DRAGONS

“Wise heroes leave dragons alone, yet the hero’s destiny always crosses the dragon’s path. The trick is discerning whether the hero is on the path to greatness or simply on today’s menu.”
—Guyak Fairtongue, ork cavalryman

Dragons are solitary creatures, living alone by choice. Despite unsubstantiated rumors of dragon moots or councils, cooperation among dragons remains the stuff of legends.

All dragons are dangerous. Few tolerate other races meddling in their affairs, unless the dragon initiates the contact. Though some, such as the great dragon Icewing, have established a protocol by which the races of Barsaive may talk to them, most dragons prefer to be left alone.

Dragon Powers

Armored Scales: A dragon’s armored skin provides superb physical and magical protection against attack. Only hits or Spellcasting Tests with an Extraordinary success level can defeat a dragon’s natural armor. According to legend, some dragons have armor that no assault can breach.

Astral Sight: Much like windlings, dragons possess Astral Sight. To use this power the dragon makes a Spellcasting Test. The gamemaster then compares the test result to the Spell Defense of any being or object within 60 yards of the dragon’s line of sight. If the test is successful, the dragon can see the astral image of all targets within the 60-yard limit.

Dispel Magic: A dragon using this power makes a Spellcasting Test against the Spell Defense of the magician who cast the target spell. If the test is successful, the dragon then makes a Dispel Magic Test against the spell’s Sensing/Disbelief or Dispel Difficulty Number. A successful Dispel Magic Test breaks the spell.

Dragon Breath: According to every dragon legend, angry dragons punish transgressors with flaming breath. Every culture has horrific legends of the destruction of villages, towns, and cities by furious dragons. Dragon Breath targets everything within a 90-degree arc, using the dragon’s mouth as the arc’s center. The distance the arc extends depends on how much Strain the dragon is willing to take, as noted below.

Strain Points	Range
1 Strain Point	25 yards
5 Strain Points	50 yards
15 Strain Points	100 yards
60 Strain Points	200 yards

Dragon Breath engulfs every target within the arc. Each arc of Dragon Breath requires one action. If he has enough actions available, a dragon may lay down more than one fiery arc per round. To find the number of targets damaged by Dragon Breath, the dragon makes a Spellcasting Test and compares the result to the Spell Defense of each target within the arc. If the test result exceeds the target’s Spell Defense, that target catches fire, taking damage. As long as the dragon stands within 1,000 yards of the flames, they cannot be extinguished by normal means. Only a successful Willpower or Dispel Magic Test can put out the Dragon Breath fire. The affected character makes the appropriate test against the dragon’s Spell Defense; if the test is successful, the flames stop burning.

A burning target takes damage during each Combat Round that the fire burns. If the Dragon Breath attack inflicted an Armor-Defeating Hit (see Combat), even normally non-combustible objects burn. Dragon fire can burn everything, including weapons, boulders, bricks, and metal or crystal armor. Burning armor degrades at a rate of 2 Armor Points per Combat Round. Weapons degrade at the rate of 2 steps per round. These losses are spread evenly among whatever steps or Armor Ratings the object has. For example, a ferndask shield would lose 1 point each from its Armor and Mystic Armor Ratings per round when burning, rather than losing both Armor Points from either the shield’s Armor or Mystic Armor Rating. Once the object’s steps or points reach 0, the object is reduced to slag.

Disrupt Fate: Dragons with this power can alter the fate of other creatures. To use this ability the dragon spends a Karma Point, which entitles the dragon to make an immediate Spellcasting Test against the Spell Defense of a single target character. If the test is successful, the target must immediately repeat the most recent test he made. The new result of this test stands, and cannot be disrupted a second time. Disrupt Fate counts as simple action; use of this power does not use up one of the dragon’s attacks or Spellcasting actions. As long as the dragon has Karma Points, it may make as many Disrupt Fate Tests as there are targets.

Note that the Karma Point expenditure entitles the dragon to use its Disrupt Fate ability, but does not mean that the dragon uses Karma dice to make its Spellcasting Test.

