The Great Dragon Question

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How should we describe dragons?

Poll ended at Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:29 pm

Terrain First: Mountain Dragon (Red Dragon)
21
49%
Color First: Red Dragon (Mountain Dragon)
9
21%
Only Terrain: Mountain Dragon
11
26%
Only Color: Red Dragon
2
5%
 
Total votes: 43
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Solomoriah
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The Great Dragon Question

Post by Solomoriah »

I've mentioned that I am planning to reinstate some of the monster, spell, and magic item names that we had changed in the 4th Edition. However, one thing that got significant work is the dragons. Boggo submitted the Plains Dragon to extend the group, while I recast all the other "chromatic" dragons by terrain type and renamed and redescribed the Gold Dragon as a Cloud Dragon. These are changes that I do like, but now that we will be able to use the traditional names I have a question for the community.

Which name should have pride of place? Choose one of the options from the poll to let me know how you feel about it. (If I end up choosing one of the "only" options, the other name will still appear but in the descriptive text below the statblock.)
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Boggo
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Boggo »

I voted terrain only, but what I think would be best is slightly more nuanced, you could put into the descriptive text. for example, "Mountain Dragon, sometimes called the Red Dragon due to it's coloring."
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Solomoriah »

Boggo wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:37 pm I voted terrain only, but what I think would be best is slightly more nuanced, you could put into the descriptive text. for example, "Mountain Dragon, sometimes called the Red Dragon due to it's coloring."
That's literally what I said I was doing in that case...
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Dimirag
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Dimirag »

Terrain only for me, I like how it opens dragons to other "chromatic" possibilities, but adding color is an acceptable second choice.
Sorry for any misspelling or writing error, I am not a native English speaker
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Boggo
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Boggo »

Solomoriah wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:39 pm
Boggo wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:37 pm I voted terrain only, but what I think would be best is slightly more nuanced, you could put into the descriptive text. for example, "Mountain Dragon, sometimes called the Red Dragon due to it's coloring."
That's literally what I said I was doing in that case...
I did see that, but you also asked how I felt about it :D and I feel that adding the colour in the description as a sop is important (though I'm likely to not stick to colours locked to type anymore, because well it's cool to have their colouring match to their environment, a Mountain Dragon living in a basalt mountain range is going to be a very different colour to one living on Granite peaks if they are going to camouflage even slightly
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Solomoriah
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Solomoriah »

Boggo wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:47 pm I did see that, but you also asked how I felt about it :D and I feel that adding the colour in the description as a sop is important (though I'm likely to not stick to colours locked to type anymore, because well it's cool to have their colouring match to their environment, a Mountain Dragon living in a basalt mountain range is going to be a very different colour to one living on Granite peaks if they are going to camouflage even slightly
This is where your house rules come in. :D
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Dimirag
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Dimirag »

Boggo wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:47 pm though I'm likely to not stick to colours locked to type anymore, because well it's cool to have their colouring match to their environment, a Mountain Dragon living in a basalt mountain range is going to be a very different colour to one living on Granite peaks if they are going to camouflage even slightly
Totally, just picture a dragon matching the colors of a place like this:
Serranía de Hornocal.jpg
Serranía de Hornocal.jpg (174.6 KiB) Viewed 781 times
or this
cerro de los 7 colores.png
cerro de los 7 colores.png (2.03 MiB) Viewed 781 times
Sorry for any misspelling or writing error, I am not a native English speaker
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Boggo »

Solomoriah wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:51 pm
Boggo wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:47 pm I did see that, but you also asked how I felt about it :D and I feel that adding the colour in the description as a sop is important (though I'm likely to not stick to colours locked to type anymore, because well it's cool to have their colouring match to their environment, a Mountain Dragon living in a basalt mountain range is going to be a very different colour to one living on Granite peaks if they are going to camouflage even slightly
This is where your house rules come in. :D
Oh they are, I'm point blank ignoring colours and making them environmentally appropriate, however, my vote was "Terrain, with the colour mentioned in the description" as an olive branch to those who can't wrap their head around dragons not being a rainbow (lets face it how does Blue make sense for a desert dwelling dragon? would make more sense for a sea dragon if anything)
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Solomoriah
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Solomoriah »

I have a pragmatic reason for retaining the colors. It maintains compatibility between 4E and pre-4E materials.
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Re: The Great Dragon Question

Post by Solomoriah »

... I was hoping the chromatics would stay in the title somewhere, but if things continue as they are I guess they won't.
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