Blue Dragon help

[Winds of Nagual]

Game tonight and looking for a plot hook. Level 4 party, I have a young adult blue dragon in a tower. The upper level has a series of portals thar travel across the continent. This is how the PCs arrive. The dragon can enter the tower but is too big to fit upstairs. I don't want a fight so

1. Why did the dragon stake this claim?
2. How can she build a relationship with the good PCs?

Would like to be a returning character. Maybe an important contact or enemy later on.

Thanks in advance

[Theodoxus]

Maybe the tower was originally built to study/harness lightning, acting as a giant, but primitive lightning rod? Perhaps the lightning powers the portals. The dragon is less concerned about the hows and whys and more interested in either keeping the tower functioning, or possibly disconnecting it from capturing lightning (depending on how the dragon feels about lightning in general (if it's an animist or scientist) along with your own world's view on natural phenomena.

Are you using book standard dragons, so the blue dragon is lawful evil? If so, then really your only chance (if the good aligned characters are aware of the evil nature of chromatic dragons), is to play up the lawful side, hoping to have some common bond in regards to duty or service. Honestly, there would be more problems if the party was wholly on the chaotic spectrum than on the good spectrum.

If your dragons are individuals and can run the gamut of alignments, then it depends on what alignment the dragon is, and how that alignment would normally interact with intruders. Initially peaceful or not, the dragon probably would protect the tower, using every advantage at its disposal. So, a lot will depend on the player's initial response to arriving at said tower.

So, without additional information, it's hard to provide a more detailed answer. Hopefully this will inspire you - either directly, or using it as a springboard to go in another direction. :)

[Winds of Nagual]

Thank you for making me be specific. It helps clarify my thoughts. I think the young dragon is in a hoarding phase. Maybe trading use of the tower for blue dragon things? With trade and favor (currently) outperforming greed. What does a young adult dragon want? Servents and henchmen can wait.

I like powered by lightning. They just finished a tower filled with wisps and surrounded by shambling mounds and shock lizards.

[Unoriginal]

Game tonight and looking for a plot hook. Level 4 party, I have a young adult blue dragon in a tower. The upper level has a series of portals thar travel across the continent. This is how the PCs arrive. The dragon can enter the tower but is too big to fit upstairs. I don't want a fight so

1. Why did the dragon stake this claim?
2. How can she build a relationship with the good PCs?

Would like to be a returning character. Maybe an important contact or enemy later on.

Thanks in advance

1. A nod of several portals connecting multiple parts of a continent is an incredibly valuable treasure, for both travel and for information-gathering. Most dragons would not build their lairs there because the portals make it too exposed (unless they can be closed Ã* la Stargate), but few dragons would fail to claim it as theirs if they have the opportunity.

2. All dragons are prideful, and most blue dragons are vain, but that does not make them stupid or foolish by default. Plus, blue dragons love having powerful and interesting individuals as agents and minions, and most of them are lawful.

I would say the blue dragon would play the role of dedicated but reasonable custodian of the portal room. First by asking the characters to explain their reason for trespassing, then thanking them for the information they provided, followed by an explanstion of how the place work. Then the dragon could ask the group if they'd be willing to do an errand for the dragon in exchange for reward, like delivering a message to an important person or bringing back a valuable urn the dragon purchased after it was found in an archeological dig.

That first errand is really as harmless as it seems, to see if those adventurers are willing to work for the dragon. If all goes well, and the next quest is similarly without problem, then the dragon can start testing the group's boundary with a slightly unpleasant but legitimate mission, such as going to collect money the dragon did loan at a reasonable interest to someone who will be an arrogant jerk to the PCs, like a sea captain who got their ship thanks to the dragon and doesn't want to pay their due now that they're successful.

[playswithfire]

1. A nod of several portals connecting multiple parts of a continent is an incredibly valuable treasure, for both travel and for information-gathering. Most dragons would not build their lairs there because the portals make it too exposed (unless they can be closed Ã* la Stargate), but few dragons would fail to claim it as theirs if they have the opportunity.

2. All dragons are prideful, and most blue dragons are vain, but that does not make them stupid or foolish by default. Plus, blue dragons love having powerful and interesting individuals as agents and minions, and most of them are lawful.