Fear: Dragons radiate an aura of fear. Many heroes who try to confront a dragon flee in terror upon seeing the beast. To use its Fear power, the dragon makes a Spellcasting Test and compares the result to the Spell Defense of all characters within 100 yards of the dragon. Within this distance the dragon’s bellow rattles the ground, enough to make the most dauntless character nervous. A successful test means that the dragon’s Fear power affects the target characters; the victims tremble, sweat, stammer, and exhibit other hallmarks of extreme fright. Having afflicted his victims, the dragon rolls the Fear dice. The result becomes the Difficulty Number for any attempts to resist the dragon’s Fear power. Before an affected character can take any action requiring a test, he must resist the effect of the Fear power by making a successful Willpower Test against that Difficulty Number. While under the influence of Fear, however, he can move, talk, or perform other actions that do not require tests.

Karma Points: All dragons have Karma Points that they may use to augment any test they wish. A dragon may spend only 1 Karma Point per test. A dragon regains spent Karma Points at a rate of 1 or 2 points a day, until it reaches its listed maximum. Cathay and common dragons regain 1 Karma Point a day; the more powerful great dragons regain 2 Karma Points a day.

Lair Sense: A dragon makes its lair an extension of itself, and can use Lair Sense to notice characters anywhere within its lair. Whenever a character rolls Action dice within the confines of the dragon’s lair, he triggers the dragon’s Lair Sense. Simple movement and quiet conversation tend not to activate this power, though they can on occasion. To use this ability, the dragon makes a Lair Sense Test against the Spell Defense of the character whose action activated the Lair Sense power. If the test succeeds, the dragon detects the character and his location within the lair. Dragons often booby-trap their lairs to take advantage of this power, forcing characters to beat the traps by performing an action that reveals their presence.

Regeneration: Dragons can regenerate any damage done to them by opponents. To use the Regeneration ability, the dragon must make a successful Recovery Test. The power works for 10 rounds or until it heals all the dragon’s Current Damage, whichever is shorter. While using this power, the dragon must make a Recovery Test for each round, reducing its Current Damage by the result of the test.

Spells: Many dragons learn spells, and can cast every spell available to their particular Discipline. Dragons who can cast spells acquire the spells and spell matrices from a Discipline, but none of the Discipline’s other talents. They do not use grimoires, and therefore cannot cast spells from them. Like other spellcasters, dragons must attune spell matrices. All of a dragon’s spell matrices have the same rank as the dragon’s Spellcasting Circle. For example, the spell matrices of a dragon able to cast a Circle 7 Wizard spell would all have a Rank of 7. Use the dragon’s Willpower step number to determine the effect of dragon-cast spells. Note that dragons do not have Willforce.

Suppress Magic: Most dragons can suppress magic used by other creatures. To use the Suppress Magic ability, the dragon makes a Spellcasting Test against the target character’s Spell Defense. If the test is successful, the dragon then rolls the Suppress Magic dice, reducing the target character’s use of magic a number of steps equal to the result. In addition to reducing spells, Suppress Magic reduces the steps of all talents, the damage from all magical weapons, and any other magic use. Suppress Magic lasts for a number of Combat Rounds equal to the result of the Suppress Magic Test.

Venom: Dragons have poisonous teeth and claws, and any tooth or claw attack that causes damage to a character also poisons him. The attacking dragon rolls the Venom dice for each of 10 Combat Rounds, and in each round the victim takes poison damage equal to the result of that round’s Venom dice roll in addition to the physical damage caused by the attack. A poisoned character must make a Poison Resistance Test against the step number of the Venom power. (For more information about poison damage, see Adventuring In Earthdawn,. A character can resist the effects of Venom by making a successful Toughness Test against the dragon’s Spell Defense. After 10 rounds, the poison ceases to damage the character.

Wingbeat: Dragons can use their wings to knock over their opponents. The dragon using Wingbeat makes an Attack Test, then compares the result to the Physical Defense of every character within a 60-yard range directly in front of the dragon. If the test result exceeds a character’s Physical Defense, the dragon’s wing hits the character. To determine whether or not the wing actually knocks down a character, the dragon rolls the Wingbeat dice, the result of which becomes the Difficulty Number for the Knockdown Tests that all characters struck by the wing must perform. Any character who makes an unsuccessful Knockdown Test is knocked down and thrown backward a number of yards equal to the difference between the Difficulty Number and the result of the Knockdown Test. For example, a character whose Knockdown Test result is 11 less than the Difficulty Number resulting from the Wingbeat dice roll would be knocked backward 11 yards.

