Drawfriend, I was asleep when you posted the Lead dragon, could you post it again?

>>33162816
fuck yeah Bizmuth!

I support this endeavor but have nothing to post as I'm at work.

>>33163985
scribble ideas on a pad of paper then. :D

>>33163985
or help us with the rules of the universe. We're still a bit sketchy on how everything is gonna work

To all anons who want to cover an element or write something but feels like they have to be a chemist,
There are only two confirmed chemists on all 4 of these, the rest of us pour over wikipedia and use some artistic license. Even if you failed highschool chemistry, we're only going with pure elements and 2-element alloys, so it's not really as scary as you think. It's a lot of fun and we want to see what you come up with.

>>33164442
I saw that the table only go as far as Curium. Can we do something about the 100+?
As I see it they'd be extraordinarily rare, artificially created by magical events of biblical proportions, and only exist for a very short time. But during that time they'd be super-powerful 'radiants' or something. Very little would be known obviously.
Also neutronium dragons anyone?

>>33164521
to use a memorable quote by an anon in a past thread, 'Elements with a short half-life be rarer than seeing two unicorns fucking a mammoth.'

They're pretty much the result of experiments by wizards and crazy alchemists.

>>33164521
Neutronium is going to get you shit on by all the people who mocked that splatbook Bestiary with Neutronium golems that punch holes in planets. We're not working with exotic forms of matter, here. Far too complicated, far too powerful.

Regarding the superheavy synthetic elements, they're probably going to be mythological creatures. The things you saw for a flicker of a second. The things you blame when a town dies and no one knows why. The things that go bump in the night, and for a brief second, turn it to day.

One hypothesis is that there was a mytical superheavy element dragon, whose death throws (Read: Atomic Fission) created all the dragons as we know them today. First there were superheavy elements, and then there were the less radioactive elements, and the stable elements.

Seeing a Mendelevium dragon is like seeing an actual angel. It pretty much doesn't happen.

The LEGENDS about them, however, are very much woven into the culture of this setting.

Rescuing a useful post from the last thread that I still have open.
>Well, a big problem with using those elements that don't have official names yet, is that it's going to look very confusing to a non-chemistry literate viewer trying to decode what the hell you're talking about.

>For the most part, I think we decided that the REALLY radioactive, REALLY short lived synthetic elements, are pretty much mythological in this setting. They might have existed, they might still exist, but they're so rare if they exist at all, that the setting gets along fine without them.

>Ancient stories of an Atlantis type bent might speak of them as being too proud and hubristic to live, blowing themselves up long ago, perhaps giving rise to many of the draconic species in their "decay fragments".

>The mythology could include a progenitor Elemental dragon of unknown character, whose sundered body birthed all metallic and gaseous dragons originating members.

>>33164568
That's pretty much what I was envisioning for them.
The neutronium thing was more or less a joke.

>>33164591
I wasn't there for the previous thread, was it archived?

>>33164634
I'm not sure. It seemed to have disappeared well before its time. My hope is that it simply fell off page ten, not that we've somehow angered a mod.

>>33164644
Also, my thanks to whoever's been going through the 1d4chan page doing grammar and spelling fixes. That's much appreciated.

>>33164634
it disappeared 12 hours ago, at least according to the last post I have. No, it wasn't archived, and yes, it just fell off page 10

that would be the worst mod ever

>I've reworked the Radium entry to try to integrate the two separate entries, let me know if it's too clunky. I haven't changed the wiki yet

Radium dragons, though closely related to Francium dragons, are their most hated enemies. Nothing makes a Francium more jealous than a dragon almost as energetic as they, but who will live a thousand years instead a thousand days.

Radiums are aptly named, and were the first dragon identified to have the "radiant" energy that many breeds are known for. They harness this power in beams of blue light, burning and killing their foes. They emit this light at all times, but it becomes especially intense as they prepare to unleash their breath.

Radiums are predators born, living alone or in mated pairs and roaming the world with tremendous speed. They fly well, they fight well, and they leave nothing where they pass, one of the most aggressive metallics in existence. The Radiums have one great weakness though, their bodies cannot tolerate water, which burns, and even detonates on contact with them. For this reason, their range is limited to desolate areas, and they cannot do much more than short raids into moister climates.

Nomads cling to oases for this reason just as much as to use water for themselves, for a Radium dragon could be upon them at any moment.

When wounded, Radium dragons have a blindingly pure silver luster in the wound, but it rapidly becomes black and tarnished, like the rest of their bodies. Some desert faiths preach of this as proof that the Radiums burn with the fires of hell, and their hells are filled with invisible death, not the fire and smoke of other religions.
>cont

>>33164770
Some Radium dragons are compulsive 'justice' seekers, inflicting retribution across the land in oft questionably violent manner. Merely striking a Radium Dragon exposes its true colors momentarily, albeit through a burst of lung-scorching radioactive dust.

The way their bright scales violently blacken in air is considered an apt metaphor for all aspects of their lives by philosophers.

These dragons consider their blue glow a sign of a holy mandate and are quite social in the company of like-minded zealots. Makeshift 'knightly orders' of several mating pairs can devastate entire kingdoms with holy righteous fury, but may also break with sudden enraged violence, should individual views of a situation suddenly collide.


>>33164680
You're lucky, the updater is a compulsive proofreader :P

>>33164634
Not much happened in the last thread, Zr and O got covered and some glorious writefriend did a really great story that's on 1d4

>>33164770
>>33164795
Hyperactive "paladins" with ADD, a hair trigger temper, and an explosive intolerance to water?
Seems legit.

Also, to badly paraphrase Agent Smith,

>This world smells, human. It stinks. I cannot get it off of my skin, and I would do anything to cleanse it. Anything. Organic life is a virus, and we are the cure.

I'm imagining this broken culture of Radiums alternately rallying together and shredding each other, constantly changing their vision of what utopia looks like and carrying a thousand different subtle differences between their views, all of which are of paramount importance, and must reign supreme over all others.

>>33164996
it definitely adds spice to the world, I'd say.

>>33165026
Dealing with a Radium dragon is like sitting down to chat with a live hand grenade, whose pin has long since fallen out and been lost in the dirt. They're great allies, if you can survive long enough to decode their idiosyncrasies and ideologies, and manage not to transgress upon them.

I just finished reading the Gold entry, and I think it may be improved.
First by mentioning explicitly that the Golds are immune to most corrosive abilities, and second by developing on their interaction with humanoids&co, notably with the nobility.
Something like "in the ancient times they were often seen as messengers of the gods or even gods themselves, due to their beauty and powerful electrical breath". And because they are physically weaker than other metallics, they happily became divine or kingly figureheads of civilizations.
Maybe add something about money, like maybe they are the most compulsive hoarders of all and own/work for a lot of banks.

>>33165150
Immunity to corrosion is fine, being noble and beautiful is something that's already touched on in the entry, though you could expand it. Careful you don't turn them into D&D Gold dragons though.

Also, I'd stay away from linking them with money, actually, since that's more of a human construct, not something inherent to the Gold element itself. Shed scales could have been appropriated for use in coinage by lesser races, but a Gold dragon doesn't concern itself with such things.

It's just a little too on the nose to say that Gold dragons are bankers, you know?

>>33165184
>It's just a little too on the nose to say that Gold dragons are bankers, you know?
well, some of them could be, but they're shunned by other golds for being unbelievably crass. Any gold that uses its scales to buy things is considered (a bit ironically) a pauper by other golds because they can't even get enough followers to get what they need.

hmm... could maybe have 'golden tongue' be the equivelant of 'silver tongue' in-universe, as a reference to their loquaciousness.

I don't play D&D so I have no idea what their golds are like.

>>33165247
D&D Golds are the actual dragon paladins of that setting. They're Lawful Good, all the time, they crusade for the weak and they protect all that is noble and good. They often work with divine servants, and sometimes rise to be servants of the good gods themselves.

I like the idea of saying that any Gold that *does* sully its hands with material concerns of wealth and monetary management is considered badly by other Gold dragons, though. If you really want to have some Golds be bankers, have it be stigmatized, or representing a psychological bent that's considered unnatural among Golds.

After all, Gold never tarnishes, and remains aloof even in mineral form. Any Gold that would wallow in the treachery, backstabbing, and cutthroat competition of the merchants has turned their back on their true essence, yeah? At least from the viewpoint of other Golds...

>>33162816

That's so adorably edgy

>>33165382
I was thinking that they'd be more Neutral. They gather people around them with persuasiveness and by being shiny, then basically set themselves up as a leader, though a fair one by necessity, lest they lose people. But they consider doing any work they don't absolutely have to (except giving grand and inspiring speeches) lowering themselves to the level of a common Iron. They'd depend on their followers to do necessary, if unglamorous, tasks.

Should the dragons be entirely focused on the attributes of the pure elements, or can also be considered what happens when the element interacts with anything around it and/or forms compounds?
For example, selenium (and tellurium) compounds are generally known to exhibit a really really awful smell. That might definitely be something that sets them a bit more apart from other elements.

Also, are drawings form different people encouraged or is uniformity preferred?

>>33165488
read the 1d4chan page linked at the top, the rules we've decided on are towards the bottom

>>33165467
Yeah, I'm saying that *D&D* Golds are Lawful Good, not that Elemental Golds should be. In my mind, almost all of the Elemental Dragons are more or less neutral.

Golds would wander the world, doing what they felt needed doing. In general, they'd prefer that everyone get along, more to make their own lives simpler than anything else, since Gold is a soft metal, after all.

They'd attract a lot of attention, and learn to use that to their advantage, and for the most part, since a Gold dragon need not toil at farming for food, or beg water from salesmen for drink, they'd be unconcerned with material things, hence why only unusual Golds would involve themselves with financial matters.

>>33165488
Mostly, focus on the pure elements. Compounds are extremely complex, and dilute the Elemental nature of the Elemental dragons. We're focused on the Elements primarily, not blends.

That said, distinctive characteristics are acceptable to make references with. Exhibiting a bad smell is a fine thing to add to distinguish species, as per your example. Just do so subtly, and don't imply that a Selenium dragon isn't actually Selenium.

More drawings are always wonderful, and most styles will be accepted, as long as you make sure you've looked at the entry for the dragon you're drawing on 1d4chan, though if you feel like patterning your work after what the other drawfriend has done, that's even better.

