Age Of Dragons: Hatchery Overview

Age Of Dragons: Main Page -> Age Of Dragons: Hatchery Overview

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Overview of Character Generation

The character generation process is as follows:

• 1. Assign Attributes
• 2. Select Draconic Breed
• 3. Determine Age
• 4. Select Lifepaths, and Lifepath Milestones
• 5. List Trained and Expert skills.
• 6. Consolidate Character Concept, History and Relationships

Assign Attributes

There are three Attributes used in Age of Dragons:

Soma is "body" - the clay from which a dragon's physical body is formed. Those with strong soma are brutally powerful, resilient and physically adept. They tend to be more agile when on the wing, and can achieve greater feats of strength and endurance.

A Dragon's Soma attribute sets the dice pool for any tasks relating to pure physical prowess.

Sophis is "mind" - the intellect and will that governs and guides the Dragon. A strong sophis indicates keen intelligence, good memory, strong logic and great force of will. Dragons with well-developed sophis are not easily dissuaded from their chosen course, and are more adept at intellectual pursuits of all sorts.

A Dragon's Sophis attribute sets the dice pool for any tasks relating to mental strength or mental agility.

Pneuma is "breath" - the mystical force which the Mother Goddess animated the first Dragons, and the living energy that accounts for all movement and change in the world, be it the burning of a candle, the flow of a river, or the flight of a dragon.

A Dragon's Pneuma attribute sets the dice pool for any tasks which relate to social charm, using magic, artistic creativity, environmental awareness or acting with grace and fluidity. Essentially any task that doesn't easily fit under the auspices of Soma or Sophis can be handled using Pneuma.

One of your Attributes is rated at "3", another at "4" and the last at "5". The following six combinations are possible - pick one that best represents your dragon's strengths and weaknesses:

• Soma 3, Sophis 4, Pneuma 5.
• Soma 3, Sophis 5, Pneuma 4.
• Soma 4, Sophis 3, Pneuma 5.
• Soma 4, Sophis 5, Pneuma 3.
• Soma 5, Sophis 3, Pneuma 4.
• Soma 5, Sophis 4, Pneuma 3.

Be aware that even in your weakest attribute, you will still have far beyond human capabilities. For example, and average human soldier only has Soma 1, Sophis 1 and Pneuma 1, and even a mighty human wizard with a lifetime of arcane study and training will only have Soma 1, Sophis 1 and Pneuma 2. Dragons are powerful in mind, body and presence, potent in magic, and generally superior to mere mortals.

Select Draconic Breed

In the default Age of Dragons setting there are twelve Dragon Breeds to select from:

• Pure Dragons are white-scaled, and believe themselves to be the most blessed children of the Mother Goddess, and with the most divine blood. They are filled with holy purpose and grace, and are greater in faith and purity of purpose than any others.
• Argent Dragons are silver-scaled, militaristic and hierarchical. They are strong advocates of the rule of law, and strongly dislike disobedience and anarchy. They consider themselves to be the noblest and most disciplined of all dragons.
• Solar Dragons are gold-scaled, and are dedicated to the precepts of harmony and prosperity through peace. They enjoy resolving conflicts through peaceful means, and have the most skilled ambassadors of dragonkind in their number. Despite this, they are not afraid to defend themselves and their allies, and have many skilled warriors in their number.
• Hunter Dragons are bronze-scaled, feral and barbaric. They prefer an older, more-primal way of life and have nothing but disdain for the civilised fops of the more cerebral breeds. Instinct and the way of the predator rule their culture and behaviour.
• Forest Dragons are green-scaled, spiritualist and insular. They have humility enough to recognise that dragons are merely one facet of the world's complex web of life, and pride enough to accept responsibility as life's guardians and masters.
• Storm Dragons are blue-scaled, and for the most part dwell beneath the horizon in the depths of the ocean. Their lifestyle makes them seem alien and enigmatic to other breeds, as their aquatic realm is a mystery to skybound dragons.
• Ashen Dragons are dark grey-scaled, haughty and imperialistic. They consider themselves to be better-bred, more intelligent and superior to all other breeds, and take pride in standing alone and apart from Dragonkind.
• Velvet Dragons are purple-scaled, and are the most beautiful and sensuous of all dragons. They are renowned for their ability to seduce and persuade, but also have a reputation as masters of lies.
• Chimerical Dragons are rainbow-scaled, ephemeral and enigmatic. They are the Dragons of Dream, and have a complexity of agenda and motivation that is positively labyrinthine. Others respect their mystical wisdom, but often see them as lacking in solidity and greater significance.
• Ghost Dragons are pale grey-scaled, and are well known as master scholars, but are often seen as eerie and unsettling by other breeds. Their numbers have been decimated by the Ascendancy, and the breed has been reduced to little more than enclaves of scattered survivors and refugees.
• Blood Dragons are red-scaled, and dedicated to the perfection of war and slaughter. Their bloodlust and aggression is second to none, and their dragonbreath burns as hot as their fiery tempers. They live to kill, and would rather destroy than create, and all fear them.
• Sable Dragons are black-scaled, and are recognised as being ambitious, intellectual, magically potent and strong leaders. They have a certain darkness in their soul, however, and it is a rare Sable who does not have a touch of immorality and spite within him.

