually organs that enable them to breathe cones of fire.
In the
Castle Ravenloft Boardgame 2010 Wizards of the Coast has no mention of the original red dragons in the entry way however it does contain a dragon. The Adventure book page 8 Adventure 6 Destroy the Dracolich, the dracolich Gravestorm is described as Strahd's most powerful ally.
An undead dragon called a dracolich has answered Strahd's call. Now it rampages through the countryside every night, destroying everything in its path. You decide to enter the dungeon crypt to find the lair of the dracolich. And then, if luck is with you, you plan to destroy it before it can attack Barovia again. The cleric of Barovia provided this advice:" find the creature's phylactery. It holds the dracolich's evil essence. destroy the phylactery, and your task will be much easier to accomplish.
Joël of the FoS wrote:
- Strahd had a red dragon in his castle (killed by Soth in KotBR) (but could be back as a dracolich)
Joël
Perhaps someone did think of the dragon coming back as a Dracolich!
Does anyone have
Strahd's Possesion 1994 Strategic Simulations, Inc. TSR PC video game and does it have a description of the Red Dragons in the entry way to Castle Ravenloft?