Try to keep it relatively simple, we're not looking for anything *too* bizarre here.

>>33165508
Well, there's also a part about nitrogen "bomb dragons", something that only makes sense for nitrogen compounds, since the explosiveness comes from the huge amount of energy gained from the formation of N2 from nitrogen rich molecules.
That's why I asked even though >>33164442
said
>we're only going with pure elements and 2-element alloys
I must be missing this in the rules section on the 1d4chan page though.

>>33165467
I think that their natural haughtiness, alongside their apparent uncorruptibility (irons rust, silvers tarnish, etc... But golds don't.) and their relative non-toxicity (you don't die by just standing around them) led to a worship out of admiration, rather than solely fear. Having an actual interest in governing because of their softness, the golds sat as gods (we could note the similarity between the words) atop ancient civilizations. Today most golds still work in the nobility and rich religious sites adorned with their scales. Those lowering themselves to working as bankers are despised by the rest of their kind.
Golds like outrageously decorated lairs and sizeable hoards, but don't like working for it.
They're less like paladins and more like would-be god-kings.

>>33165650
I just updated the rules with stuff from thread #2, try refreshing the page

>>33165650
The "rules" section is somewhat incomplete, yes. There's more general guidelines that haven't been included.

And to clarify, no one should go total autism on adhering to the rules, but everyone should respect the nature of the setting we're building, and not change its tone abruptly. That'll look really strange, and open up all kinds of plot holes.

Limits breed creativity, guys. Remember that, and you'll become better writers in short order. :)

>>33165691
I"m trying to update the rules, could you list a few of those 'general guidelines'?

The reason I'm so adamant about the 3-element limit rather than 2 is that this gives born-alloys a versatility they wouldn't have while still leaving a pure as the most versatile. Also, it gives chem nerds a bit of a bone to chew on

>>33165661
I think being cultural icons is probably enough. The Metallic dragons in general don't strike me as the kind of dragons that would try to be worshipped, or set up grand empires.

Enjoying jewels and luxuries is fine though, it gives them something to do when interacting with Uranium and Cobalt dragons, and Golds probably trade for their colored glassware avidly.

How is stuff like Potassium handled?

The real element is always stored in something special, for it reacts not only with water, but also oxygen.
In simply words, it's an element that can't actually exist in nature in it's pure form (which the dragons are made of, technically also encompassing basic molecules like H2).

>>33165650
In one thread we discussed havering three metal alloys from the consuming method of alloying. We added the stipulations that some alloys are harmful, some can't be done, hybrid scales don't alloy well conferring only the primary metal and that trying anymore than three metals is disastrous for a dragon.

>>33165759
Read the lithium, potassium and sodium entries. They have to live in extremely dry environments since they over specialized in their evolution.

>>33165734
Well, let's see. Bear in mind of course, that I'm just one anon with one opinion.

Gaseous dragons live in cold climates exclusively, they cannot survive in non-arctic regions.

Metallic dragons live all over the place, barring those that cannot tolerate water or sunlight.

Non-metallic dragons have the broadest range of habitation, ranging everywhere the metallics do, and somewhat into the polar climates.

Elemental dragons are somewhat alien in mentality, and generally adhere to the Neutral alignment. Some may prefer to act kindly to others, some may prefer to take what they want, and some prefer to ignore the other races of the world.

Radiant dragons (our reference word to the not-understood principles of radioactivity) are dangerous beasts, deadly to be around and exceptionally powerful by and large. The more radioactive the element, and the shorter the half-life, generally the more mentally unstable the dragon is. Francium is the most extreme case.

Elements more massive than Plutonium are exceptionally rare, and are essentially mythological. If one did appear, it would be part of the setting, like describing a Primarch, not something that people would homebrew their very own Nobelium dragon to play with.

Elemental alloys are rare creatures, and they do not breed true. Any child of two alloy dragons will be a pureblood. Alloys can be *temporarily* applied by eating scales or body parts of other dragons, though it wears off after no more than a month or two.

Combinations of metallic and gaseous dragons never end well, because the two species are incompatible. The metallic dragons burn the gaseous dragons, and the gaseous dragons cool and shatter the metallics. This is to prevent having to describe the insanely huge range of chemical compounds that might result, and keep the narrative focused on the Elemental Dragons, not their hybrids.

>>33165857
thanks, that meshes with what I've already got, though I did add that a BORN-alloy but not a made alloy would grant the properties of both metals, an alloy created from eating another dragon only gives that dragon's original element

>>33165558
Thanks, that definitely makes sense.

The most realistic and easy way imo to add stench to the entry of selenium dragons would be that the toxic residue that the claws of the young ones leave in wounds also kind of marks them as prey. Since the selenium in the body would react (which is the toxic aspect) and make the body smell very strongly.
That could be useful for a dragon that only wounds prey and then needs to find it later when it has died, the way many venomous animals do it irl.

>>33165857
The world is inhabited by the typical D&D races, humans, elves, and orcs have all been mentioned. Others may exist, but we haven't tried to incorporate them yet.

Dragons and other races can use magic.

Runic dragons exist, taking great pains to etch spells into their scales, and are exceptionally powerful, though it takes them a thousand years or more to achieve this. They are not innately magic beyond what allows their Elemental bodies to exist (some handwaving has to be done for a living creature made of Lead, after all), and in this regard they are different from D&D dragons, for whom magic runs in their blood.

Elemental dragons have to EARN their wizard skills, and have to learn them from the younger races, since draconic wizards are loathe to let other dragons "skip the work" so to speak.

Magic is limited in general, it doesn't allow the full range of D&D reality warping.

Dragons often prey on other dragons, both for nourishment, and for creating alloys. Cannibalism is still frowned upon, though less intelligent dragons like the Carbons may tolerate it.

In general, an Elemental Dragon doesn't go through Age Categories as do D&D dragons. Whatever it is born as is how it is, and it becomes more intelligent and more cunning over time, rather than unlocking new abilities all of a sudden.

Carbons are a notable, and perhaps the only, exception to this, as they mature, they become SIGNIFICANTLY smaller, tougher, more intelligent, and more dangerous, taking on a diamondlike characteristic.

>>33165921
Sounds good to me. Any time an author can add elements of things that already exist and happen IRL, their work feels more grounded and plausible.

>>33165857
>>33165940
Added these to the Rules section, tried to organize it a bit

>>33166068
Cool, thanks. And as always, some of these are simply my own opinions, or the opinions of other anons, not divine words from on high.

If we need someone to make decisions though, these are what I would say we go with, just to keep people from wandering in circles. Everyone needs a framework to build from, after all.

Consistency is key.

>>33166122
I know, if you'd said something that clashed I simply wouldn't add it. It's just that I am terrible at sorting out bullet points like you just did

>>33166137
No problem. Now the trick will just be to politely encourage anons that want to write, but haven't been watching these threads, to go through and read up on the setting's guidelines.

Guys reading this thread, leave your lurker caves and voice an opinion. Would it work better if those guidelines were at or near the top of the 1d4chan page, so people would see them without going all the way to the bottom?

Some kind of introduction, and then after that, the guidelines?

Or is there an even better way to organize things?

>>33166198
Having the rules at the bottom was more a product of making it easy to see which elements hadn't been written yet, it's easy to see when the numbers on either side of the element name stop matching up, and they don't let you make a catagory 0

>>33162816
God, looking at that Bismuth dragon picture has got me super excited for the next dragon our artistic patron creates.

>>33166137
Did we ever decide if this setting takes place in the D&D cosmology, where there's an Elemental Plane of earth, air, fire, etc, and the dragons came from the planes of earth and air, or did we decide that this setting is a self-contained world of its own, that happens to have native Elemental dragons?

>>33165921
Hm, so I came here due to the chemistry and not because I'm good at writing, but I'd propose to add it to the entry like this:

(...) This toxic property is useful in that young Selenium dragons’ claws leave traces of this toxin in the wounds of its foes, accelerating their death and marking them with a distinct stench. This enables them to find prey that was wounded but fled, later dying to the poisoned wound. And to easily be able to make out where a recent opponent is hiding adds to making them difficult and dangerous enemies of those who hunt or displease them. (...)

>>33166257
there was a Lead, but it wasn't saved when the last thread fell off page 10

>>33166276
I was thinking it was it's own world, with some D&D thrown in for seasoning

>>33166292
Ah damn, we'll have to ask him to repost it whenever he gets back.

ok, reworked the 1d4 formatting a bit, moved the rules to the top

>>33166338
Looks pretty good to me.

File: 82 lead.jpg (134 KB, 937x616)

134 KB JPG

>>33162854

>>33166290
As the guy who wrote the Selenium dragon, I like the addition.

>>33165803
But it also reacts with plain oxygen... dry environment or not, it needs to either live in vacuum, or be constantly covered in some liquid as to not oxigenize into all sorts of yellow substances.

I'm sorry I stayed fixated on the Gold dragon.
I'm not that materialistic I swear...

(...) The males, upon reaching maturity, seek a place to install a "beacon" made by carefully laying their shed scales over a surface exposed to the sun. This beacon serves to attract females and prove the value of the male as a mate. A large, shiny beacon is a proof of healthiness and strenght for the one who made it and defended it -or the one who took it. As such, Golds like all shiny things and often trade with other dragons for jewels or scales, and they particularly appreciate the work of mortals. More than one skilled goldsmith got rich by embelishing a Gold's lair. (...)
What think?

>>33166498
there's plenty of 'wizards did it' when it comes to unavoidable hazards like atmosphere, we're just pretending that atmospheric concentrations of whatever-gas is only enough to change their scale color, not to actually cause damage.

>>33166605
do you mind if we take out the 'trade for jewels and scales'? that would be deceptive on the part of the male and contradict the spirit of what was just before it

>>33166738
Depends, being smart enough to trade with other dragons could be a positive quality. Otherwise yeah, you can scrape it. I'm just throwing ideas around.

>>33166775
I was thinking we were going for >>33165661 this flavor of personality. "I'm best, now please bow to show your respect."

>>33166605
it definitely adds a nice lifestyle aspect

File: well duh.png (6 KB, 819x91)

6 KB PNG

>>33166815
You're not wrong.