CATHAY DRAGON

Initiative: 26	Physical Defense: 24
Number of Attacks: 3	Spell Defense: 30
Attack: 20	Social Defense: 28
Damage:	Armor: 22
Number of Spells: 16	Mystic Armor: Knockdown:
Spellcasting: 4	Knockdown: 20
Effect: 35	Recovery Tests: Effect:
Death Rating: 200	Combat Movement: 125
Wound Threshold: 25	Full Movement: 250
Unconsciouness Rating: 175
Karma Points: 40	Karma Steps: 15
Powers: Armored Scales 30, Astral Sight 30, Dispel Magic 30, Disrupt Fate 25, Dragon Breath 30, Fear 25, Regeneration 13, Spells (see below), Suppress Magic 10.
Legend Points: 340,000
Equipment: None
Loot: Scrolls, books, gems, artwork, and precious metals lie within the dragon’s lair. A dragon’s hoard usually has a value of around 300,000 silver pieces, and it counts as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Cathay dragons come from a land beyond the reach of the Theran Empire. Some legends, allegedly told by Cathay dragons and recorded by sages, claim that these dragons descended from the stars.

A Cathay dragon’s head and body measure 50 feet long, and its tail adds another 50 feet to the dragon’s total length. The legs end in dextrous paws, each with four fingers. The broad head is half again as wide as the dragon’s body. Horns rise behind the deep and mysterious eyes that seem to contain the wisdom learned over centuries. Cathay dragons tend toward iridescent green or yellow, their base shades often augmented with streaks or splashes of other colors. Though wingless, Cathay dragons can fly by tucking their legs into their sides and “swimming” through the air as an eel swims through water.

The most sociable breed of dragon, Cathay dragons occasionally hire servants and keep slaves. They sometimes invite travelers to dine with them, to tell tales of other places and exciting times. Though sufficiently skilled entreaties can entice them to show off their treasures, Cathay dragons allow no one to touch or take any of their truly valuable possessions.

Ninety percent of Cathay dragons are spellcasters, choosing the Discipline of Illusionist (40 percent), Elementalist (40 percent), or both (20 percent). Most Cathay dragons have mastered the spells and matrices of their Disciplines up to Circle 8.

COMMON DRAGON

Initiative: 21	Physical Defense: 25
Number of Attacks: 3	Spell Defense: 22
Attack: 23	Social Defense: 20
Damage:	Armor: 29
Number of Spells: 14	Mystic Armor: Knockdown:
Spellcasting: (2)	Knockdown: 12
Effect: 23	Recovery Tests: Effect:
Death Rating: 240	Combat Movement: 80
Wound Threshold: 25	Full Movement: 200
Unconsciouness Rating: 220
Karma Points: 25	Karma Steps:
Powers: Armored Scales 25, Disrupt Fate 25, Dragon Breath 25, Fear 25, Lair Sense 20, Regeneration 10, Suppress Magic 8, Venom 25, Wingbeat 30.
Legend Points: 230,000
Equipment: None
Loot: Magical items and piles of coins and gems. This treasure usually has a value of 300,000 silver pieces, and counts as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
One of the quickest ways to die in Barsaive is to call a common dragon by that name. Like most dragonkind, common dragons take fierce pride in their heritage and accomplishments. Boastful, deceitful, sly, often gifted with a malicious sense of humor, these dragons fortunately take little interest in Barsaive’s affairs.

The name “common dragon” is a misnomer. Though the people of Barsaive use this term because nearly all the dragons they know of have the size, shape, and general appearance described below, these beasts are not common. In fact, few people in Barsaive have ever seen a dragon.

The common dragon’s body is 65 feet long, with a tail that adds another 55 feet to the dragon’s total length. The dragon’s massive wings span 100 feet. Horns protrude from its forehead, and it has teeth sharper than newly whetted steel. Common dragons are usually one color with a lighter shade of the same coloration on their bellies; their scales have a dull gleam, like a cloudy lacquer. Though common dragons of almost every conceivable shade exist in stories, most common dragons in Barsaive are green, blue, and dun yellow.

