D&D General How Would You Do a Dragon Themed Campaign?

[Zardnaar]

As th title says. We've had Dragonlance and Tyranny of Dragons both are flawed for different reasons.

The basic idea of both is decent enough. Buit Dragonlance told the tale of the Heroes of the Lance. And had things like Kender, Gully Dwarves, and tinker Gnomes. Which not everyone likes.

The Dragonlances themselves and riding dragons is fun.

And the problem with ToD is let's face it the execution of HotDQ. It's not hard to think of a different direction though.

Do how would you do it?

 

[Stormonu]

I think I would take notes from “How to train your Dragon” and “Dragonriders of Pern”. Use the normal PC races and classes, but having soul-bound dragon companions. The PCs are special members of one of several orders that are the “tip of the spear” against a malignant evil that threatens not only the various races, but the existence of magic itself.

Low-level adventures against endowed minions that are delve-like skirmishes. Mid-level adventures against growing opposing factions and political intrigue among the PC factions. Endgame against primary opponent behind the enemy, and the ultimate turncoat PC faction that betrays the good guys from the inside.

The enemy faction would be a lovecraftian sort of horror (maybe shub-niggaroth) that “gifts” it followers with mutations and magic-devouring/warping powers. Song is the ultimate power against these abominations, which makes bards some of the most revered individuals to oppose them (until the Enemy discovers a way to twist songs and music against the good guys).

 

[Beleriphon]

Personally, as the DM I'd just scream "DRAGON!" unexpectedly when the players look bored and then attack them with a level appropriate dragon.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I think I would take notes from “How to train your Dragon” and “Dragonriders of Pern”. Use the normal PC races and classes, but having soul-bound dragon companions.

Agreed. I mulled this over for a while, and I kept coming back to Pern as a good source of inspiration. Yes, the dragons were not D&D dragons, at all, but they were more workable as characters' close allies than D&D dragons would be.
I hadn't thought about it, but How to Train Your Dragon actually is kinda similar, that way.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Tyranny of Dragons does it pretty well, just skip Hoard and assume everyone is already a fairly experienced adventurer. ToD, if run by a good DM who fully utilizes the chromatic dragons in it, makes it very good.


This reddit post above details very well how DMs should treat encounters with dragons (that post is for red dragons, but there are embedded links for black, green and blue). If you are running dragons as the terrifyingly intelligent megalomaniacs behemoths they are, they make fantastic villains.

Critical Role I believe handles dragons fairly well, with their Chroma Conclave.

One interesting idea is running a campaign in which Tiamat wins Tyranny of Dragons, and your playing characters who suddenly are in a Forgotten Realms that will likely be conquered entirely by Chromatic dragons. So you become resistance fighters against the new dragon rule.

 

[dave2008]

In 4e one of the game designers (Chris Perkins) had the Iomandra campaign which was extremely dragon themed. You might want to check it out.

EDIT: I found this on Obsidian portal - Iomandra ; and this Iomandra; and this Iomandra

 

[Urriak Uruk]

In 4e one of the game designers (Chris Perkins) had the Iomandra campaign which was extremely dragon themed. You might want to check it out.

EDIT: I found this on Obsidian portal - Iomandra

That's Chris Perkin's.

 

[dave2008]

That's Chris Perkin's.

Yep, I found it - thanks!

 

[toucanbuzz]

You might try the Taladas trilogy focused on the relationship between dragons and mortals from the Dragonlance setting. Not everything was War of the Lance, and I ran these back in the day. Extremely fun. Starts with finding out who is killing young copper dragons and by the finale, you'd get a chance to wield the power of dragon gems, perhaps on dragonback, against the Dark Queen's army. Has a solid amount of intersection with the dragon world and mortal world.

For those not in the know, Taladas was a new continent that had a phenomenal guide and maps, a place where dragons who didn't fight in the War of the Lance took root, and where many races had some twists (dwarves feared being underground as the Cataclysm broke their homes, minotaurs rule like ancient Rome, and gnomes ride ships on the fiery sea where the gods tossed the mountain). Regardless, with a little work, you could easily adapt it to most worlds.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I did an isolated archipelago on one world where the dragons had driven all the normal player races underground. The dragons were metallic in color (and powers) but were mostly NE, unless well flattered and fed.
there were quick short trips on the surface, always in fear of a dragon attack. I think I used it for 2 campaigns and the dragons lost 2, killed 2 PCs, and at least 2 dragons were driven off but not killed - with one successful parley- where the dragon and the PCs both came out ahead.

Dragons were definitely the opposition.