>>33166901
well, now I feel a bit stupid...

added the bit about golds, did a bit of grammar-fixing

>>33166436
Be advised, there will probably be a modified version of this image posted eventually, fixing the fact that the vestigial wings should be growing from near the shoulder, not out of a rib.

>>33165940
The only thing I feel the need to bring up about these guidelines is the bit about Runic dragons. I might be wrong, but I think I recall mention that the most stable, longest-live dragons tend to live for a couple thousand years. We could change that, of course, but if we don't, then we might want to lower the amount of time it takes for a dragon to become an accomplished wizard. I guess we're still working it all out, but I think Runic dragons could probably deserve a whole section to themselves. Here are some ideas that I'm putting out there to stir some discussion about Runics (and magic in general). Give feed back about which ones you like and which seem awful, anons.

All magic in this setting works through symbology and chanting. You use a rune as a focus for your spell and activate it with magic words.

Dragons with exceptionally hard scales have a hard time carving spellrunes into their scales. Thus, wizardry is less common among their species.

It's difficult for a dragon to carve a spell into his own scales, so paying someone to do it (a common service in the scale trade) for you is the norm.

Naturally, dragons shed their scales. Rune-carved scales are eventually shed, but they take longer. A dragon has to replace the lost rune when such a scale is shed before they can use that spell again.

Runic dragons usually don't help other dragons become Runics. They don't share the knowledge of their runes, nor do they lightly offer to carve a rune for another dragon. The philosophy is "Earn it to learn it".

Powerful or large-scale spells use more complex and big runes, placing a limit on the practicality of magic. Yes, with the appropriate knowledge, you might cast a spell that liquifies a whole city. Good luck carving a rune the size of a football field unnoticed in the city, though.

Dragons can do magic the "normal" way, but it's embarrassing and inconvenient to be a dragon caster that needs a spellbook.

>>33167022
damnit I did too. Removed the doublon.

>Calcium dragons shrouded in superstition
So idiot villagers run around in fear screaming "Helvetica Scenario!" when one is spotted nearby.

>>33167070
pardon?

>>33167080
Let's not reference goofy things. I too love that video, but the tendency of people to inject LOLRANDOM into everything (See: All quest threads ever) really ruins settings like this.

>>33167067
Some of the dragons are implied to *maybe* be immortal unless killed, but sure, call it a couple hundred years or whatever to become a Runic dragon. So long as it's difficult for the dragon, and doesn't unlock GODMODE.exe, it's cool with me.

>>33167141
I added it without seeing that you did too, so there was two instances of the thing I wrote, and I removed the one I mistakenly added. All is fine now.

>>33166498
Maybe these sort of dragons do excrete thick oils they must keep themselves covered in. It might be they have to be very careful when going about everyday bussiness to avoid exposeing themslves.

>>33167174
That's a possibility if other people like it, but for the most part, we're simply taking some liberties with how the "hard" aspects of science in this setting works.

No one's expecting to have an actual enzyme diagram drawn for the metabolism of a Tungsten dragon, after all. (Or at least, if they do, then they should go somewhere else. This is science-themed fantasy, not Inorganic Chemistry 402 for power-Autists.)

>>33167174
>>33167211
the oil idea would be an interesting idea for those rare suicidal-risktakers who want to venture into moister climates though. They can travel, but they'd better be able to grab some rendered lard at a moment's notice

>>33167242
Sure, it could be part of every adventuresome Sodium dragon's traveling gear.

Cesiums, Rubidiums, Strontiums and Bariums would still probably be restricted to deserts, since even a moment's exposure could be fatal, and drippy, fluid oil makes a bad spacesuit. Even their lungs would have to be coated in oil.

>>33167067
>Naturally, dragons shed their scales. Rune-carved scales are eventually shed, but they take 3 times longer. A dragon has to replace the lost rune when such a scale is shed before they can use that spell again.
I have
>A scale's lifespan depends on the breed and age of the dragon, but a spelled scale will last 3 times the duration of a normal one
as the guide. I was thinking it would mostly depend on age, younger dragons would only keep any particular scale for a year at most for the biggest ones, while the older dragons wouldn't shed a scale for decades. It just wouldn't be worth it for a younger dragon to carve runes into themselves because it would be gone in no time

>>33167174
>>33167242
>>33167280
I like the idea of oil as a piece of travel gear and a temporary thing, but I feel them excreting oil doesn't fit with the rest of how they are.

>>33167150
Which dragons are you talking about? The carbons? Noble gas-equivalents? I don't remember seeing that anywhere, but I haven't read all the entries yet.

That aside though, yeah, avoiding GODMODE.exe was what I was aiming for with the restrictions that more powerful spells need bigger runes. It means that there's a limit to the largest rune a dragon can "carry" on his person. Humanoid wizards would probably be further limited, since a dragon scale is probably larger than his book's pages, super-duper sized volumes aside. That upper tier of magic is still theoretically accessible, but it's made much less practical by the fact that you have to carve a large and complex symbol into the dirt or stone to cast it. A dragon might be able to cast a spell to make a big gust of wind blast people away at will, but not a huge spell that would functionally auto-win its fights.

Also, as long as I've mentioned casting at will, I suggest we use a mana pool or some equivalent if we ever try to make rules for this setting (as opposed to DnD-style Vancian "slot casting"). Flavor it as having to touch the rune and flood its lines with magic energy, which now that I think about it, replaces the need for cumbersome and unoriginal chanting (I added that so that there was something preventing you from firing multiple spells at once). The rune glows all fancy like while you do it, as it literally fills with magic energy for the spell.

>>33167398
Yeah, I purposely added that just to have it on record for anyone coming in new, without seeing the old threads, since AKAIK it hasn't come up in this one yet. I don't feel a need to specifically spell out x3 though, it makes the scale-shedding process feel... I don't know, less natural. Like, in the sense of it seeming like a heavy-handed injection of a mechanical rule in setting fluff. Or maybe I'm just crazy and you should ignore my nitpicking..

>>33167537
I like the mana pool idea for rules on the setting. The size idea is interesting, and that could allow D&D reality bending, but the runes for it are so large it is generally impractical and very easy to counter. So then common magic still doesn't have that property, but it's not entirely impossible.

>>33167537
I like the idea of having them touch and focus on the rune. Maybe touching more than one at once results in BOOM. The absolute largest a rune could be... I'd say the largest scales on the largest dragons (Lead maybe?) wouldn't be more than 24" across. Gives plenty of room for impressive effects but definitely limited ones.

The mana pool is a good idea, it meshes well with an idea from earlier, the idea of dead runic's scales being cost-free spells was tossed around. Just give them time to recharge. This would make them ridiculously valuable in the setting.

>>33167635
well, naturally scales and hairs and feathers do have a very set lifespan, so it makes it pretty easy to set a multiplier.

>>33167677
Yep, that's the idea I was aiming for. It means big, powerful spells can still exist as plot devices: a necromancer could cast a spell to throw the world into darkness and turn all life as we know it into mindless zombie slaves, but it would require months of preparation and be disruptable by some timely-arriving heroes. The primary limits on magic, this way, would be 1) you have to know the right rune through either learning it or creating it yourself, 2) you must have it drawn/carved somewhere, which may induce spatial limitations, and 3) you need enough mana to fill in the lines of the rune, which prevents a novice spellcaster from being able to cast a huge spell he happened to find the rune for.

>>33167795
>Maybe touching more than one at once results in BOOM
or, to change what I just said, maybe touching multiple runes is possible, but they all fill up at a fraction of the speed, making it practically useless in a fight. Heck, some spells could even depend on needing multiple runes

>>33167537
The really dense metallic dragons, like Osmiums and Iridiums, and Tungstens, were loosely implied to be perhaps the longest lived metallics, if not immortal.

>>33167874
that's partially because they're so damned hard to kill. Carbons are just as long lived, once they change to diamond

>>33167841
How about they fill at the appropriate division so 2 go half as fast, 3 go one third and so on. So multiple small and quick spells could be combined for interesting effects. For the boom idea maybe one could overload a rune by accident by not understanding the proper amount of mana it needs or simply by not paying attention.

>>33167919
yes, that's what I was trying to say

capcha: calculation terstau

>>33167919
The idea of powerful spell runes being combinations of smaller runes (probably with certain variations from their normal form so that they are "recognized" as one collective spell) does the nice thing of explaining why creating runes for new spells would be possible yet still complex and time-consuming.

>>33167991
For story and world building reasons it could allow you to add new spells as well as making spell research a lucrative business.

File: calligraphy.jpg (122 KB, 555x893)

122 KB JPG

>>33167991
I'm suddenly reminded of arabic calligraphy

yes, that's writing

>>33168111
In that case why not make the spell runes a large alphabet of sorts, with modifier lines, dots, and curves that change the effect, and more powerful spells could actually be words or sentences from the alphabet as well as just bigger runes. This alphabet would be written from the center so that size and space would still be the main concern.

>>33168186
and the more powerful a rune, the more safeties are required so you don't accidentally fry yourself with the back blast from that fireball, which in turn requires more space. So the most powerful and useful runes are the ones that consist of a sentence or two, describing the exact effect you want without blowing out all the windows on the street. But each rune takes a little more mana to fill, even if it's just small ones.

>>33168107
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a lucrative business- I think wizards are suppose to be somewhat uncommon among dragons and humanoids alike in this setting. Not unheard of, but not so present that you have your blue-collar wizards heading in to the office on the 9-to-5 to work designing new spells at Magic Bucket HQ. I see the designing of spells to be something more practiced individually by lone wizards who need something particular, and it probably takes anywhere from weeks to years to do depending on the skill level of the wizard and the complexity of the spell. The final product, most likely, would be jealously guarded. Some wizards might refuse to share it with others, especially in the case of dragon wizards, since Runic dragons seem to have a thing going on about not wanting to let other spellcasters take short-cuts in their learning.

Antimony dragon- While many dragons have a relation to fire, few are closer to it than the Antimony dragons.

Antimony dragons are lithe, highly refractive and silver in color, although the area around their eyes darkens as they age. This gives them a very striking appearance.

Unusually for Metallic dragons, Antimony dragons are highly flammable, burning quite easily. Indeed, their breath weapon is spitting steel-gray metal nodules that explode on impact.

