Even dragons like to go on vacation.
(Summer Fun: The Dragons, by Luvythicus)
Worldbuilding Wednesday 9/19/18: Individual Dragons III
The earliest edition of Dungeons and Dragons released in the late 1970s listed only ten different types of dragons for adventurers to test themselves against. The good-aligned ones were Metallic: Copper, Brass, Bronze, Silver, and Gold, while the evil ones were Chromatic and named after colors: Black, White, Blue, Red, and Green. Each type had different habitats, breath weapons, and personalities. Gold dragons, for example, were patterned after Asian ones, while Black ones spat acid and lived in swamps.
AD&D Gold dragon
In the decades since dragon species have multiplied for the game, including new additions to the existing types (like Brown and Steel dragons) to whole new types (Gem dragons, Space dragons) and even different subspecies or states of being for regular dragons, like the humanoid Dragonkin and Dragon liches. This helpful chart by artist Jason Thompson displays the relationships between the variously types and is a true labor of love.
Despite all the draconic overdrive, the original ten species remain strongly at the game’s core.
Here’s some randomgen AD&D good-aligned dragons for your own campaign use.
Metallic dragons
Unthz
Small, young female silver dragon. She likes to hoard pelts and furs and has a tough, wrinkled hide covered with a few dull blue freckles. She speaks in a soothing human voice and has a confidant, self-assured personality. Despite her youth, rumor says she caused the ruin of several local goblin communities. Unthz dwells in an old monastery high in the mountains. She often takes the form of one of the local human nomads, varying the age and gender.
Draukkrung
Large, very old, male brass dragon known as “The Elder Hero” by the Elves. Draukkrung likes to hoard suits of armor in addition to precious objects made of wood and plant fiber. Much of the armor was gifted to him by grateful elves. Draukkrung has dry, scaly bronze skin with a faint metallic purple cast. He has a casual, conversational, relaxed manner when dealing with humanoids. With other intelligent creatures, he is more brusque. Much of Draukkrung’s magic centers around attack spells, and is more likely to be the aggressor rather than the defender in combat situations. In addition to his breath weapon attacks he can stun opponents with an unearthly screech, an ability that was entirely self-taught.
Firespark
Slim, mature adult female gold dragon. Firespark’s golden scales are exceptionally tough and sport light gold speckles. Firespark has a no-nonsense manner and a loud, commanding voice. Like many gold dragons she craves knowledge and likes to hoard tomes of magic, even if she can’t use them. She has been known to host human and elven sages in her canyon cliffside lair. To guard it when she is away, she employs four dragonnes who are magicked to serve. She often disguises herself as a shaman of the native elves who live in the canyons.
Unthbegonne the Terrible
Ancient two-headed male silver dragon. Despite having two heads, he has only one consciousness. He likes to hoard magical items and keeps trophies from defeated enemies. Unthbegonne has fine, scaly skin with metallic blue-white blotches. Despite being labelled “The Terrible” he is genuinely fond of human children and often fosters orphans. He lives alone under a remote glacier, having never found a dragon mate who could accept his extra head. (When shapechanged, he does not have an extra head.) Unthbegonne is very close to a local city of humans and often visits there in his human form.
Ginth
Young female brass dragon. She has a musical voice and laughs freely and often when conversing, which, being a brass dragon, she does most of the time. Her thick, scaled hide is dark brown with touches of red on her legs and belly. Ginth dwells with several of her littermates in a large, sandy lair. She has taken to hoarding magical items that deal with plants, and is very proud of this growing collection.
