Hunker? HUNKER DOWN! Outrageous.
roger wrote:Hunker? HUNKER DOWN! Outrageous.
What on earth do you mean, Ratty?
Rats in Roger's world don't play marbles--or lurk in ambush--or powwow.
Green dragons . . . nasty . . . they've got that acid attack, but they're slow and dull-witted. Easy to kill . . .
Setanta wrote:Green dragons . . . nasty . . . they've got that acid attack, but they're slow and dull-witted. Easy to kill . . .
Hmmm, interesting.
Here's one that appears to hover without flapping...
Red dragons . . . they're the really dangerous ones . . .
The red ones seem to have quite an attitude. I had a redheaded girlfriend once, she had days like this...
Black dragon flying in?
Shadow dragon . . . they're spooky, and really dangerous. They go down faster than red dragons, but they can really f*ck-up your people before they do, if you aren't very, very careful. They have some really weird ability to suck the life force right out of someone . . . you need to have your clerics put heavy-duty spells on everyone to protect them from the negative energy plane . . .
A rare purple-blue dragon?
Sea Dragon, it hovers quite beautifully.
This is a real fish that could be seen at the New Orleans Aquarium before Katrina.
Diane wrote:Sea Dragon, it hovers quite beautifully.
This is a real fish that could be seen at the New Orleans Aquarium before Katrina.
They come from our coastal waters right here!
Glorious creatures.
Diane wrote:This is a real fish that could be seen at the New Orleans Aquarium before Katrina.
They had them in a beautiful exhibit in the New England Aquarium a few years ago also. They were the second best thing in the aquarium.
Yes, the Sea Dragon is one of many reasons to go to Oz. Problem is, the damn airplane ride. Too long for us oldsters.
The one chasing the cart is obviously a red--and probably a juvenile. The one you called an "ice dragon" is a topaz, and yes, they like ice and snow, and their breath weapon is a freezing blast. They're kinda tough, because people are usually not prepared to deal with the cold--but they go down as fast as most dragons. When you're in the dragon-killing game, you know at the outset that it's gonna be tough--but you will also get rich quick, if you can survive. Preparation is everything.
Setanta wrote:The one chasing the cart is obviously a red--and probably a juvenile. The one you called an "ice dragon" is a topaz, and yes, they like ice and snow, and their breath weapon is a freezing blast. They're kinda tough, because people are usually not prepared to deal with the cold--but they go down as fast as most dragons. When you're in the dragon-killing game, you know at the outset that it's gonna be tough--but you will also get rich quick, if you can survive. Preparation is everything.
So, what preparations must Grasshopper make, oh wise one?
First, know your target. Be prepared for a red dragon's fire-breath, or the freezing breath of a topaz. Green dragons have an acid breath weapon. If you wear steel-plate, plate-mail or chain mail armor when you fight a red, you're just asking to be broiled alive in your armor. Of course, if you have already managed to kill a red, and can get a competent dwarf to make red dragon scale armor for you, you are in good shape at the outset. Very often, the leather of the dragon you are going to fight is the best bet. Otherwise, no metal armor when fighting a red, and plenty of padding under your armor if you are going to fight a topaz. If you are going to fight a green dragon, make sure you have your hands and face covered with leather to avoid acid burns.
Always have at least six or seven companions, and spread them out so the dragon cannot use wing-flapping and the breath weapon on everyone at once. Use reliable missile weapons as much as possible--bows and arrows or slings and bullets, or spears--you don't want to get in close with hand weapons until you think the time had come to make the kill. If they can get their claws on you, your likely dead. Keep moving, to make a more difficult target, and try to wear them down. One thing that helps is "dragon fodder." If peasants hire you to rid them of a dragon, insist that they join you, and tell them you'll do it for free (after all, you're after the dragon's hoard, not a paltry purse-full of whatever silver and copper some half-starved peasants can dredge up). That way, the peasant volunteers are likely to be the only ones killed, and the rest will accept that if you can actually kill the dragon.
Having reliable clerics is a must. You need people who can heal, and who can bind up wounds during the battle. You need someone who can cast incantations to protect you from the breath weapon (fire, freezing, acid, etc.). This is especially important with shadow dragons, who attempt to suck the life force out of their enemies--you need clerics to protect you from the negative energy plane. A full-grown shadow dragon has all the negative energy attack of a dozen vampires. Magic attacks are especially good, because they can distract the dragon. But your mage needs to make a big show and then get the hell out of the way fast.
Of course, the best preparation is experience--and you can't get that unless you can get in with experienced dragon hunters to begin with, and survive the first few encounters. It does make me wonder how the first successful dragon hunters managed to live to tell the tale.
Would foul, stench mints work with the breathing weapon?
I know of a brand called Knock You Over Stench Mints.
That would be like putting salt on a bird's tail . . . are you gonna feed the breath-mint to the dragon?
