Bell Digest vol01p03.txt

Subject: RQ Digest,  Volume 1,  Number 3

From: John Redden 

Subject: PC Dragon variant


                   S T R O H L      D R A G O N S

Dragon   1-5            5-10           10-20          20-50     50-100 100+
   Age   yrs.           yrs.           yrs.           yrs.      yrs.   yrs.
         very young     adolescent     young adult    adult     old    ancient

Power    3-6            7-10           11-14          15-18     19-22  23-26

Scale
Arm pts  1-2            2-3            3-4            5-6       6-7    7-8
(note: armor pts = POW / 3)

INT = 10+D10       DEX = 3D6      APP = 10 + D8 (to dragon of its own culture)

old D&D size       SIZ and  SIZ and  CON  CON  tail bash/  bite breath    breath
description        STR      STR max       max  claw base   base diameter  damage

halfling/ducksize  D6+6     12       2D6  12   D3          D4   1m        D2
human/orc/elf size 2D6+6    18       3D6  18   D4          D6   1.5m      D3
ogre/troll size    3D6+6    24       3D6  18   D6          2D4  2m        D4
hill giant size    3D6+12   30 (3D6/2)+8  18   D6          2D4  2.5m      D6
stone giant size   4D6+12   36 (4D6/2)+8  20   D6          2D6  3m        D6+1
frost giant size   5D6+12   42 (5D6/2)+8  23   D6          2D6  3.5m      D8+1
fire giant size    5D6+18   48 (5D6/2)+11 26   D6          3D4  4m        2D6
cloud giant size   6D6+18   54 (6D6/2)+11 29   D6          3D6  4.5m      2D8
storm giant size   7D6+18   60 (7D6/2)+11 32   D6          3D6  5m        3D6
titan size         7D6+24   66 (7D6/2)+14 35   D6         4D4+2 5.5m      3D8
(elemental dragons)    ..   ..        ..  ..   ..           ..  ..        ..

Add damage mod to bash, claw or bite.  Breath weapon range is meters in POW.
D6 fatigue pts are lost per breath as per RQ III Creatures Book.  The dragon
can have a breath or bite and a claw or bash per melee round.  If the dragon
gains 100%+ in an attack skill then it may split it for multiple attacks.

Draconic skills vary with local culture, but almost all healthy dragons have
fly at 80% by the time they are adolescent.

Common draconic spell: (spirit magic version) STIFFWING    1 Pt
Duration: 25min * dragons current POW. Stackable. Reusable.
This spell enables the dragon to magically enhance its aerodynamic shape.
The wings assume a soaring position and the dragon is able to double the flying
move base in calm weather.  Typically the dragon will fly above bad weather and
travel intercontinental distances.  No fatigue pts are lost during stiffwing
flying.  Divine and sourcerous versions of stiffwing exist.

A dragons breath depends on its color (yes, I get to dig out all those old
D&D dragon types and use them).  Physical breaths conform to belching damage.
For magical breaths a POW vrs. POW must be made for all those in the area of
effect (these breaths would be befuddle breath, illusion breath).

For STROHL dragons POW increases are difficult.  They are limited by age.
They have a common reincarnation cycle so their religions tend to be similar.
The common reincarnation cycle does not translate into a common draconic
culture.  There are three distinct draconic cultures known by the characters
in the STROHL game.

Toranian Dragons

The first group has a central population in a land  about the summed size of
England, Scotland and Ireland.  The dragons associate closely with city dwelling
humanoids.  This culture is like a "Pernese" type.  People ride them (a separate
skill) and they become the "airforce" for this land.  They do their hatching
near the main site of a city state.  Humanoids are attached to the young dragons
and will care for them once they leave th nest.  Humanoids are not allowed into
the inner parts of the draconic caves where the eggs are laid.  Older dragons
always present the young to the humanoids during certain rituals.  The humanoid
then helps care and train the young dragon in the ways of the Toranians.  The
color of Toranian dragons varies from neutral colors (gray, brown, off-white)
to metalic (iron, mercury, gold, tin).

Exotican Dragons

Exotica is a land about the size of Australia.  A somewhat obscure but well
organized group of dragons dwell here.  They are oldest group.  The humans that
have met them say they know the most about the early history of STROHL.  Much
of the culture is shrouded in prophecies and the effect their draconic culture
will have on pivitol events.  Other humans who have contacts with Exotican
cultures tell stories a fourth group in in draconic lore.  These stories speak
of elemental dragons from the dim time.  Most dismiss these tales a delusions.
The Exotican dragons have dealings with centaur clans and griffon prides.
The dragons often will mitigate between the two constantly fighting groups for
favors.  Much of what is known about draconic culture in Exotica comes from the
centaurs, so some say that it is tainted with their viewpoint.  The Toranian
dragons say their Exotican relatives have been through so many reincarnations
that they suffer from pointless mysticism.  The Exotican dragons are crystalline
in color (topaz, quartz, ruby).

Scarletian Dragons

This group of dragons is dangerous.  They have discovered some of the ancient
technology on STROHL to complement their sorcery and magic.  Their draconic
leader commmands them from a large aircraft in the shape of a flying wing.
Somehow the Scarletians learned how to make things like guns (better than the
mostali), energy weapons, attack craft and then the wing.  They base themselves
on the edge of the known world in the Lands of Night.  The scarletians have
a large army at their command consisting of humans, orcs, renegade mostali, and
others.  They are at war with the Twilonian Empire and have successfully
defeated their western army.  The scarletians are chromatic dragons.

//A RQIII houserule in our game.  Strike rank has always been bothersome to me.
However timed actions do add a sense of strategy to th game.  What I use
instead is "Melee Round DEX".  Each characters MRD starts at current natural
DEX but then is reduced by SIZ and weapon length to give a new MRD for that
weapon.  Actions reduce the MRD further.  So do variable pt spells.  MRD can
go negative but the character still gets to their basic actions (they may go off
last).  Multiple spells and missiles can be done as long as MRD isn't negative
(again the character gets a least one missile action).  The effect is identical
to strike rank and I find it more comfortable.




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