Too covetous to let anyone close to their hoards, common dragons rarely meet with characters in their lairs. If common dragons deign to interact with what they call the two-legs, they usually do so at a place at least two hours’ flight from their lair. At a flat-out flight speed of nearly 125 miles per hour, two hours covers a lot of ground.

GREAT DRAGON

Initiative: 24	Physical Defense: 26
Number of Attacks: 5	Spell Defense: 33
Attack: 28	Social Defense: 29
Damage:	Armor: 32
Number of Spells: 30	Mystic Armor: Knockdown:
Spellcasting: 5	Knockdown: 30
Effect: 37	Recovery Tests: Effect:
Death Rating: 280	Combat Movement: 120
Wound Threshold: 30	Full Movement: 360
Unconsciouness Rating: 240
Karma Points: 50	Karma Steps: 18
Powers: Armored Scales 26, Astral Sight 26, Dispel Magic 26, Disrupt Fate 26, Dragon Breath 30, Fear 26, Lair Sense 26, Regeneration 20, Spells (see below), Suppress Magic 15, Venom 30, Wingbeat 22.
Legend Points: 450,000
Equipment: None
Loot: Magical items and piles of coins and gems, artifacts from previous ages. The value of the treasure is usually around 500,000 silver pieces, and it counts as treasure worth Legend Points.

Commentary
Legend says that great dragons, the mightiest of their kind, are immortal. These shrewd, highly intelligent creatures spend their endless lives hatching and nurturing their plans for the world. Great dragons often interact with the world around them, but usually work through a web of contacts and agents rather than acting directly. Believing that the world holds powerful enemies, these great creatures apparently prefer to use discretion in their dealings.

Not a true subspecies of dragon, great dragons are larger, more powerful specimens of the other types of dragons known to inhabit Barsaive. Even more physically imposing than their common brethren, great dragons move with a grace and speed that defies their immense physical size and shape. Though lacking proof, scholars have theorized that dragons use magical means to enhance their physical might.

Great dragons rarely become involved in the activities and behaviors of the other Name-giver races. The ancient great dragons known to exist in and around Barsaive hold themselves aloof from the concerns of mankind, and seem content to play their power games with each other.

All great dragons can cast spells. Twenty percent concentrate on one Discipline, 50 percent have studied two Disciplines, and 30 percent have studied three Disciplines. Those with only one Discipline have attained Circle 12, those with two have attained Circle 10, and those with three have usually attained Circle 9. Keep in mind that these statements describe the average abilities of great dragons. Most dragons’ actual abilities vary to a degree, some greatly, some very little. A few of the more prominent great dragons living in Barsaive are listed below.

Alamaise
Alamaise lives in the far north, somewhere within the forests north of Iopos and west of the Blood Wood. Those rare adventurers who have traveled to Alamaise’s lair shared nothing of their experience, and few others know anything of him. Legend speaks of a northern great dragon destined to “confront the corrupted elves, to bring them divine retribution,” and some in Barsaive believe that Alamaise is the northern dragon of the tale.

Mountainshadow
Mountainshadow’s lair lies hidden in the Dragon Mountains, high above a wide plateau. On rare occasions Mountainshadow has contacted adventurers through a human agent named Darktooth. No one knows where Mountainshadow’s human agent comes from. One story tells of a thief from one of the villages near the Dragon Mountains who tried to trail Darktooth so that he might see Mountainshadow. Though the villagers warned the thief against antagonizing Mountainshadow, he foolishly ignored them. A day later, the villagers found the thief’s remains scattered across the village green. The dragon had sent a reminder that only invited guests may approach Mountainshadow’s lair without risk.

Icewing
Of all the great dragons, only Icewing commonly meets directly with other races. Icewing’s lair lies a few day’s march from Bartertown, nestled above the snowline on Mount Vapor. A meeting with Icewing requires a gift worth at least 1,000 silver pieces. Those who bring no gift must return with one within a month or risk giving Icewing offense, a mistake no sane person cares to commit.