Ziove
Large wyrm-age male bronze dragon. Ziove is half again as large as others of his age, a truly massive creature. He has strong, supple scales dappled with light orange flecks. Ziove lives with his mate in a cliffside lair overlooking the sea. He has a world-weary, tattered appearance and periodically snorts out steam from his nostrils. His long tail has been truncated from a fight with a red dragon. He is an elder in the bronze dragon community and is often asked for help or advice from younger dragons. Ziove is equitable and reasonable. The only exception to his placid nature is his feud with the red dragon who maimed him. He will gladly pay humans in gold for any information they have on that creature so he can seek his vengeance
Kakiffier
Immature, very young female copper dragon. Likes to hoard bones, as she hasn’t quite figured out the value of treasure yet. Her armored hide is light brown, covered with small black spots. Though she has a frail appearance, Kakiffier is strong as any dragon and likes to tease lesser creatures by chasing them to exhaustion. When she speaks, it is in a hissing voice like bacon frying in a skillet, with a sinister laugh. She has an insatiable appetite and will look kindly on anyone who provides her with her favorite food (giant scorpions and large, poisonous snakes.) Her lair is a small, dry cave.
Oorlcint
Small, plump, adult female bronze dragon with rough-scaled skin and faint purple stripes. Oorlcint has rugged jaws filled with jagged teeth, and hence a discomforting grin. She prefers to buy treasure rather than take it by force, and one of her favorite things to buy is bejeweled fossils. She is fastidious about her lair, which always smells like fresh-cut lemons. She is friendly, but tends towards lawful neutral in alignment and is often at odds with other bronze dragons because of this. Her favorite food is ichthyosaurs.
Dragon Hybrids That Didn’t Make the Cut
Evil sorcerers are known for their meddling in the dark arts, and that includes the creation of new and novel dragon breeds. But not all of them made it into the dark army or evil fortress.
The lobster dragon tasted delicious on toast. They were slaughtered by the thousands.
Cow Dragon by Lindsey Wart
The cow dragon could give no milk, and was pigeon-toed to boot. Plus it needed time to chew its cud.
The wiener dog dragon had speed and agility, but made opponents laugh with its strange yipping roar. It also had a tendency to lie down in a patch of sunlight with its belly exposed instead of fighting.
Dragon Crab, by Djingo
Of the horrible dragon crab, the less said, the better.
Artwork by Cynthia Sheppard
The dragon cat, like all cats, proved to be completely ungovernable. Some still exist today in wild, out-of-the-way places.
Saucily Scaled
Glamour, thy name is Draco Terribilis.
The Pernese Dragon
Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series put dragons on the map in the science fiction and fantasy world as both plausible alien creatures and the brand-spanking-new fantasy trope of the all-knowing, intelligent animal companion. The first two stories, “Weyr Search” and “Dragonrider” were published in Analog magazine in 1967; they later were incorporated into the first Pern novel Dragonflight. Published in 1968, it led to sequel after sequel that expanded upon the world of Pern and its medieval culture of lords and commoners, the poisonous alien spores that periodically fall from the sky, and the dragons and dragonriders that fight them.
I’ve got problem with the books themselves (see here) but have always loved the concept of alien dragons. Here’s different ways artists have depicted them.
Artist Unknown, late 1960s
One of the first covers of Dragonflight, a British edition, for all of 25p (!) It’s abstracted as were a lot of covers in the late 1960s, with a vague Gustav Klimt look, but artistically, not too bad. I can guess that the sheer volume of paperbacks published back then required quick turnaround for covers, and this one might have taken only a few hours, compared to a few weeks, for, say, a Michael Whelan cover. The dragon looks alien and monstrous, but the bright colors are attractive to the eye.
Artist Unknown, mid-1970s
Cover from one of the first US paperbacks, mid-1970s. It’s intriguing, but let’s face it, it’s not a literal scene from the book. The undress of Lessa and her fluttering hair and robe are more in line with a Harlequin cover, though not the sideboob which was more common for SF and fantasy of the day, as were her gold sandals. The dragon’s head looks fine but not its neck, which is twisted awkwardly as it looks over its shoulder. In fact, it seems to be looking at the Red Star, the source of all Pern’s troubles! It echoes the Chinese legends of dragons pursuing pearls through the sky. In hindsight it’s not a bad bunch of analogies, but the whiff of cheese still lingers.
