The Dragon King!(Don't read if you are in my IRL gaming group)

[ImSAMazing]

Hi playground,

I need some help! For an upcoming campaign I am going to DM, the main villain will be a Chromatic dragon. The dragon will be an Adult Green(Later on he will turn Ancient), with many mooks. Can the forum help me to learn about Green Dragons: where do they live(ik in a forest, but in a cave, big tree?), what kind of mooks does he have, what are Green Dragon names, and what kind of hoard should an Adult Green Dragon have?

[DragonLordIT]

I think in the monster manual there are all answers you need. Or you lack a monster manual?

A big oversized tree or the tree root system would be a very nice place for its lair, and also very very thematical.
His minions could be animated vegetables or small swarms of evil animals.

The best way to characterize it would be to give him strange abilities that normal green dragons don't have. Like druid levels to control plants, shapechange abilities or fantastic and thematic things.

[Sredni Vashtar]

Greens typically operate the same way stereotypical mob bosses do. They're manipulators by nature, and they'll have contingencies for their contingencies (moreso than other dragons, even). As for their minions and lairs and hoard, that (like other dragons) really varies by the dragon. Sure, Greens tend towards sylvan environments, but they can be just at home in a city, or underground.

If it were me, I'd set the Green up like a crimelord. She would have a varied group of minions, possibly multiple groups that were superficially working against each other as they all painted a bigger picture. My Green would have multiple lairs and safehouses, just in case any of those annoying "intrepid heroes" come sniffing around. Her hoard would be something as mobile as it is valuable (or at least contained in a bag of holding or six). She should have some spellcasting ability if she's going to be the primary villain, so maybe part of the horde would be magic items that she would have equipped while in humanoid form (of which she should have a few). As for a name... I'm a softie for meaningful names, so I'd go searching for the names of famous crime bosses in history and fiction. For this dragon, I'll go with Leona Hiss, after an alias used by Madame Hydra from Marvel Comics. (Chosen for the green color scheme, the poison motif she has, and the fact that it's not a stereotypical Italian name.)

But that's how I create my dragons, others might do it differently.

[Markoff Chainey]

If she is the main villain, I would add a special "taint" that grows stronger over time, making her more evil and obsessed with power.

In the beginning, she could employ the adventurers for some easy tasks. - Not by herself, but through some lackey. Those tasks could get a more and more vile bend and lead to 2 things: 1) test the alignment and morals of the PCs and 2) let them find out about a cult or organisation that is trying to dominate the part of the country.

As paranoid a green dragon might be, it is highly likely that she hires not just the PCs but another group as a backup and they might know that they were hired from someone who hinted that he worked for a dragon..

And these early tasks may give the PCs a hint what she really is after (an artifact of great power, a rift in the planes, a lich with some power she is after,..)

As a green dragon, maybe she also wants to direly protect something and sees a big threat in some nearby civilisation that she decided to destroy.

I would put her in some twisted fey nightmare, lush, dark and dangerous forest in some cavern under a huge (!) hollow tree that she could use as an escape route if this is not blocked beforehand. And I would give her the spellcasting-power of a fey warlock as well..

[ImSAMazing]

I think in the monster manual there are all answers you need. Or you lack a monster manual?

A big oversized tree or the tree root system would be a very nice place for its lair, and also very very thematical.
His minions could be animated vegetables or small swarms of evil animals.

The best way to characterize it would be to give him strange abilities that normal green dragons don't have. Like druid levels to control plants, shapechange abilities or fantastic and thematic things.
Nice idea of giving him Druid levels. I have an idea: Sorcerer levels with the Druid spell list. Would that be a cool idea or not?


If she is the main villain, I would add a special "taint" that grows stronger over time, making her more evil and obsessed with power.

In the beginning, she could employ the adventurers for some easy tasks. - Not by herself, but through some lackey. Those tasks could get a more and more vile bend and lead to 2 things: 1) test the alignment and morals of the PCs and 2) let them find out about a cult or organisation that is trying to dominate the part of the country.

As paranoid a green dragon might be, it is highly likely that she hires not just the PCs but another group as a backup and they might know that they were hired from someone who hinted that he worked for a dragon..

And these early tasks may give the PCs a hint what she really is after (an artifact of great power, a rift in the planes, a lich with some power she is after,..)

As a green dragon, maybe she also wants to direly protect something and sees a big threat in some nearby civilisation that she decided to destroy.

I would put her in some twisted fey nightmare, lush, dark and dangerous forest in some cavern under a huge (!) hollow tree that she could use as an escape route if this is not blocked beforehand. And I would give her the spellcasting-power of a fey warlock as well..
What kind of "taint" are we talking about? A magic item? A even stronger lord?