However, they are equally adept at putting out fires, as their wings are coated in fire-retardant white powder, allowing them to rapidly put out fires by flapping their wings.

Antimony dragons are obsessed with fire, frequently seeking to control it and prevent it from damaging anything.

Crossbreeds of Lead and Antimony dragons are much more durable than either form, and possess the ability to spit nodules like their Antimony parents. However, the nodules are non-explosive and instead travel at much higher speeds.

>>33168296
What I meant was that it's so difficult that the few who do research and create new spells can make their hermit living from it due to the extreme rarity of such knowledge especially new ones. Many may want to keep their research guarded, but those who don't stand to gain much from it.

>>33168355
In fact those who do sell their research may be frowned upon and shunned by their kind for such actions.

>>33168371
why? seen as weird, yes, but shunned is a bit strong

>>33168400
I thought we've established that most wizards prefer everyone to earn their power through hard work, and circumventing that system might make them upset.

>>33168432
but you have to work to build up the reserves in order to use the more powerful spells. Someone who doesn't work hard on their own will never amount to much. So, some wizards might choose to sell a rune pattern to another wizard of equal or better strength.

They might even have Tiers which have to do with how many 'letters' you can fill at once

>>33168432
I think that's actually something mostly unique to Runic dragons, rather than all wizards. Since all wizards stand to benefit when one of their fellows publicly shares his new spell, they wouldn't be bothered by it, although they would think he's weird for choosing to share, because certainly they would never do so in his place.

Even Runic dragons wouldn't turn their nose at a free spell. It's just that, on the other hand, they wouldn't offer spells to others, because that would be like cheating. Willing to do it themselves, but not to help others do it- that sounds like a wizard dragon to me.

>>33168504
That's actually a better idea than shunning. So tiered wizards probably should be based on both their mana pool size and their speed with which they can use their mana.

>>33168580
I was thinking they'd have a standard number of basic runes per Tier, like, each one makes a little glowy ball, and your tier is based on how many you can make work at once. A wizard activates as many as they can at the same time, within a certain time limit, and that determines what their ranking is.

A "All other things equal, how many can you fill." kind of test

I'm thinking 100 standard-sized runes is the max limit, since a 'standard size' would produce enough force to knock a man over.

>>33168690
probably should have said that by 'standard size' I meant 'about 1"x1" '

>>33168690
>>33168719
I feel like speed should be measured less by the number of runes, but more by how much mana they can push out in a given time frame. I don't like the idea of basing off runes because they don't really seem to have a standard size and they can get absolutely massive.

Here's an important question. Is magic available to anyone who has the time and smarts for it? That is, anyone can do magic if they learn and practice it. Or, are only a few people born with having mana, and if you aren't one of those people, no amount of time looking through musty tomes and drawing symbols will help you ever cast a spell?

My preference is the first of the two.

>>33168830
I like the first option, but I do think that some would have more of an affinity for it than others.

>>33168765
well, that's just it, those runes take a certain amount to activate, and will always take the same amount to activate, which gives a kind of metric for everything else to be measured with. There would be 'standard size' which is small enough to be practical while being large enough to add in modifiers if you wanted, then there'd be 'miniature' and 'large' categories. The categories would be somewhat fluid by necessity, but technical fields need some jargon so they can be clear enough to understand each other.

Maybe it should be based on speed though, "Can you fill 10 in two seconds?' or something

>>33168866
beat me to it

>>33168893
Maybe they have runes that don't do anything other than just measure the speed with which they are filled with many and that's how tiers are determined.

>>33168765
Agreed. If we have in-setting tiers that wizards rank themselves against, let's not make it quiet such a formal system with standardized tests. This setting doesn't quite feel right for having lots of arcane schools and organized wizard councils that decide these things. A wizard's tier could be defined by a combination of the amount of mana he has available to him plus the size of his repertoire of spells. You can know all the spells and still be a shitty wizard if you don't have enough mana to cast any of them. You might have the biggest mana pool ever, but it's useless to you without knowledge of the appropriate runes. You need both to be a good wizard.

>>33168936
yeah, little glowy balls that hover, nice and simple

>>33168942
I guess I get a bit carried away with specifics, but it would be nice to have some kind of system in place so that novices aren't putting on a fake beard and grabbing uber-powerful spells.

>>33168942
I think you're right about the schools. Since it's an actual language, fluency in it is the requirement for skill and its something applies to all the magic. Rank should b a combination of mana pool size, mana expendature rate, and mastery of the language should be the determining factors.

>>33168936
>>33168942
>>33168974
>>33169042

It's probably better not to codify everything too rigorously. You'll drive yourselves mad, and sett off autisms all over the place if the math or the tiers or whatever aren't perfectly self-consistent.

Also, the Runics are *part* of the setting, not the main focus, so don't feel like you need to make a huge fuss over them.

>>33169113
but magic is so much fun to play with!

Are there stats for these dragons?

>>33169171
nope

>>33169042
Keep in mind that there are still things stopping a novice from doing that. Access to the rune itself, for starters, as any uber-powerful spell runes will be something hard to uncover and learn. You can't just peek at someone else's spellbook or scales and then scribble the spell down later, it's a very intricate and precise symbol where being even a tenth of an inch of with a single line will make the rune non-functional. On top of that, building up your mana reserves to be large enough to cast a spell with an elaborate and complicated rune takes a lot of time spent... doing whatever weird, magical exercises wizards do in their down time to increase their mana pool. Deep breathing and meditating or something.

Of course, that's not to say there can't still be use in designations. We could still have a legal system in place around magic where you need to be certified and authorized as a Tier Whatever wizard in order to legally cast your Tier Whatever spells. It would make sense, as no one wants to see a wizard's spell backfire because he doesn't know how to do it right, except for maybe the guy he's fighting.

File: 82 lead.jpg (135 KB, 937x616)

135 KB JPG

updated the winglet to be in a less weird place

>>33165488
Please do. If I have to do all of these myself it'll never get finished.

>>33169191
Then I have no interest in this project.

>>33169171
For now, no. It's more important to establish the setting before trying to stat out 90+ different dragons, their possible alloys, and any possible runic elements on top of THAT.

There's no way 4chan has the patience to hash all that out here, it'll only get in the way of describing the setting, and both things will get done halfway, rather than the basics getting done right.

>>33169222
Which do you intend to do next?

>>33169234
oh come on, you can GIVE them the stats, just let us get the majority of the elements described first

>>33169237
I want to use the plutonium dragon and some others, but there is no stats.

This makes me even less interested in fleshing out anything. I can type up whatever bullshit I want about the setting, I need to be able to use the dragons in my own campaign.

>>33169171
Not yet, but you can get started now.

>>33169222
Very nice. This looks really good.

>>33169234
Bummer. We're not trying to stat out dozens of dragons right now. Have fun elsewhere.

>>33169257
So make up your own stats in your own house, on your own time. No one's stopping you from doing that, but we're not going to drop everything and do your work for you either, bro.

We can stat up whatever bullshit we want about the dragons whenever, to paraphrase you.

>>33169257
These things take time. We just started a few days ago, and its easier to get descriptions down of everything before we start doing stats and balancing.

>>33169257
Stats don't just show up from the Ether, asshole. You have to have good descriptions of the creatures before you know what numbers to use to represent them.

A Balor isn't just a collection of numbers, it's a demon, represented by numbers.

>>33169257
>even less interested in fleshing out anything
>implying we were waiting on you to make this all happen

Good thing we didn't need you, someone who didn't want to contribute, in the first place, then, isnt it?

>>33169222
That looks much better

>>33162816
I can't stop picturing the horror that would be a francium dragon, a chlorine trifluoride dragon or a polonium dragon.

>>33169365
yeah... Cl mating with an F would be a nightmare come to life

>>33169365
Actually, the Francium dragon's been drawn already. It's not quite as dramatic as people assumed it would be, but it's actually pretty nicely subdued, yet menacing.

Chlorine Trifluoride's not going to happen, we're not doing chemical compound dragons.

Polonium dragon is still open for art. And description, for that matter.

>hur durrr join our hug box, we're making up cool edgy backstories for made up element dragons

>mendelian genetics, rune dragons, setting setting setting

>NO STATS. FUCK YOU GO AWAY!! THAT'S ACTUALLY HARD TO DO!

>>33169113
Fair enough. Let's switch the subject to some other part of the setting for now. How about we talk about the world itself? Reading a lot of the stories and lore entries so far, I've been getting the impression of a big world that's mostly wildernesses, with an abundant number of small but scattered villages separated from each others by the dangers of the natural world. These villages are mostly isolated from each other, so there's not a lot of technological development here. For the same reason, there aren't really nations in the normal sense, but there are large metropolises that are hubs for intellectuals, trade, and civilization as a whole. The wilderness is dangerous, and a small village can survive by going unnoticed, but the large predators (dragons being at the top of a very tall food chain) stop the development of many of these metropolises.

Basically, you've got lots of small, isolated villages, fewer huge and advanced (maybe even magitech) metropolis cities, and a whole lotta very dangerous wilderness separating them all. Dragons can survive in that wilderness, but a random human? Not so easily. Therefore, intercity travel is usually only done in groups, where it's possible to defend yourselves.

What about allotropic breeds of dragon?

eg graphite, diamond, coal etc

>>33169393
So if a Fluorine dragon fucks a chlorine dragon, what happens?

>>33169415
We can do stats after. Lets get most of the dragons done first, then we can make a basic statline and adjust it as necessary.

>>33169430
Sounds alright to me.

>>33169415
Any fuckwad can throw numbers around. IT takes effort to link them to any sort of backstory.

Take the hint, go live your life somewhere else, or better yet, make some stats and prove us wrong. You wanna talk about effort? Go put some in, you crybaby.

>>33169415
>hurr durr I WANT IT NOW GIMMIE

>>33169443
>We can do stats after. Lets get most of the dragons done first, then we can make a basic statline and adjust it as necessary.

>>33169448
>Any fuckwad can throw numbers around. IT takes effort to link them to any sort of backstory.

Oh you mean like
>This dragon is reclusive!
>This dragon is fiery and can glow in the dark!

>This dragon has some clear distinctions!
>This dragons very rare!

>>33169439
Those are pretty much all incorporated into the body or the life cycle of the Carbons already.