Poul Alexander cover for Get Off the Unicorn
A very vicious-looking hatchling dragon appearing on the paperback cover of Get Off the Unicorn, a collection of McCaffrey short stories including “The Smallest Dragonboy” which inspired my own story “The Unchosen.” When I saw this cover in the mid-1970s as a teen I snatched it up from the drugstore book rack right away, because of the strength of that dragon. It’s a very powerful image even if a false depiction. The eyes aren’t multifaceted for one thing, as in the McCaffrey canon, but most of the artists don’t get that detail right.
And… actually… McCaffrey never sent into much detail describing the dragons, save they had smooth hides, forked tails, a pair of head knobs, and were variously colored green, blue, brown, bronze, or gold.
Michael Whelan cover for Dragonflight
An eighties depiction by SF and fantasy artist Michael Whelan who painted a lot of covers. His creatures are more like robust pterosaurs, more alien looking than the multihorned, clawed versions above. They’re also not as fun. But the painting is magnificent in how it captures how they swoop and dive. Lessa here seems to be dressed more appropriately for flying. She raises her arm in triumph as she leads her flight.
Artist Tony DiTerlizzi, Dragonflight
This version shows creatures as more alien yet, with bulging, multifaceted eyes. The size also seems “right” for how they are written in the stories. I like this one a lot, because it balances what we think of as a dragon, and how an alien biology would come up with something like a dragon. For example, those eyes seem like they might be withdrawn into the creature’s skull at will, perhaps protecting them from the Spore.
A depiction of Jaxom and Ruth, by Tim Hildebrandt
A Tim Hildebrandt version of Jaxom and his white dragon Ruth. Ruth is depicted in a way similar to the artist’s earlier Smaug, but I don’t understand why Jaxom is wearing caveboy garb. As the son of a holder, shouldn’t he be able to afford nicer clothing?
Cover for The Dolphins of Pern, by Rowena Morrill
Rowena Morrill’s version. She gets the multifaceted eyes right, and the sheer energy of a dragon playing in the surf. But this is one odd-looking creature. It has pecs, for one thing, and its humanlike arms seem too small for that massive neck and chest, giving it a Tyrannosaur look. The rider and wings look oddly detached from the rest of it. Not one of her better efforts, but at least she read the book!
Steve Weston, cover for Dragondrums, British edition
Artist Steve Weston did few covers for British editions versions in the Pern series. His dragons are more detailed, especially their wings which grow out of a lattice of connective tissue. They have an Oriental feel, especially the heads and the talons. To my mind it’s an attractive depiction.
Artist Eric Deschamps, Dragondrums
Here’s another dragon I like a lot. It shows more color than the previous versions — the creatures have markings here, like birds or modern depictions of dinosaurs, though again the artist missed those multifaceted eyes. My second favorite.
Worldbuilding Wednesday 9/12/18: Individual Dragons II
A drark, also known as a dracoshark
In the fantasy world, you can pretty much combine any any other animal into a creature and still call it a dragon. Dragon turtles are the terrors of AD&D maritime kingdoms. A Chinese dragon/lhasa apso hybrid featured strongly in The NeverEnding Story movie. And as I’ll continue to do on my site for September, there are plenty of dragon girls posing and looking pretty in all their scary — and scaly — beauty.
For a dragon that’s a little different, here are some ideas.
A few random, unusual dragons
Koule
A limbless wyrm covered with oily-looking blue and green scales, Koule collects objects made of silver. Intelligent and nature-loving, he eats trees and plants instead of meat to lessen his impact on the environment. His teeth are blunt, not fanged, and he speaks in a musical croak. Nevertheless he is as greedy as any dragon. Instead of fire he breathes out a thick black smoke that causes those trapped within it to gasp and choke.
Gamnur
An albino male dracodile, or dragon crocodile. Gamnur does not hoard treasure but collects random pieces of wood that are valuable only to him. He breathes out acidic spume at opponents while they are immobilized in the thick mud of his swampy home. Gamnur is crafty with a keen intelligence and very observant. Like a crocodile, he often lies motionless just under the surface of the water. He greatly resents intrusion and is always on the defensive.