[Joe the Rat]

A few thoughts:

Green Dragons are manipulators. A good Green Dragon will rule the land through reputation and terror. A great Green Dragon will rule through puppet rulers. An awesome Green Dragon will rule by reputation and terror, through the puppet rulers who are not aware that they are puppets of the Green Dragon they think they are fighting against. A Masterful Green Dragon is a legend people tell about the next forest over, and have nothing to do with controlling this corner of the world through a web of deceit, persuasion, and well placed bribes that end up back in the hoard through "misfortune." With their close potential proximity to wood elves, there may be an alliance, or an understanding, or a cold war fought through outsiders. Greens in moister climes may strike an alliance with Lizardfolk.

Green Dragons like knowing. They have spies of all manner, willing or hapless, animal or sapient. They will likely know about anyone near their lairs, and probably know a lot about powerful individuals moving through their territory. If the players use a trick, and someone lives to tell the tail, the dragon will know. The higher level they are, the keener the interest. They may start seeking out your backstories, too look for ways to manipulate. You could extend this to knowledge in general: If you are using the straight poison rather than the old school Chlorine breath, they tend to leave equipment intact. Think of the number of scrolls and spellbooks a Green could collect from foolish adventurers over the centuries. But they may be more hoarder than collector - they have all the spells, but they're in an unorganized pile of books and papers that the mice have gotten into. Guess it's time to recruit more adventurers to gather resources and come to their doom!

Green Dragons are one of the water-breathers. A wide river or lake in the woods (or woody marsh) gives you a wonderful Alligator Ambush. (We're gonna need a bigger skiff.) They can make their main lair entrances underwater, though having a secondary entrance (or lair) for dealing with agents is not unreasonable.

Potential flaws for Green Dragons may include the usual (Pride, Greed), as well as addictions to complexity or deceit. Paranoia is another possibility, but that's pretty good trait to have as a dragon.


The best way to characterize it would be to give him strange abilities that normal green dragons don't have. Like druid levels to control plants, shapechange abilities or fantastic and thematic things.Stop reading my campaign notes!

But seriously, mix it up a bit. And definitely use the spellcasting option.

[Markoff Chainey]

What kind of "taint" are we talking about? A magic item? A even stronger lord?

I thought about a stronger lord.. like a patron.

I would imagine that the dragon got really pissed about some development. - Like a new village, built too close and where a holy tree was cut down or something.

She tried to fight it and learned that it is not easy. So she looked for an ally.. this could explain for some druid or warlock powers as well.

Now, she is no longer satisfied with just destroying the village, her patron wants more! And from quite evil, she turned really evil in the process.

[WarrentheHero]

There's actually a pretty neat Green Dragon in the 5e 'beginner box' named Venomfang. He's made a lair out of an old tower in a an abandoned town that's been taken over by nature. You could work with that idea, perhaps. A clearing in a forest that holds the ruins of a large castle, with the Dragon living in the (hollow) largest tower. A place to store their Hoard, an isolated places to work their schemes, and a tower that allows for an elevated take-off point for flight.

As for a name, Dragon names are typically one of two types:
A bunch of consonants and vowels mashed together. Examples including:
-Voaraghamanthar (Black Dragon of the Mere of Dead Men)
-Waervaerendor (Voar's sibling)
-Smaug (Guess where from)
-Dagurashibanipal (from Grunts!)
-Fírnen (from Inheritance)

One or two regular words put together to sound forboding. Examples include:
-Venomfang (from above)
-Icefyre (The Tawny Man)
-Sapphira (Sapphire in the feminine, from Aragon)
-Scorch (Scorch)

[Osrogue]

Dragon's minions? Anyone. Whomever can be swayed by promise of gold, power, and pretty words can be a green dragon's minion.

Green Dragons like collecting people. Living people, legendary individuals with unique talents or abilities, famous musicians, inventors, and heroes.

Well, I could say how I'd make a green dragon villain.

First, I'd suggest that you make the dragon a spellcasters variant, and give it primarily charms, dominates, and illusions. Dream would be nice as well.

I'd suggest giving the dragon minor illusion and friends cantrip. I feel like magically obscuring a danger and convincing someone it's there best interest to interact with it is something this dragon would take great pleasure in.

The dragon should meet them at one point in time. As the heroes grow more powerful and famous over time, the dragon takes an interest in them and decides that it wants them. It might first test their strength against a foe she places in their path, but after they pass, she would probably try to convince them to submit to her willingly, through messengers, but if they refuse (the dragon will kill the messengers should they fail, but that should be made known after the fact.) the dragon should become more aggressive in it's attempts to attract the adventurers. Then it could send vandals to destroy or harm things or people they care about respectively. Convince the heroes that it won't end until they go to find the dragon. It wants to be found (not in its actual lair, but a temporary one) so it shouldn't be too hard. The green dragon should have many contingencies in place, such as an open ceiling, an escape route under water, guards, commoner hostages and the like. During any combat, the green dragon does not want to hurt any of the heroes, but will not allow itself to be hurt. The dragon wants to charm and dominate them all, or better yet, convince them to lay down their arms and join it willingly. In combat, it will first kill hostages and continue trying to talk the heroes down while it has the guards protect it and try restraining the heroes. The dragon doesn't want to kill them after all. If all of its charms, domination attempts, hostages, and arguments fail, it would then try to knock them all unconscious to take them alive.

