Dragons in Ravenloft

[DannWyrm]

Sometime down the road, I was considering the possibility of dragon shenanigans in my game. However, thinking about it, I don't know how exactly I'd handle them in a thematically appropriate fashion. How exactly do you use something that is as entrenched in the traditional fantasy trappings as a dragon in a gothic horror setting? I was thinking something like the film Dragonslayer, where the dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative is likened to some sort of demonic entity kept in check with virgin sacrifice, only venturing out of its lair when it has been wronged, and being a veritable force of nature when it is out and about.

But I also have the Dark Lords to consider as well. I seriously doubt a Dark Lord would allow a dragon to roam its realm unchecked. I do seem to recall something about Strahd having a red dragon hanging out in his castle, but it's basically just that; a small recollection.

As an aside, it is a bit of a task to search for related topics on this subject. "Dragons" and "Ravenloft" being key terms in the search basically brings up, oh, just about everything in the forum, haha

[Ryan Naylor]

That sounds like a reasonable approach to me. It's a dark fairy tale dragon: hidden, mysterious, and enormously, enormously threatening and dangerous.

On darklords: quite a few of them aren't powerful enough to do anything about a dragon that decides to settle in their domain. About 3/4 are CR 12 or less, so they may not be able to do anything personally, and the average mook soldier is likely only CR 2 or so. It might be best just to ignore it/appease it and hope it goes away.

[DannWyrm]

That is true. It's something that I keep forgetting. I suppose because I'm pretty hands-off with them, as I'd rather use them as a plot device unless I specifically want the party to take a run at them, which hasn't come up yet.

[Dark Angel]

But I also have the Dark Lords to consider as well. I seriously doubt a Dark Lord would allow a dragon to roam its realm unchecked. I do seem to recall something about Strahd having a red dragon hanging out in his castle, but it's basically just that; a small recollection.

The red dragon was killed by Lord Soth in the Halls of Castle Ravenloft in Knight of the Black Rose. Power word kill if I remember correctly. Wrong guy when sending a dragon against a Krynnish general with crazy powerful spells at hand.

A player of mine asked about the state of dragon affairs in the Demiplane. I said the one shacking up with Azalin was moved to a shadowy domain of my own creation and the other was in that Forgotten Realms/Ravenloft adventure in the Gem domain (but that doesn't count).

[Ryan Naylor]

Strahd also said it would be hard to replace but not impossible.

So there's possibly a red dragon in Castle Ravenloft (and some more elsewhere?).

One or maybe two shadow dragons in Darkon (Gloom and Ebb).

An enormous red dragon in "that gem domain."

From the BoS series, a tarnished silver dragon somewhere.

From the Scattered Lotus cluster, a sea serpent/asiatic dragon of some kind as darklord of the Poison Sea.



I can't think of any others.

[Dark Angel]

Think the gem one is Aggarath (not 100%) and he could always bring in dragons from an outside source. I would think (like elementals and other planars) they would be pissed and lash out against their summoners. I know Strahd's red was on the younger side and a bit more malleable. I am sure a DM could drop in another dragon to suit their purposes.

[Epically]

And don't forget about Ebb!

[Chaot]

I say isolate the suckers and make them sap the land. Pale slimy wyrm in the marshes of Mordent, poisoning the the wild life and villages around it. Icy drake in the most barren corner of Lamordia where the rays of summer cannot touch the cruel bitter bite of the wind and the uncaring frozen earth. Rumors of the creature who haunts the forests of Tepest, green death who's very breath steals the life from the poor victim's lungs.

Also, I think that dragons need a bit of space to play. If you are going to have them in Ravenloft you might consider expanding the geography of the domains. It's a bit too claustrophobic for dragons right now.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Also, Arantor, darklord of Monhadan (from Dragon Magazine), Kalid-Ma from Kalidnay, and Banemaw, the fictitious dragon of Nidala. And Gravestorm, the dracolich from the Castle Ravenloft Board game.

previous thread on the subject:
http://fraternityofshadows.com/forum/vi ... f=1&t=2471

Strahd's dragons (there were four of them in I6, Soth killed only one in KotBR) may or may not have been actual dragons. It was implied that they were animated statues, not real dragons. They start out as stone decor and shift into real dragons to attack. They only had 18hp each, so at best they were enchanted baby dragons, but more likely a magical construct approximation of a dragon. In the 25th anniversary reprint and the 2e update (House of Strahd) they were replaced with gargoyle golems. In the 3e update (Expedition to Castle Ravenloft) there were only two of them, but they were back to "dragons". This time they were "Stone Dragons," as far as I know a new creature created for the module, and mechanically distinct from real dragons (they were magical beasts).

