Like other AD&D game worlds, the Mystara campaign features mighty dragons. Some Mystaran species exist nowhere else. Others grace the skies of distant worlds too, but Mystaran varieties may display subtle differences.
The table below lists all the dragons currently known to inhabit Mystara. All but four — crystalline, jade, onyx, and ruby — are fully detailed in the Monstrous Manual. As noted above, some peculiarities distinguish these familiar dragons in the Mystara campaign. Variations are described below; otherwise, the Monstrous Manual description still applies. For more complete information on dragons in general, see Dragon, General Information.
Alignment: More than any other factor, alignment sets Mystaran dragons apart from those of other realms. Traditional AD&D game dragons are concerned most about the good-evil axis; chromatic, metallic, and gem dragons tend to stay with their own kind because of their common philosophies of evil, good, or neutrality.
On Mystara, the law-chaos axis is considerably more important. Dragons who favor order, cooperation, and civilization are opposed by those who endorse individualism, wild living, and destruction. When it comes to good and evil Mystaran dragons are predominantly neutral.
Mystaran dragons who interact with player characters often consider law and chaos first, and good and evil second. For example, a Mystaran gold dragon (always lawful and usually good) probably would assist a lawful man before a chaotic one, whether that character is depraved or princely. (On the other hand, if it would benefit the cause of law and goodness to assist an individual, so much the better.)
| Dragon | Hit Dice* | Alignment** Good/Neutral/Evil |
|---|---|---|
| Lawful Dragons | ||
| Gold | 16 | 95%/4%/1% |
| Crystalline � | 15 | 10%/80%/10% |
| Ruby �� | 14 | 15%/80%/5% |
| Sapphire | 13 | 5%/90%/5% |
| Neutral Dragons | ||
| Blue | 14 | 5%/80%/10% |
| Jade �� | 13 | 30%/60%/10% |
| Onyx �� | 12 | 10%/80%/10% |
| White | 11 | 5%/90%/5% |
| Chaotic Dragons | ||
| Red | 15 | 1%/4%/95% |
| Amber/Brown � | 14 | 20%/70%/10% |
| Green | 13 | 10%/60%/30% |
| Black | 12 | 5%/90%/5% |
Gem Dragons: The gem dragons of Mystara differ from those of other AD&D game worlds in one key area: Mystaran dragons lack psionic ability. As far as anyone knows, the pionic species of gem dragons do not exist here.
As mentioned above, Mystara offers four species of gem dragon all its own: crystalline, jade, onyx, and ruby. Like standard gem dragons, these creatures have a smaller chance of causing fear than other dragons. The parenthetical fear save modifiers on the Dragon, General Information page’s Dragon Table apply.
Languages: All of the new Mystaran dragons have a chance of being able to communicate with any intelligent creature. The chance is 15% for hatchlings, and increases 5% per age category of the dragon. In addition, these dragons speak their own languages and the tongue of all gem dragons (and perhaps others, as mentioned in their descriptions).
Special Attacks and Defenses: Remember, besides breath weapons and spellcasting, dragons have a whole arsenal of special attacks, ranging from fear to tail slaps. Even the least intelligent dragon is very crafty, and will use all possible attacks and strategies to the best possible benefit.
◆ 494 ◆