>>33169443
I know the metallics form alloys, but we haven't really addressed crossbreeding between gaseous dragons, because that's closer to chemical bonding than a mixing of metals. It is an open question, though.

>>33169439
there are either breeds or lifestages for those

Carbon starts out as coal, turns to graphite, then diamond
Selenium starts out brick red, then turns black
Phosphorus has several varieties

>>33169466
What the hell do you even care? You want homebrew, go make your own homebrew. Quit demanding that other people stop what they're doing to satisfy your personal desires.

I don't give a shit if a dragon only has 5 words to its description, I'm sure as fuck not making stats for it because you bitch at us.

>>33169466
But the story for each dragon directly effects the stats; we can't start that until we have the dragons done and we've decided the CR standard for this world or even the system we'll use.

>>33169466
>changing the subject
>attacking percieved quality of an incomplete setting
>still bitching he didn't get what he wanted

Gentlemen, I present to you, the sadly common Entitled Autist elemental human.

>>33169415
>MUH NUMBERS
>MUH ROLLPLAY

Anybody have any requests for which one to draw next?

>>33169516
>muh awesome unique setting
>muh dragons

>>33169415
This is where the thread is going to devolve into flames and swearing, with the efforts of development falling wayside. If we all let it, anyway. Just keep working on stuff, people. Don't take the bait.

File: don't feed.jpg (67 KB, 450x337)

67 KB JPG

>>33169537
I want to see the Mercury dragon...

>>33169537
Mercury's always an interesting one. I wouldn't mind seeing Iodine either, personally.

>>33169537
Chlorine or Mercury.

>>33169542
QQ more bro.

>hugbox
>awesome unique setting
>muh whatever

Jimmies rustled much?

Like we give a rat's ass. None of this is true in any way.

>>33169581
well, except the chemistry

>>33169598
True. We did make chemical dragons. I will admit to this.

>>33169609
I keep thinking that this setting would be fantastic for anyone who's a chem major

>>33169633
Well, it may not surprise you to learn that I actually do have a degree in chemistry, which is why I joined in on these threads. It's been really fun.

>>33169467
On the subject of considerations for one class of dragons and not the other, we have decided how blood works for fluid dragons, but not for metallic or crystal dragons.

I do think that crossbreeding between fluid dragons would be like chemical bonds, and the ability to eat another and combine so to speak would be more limited with the differences showing in the fluid.

Original guy here bitching about stats.
I don't know who the second guy that came in was, but it wasn't me. I'm sorry. I just wanted to use the dragons in a setting and look at them in their various ages, but realized I wouldn't be able to.

>>33169633
>>33169659
I'm also going into chemical engineering as a major so I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

>>33169659
>>33169709
Good.

I keep picturing a highschooler grabbing some dice and a rulebook, saying "But I AM studying!'

>>33169633
Even if you aren't it's still pretty rad.
pun intended

>>33169659
>>33169709
Hmmmm, I'm trying to write the Polonium dragon. Any suggestions beyond "really fucking unstable" and "really radioactive" to make it more sciency?

>>33169706
If you say so, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I suspect you're just backpedaling from your own bad logic, but it's water under the bridge, as there's no way to know.

>>33169684
Fluid crossbreeds would be more permanent than metallic alloys, as it represents chemical bonding rather than mixing.

I propose that for fluidic crossbreeds, you cannot eat them to gain their abilities, since they're too tightly interwoven within themselves. I further propose that fluidic crossbreeds be unilaterally sterile, but more powerful than your average alloy, taking on more notable distinguishing characteristics.

So long as we don't try to write up every combination of gases and what not, I'm fine with it.

>>33169777
Polonium is used for antistatic devices, so perhaps it has electrical dampening powers. We already have several dragons that produce electricity to some degree, having a dragon that counters them might be appropriate.

>>33169796
Make them mythologocial creatures and it should be fine.

Agreed about them lasting longer but being sterile and you can't eat them to gain their properties.

>>33169777
It's used in watches to make them glow, so the dragon could be bioluminescent. and it's used as an antistatic so it could negate the electric breaths of other dragons.

>>33169777
they're much more stable than francium though, halflife is 103y for the most stable isotope, francium's best is 22 MINUTES

>>33169850
This is an important point to remember for the Radiant dragons. Franciums, probably the shortest lived Radiants that anyone in this setting is ever going to actually see, still live for about a year.

Nothing needs to be in exact ratios to this lower limit, of course, but Polonium dragons probably have a lifespan of 100-200 years or so, I'd guess.

>>33169777
They're really good at flying (wikipedia says "[polonium] has the ability to become airborne with ease", apparently because it's so radioactive it causes itself to evaporate, neat.).
They could also have their blood used as powerful poison by assassins maybe?

>>33169901
Most of the heavier metal element dragons are poisonous to some degree or another, it's not really necessary to mention for every entry.

>>33169814
I like this idea.

>>33169822
I disagree about the mythological status, extremely rare, yes, but is it really so hard to see an oxygen and a nitrogen getting it on?

Have a list of very common compounds that use just the two elements in question, then roll some dice to see which compound they produce. Simple.

I do agree with them being sterile though, god that would be a headache

>>33169796
I'm not backpedaling. Someone came in and was typing in all caps and going berserk, that was not me.

>>33169922
But polonium was used for assassinations in the real world, I don't recall other elements being used in that way.

>>33169684
>On the subject of considerations for one class of dragons and not the other, we have decided how blood works for fluid dragons, but not for metallic or crystal dragons.
I propose that they have blood like any other creature, but with high levels of whatever element

>>33169980
if you've got references, use 'em, that's half the fun

>>33169980
Polonium is also known to glow blue from ionizing the air around itself. Their breath weapon would likely have a blue glow as well.

added this to the rules

*Fluids cannot eat each other to make compounds because their blood evaporates once outside their bodies, leaving no element for the other dragon to absorb.
*Fluids can crossbreed, but the hybrids are universally sterile.

>>33169822
there was an explicit reference in the Xenons that Fluorines would flock to them

The nickname for the Polonium dragon is "the walking wasteland" and it fits them admirably. Like many of the heavier metallic dragons, Polonium dragons have a field of invisible heat but there's burns hotter then the rest; so hot that no Polonium can form a den that doesn't become a smoking crater after only a short rest.

But, this is not the cause of their nickname. There is some quality of Polonium dragons, some sickness in their blood which seems to leech out and effect all things around them. Plants wither and rot, animals are born still-born or horribly deformed and humans go mad and die in horrible pain when in close contact with Polonium dragons or lands they have stayed in for longer then a week. This forces them to follow a nomadic lifestyle, something that becomes more difficult the older they get as the powerful wings they are born with find it harder and harder to lift their increasingly dense body.

Polonium dragons tend to have a great variety from dragon to dragon. Some remain excellent flyers throughout their lives, some prove so toxic that even a day ruins their environment. Some are softer then others, some are harder. Some burn with a bright, intense azure which obscures the yellow-black serrations of their hides while others only release a deceptively soft blue glow.

They have no breath weapon; it isn't needed. The fire that constantly licks across their body burns so hot that only the toughest of magics, armour and dragons can resist it for long. The greatest arsenal in their collection however is their touch. Some kind of toxin exists on their teeth and claws that will kill the second it pierces any organisms outer layer; there has been no record of any creature surviving a wound from a Polonium dragon.

(cont.)

>>33170327
>They have no breath weapon; it isn't needed.
dropped

>>33170327
I like this, I like this very much

>>33170356
you mean you didn't want that or that it didn't get included in the first post?
it did get included, it's at the start of paragraph 4

>>33170327
For these reasons, the killing of a Polonium dragon is an act that would one to the realm of the richest and most renowned of heroes. Their body materials are prized for being able to undergo the hottest of temperatures and highest of voltage (much to the chagrin of silvers, golds and other dragons that rely on electricity for their breath weapons).

The constant, instinctive need to travel and feed to keep their bodies constantly working means these 40 foot monsters have little time for cerebral matters. This, plus the inability of Polonium dragons to interact with most other creatures, results in them being almost as dumb as common lizards due to their constant isolation.

It is only with other Polonium dragons or fluorine dragons that they get a chance to interact with intelligent beings. These encounters are often cataclysmic, intense and brief as most environments simple aren't sustainable with one incredibly destructive dragon charging through it, never mind two. It is fortunate for the Polonium dragons then that they are very, very long lived and thus, aren't unlikely to become extinct despite their rare interactions and rarer offspring; their courtships have never been observed, with only the aftermath of multiple craters scorched with blue fire hinting at what may occur.

>>33170572
do you mind if I PR this a bit before posting it?

>>33170356
It would be silly to make them ridiculously hot, poisonous AND able to shoot out beams of pure blue death. I hopefully mitigated this by making them constantly burn with blue fire or glow blue.

Critques/adjustments welcome. I hope I did a good job.

>>33170604
God no. Chop and change it all you want.

>>33170608
you did good. It's just one of those elements that happens to be one of those that you want to stay far FAR away from and you did a good job conveying that

>>33170644
It seems to be made of pure, unadulterated "Fuck-you".

Oh, also, if the time spans are unrealistic, any person is free to adjust them.

>>33170720
how about 'centuries' then? shorter than the completely stable elements, about as long as most other radiants

>>33170739
Centuries for what? And sure.

>>33170778
they live for centuries

>>33170795
Groovy.

>>33169430
If the wilderness is so dangerous, it would make sense that the only big cities that could form are the ones able to magically protect their borders. Since we've established that large-scale magic is difficult but not impossible, having a giant protective rune-spell carved around the city limits would necessitate having one or more powerful wizard that can sustain the rune. You'd probably end up with a small class of magically-inclined people working it, which fits in well with what people were saying earlier about organized magic institutions.

The thing about having metropolis cities that are protected by a magic rune circle though is that they can't easily expand outside that area. Vertically, though? I think it's cool to imagine this big wasteland where dangerous predators force you to stay on guard all the time, and then in the far distance, over the rocky hills and crevasses, you see this literally towering city, with spires reaching up to the clouds, the whole thing tinted slightly greenish by the cylindrical force field that surrounds it. The problem is that there's no way for farms to fit, but perhaps they have specialized runes for food production. The small villages, lacking the well-trained wizards of the cities, would still be dependent on traditional farming and hunting for food.