Kraknix Sunwatcher
Kraknix is a young female dracoon (dragon racoon) with intermingled golden scales and light orange fur. She is the size of a small bear and has brown leathery wings. Kraknix collects natural history books and interesting pieces of driftwood, and her manner is curious, kittenish, and inquisitive. Her breath weapon is a shower of hot sparks.
Ithaud Dreamshade
A venerable male dramerlion, or dragon mer-lion, covered with emerald green, fishlike scales and a purple mane. His eyes have no pupils. In manner he is self-assured and peaceful. He is fond of opals and pearls and attacks with electricity generated from his mouth. He lives on the sea bottom in a castle formed of living coral. He often associates with mermaids and other sea folk.
Mneur Misthaven
Mneur is a very rare dreetah, or dragon cheetah. She has finely textured, pale gold scales spotted like the fur of that big cat and her breath weapon is a cloud of hallucinogenic gas that incapacitates her enemies. Mneur jealously guards her savannah from intruders and isn’t above making a snack of them. On the ground, she is rumored to be the fastest of all dragonkind.
Cheu-saa
Cheu-saa is a massive green drark, or dragon shark. He can be heroic but also greedy, especially for rare seashells and pearl jewelry. Cheu-Saa loves gossip and speaks in a baritone human voice. He breathes out gouts of fire that boil the seawater around him.
Anchovash
A massive female dracolisk, a dragon-basilisk hybrid with dull gray scales and small, blunt horns. Her breath turns nearby creatures into stone which she uses to decorate her lair. She often travels in guise of a human gypsy minstrel and will lure attractive humans to a quiet area where she can “stone” them.
Zeike
Zeike used to be a draconix, or dragon phoenix, until he became an undead, zombie-like lich. Now his brilliant gold, red, and orange scales are dull and lifeless, and his wing feathers tattered and gray. Zeike remains good-aligned but is now a quiet, depressed creature. He still collects interesting rocks and minerals as he used to and keeps his pride and sense of responsibility. Unlike a normal phoenix he can’t resurrect himself, but can still breathe fire.
Fetchingly Fanged
Cyguvid spent her days in luxury being fed bunches of grapes by her slaves.
Then she ate the slaves too.
Americus [Review]
Americus
by M. K. Reed and Jonathan Hill
First Second, 2011
Dragons make an appearance in this graphic novel about the dangers of censorship in that the book-in-a-book under fire features a “wytch” protagonist who is half-dragon… leading to cries of bestiality from the Christian far right!
Americus is based on a controversy of some years ago when J. K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter series was reaching epic heights of popularity. It’s all silly in retrospect, but there was a real danger her harmless and entertaining books would be banned from public libraries for their depictions of witchcraft and what was thought of as devil worship. Americus is the story of a similar battle in small-town America, and how a high school freshman named Neil Barton plays a role in it, standing up for the books he loves.
This aspect of the plot was a been there, done that for me as the original news stories have long faded. But what remains is more interesting… how Neil deals with the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade and the newer, more threatening milieu of high school with its bullies, gossip, adult hypocrisy, and social rules he knows nothing about. It’s the little incidents that made me laugh, like a cousin’s boyfriend taking him under his wing and introducing him to punk rock, or insisting to his mom that he wants a collared black shirt as back-to-school wear, and to grow his hair longer. By the end of the story, after he takes his stand at a library board meeting, he’s become a young man not a child, and this is reflected in the depiction by the artist – he’s no longer so soft and doughy, his nose has sharpened, his posture is straighter.
Excerpts from the fictional fantasy series, The Adventures of Apathea Ravenchilde, are woven in throughout the book, complementing it but not overwhelming it. The drawing style for these is darker and less complex than the modern scenes, which often have a delightfully cluttered look to them reflecting the overwhelming confusion Neil feels as he enters high school. Hill’s dragons are threatening and sinewy, with snapping jaws and long necks, while the humans wear swirling robes. It’s a nice way of indicating a fantasy series both like and unlike Harry Potter.