I would say the blue dragon would play the role of dedicated but reasonable custodian of the portal room. First by asking the characters to explain their reason for trespassing, then thanking them for the information they provided, followed by an explanstion of how the place work. Then the dragon could ask the group if they'd be willing to do an errand for the dragon in exchange for reward, like delivering a message to an important person or bringing back a valuable urn the dragon purchased after it was found in an archeological dig.

That first errand is really as harmless as it seems, to see if those adventurers are willing to work for the dragon. If all goes well, and the next quest is similarly without problem, then the dragon can start testing the group's boundary with a slightly unpleasant but legitimate mission, such as going to collect money the dragon did loan at a reasonable interest to someone who will be an arrogant jerk to the PCs, like a sea captain who got their ship thanks to the dragon and doesn't want to pay their due now that they're successful.

When I finished your bullet 1, my brain went to there being a war along time ago amongst some or all of the nations connected to the tower until one of them, maybe the smallest fearing an alliance of two of the others, persuaded/tricked/hired? a blue dragon to take control of the tower and assisted it in holding it, running cables or arcane conduits so that the dragon can flood the portal chambers with lightning.

The dragon now takes tribute, in both gold and information, to allow (or explicitly deny) travel between certain portals, also making it probably the most powerful spy master on the continent.
For more fun, the country that moved the dragon in was eventually conquered via non-portal travel and the survivors fled and formed a smaller enclave/cult of the dragon in the region around the tower.

[da newt]

Toll booths are a great source of income and power. A powerful nexus like this would be coveted by many. A Blue Dragon would make an interesting gate keeper / toll taker and hold great influence by relegating who could/couldn't use 'their' portal. Tolls could be treasure, information, or tasks/quests - a GREAT plot hook.

[Bohandas]

Game tonight and looking for a plot hook. Level 4 party, I have a young adult blue dragon in a tower. The upper level has a series of portals thar travel across the continent. This is how the PCs arrive. The dragon can enter the tower but is too big to fit upstairs. I don't want a fight so

1. Why did the dragon stake this claim?


To me it seems obvious that they wanted the tower so that they could charge a toll

[KorvinStarmast]

Game tonight and looking for a plot hook. Level 4 party, I have a young adult blue dragon in a tower. The upper level has a series of portals thar travel across the continent. This is how the PCs arrive. The dragon can enter the tower but is too big to fit upstairs. I don't want a fight so

1. Why did the dragon stake this claim?
2. How can she build a relationship with the good PCs?

Would like to be a returning character. Maybe an important contact or enemy later on.

Thanks in advance
1. Toll booth.
2. For future reference: figure out where the parent (adult of ancient) blue is, and how that higher CR creature fits into your world. As the players rise in level, that connection may be useful, or, that connection may cause them trouble when they do not treat the young dragon properly/well. :smallbiggrin:

[Oramac]

What does a young adult dragon want?

I would HIGHLY recommend taking a look at Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. That book did quite a good job of outlining hoards and each dragon's desires. There's a TON of tables and such in there for rolling/creating a hoard, and sections specific to dragons of every color as to their preferences and desires.

The short version is: blue/pruple/green gems, art of oases and fountains, textiles in cool colors, scents evoking rain or storms, and magic items that are storm themed (control weather and the like).

[Polyphemus]

I would HIGHLY recommend taking a look at Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. That book did quite a good job of outlining hoards and each dragon's desires. There's a TON of tables and such in there for rolling/creating a hoard, and sections specific to dragons of every color as to their preferences and desires.

The short version is: blue/pruple/green gems, art of oases and fountains, textiles in cool colors, scents evoking rain or storms, and magic items that are storm themed (control weather and the like).

Seconding this; same book also has suggestions for characterization, and while IIRC all dragons have at least one option to go against their presumed alignment on their tables of things, the blue dragon in particular has, among other Ideals, a suggested, Good-aligned Ideal of Loyalty:

“I don’t form bonds with those outside my kindred very often. But when I do, I am an unshakable and powerful ally.”
So if your party plays nice, doesn’t antagonize or belittle them overmuch, reaches an understanding with the dragon, the dragon could grow to be pretty ride-or-die for the party in return, even in spite of their usually Lawful Evil portrayal.