If any of the heroes deal the dragon damage, or bloody the dragon, it will instantly heel face turn and give that hero and anyone that happens to be in the way it's breath attack before escaping. It's last command to its guards will be to kill the offender first, then the rest of them. I would make the guards part of a cult worshipping the dragon, probably made of kobolds. Could add some flying kobalds. A church missing its roof would make a good meeting point.

After the heroes don't die, it could take a special interest in the one who harmed it, if they still live. They would be the first person to hurt them in a long time, which makes them all the more rare and desirable.

Hiring assassins to kill every other party member, personally foiling a few of their quests (taking the objective or murdering the quest giver, bribing a local lord for the capture (or killing) of the hero who injured the dragon, finding and revealing said heroes dark secrets, or spreading rumors about them in order to isolate them, stuff like that.

This should either culminate in the heroes finding the dragon's true lair, or in the dragon personally taking someone/something very important to the hero, and invite the hero to come take it back from a prepared lair.

The lair will be much more hidden and should look like a true lair, filled with treasure, surrounded by hireling, animals, and cultists. Inside, there will be a great feast laid before the heroes, and the dragon will meet them there.

The food will all give the poisoned condition, and are poisoned with the dragon's own breath, but it won't be immediately noticeable. The dragon should take a bite before everyone else does. The dragon will ask the other heroes to eat while it converses with the one who injured it alone. Obviously, this is not wanted by the party, but the hostage's life is at stake.

After the rest of the party has eaten of, or pointedly refused to eat, the wait staff will try to kill them as they try to reunite with their final member or escape.

Upstairs, the dragon will try one last time to convince the hero to come with it willingly before trying to take them by force. They will try to dominate the hero to kill or destroy the person or thing they came to save. If that fails, the dragon will try to do it themselves. If the hero plays the dragon's game and pretends to go along with it long enough to free the hostage, or actually go along with it, the hostage has a better chance at surviving. If the dragon is bloodied again before retreating, it will declare that the next time that it and the hero meet, it will kill the hero.

Before the dragon leaves, probably the first thing it does upon meeting the hero again for the first time is to give the hero the same exact same wound it received from the hero the last time they met, which healed up with a nice scar on the dragon.

The dragon flees to its final lair with or without its prize, having killed the hostage or spared it, the heroes, have a bunch of loot, but if they want to take down he dragon's true loot stash, and want it to keep it from hurting anyone else, would need to seek it out themselves. It should be well hidden and guarded, but in a place with an unusually high kobald population which should give away the lair's position.

The final time they confront the dragon should be without any henchmen or mooks, just the mountain of skeletons that is made up of the dragon's former possessions and meals. If saving the hero, the hero should not have any gear on their person, and the final fight would begin. While up until that point, it has been eloquent, and proper if overly dismissive, in this fight, it should appear as a wild animal, snarling and predatory to show its true nature.

That's what I want out of a villain who collects and dominates people anyway.

[Darksidebro]

Hi playground,

I need some help! For an upcoming campaign I am going to DM, the main villain will be a Chromatic dragon. The dragon will be an Adult Green(Later on he will turn Ancient), with many mooks. Can the forum help me to learn about Green Dragons: where do they live(ik in a forest, but in a cave, big tree?), what kind of mooks does he have, what are Green Dragon names, and what kind of hoard should an Adult Green Dragon have?


I forget which book it was exactly (dragonomican? MM? Unearthed Arcana?) But there was a 3.5 book that mentions Green Dragons loving to live in caves behind waterfalls, deep in an ancient loamy forest.

That'd play into their waterbreathing ability quite well, as the river directly outside it's cave could help with defense, not to mention some of the cave system could be flooded?

[DragonLordIT]

I see the green dragon in at least 2 possible ways:
-sylvan overlord focusing on druidlike powers with a mighty lair in the tree (as above) such a creature could transform a shining groove in a killer brambles inferno with poisonous plants, effects that restrain, poison and rend enemies with thorns and vines.
-A consumed schemer, so the deception and disguise part would be the focusof the adventure; shapechanging and misleading figures controlled like puppets would be the ordinary characters. The dragon itself would focus more on enchantment powers: instead of druidlike powers could be levels in wizard with focus on enchantment school of magic. The showdown could be in a building in the middle of a city thought to be safe but hiding the truth.

[ImSAMazing]

What kind of creature would be cool, and something the players will remember, with the Half-Dragon template applied to it? (Ofcourse the Green Half-Dragon template)


I have an idea: what if the local Goblins allied the Dragon and he gived them help in exchange for the alliance? How would that turn out?

[Sredni Vashtar]

What kind of creature would be cool, and something the players will remember, with the Half-Dragon template applied to it? (Ofcourse the Green Half-Dragon template)

First thought, a treant.