Blue Dragon Breath: Why just a verticle line?

[Melphizard]

Hey folks!

Today I was watching a show and saw a dragon use a breath weapon but tilted its head to create this horizontal line attack. To better describe what I'm getting at, here's an image example from Roll20 on what I mean:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/579749775017246723/937594854702190642/unknown.png

Essentially, why can blue dragons not just use this breath weapon then rotate their head 90 degrees or so and use their breath in a line. Their lightning breath isn't just a single blast because then the dragon just breathes and exhales incredibly quickly to launch lightning whilst Red dragons have amazing lung capacity. Just thinking about it since I already just move the dragon with its incredible fly speed around to hit people who line up in various mannerisms but if I could just do it like so then it wouldn't have to keep doing strange flight routines.

[Magicspook]

Sorry, the image is not loading for me and I have no idea what you are talking about.

What do you mean with vertical or horizontal? Because the blue dragon statblock doesn't say anything about the direction of it's lightning breath just that it's a line with length X and width Y.

[TaiLiu]

Because the mechanics don't allow for it. Same reason why the Fighter can't whirl around and hit everyone. Arguably D&D 5e doesn't do a number of fantasy tropes well—this includes extremely long draconic flyby breath attacks.

[Pooky the Imp]

Sorry, the image is not loading for me and I have no idea what you are talking about.

What do you mean with vertical or horizontal? Because the blue dragon statblock doesn't say anything about the direction of it's lightning breath just that it's a line with length X and width Y.

I think what the OP is asking is why a blue dragon can't move its head as it breathes to create a more cone-shaped effect.

For my part, the only explanation I can think of is that (despite being based on breath) the lightning is basically instantaneous - so the dragon has no opportunity to sweep its head as it exhales.

That said, I do have to scratch my head as to why a black dragon can't do this. Whilst a line of lightning would occur in a fraction of a second, I would think a stream of acid would be a good deal slower. Thus, you'd think it could make at least some adjustments mid-breath. :smallconfused:

[Waazraath]

3.5 had these kind of options in metabreath feats (shape breath, strafing breath, etc.). But that was a much more complicated edtion where monsters could be customized through feats just as (or: much more so than) characters can in 5e. 5e choose for streamlining and simplicity, so as mentioned, they don't make these kind of mechanics for monsters.

[GooeyChewie]

Honestly, I think WotC set it up that way so they could have a mechanical difference between metallic and chromatic dragons, rather than only lore differences. As the DM, if you want dragons to be able to choose between cone and line, go for it. The average player won't realize the difference. The ones who do (such as those who frequent online forums such as this one), remind them that the DM is well within their purview to adjust the monster statistics. (Just be prepared for them to ask if you'll allow a similar change to Dragonborn PC breath weapons.)

[ZRN]

Hey folks!

Today I was watching a show and saw a dragon use a breath weapon but tilted its head to create this horizontal line attack. To better describe what I'm getting at, here's an image example from Roll20 on what I mean:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/579749775017246723/937594854702190642/unknown.png

Essentially, why can blue dragons not just use this breath weapon then rotate their head 90 degrees or so and use their breath in a line. Their lightning breath isn't just a single blast because then the dragon just breathes and exhales incredibly quickly to launch lightning whilst Red dragons have amazing lung capacity. Just thinking about it since I already just move the dragon with its incredible fly speed around to hit people who line up in various mannerisms but if I could just do it like so then it wouldn't have to keep doing strange flight routines.

Why did they design it this way? So different dragons would feel different to fight against.

Why does it work that way in-game? Mix and match your own justification:

-The blast is near-instantaneous and there's no time to rotate his head.
-It would be too easy to dodge over/under if you're not at the beginning of the arc, so it's not a viable tactic against moving targets. (This option still allows for cool non-combat uses like what you're describing, which I bet is Legends of Vox Machina: you can slowly pan over a bunch of non-moving trees and buildings to make a cool sweep of destruction.)
-The beam isn't powerful enough to do full damage unless the dragon focuses the whole blast on one point
-The dragon is too vain and contemptuous to bother with twisty maneuvers to maximize the number of targets he hits; it's more fun for him to skewer as many enemies as possible in a straight line.

[Unoriginal]

It could be a Legendary Action for a particular Blue Dragon.

Like, "Dragon moves their full movement, creates a lightning damage AoE under them."

[KorvinStarmast]

It is worth noting that a cone shaped breath weapon has a shorter range than a line shaped breath weapon. :smallwink:
For the OP, if you want to make an adjustment.

[ImproperJustice]

You could toss in a house rule that dragons can breathe in a line for full damage because it’s a focused blast on a single point / line or wave their heads around for a larger area (cone) for half damage and the shorter range.

I mean, how iconic is it for a Red Dragon to just bear down on some knight with a straight flamethrower like blast for a bit?

[Psyren]

Lines are usually considered weaker than cones because they cover fewer squares + your targets are not likely to conveniently line up past perhaps the first round. So all things being equal, a cone breath often means higher damage output on the party/more resources spent and thus a harder fight.

But lines have advantages as well:

1) Longer range - usually lines have a longer maximum range than a cone. It means the dragon will generally have an easier time hitting the party's backline than a cone-using dragon would, and/or staying further out of range with their flight while still being able to hit the enemy.

2) Precision - hitting fewer targets can sometimes be a boon. Lots of dragons have minions - kobold slaves, cultists/worshipers, even summoned creatures. The dragon may also be worried about hitting environmental features, like the treasure in its hoard, or fragile traps, pillars and walls. A cone can in many cases indiscriminately weaken or destroy such features and harm the dragon in the long-term.

With that said, I like the idea that the dragon can choose the shape that suits their needs. There should be a cost to doing so - say, a longer recharge if they breathe in a way they're not accustomed to or that isn't second-nature to them - but I'm okay with that flexibility being at least possible.

[Evaar]

For the same reason the Lightning Bolt spell is a straight line and not a cone, even though presumably the caster could sweep their hand from one side to the other.

It's so that it's a distinct effect.

[Segev]

The Fizban's Treasury of Dragons monster, the animated breath, could theoretically be made when they breathe instead of using their breath weapons, if the DM wants.

I also like the mention of minions; having a blue dragon have minions who are trained to provide paths for the line breath weapon, or who has his minions in a single rank so that he only ever hits one of his own minions at most, would be an interesting tactical element.

[stoutstien]

I prefer my adult and older dragons to have some control over the shape of their breath effects and for them to have additional riders than just more damage. You better bet if your facing off against an ancient white dragon that blast of cold is going to harder to deal with than just a little bit of frostbite fingers.