[DannWyrm]

I've definitely increased the size of the Core. the sub-Switzerland size didn't really sit well with me. It's not huge, but it's huge by comparison. Approximately England sized, I'd say.

[Dark Angel]

I've definitely increased the size of the Core. the sub-Switzerland size didn't really sit well with me. It's not huge, but it's huge by comparison. Approximately England sized, I'd say.

I made mine the size of France, but still don't feel comfortable with tacking random dragons in the more civilized lands. Maybe Sithicus, Eastern Darkon, Tempest, and Hazlan, but otherwise wouldn't try otherwise. Think of the more ancient maps where they said "Here there be dragons". So of those Scandinavian/Norse Dragons would work in the Seas, maybe...


Ps-Don't forget that some characters in Hour of the Knife (in the back to be used as pcs) can speak Silver Dragon. How useful is that language slot? It is now a running gag in my game.

[The Giamarga]

previous thread on the subject: Tail, Wing, Fang & Claw

Yep. That's the one I wanted to link to as well. Good thread.

As for other dragons: The Golden Eyed Youth, a (very) young gold dragon whose Mother was slain by Hoelgar Arnuttsen.

Another even older thread:Dragons who go "Blaaaaaah!"

[Boris Drakov]

I once used a dragon as a powerful adversary for a very powerful party who was locked in a struggle between a lich and his vassalich.

But it came off as way too high fantasy really.

But I successfully used a sorcerer villain who could shapeshift into a dragon as a mainstay antagonist who hid his ability as best as he could until the PC's forced him into employing it.
Made great use of David Arkenstone's instrumental the Dragon's Breath as the villain's theme seeing as he was of northern barbarian stock.

Also had some foreign knights cursed to assume demonic shapes at night, whom they themselves deemed glorious dragon shapes, fighting the PCs.

And I had the ghost of an old sorcerer trapped in a lake but when freed he employed the same shapeshifting ability as the above into a dragon.

Everytime I use dragons like dragons they come off as flat characters for me.

But men able to assume that shape just become much more vivid and alive in my creation and playing of them at least.

[Joël of the FoS]

I've always thought that Strahd's "dragons" were in fact some kind of gargoyles, dragon shaped.

Joël

[alhoon]

Personally you can go with the way you described "destructive force of nature" that the Darklord appeases or even uses. It's not like the darklords are kind people that would mind sacrificing a couple of maidens/year so that the dragon wouldn't trouble them and also the "Execution by feeding you to a dragon" is a nice deterent that lawful darklords could use.
Also for gothic horror keep in mind that romance goes with it, forbidden acts, inherited evilness and curses etc. etc.
Perhaps there's a secret extended family that appeases X dragon in Y place by feeding him virgins from the family, because of many sins commited by the family long ago. The women of the family don't know about it, there is a kind of lottery to see who's daughter goes to the dragon's maw etc.

Oh, and let's be sincere here: Baltoi the Marilith makes as good a "sleeping beast" as a dragon would make. If you want my opinion, get rid of the fiendish sleeping beast and change it with a dragon sleeping beast just this time. Change the monastery above it to a place where not-that-kind monks/clerics drop virgins to the sleeping beast to keep it sleeping and confiscate money from the nearby settlements (or the families linked to the whole thing that don't want their daughters fed up) to appease the dragon with gold. And they actually keep a bit of the money for themselves, profiting from the whole thing.
Add some romantic elements here, like a loved one that her family can't afford the price required for her to not be in the ballot for who goes into the dragon's stomach + some grizzly details ("OMG! Some of the monks seem suspiciously half-draconic! ! ! The dragon just eats the poor girls, right?") and you're set.



Or you can go fantasy and be done with it. I know I did. I had the normal, dragon-hunting adventures in Ravenloft. IMC there are some not-that-big dragons around in the Core. Black dragons in the marshes of Darkon, whites on the mountains of Misery, Reds in Barovia and Hazlan, Greens in Forlorn and Sithicus etc.
I've ran more than once the traditional "Villages terrorized by dragon. Adventurers required to deal with it" and it was enjoyable.