>>33170944
Cities that forge alliances with powerful dragons also can maintain a position of strength and independence as well.

>>33170849
added it, let me know if I changed too much

>>33171003
Is good. I just had to edit it myself a little to better reflect the actual effects of Polonium poisoning.

>>33170944
Should all people be able to do magic in this setting or can only particular people do the ruins? If its the former, people might actually cluster together not only for the standard reasons but also so they can try to perform larger scale, more beneficial magic.

Vertical expansion both up and down would be a cool idea; due to dragons generally flying about, I wouldn't be surprised if you saw lots of people living under ground.

>>33171194
see >>33168830
there were 3 votes for the first option and none for the second

>>33171194
Yeah, a couple people (including me) were talking about the question of whether or not magic is something all people can potentially do, and the agreement seemed to be that everyone has the ability to do magic with the appropriate studying and practice, though some people may be better suited (particularly smart, or with an unusually large amount of mana) to it.

Also, yeah, I agree about building down. I hadn't thought about it before, but it would almost certainly happen, especially in dwarven cities.

>>33171225
Coolio; then it makes sense for larger cities to not only be powerful for economic reasons, but magical ones.

I could imagine, despite the dangers of the environment, you'd get people willing to brave it to try and reach greater pockets of civilisation.

Maybe there'd be a pressure to have kids to increase the population as well?

>>33171286
In the relative safety of a city, I'd say there probably isn't pressure to have a lot of kids. The outside world probably does have a high pressure to increase population due to the high mortality rate as well as the ability of a larger group to overcome challenges.

File: trLr6.jpg (101 KB, 960x639)

101 KB JPG

Not sure if the drawguy is still here, but I have a request if he or anyone else is interested.

I'd like a drawing of a group of warriors, guardians, or whatnot protecting a Boron Dragon. Similar to pic related.

>>33171286
>>33171343
Well, we know from the writefriending that small towns exist all over the place, and there ARE nations big enough to forge empires without much evident allegiance to dragons.

We also can infer that quite a lot of nomads exist, particularly in the desert regions. Given how many dragon species are confined primarily to hot Sahara-like regions, and cold, dry tundra regions, it feels like deserts cover a good portion of this world.

>>33171286
Big metropolises like that would probably be centers of trade, exchanging goods that are not as easily produced with magic. Runes can be used to make simple things, like bland food paste and raw materials, but finished products and real food would require far, far more complex runes to create from thin air that their access is limited to the particularly rich. That way, we don't completely destroy the economy of the world. The network of trade and economy would probably include the metropolis cities, dragons, and large organizations that advance their own agendas outside the cities (taming the wilds, much?). The small villages have nothing much worth trading, no magic to protect themselves with, no reason to draw in people from other places, and thus don't have much of an economic presence. They just get by on hunting and farming. Most of these villages would be more or less stuck as they are, with no opportunity for development unless it happens to be sitting on some kind of resource like a mine or is in a convenient place for people to want to travel through. It's kind of neat because this way you could operate a low magic or a high magic game in this setting, depending on which you prefer.

>>33171561
A world where the majority of the surface is land rather than water sounds good too. The idea for having lots of tiny villages with a smaller number of large metropolis cities seems to be picking up some steam, and have a lot of land allows them to be spaced out from each other by the dangerous wildernesses that people have been talking about. Kinda reminds me of the Wilds in Bastion. I don't think we'd have nations so much as loosely affiliated cities that are politically aligned, though, on accounts of the large stretches of untamed wilderness between them.

>>33171701
Well, emperor alessandro's nation might be one of the most successful human realms, perhaps. the way it was written, it certainly sounded like something built off of the will of one man, not something well established.

There would also be "empires" in the same way the Imperium claims vast areas of space, yet only controls isolated planets. It's easy to say you "own" a hundred thousand acres of desert, but do you REALLY control it? Harder to say. It might just be a very pretentious city.

what dragon needs drawing the most?

>>33172725
I don't think there's any most, but I feel that oxygen, neon, aluminum, or potassium would be interesting.

>>33172725
Polonium or Chlorine.

We've got a lot of the setting done, and we've confirmed that the races are the D&D standard, but we actually need t confirm which races are in it and what city types they live in.

Also where is the guy who updates 1d4chan? We need to add the magic and city decisions.

>>33173518
kobolds, specifically mentioned in the Cobalt entry

>>33173518
I was waiting until things were nailed down enough that we all agreed on it, otherwise I'd be changing things constantly

>>33173647
Do you have them at least recorded somewhere?

>>33173617
So we have confirmation of humans, dwarves, orcs and kobolds. Should we add elves, and beyond that who else?

>>33173647
yep, the thread is archived

>>33173750
Good deal. Do you have any thoughts on the magic, cities or races so far?

>>33173770
I"m tempted to add some kind of desert creature, lizardfolk or something, and maybe polarbear-things in the arctic

>>33173518
It seems that based on the stories, humans mostly live in the desert (both cold and hot, there are eskimo type people who follow Nitrogen dragons around), and the grasslands/plains, mostly.

Orcs probably inhabit all the climates, living as nomads.

We could go with Elves living in whatever wooded areas survive dragon incursions, or, we could say that they've mostly retreated to mountainsides in order to protect themselves, and have time to study things. Dragons, in particular.

Kobolds are probably highly numerous, perhaps the strongest subterranean race since they're friends with Cobalt dragons, who also strengthen their economy through glasswork partnerships.

Dwarves could be the traditional Under The Mountain style, or maybe they could be oceanic dwellers, the only ones who mastered large metal hulled ships. Long ago, Radon dragons filled the Cities Under the Mountains with choking gas, driving the survivors into a world already taken by other races, so they had to go to the only available area, the sea. They dredge the bottom for metals and farm the seas for food. Sound cool?

>>33173826
the dwarfs in submarines sounds awesome, there's actually a lot of metal down there from anaerobic processes, look up 'bog iron' for a parallel

>>33173798
Maybe there could be lizardmen in the desert, and some of the eskimo nomads in the artic are bearmen. I like both of those ideas.

>>33173826
I think plenty of forests are around. I doubt dragons actively seek to destroy them, and those that do are often aware of this and hide in isolation.

>>33173863
Well, I was meaning more along the lines of giant cruise ships/battleships, because battleships are cool as fuck and incorporate the tradition of dwarves using guns, but their mining teams, and some of their military, could totally use crude submarines as well.

File: 1403882062456.jpg (47 KB, 650x433)

47 KB JPG

>>33173770
Also, I've been talking a lot and have given my input on all of those things

>>33173826
Why not have 2 factio nof dwarves in each of those areas?

>>33173891
who says they have to be crude? Dwarves are masters of engineering, if it were crude it wouldn't stay so for long. Also, the idea of sub-terranean/marine/errywhere dwarves is fun

>>33173924
It's ok. I'm the guy who wrote like 80% of the dragon descriptions. If there's one thing I've learned from these threads, sometimes you just gotta shove forward and make content until people start adding in their own stuff.

>>33173930
Sure, there could be some isolated dwarves fighting with kobolds, longing to return to their radiation-flooded cities of old. They'd be the ones that we'd compare to WHFB Slayers, refusing to give up on their oath, despite the risk.

And others could be mariners and submariners, having renounced their old ways over time, and building a new legacy.

>>33173988
True. They could easily be around WWI levels of technology, with a few WWII level prototypes, perhaps. No modern SSBNs though, I think.

>>33173798
Much as I like lizardfolk, let's not double up on the scaly races. How about a cactus race? Please stop imagining Cactaurs and try to take that seriously. I do agree with the idea of a desert race and an arctic race though, which in combination with humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, and kololds, I think we have enough races. Seven's a solid number and should suffice for the dominant races.

>>33173826
As for distributions, I agree with this, except for the part about elves. Mostly on account of how weird it would be for the dwarves to have abandoned their mountains for the sea and then have elves go live in the mountains. Let's keep the elves mostly in the wooded areas, although there could be a few mountain-based elvish settlements... Perhaps eve a really strange elven-dwarven coalition somewhere in the mountains?

>>33174044
Well, I meant something along the lines of the elves are on the surface of the mountains, and what few dwarves remain are camped out outside their ruined subterranean cities, hoping to reclaim them.

File: succulent1.jpg (39 KB, 306x274)

39 KB JPG

>>33174044
I didn't think of plants. (warning, horticulture major, so...potential for infodumps)
There's more than just cactuses, there's a lot of succulents that would be tremendous fun to turn into a race. pic related, yes, those are plants.

There's the showy cactuses, there's plants like mesquite that are more shrubby, there could be peyote-people...

File: neon dragon.png (238 KB, 1104x539)

238 KB PNG

>>33172846
I tried neon out

>>33174174
Interesting. The gaseous dragons don't actually glow, their breath glows the color of their ionized element. They're also described as similar to Helium dragons, which have been drawn already, so you could use that as a reference.

They'd be shorter, and stockier, and they would have wings. They might have a gas bladder or two, possibly, which might also glow.

What you've made, if you were to change the glow to a bluish-green, and bulk it up a good bit, would actually look pretty good as a Uranium, Plutonium, or Neptunium dragon, I think.

Or better even still, a Curium dragon, which would glow bluish-purple, but is so radiant, it actually would look like the full body glow you have there. It'd be pretty hefty too, in terms of physicality.

Nice job though, there's a lot to work with here.

>>33174152
Actually, though I'm not a horticulture major, I do have a pretty vested interest in plants of different sorts, but I brought up cacti as the first thing that came to mind and because most people recognize the association with deserts. I like the idea of our setting having a couple unique races instead of only standard fantasy fair, and plants are cool, so I'm definitely on-board for the idea of some kind of desert plant-people. Peyote would be the most interesting in my opinion, although I would want to caution against making psychoactive tripping TOO big of a thing with them.

>>33174306
well, like peyote here, they could be endangered, kind of like the borons

>>33174278
Not the artist, but it's a pretty sweet picture, and I'd think it'd be okay to have one glowing gaseous dragon. After all, we don't want them to get samey, and if there's one gas people think of as glow, it's neon.

>>33174353
Mmk. In that case, I'd suggest for the artist to doublecheck the description, and maybe give it more of an outline. As it stands, it looks a little... fuzzy and indistinct.