A vision of dragons and ravens is conjured in the Apathea Ravenchilde series, part of Americus.
I did enjoy the artwork a lot, it was similar to, but looser, than the drawings for Dungeon Quest, and I’m a sucker for hand-lettered dialogue. The story struck me as more female-centered, with its emphasis on mothers, teenage gossip, and female friends, and indeed the writer, M. K. Lee, is a woman. But having a boy as a protagonist balances this out.
Censorship in action
What struck me most about the story is the passion books can inspire, whether it’s a lonely middle aged man explaining why he reads a YA fantasy series, or two best friends vying for the only copy of the latest book for the library. Books, especially fantasy books, mean something far more than printed words on paper. They inspire community.
Worldbuilding Wednesday 9/5/18: Individual Dragons I
Smaug the Magnificent, by franeres-d69dege
One thing that can be said of the dragon sketch above, he certainly has personality! See more versions of Smaug here.
Here’s something different in the worldbuilding department, a selection of randomgen* dragons for writing or gaming use, generated from lists of different characteristics like color, size, and type of treasure horde.
A few random dragons
Vinaunt
A large but graceful male dragon with moss-green scales and a pair of cruel, curved horns, Vinaunt likes to hoard bejeweled chalices and emits searing flames. In manner he is irritable yet garrulous, with a self-aggrandizing bent, titling himself “The Despoiler Prince.” About him hangs the abominable smell of brimstone and sulpher.
Ixanth
Ixanth is a long and lean Asian dragon with gold-keeled scales and cheek and chin horns. He hoards luxury goods, horseshoes, and rare herbs, and breathes out hurricane-like gusts of wind. His manner is tranquil and cautious. Ixanth has a great yen for asking riddles, and his long ears twitch with favor when someone answers them successfully.
Magrex Dreams-of-thunder
A stocky male dragon with supple bronze scales, Magrex’s flanks are covered with iridescent gold bars in a pattern like a python’s. He collects all that is precious and valuable and emits ghostly green fire from his mouth. He has an unpredictable manner and is able to shapeshift into human form, in which he once ruled a kingdom in disguise.
Sritrisk Rainbringer
A medium-sized male dragon with gray scales and silver horns, Sritrisk hoards only platinum. He often disguises himself as a human sage with a brusque way of speaking. His breath weapon is a lightning bolt that destroys anything in its path. He has a narrow snout and small, hooded eyes. Sritrisk appears to honor the law, as he is always careful to keep his word while in human form.
Pewoth
Pewoth is a small but deadly female drake with pale green, crenallated scales and branching horns like the antlers of a deer. She collects human mummies. She has a cruel manner and never speaks, preferring to roar, and attacks with green-tinged flames. Pewoth has an odor of flaming musk and is especially malicious, prone to razing entire villages.
U’aut
This ancient female dragon is black banded with light gold stripes. She collects jade and silk clothing and breathes out a blinding, blistering gas. She is normally sleepy and quiet, but evinces an inquisitive temperament when strangers venture into her territory. U’aut uses telepathic speech that sounds like thunder. She has a falcon’s golden eyes.
Ixva Stormvast
Ixva is a small, slim female dragon with gray-green scales and a membranous frill on her neck. She collects jewelry, pelts, and furs, and sprays out acid as a breath weapon. She is very intelligent, but reclusive. Halfings call her “The Gaunt Fury.” She has a throat patch of bright gold scales she is very proud of.
Hiszba
Hiszba is a large, mature, female dragon with bright red, keeled scales and large finned ears. She breathes out a hallucinogenic cloud of gas as a weapon. She also lures men to their doom with her singing chin bristles. Hiszba lairs underground in a vast cave complex she shares with her many offspring. She loves to collect jewelry and expensive writing utensils.
* Randomly generated
Devastatingly Draconian
Portrait of a very wicked lady.