Epinephrine
2009-02-09, 10:51 AM
Opinion I guess, as I don't recall seeing this anywhere - can you tell the type of dragon from its egg?
After all, shell colour doesn't need to have anything to do with the coloration of the young (see chickens, for example), and there are many eggs in the world that are pretty difficult to tell apart - honestly, apart from easily identified eggs, and using the type of nest/location, it's pretty hard to tell what bird laid an egg. But barring the nest/location/local climate, is one egg distinguishable from another?
Players will find a dragon egg in an upcoming adventure, and the parent dragon will be hunting them later. I don't necessarily want them to know what type of dragon they are facing, though they may guess at it. The dragon will actually be taking steps to cover her identity - using a hat of disguise, for example, to change her appearance. She'll pose as a white dragon, to throw off anyone who sees her, and wears anti-fire gear, since she knows that those who would target her will try fire attacks so long as she looks like a white dragon.
The players have strong knowledges, including Arcana, so I imagine they'll be thrown off by things like the location of the egg (being left with lizardmen to guard it in a swamp?), but if questioned the lizardmen will say that it was a large (or possibly huge, depending on whether they level a bit too much - they're on track for it being Huge at the moment) white dragon. The dragon will avoid using its breath weapon when not needed, as it can't hide the effects, preferring to rip things apart with its natural weapons. I was debating giveing it an item to let it make a cone of cold a couple of times a day, to throw them off a bit. After all, if they find vegetation and people clearly frozen by a blast of cold it'll reinforce the idea that it's just a very odd white dragon, leaving its egg in a temperate swamp.
After all, shell colour doesn't need to have anything to do with the coloration of the young (see chickens, for example), and there are many eggs in the world that are pretty difficult to tell apart - honestly, apart from easily identified eggs, and using the type of nest/location, it's pretty hard to tell what bird laid an egg. But barring the nest/location/local climate, is one egg distinguishable from another?
Players will find a dragon egg in an upcoming adventure, and the parent dragon will be hunting them later. I don't necessarily want them to know what type of dragon they are facing, though they may guess at it. The dragon will actually be taking steps to cover her identity - using a hat of disguise, for example, to change her appearance. She'll pose as a white dragon, to throw off anyone who sees her, and wears anti-fire gear, since she knows that those who would target her will try fire attacks so long as she looks like a white dragon.
The players have strong knowledges, including Arcana, so I imagine they'll be thrown off by things like the location of the egg (being left with lizardmen to guard it in a swamp?), but if questioned the lizardmen will say that it was a large (or possibly huge, depending on whether they level a bit too much - they're on track for it being Huge at the moment) white dragon. The dragon will avoid using its breath weapon when not needed, as it can't hide the effects, preferring to rip things apart with its natural weapons. I was debating giveing it an item to let it make a cone of cold a couple of times a day, to throw them off a bit. After all, if they find vegetation and people clearly frozen by a blast of cold it'll reinforce the idea that it's just a very odd white dragon, leaving its egg in a temperate swamp.