The most important thing though, is that it definitely needs to have wings. All the gaseous dragons would have them, save for possibly Radon.

>>33171453
Whoa somebody's copping a feel

>>33174345
Peyote plants are slow to grow, aren't they? It would be cool if we reflect that in the Peyoteople (note: find a better name if we actually put these in the setting) by having them have a long life span and generally slow thinking personalities for most of the year... except for when the season comes that they bear fruit, when they suddenly become a lot more active and social. Big festive dances and lots of music are common during this part of the year. Psychoactives are used at both times of the yearly "cycle": during the majority of year, during the "slow time" they use it for spirit quests and to meditate, but during the "fast time" they use it recreationally for partying.

How does that sound? In particular, I'm addressing that question to the horticulturalist, but of course, all anons are welcome to weigh in.

>>33172725
I'm doing mercury right now
>>33174152
goddamn I have given up trying to grow lithops. Killed too many of them.

>>33174448
Hortanon here, that sounds like a lot of fun. Gives a nice dichotomy between the two times, and gives the ability to change the feel of the towns based on time of year.

They're called Lithrops if that helps at all

>>33174488
Don't water them. Just don't. At all. Except once in July. And then only a little.
Sunny spot, and pretend they're made of plastic. They'll be happy.

Hey, I noticed the wiki page still references chanting as a necessary part of magic. The consensus seemed to be for replacing that with having to touch the rune and fill it with mana. I'm going to change it, but I'll make a note of the change in the section in case we later back-peddle and want to go with chanting.

>>33174353
It was foolish of me to not check the dis. first but I had the idea of making it look like a coil of neon

let me try something else

>>33174448
Aizoaceae is the genus... maybe call them Aizoa?

If two adult plutonium dragons crash into each other, do they explode?

>>33174604
Oh, whoops, was looking at the lithops' wiki, not the peyote one. Lophophora is the actual genus.

>>33174152
>peyote people

usually they act just like normal cactus people, but when they start to flower... it's best to not be around their shamans and magic-users.

>>33174711
Let's not hammer down on the drug references *too* hard, guys. LOLRANDERP lies down that road if you're too direct in your references.

what color should I do the neon dragon? helium is a nice salmon

>>33174707
The Lopho or Lophora seems like a nice name for them.

On a different note for the arctic race, wolverines, polar bears, the artic fox and caribou all seem like possibilties for a race.

>>33164770
>>33164795

I'm gonna try out drawing a radium dragon, if it hasn't been done. I'm a little inspired.

>>33174833
I"m torn between wolverine and caribou...

>>33174882
Go for it.

>>33174895
My vote is on caribou.

>>33174764
Yeah, I was the one that picks them out of the Hortanon's suggestions, and I expressed the same. It's going to be part of their culture, surely. We can't really ignore that when they're peyote, and I think a bit of humor in the idea is good, but it would be best if they're more than just druggies.

>>33174833
Can we throw them together a bit? Have some sort of big, heavy-set race that's blubbery and covered with polar bear fur, with tusks like a walrus? Just one suggestion, but the idea is that the arctic race isn't just "(animal)s, but intelligent!"

>>33174925
If the other anons like that idea for the arctic race I'll support it.

>>33174925
sabertooth polar bears?

updated rules with magic and wizards, added a little of my own about licenses

>>33175162
I like the license idea, its very fitting. My question is due to the wizards protecting cities, would they gain extra status as a result? Also would wizards be more liable to know more about dragons than others?

Are there any particular dragons that haven't been written that anyone wants me to do? If not I'll just pick a few random ones.

>>33175257
wizards are the professors I'd think, well educated and can access a lot of knowledge, but you have to ask the right individual

They certainly could gain status, it would depend on the culture of the city, if they're constantly under siege then they'd be venerated, if the area was peaceful probably not as much, unless they take up some other role besides 'defender'

>>33175310
I kind of want to do Silver myself

>>33175257
if you want to know a lot about dragons, ask the hunters, if you can find any, they propbably know the most of anyone about the local breeds

>>33175339
Then take a stab at it

>>33175377
I have about half of it done, but it's late and I don't even know why I'm still awake

>>33175315
I mentioned the idea of runes that can fabricate simple food-mush and raw materials, so that's a job for wizards. Also, keep in mind that a wizard who has been licensed to operate in one city may still be unable to legally provide his runework in another city- and the lawless wilds are of course, free game altogether.

>>33175339
Just doublecheck the description of the dragon first, and then show us what you're made of, artfriend!

>>33175502
we're talking about writing descriptions... aren't we? *cannot draw*

>>33175540
Yes, for those of you that want to draw some of these dragons, most of them have been described on the 1d4chan page already. All art people are welcome to give it a try, since there's MANY elements that would love an image, but I've just been asking people, both artists and writers, to remember to familiarize themselves with what's already been written, to encourage consistency and reduce plot holes, or requests for edits.

>>33175540
(and yeah, I got a little confused about which anon you were, exactly. my apologies.)

>>33174782
I based He off the discharge tube color, so if you wanted to go that same route, red.

File: Radium Dragon.png (974 KB, 2000x2000)

974 KB PNG

>>33175571
This probably isn't exactly as fitting as it should be for the description, but it's a place to get started, eh? Rough sketch.

>>33175805
Holy fuck, that's cool.

ok, hortanon/1d4 updater is going to sleep, if the thread's about to die archive it at suptg with a 'periodic table' tag

I'll be back in 7-9 hours

>>33175805
That picture made me shiver, no joke

>>33175805
Actually, that's pretty damn good. And like you said, it's a rough sketch. I look forward to seeing it when you have more time and can tighten up the linework, particularly around the wings.

>>33175805
I like, but demand MOAR

>>33175840
It's hella late for me, so I'll probably finish up on this and then sleep. Thanks all for the feedback.

>>33175834
We're at 270 ish replies, so i think we definitely need to go ahead and archive this.

>>33175834
>>33175963
I was thinking of writing another story, but actually, it's pretty late, so I think I'll turn in, too. Looks like the thread's going to sleep. I'll try to bring something interesting enough to compete with a radium dragon and peyoteople. Probably just end up boring people, though.

>>33176140
Aaww. Don't count yourself out so quick, bro. More than anything else, we need stories of people just doing their thing in a world where these creatures exist.

No matter how intriguing the dragons are, equally interesting are the tales of the people who have to live around them, or even have just heard of them in myths, or have never seen any at all, and only have heard of them through second or third hand info.

More tales of the nature of the world overall, the cultural, political, ecological, and geographical features, all of those are very fertile ground to expand upon.

There's a million ways that anyone can contribute. Just, as always, doublecheck what's come before, be respectful to the themes of the setting (No writing crazy ass shit that breaks every rule and runs roughshod over everyone else's writing, basically), and have fun!

>>33176212
Heh, thanks. That was mostly sarcasm, but I do appreciate the sentiment.

File: Radium Dragon.png (1.12 MB, 2000x2000)

1.12 MB PNG

Parting gift. Hopefully I cleaned it up enough to be useful. Night all.

>>33176390
Needs more cleaning. Still looks great.

When I was but a young boy living in the outer settlements I witnessed the meeting of titans in an elegant, yet brutal, display of nature.

I had been wandering in the outskirts, not quite young enough to be missed, but not old enough to be justified, when I began to hear the distant sounds of thunder.

Paying it no mind, as there were storm clouds on the horizon, I continued about my imaginary slaying of beasts and nightmares.

Upon making a killing thrust with my sword, in actuality a stick, into the heart of a bandit; I spotted movement on the nearby hill.

I stood frozen, for approaching me was one of the many beasts I had pantomimed slaying, a dragon! It was large, by account of my age and size anyway, about the size of two horses thick, and maybe three long.

I did not think to move, did not think to hide, for the dragon was moving erratically, slowly, as I would soon find out, it was wounded. As it drew nearer another shape crested the same hill, one accompanied by slow pondering thunder and ground shaking steps.

This dragon was massive, at least two dwelling tall, and three broad! It came plodding along, seemingly out for a walk, following the first dragon. Looking back at the first dragon my muscles locked with true fear as it was no more than75 meters away and coming closer, till it dropped to the ground, sprawled and heaving for breath no more than 50 meters away!

I could feel a flickering heat wash over me, varying in intensity, later in life I was informed of my luck and fortune, for the dragon was Radiant, and had it not been walked into exhaustion, I would be dead or horridly diseased from it's radiance.

As the smaller lay there heaving and gasping for breath, the behemoth drew near, still plodding along in it's slow measured step. As it came upon the felled serpent, the feeling of heat washed away as the giant simply crushed its neck and began to feast.

1/2

>>33177830

I was informed that part of my luck that day was the behemoth's species, that of a Lead Dragon, the only known consistent predator of Radiant Dragons, as they seem to simply absorb, even subdue, they're prey's radiance.

It took less than ten minutes for the Lead dragon to finish devouring the corpse, the entirety of it. After its meal, it looked down at me, and i'll swear by this walking stick, shrugged, turned about, and kept up that same plodding cadence that it had used to hunt it's prey.

Fin.

What? You want to know about this walking stick? Well yes, I've had it since I was a young boy, killed many beasts and bandits with it as a lad.

I missed thread 2 and part of thread 3. Are we still considering oxidation as an elemental analogue to undeath?

Also, I may try my hand at creating an entry or two.

Fixed up my Antimony dragons suggestion. The area around their eyes and their habitat comes from the fact that the first use of Antimony was in Kohl by the egyptians, the white powder on their wings is Antimony Trioxide, a common substance used to make objects fire-retardant, and the Lead/Antimony hybrids spitting cannonballs comes from the fact that nowadays, most bullets are a lead/antimony alloy for increased durability.
While many dragons have a relation to fire, few are closer to it than the Antimony dragons.

Antimony dragons are lithe, highly refractive and silver in color, although the area around their eyes darkens as they age. They also bear broad wings white-coated wings. Oddly, they prefer to dwell along the border between arid areas and rivers, and many have been known to acts as merchants for Alkaline dragons, bringing materials from the wetter areas they cannot go.

Unusually for Metallic dragons, Antimony dragons are highly flammable, burning quite easily. Indeed, their breath weapon is spitting steel-gray metal nodules that explode on impact. However, they are equally adept at putting out fires, as their wings are coated in fire-retardant white powder, allowing them to rapidly put out fires by flapping their wings. As a result of these two characteristics, Antimony dragons are obsessed with fire, frequently seeking to control it and prevent it from damaging anything.

Crossbreeds of Lead and Antimony dragons are much more durable than either form, and possess the ability to spit nodules like their Antimony parents. However, the nodules are non-explosive and instead travel at much higher speeds, being capable of damaging castle walls.

Hi, AntimonyAnon here.
When I was reading through some of the dragon entries, I noticed that some dragons have parts that are stated to be used as focuses by wizards. This doesn't really fit with the rune basis for magic, but then I thought of a way it does, and would like to share it.

Basically, runes might charge faster or have greater effects if they are carved or written on something related to what they do. So a Stoneskin spell would work better if carved on a stone tablet, or tough leather or hide.
This also explains why Wizard still use spell books, aside from the ability to carry large amounts of rune. Since runes are a written language, putting them on something meant to have a written language on it would offer a slight boost. Probably not enough as a specialized material, but the boost is universal so it's the default thing to put runes on.

That or sufficiently incompatible materials weaken in addition to related materials boosting, and writing surfaces have universal compatibility.

>>33181470
updateranon here
will be adding this

added and expanded rune writing materials, did a bit more formatting

Working on a story about a guy making an expedition in some jungle to a great Gold's lair
(yes, golds, AGAIN.)

>>33182751
maybe you should change your name to 'golden boy'
*snerk*

>>33179309
I don't think we touched on the subject again since the last thread, so the idea has been neither developed nor shot down.

Would it be too heavy-handed of a reference to name the months of the year in this setting after famous real-world chemists?

>>33183917
I don't think so, but how would the people logically come across those names as months. Also they would have to be chemists.

>>33184022
logically speaking, they could have been great kings of a bygone age

>>33183917
>>33184022
If we do this, we'll have to make the whole setting chemistry based.

Also, have we decided how the world is able to handle this MASSIVE variety of dragons?

>>33184382
Maybe also past slayers of very dangerous dragons. That would allow the month of Mendeleev and Mendelevium dragons to exist. The month was in honor of the slayer and the dragon species was named for the man who was able to understand and defeat them.

>>33184506
most of them eat rocks and each other, some of them eat one or the other exclusively. A few of them go after organics

>>33184550
good idea, I had a similar one two seconds after I posted

>>33184506
The world is probably huge, and the varieties do very specialized things, so the rest of the environment and fauna evolved specifically to live in such a world. Plus many of the dragons are very rare and few in number. The ones that are numerous are relatively safe to hunt compared to other dragons and are no more dangerous than the big creatures in a normal D&D setting.

>>33184506
>>33184595
Also, the ones that are really common are quite small, relatively speaking, rarely growing larger than a rhino, the largest of the largest common breeds might be the size of an indian elephant

>>33184022
>>33184382
>>33184550
So, we've got months that are named after great kings and heroes of history. That's fitting enough, some of our real months have been named in the same manner (July came from Julius Caesar, right?). Using the names of some real world chemists of importance should be okay. It seems better than just throwing letters at the board until we get something that sounds neat, anyway.

Mendeleev would be more fitting as a man who went and cataloged a lot of the different kinds of dragons in the past rather than a slayer, but either way, the month of Mendel could be named after him. Since there has been mention in the stories of the fallen Delarmien Empire which was headed by Emperor Alessandro, so that could be the source for another month. Call it... the month of Aleandy?

>>33184757
Mendeleev as draconic marco polo/darwin... nice

The Silver dragon is one of the most feared of all dragons. Called 'Hammer of the Gods', these creatures posess the strongest lightning breath of any dragon, able to cause at least some damage to any dragon save Polonium. Even Osmiums and Tungstens fear their wrath.

With their wiry bodies, they are often mistaken for lightning bolts when moving quickly, which they rarely aren't.

Highly social, they groom each other frequently to remove the tarnish that accumulates on their scales, but there is a rigid heiarchy, though it is simple enough to decipher, the shinier their scales, the farther up the ladder they are. Lower ranking members have duller scales, and the lowest develop spots of black.There are lone Silvers but they are easily spotted, for they are entirely black.

Be wary, however, of lone individuals with bright outlines around the edges of their scales. These are caused by the scales rubbing against each other, and any dragon who possesses them is a fearsome fighter, for it takes intense physical activity for scales to remove tarnish through friction alone.

The lightning breath of a Silver can blast apart stone wall twenty yards thick with ease and can cause permanent blindness if viewed directly. They themselves are immune to other dragons' lightning, though the breath of another Silver can harm them. They are susceptible to heat if it is applied for long enough, but their scales diffuse it easily between themselves so melting a hole in one is a fool's errand.

Their scales are somewhat harder than a Gold's, but less so than a Copper, so they rely heavily on speed as their defense. Few creatures are as fast as they, and none of those that can catch them can match them in a fight. If you find yourself facing one, the best strategy is to trap them so their speed advantage is nullified.
>cont

>>33185002
The scales of a Silver are highly valued by alchemists for creating daguerreotype plates, high-quality mirrors and lenses and as a catalyst for producing compounds from other dragons' scales. The medically-minded alchemists count silver tinctures (nitrates) among their bread and butter items.

Silver scale and bone are used in the highest quality musical instruments, producing a mellow sound that can only be equaled by alloys produced by a few master alchemists, but they guard their formulas closely and do not share them.

>>33184898
Well, considering Dmitri Mendeleev is the man typically accredited as the creator of the first iteration of the Periodic Table of Elements, it seems apt that a reference to him in this setting would be a man who cataloged dragons in the past. I don't want to dive too deep into the reference though, so let's just keep it as that. Mendeleev was a dracologist from ancient times that did a lot of (vaguely defined) research and was one of the first people to differentiate between certain breeds of dragons which were previously all thought to be the same. After all, with so many of the dragons looking similar at a passing glance, they were probably assumed to be the same species in much of early history. Sound good?

>>33185027
excellent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardnesses_of_the_elements_%28data_page%29

this will be very useful once we get around to generating stats

>>33185002
>>33185022
Good work, that's pretty cool. I'm glad you remembered that Silvers have already been established as the most electrified of dragons- it's been referenced in multiple other entries, and your entry does well in expanding on that.

Does anyone care to do some more work on the arctic people we were talking about yesterday? One of either caribou people or saber-toothed bear people seemed to be the popular idea for the race. There's the peyoteople living in the desert too, but the horticulture major is apparently going to work on that later.

>>33186229
the horticulture major is entirely new to worldbuilding and the related games and doesn't know what they're doing and would greatly appreciate any input from more experienced people

Also, does anyone know where 1d4chan went? I'm just getting 404s

>>33186515
Well, okay, that's easy enough to do. Extra opinions are always good to have when making something new, anyway. So, these guys... We were calling them the Lophora? We already decided that for most of the year these guys are pretty inactive, the exception being whenever they collectively bare fruit and they turn into partiers. That's what we have to work with so far. We've also already decided that they typically use drugs for trances and meditation, so culturally speaking it's probably seen as a way to commune with the spirits or something. Maybe the time of the year when they start growing fruit has some significance to that, like it's when they believe the spirits are more active or something?

Maybe the fruit is what they use to make all psychoactives for the coming year, so when the harvest comes, they party it up because they see it as a gift that shows the spirits still favor the Lophora enough to give them a means to communicate and seek aid from them.

Hortanon, is there anything else interesting about the plant that we can make part of the culture? Blend some traits from different plants a little if you have to, because we need to give the race more depth than just drugs.

Palladium dragons, like the Irons and Tins, are one of the more industrious dragons. However, they are focused on Alchemy instead of more physical crafts.

Palladum dragons are highly reflective, with their flat octagonal scales as bright as mirrors. They possess a crest of spikes on the back of their head, and, like most of the denser metallic dragons, are incapable of flight. However, unlike most flightless dragons who possess atrophied wings, Palladium dragons' wings have instead transformed into a pair of dextrous hands and arms.

While lacking a breath weapon and one of the less durable metallic dragons, Palladium dragons are notable for their ability to create and hasten alchemical processes near them. This makes them highly valued for any work involving alchemy. Their ability to induce alchemical processes in living beings also makes them deadly foes should they manage to get close to their opponent.

Palladium dragons are notable for being one of the few metallic dragons capable of alloying with a fluid dragon via consumption, in their case Hydrogen dragons. This is due to the fact that they will actually absorb pieces of Hydrogen dragons on contact, as opposed to having to consume them conventionally. The result grants them large amounts of energy, and Palladium dragons have been known to go without sleep for days after consuming a Hydrogen dragon.

Nearly all Palladium dragons possess some degree of alchemical knowledge, and many are devoted alchemists, capable of large amounts of research and innovation due to their long lives.

>>33186943
I was envisioning the party atmosphere to be something spanish-festival-flavored, maybe with a little egyptian-arabic thrown in.

As for the time of year, always go with during or just after the rainy season for fruit, so that would tie in nicely with being 'in the spirits' good graces'.'

Peyote blend in well with the rocks, making them very hard to see, so they'd be colored and textured so that unless they're standing or moving they look like rocks.
They wouldn't wear many clothes either, because then they couldn't photosynthesize well.
Water would be like salt for them, essential, but too much is a very very bad thing. (cacti split open or rot when they get too much water)
The fruit being the source of their psychoactives is a good idea... ok
lifecycle: flowering about a month before fruiting > fruiting, separate the seeds, do whatever with the pulp > plant the seeds > can go two ways here, make them short lived with a high germination rate, or longer lived with a lower germination rate > kids are basically shrubby lumps, kept in a special garden in the middle of the settlement, they're sapient but immobile > coming of age is when the leaves start to fall off and they grow branches that turn into legs/arms

More will be in next thread, this one's about to die

>>33187291
Sounds good so far. If they look like rocks when standing still, that would couple in nicely with their behavior during the non-fruiting part of the year. Just meditating quietly in the desert, contemplating philosophical questions and taking in the sunlight. If camouflage is one of the main ways they keep safe, it's no wonder they would have adopted a quiet and slow lifestyle. With that in mind, I think long-lived with low germination rate is the way to go.

made a new thread since we're about 4 from the bottom
>>33187512