You can select any one of the Draconic Breedsfor your dragon, but players should be aware of several caveats:

• The default assumption is that player characters are with the Alliance, and certain breeds are better represented in this faction. However, this is not an absolute limitation, and dragons of all breeds can be found in all factions. The occasional Sable Dragon has found his way to the Alliance, just as heretical Pure Dragons sometimes ally with the Ascendancy.
• Under the official metaplot, certain breeds have very dark destinies. Every Breed will face certain unique trials and tribulations, but the most dramatic upheavals are reserved for the Ashen, Chimerical and Ghost breeds. Players who choose these options should be aware that the future may take them and their breeds in unexpected directions.

Before you select your Breed, it is advisable to refer to the following page: The Twelve Breeds

Determine Age

The default assumption for the game is that the players are depicting dragons that are fairly young, but out of childhood. Players can either agree a certain age with the GM for their characters, or determine their ages randomly. It is suggested that you use the random method - though the difference in age can result in some disparity in initial power, sooner or later every player character will die, and have to be replaced by another, and every player will gain the roleplaying experience of playing a weaker or stronger dragon at different times.

• To determine age randomly, roll three six sided dice, total the scores, multiply the result by ten, and add fifty. This will give you an age in years between 80 years and 230 years.

Older dragons tend to have stronger attributes, and will of course have greater life experiences to draw upon. Thanks to the "Birthing Sickness", dragons who have had offspring will have weaker attributes. This is covered in more detail on a separate page, but the effects can be summarised as follows:

• At 250, 500 and 750 years of age, add +1 to each of the dragon's attributes.
• For every child that the Dragon has had, deduct -1 from the Dragon's Pneuma attribute.
• At 1000 years of age, deduct -1 from the dragon's Pneuma attribute, and continue to do so each 50 years thereafter.

Note that dragons of course grow stronger with age gradually, and that the attribute increases at 250, 500 and 750 years are loose representations of growing power over time, rather than sudden acceleration in growth. GMs seeking more complexity may want to split the +1 bonuses to Soma, Pneuma and Sophis across nine separate steps rather than three steps, with an increase every 85 years instead. This is purely at the GM's discretion, and not recommended by this game's designer.

Likewise, there are additional complexities to the Birthing Sickness. See the section on Legacies for more details.

Select Lifepaths and Lifepath Milestones

Assign the years of your Dragon's life to one or more Lifepaths. The full list of Lifepaths can be found here: Lifepaths

The first fifty years of your dragon's life must be assigned to the Young Dragon Lifepath, and beyond this first 50 years, you cannot remain on or return to the Young Dragon Lifepath. Beyond this you are free to select any Lifepaths you choose. A few special Lifepaths have entry prerequisites that you must fulfil before pursuing this Lifepath. Finally, no Lifepath can be pursued for less than 10 years at a time.

List your Lifepaths chronologically on the character sheet. For example, if your Dragon is 160 years old, your timeline to date may appear as follows:

• Birth to 50 years (50 years total): Young Dragon
• 50 years to 112 years (62 years total): War Dragon
• 112 years to 160 years (48 years total): Farsky Ranger

Those of you who have read the Basic Rules already will recall that the magic number is 50 years - for lifepaths you have taken in the past, you need to have spent at least 50 years total to retain skills as Trained, and for a lifepath that you are currently on, you need to have spent 50 years total on it before you are considered Expert in its skills.

New players who are making their first characters might therefore want to consider putting at least 50 years in past Lifepaths, so as to get maximum advantage from them. More experienced players may want to play around with the different options to suit their character concepts and long term plans.

You then need to select your Lifepath Milestones, which determine what specific talents you have picked up on your Lifepaths. Refer to the individual pages for each Lifepath for lists of Milestones available. You can "spend" your years learning whichever Milestones you choose from that Lifepath's list, meeting any prerequisite requirements as needed. For example, if you were a War Dragon for 30 years, you might select three Milestones that each took ten years to achieve. If you can't use up the years in a Lifepath exactly don't worry - unspent years can be "banked" for now, and spent when you return to that Lifepath. For example, if you were a War Dragon for 30 years, but only want to buy 8 years worth of War Dragon Milestones, then 22 years are banked, and can be put aside for when you later return to the War Dragon lifepath, and used to offset the cost of one or more later War Dragon Milestones.

You can't gain Milestones from a Lifepath while you're not on that Lifepath, even if you have "banked" years. For example, if you have 22 years of "banked" War Dragon experience, and you are currently a Farsky Ranger, then you can't spend those banked years until you return to the War Dragon path.

List Trained and Expert Skills

Those that have followed a Lifepath find skills associated with it come more naturally to them.

Each of the Lifepaths has a list of skills and tasks associated with that career choice, listed under "Lifepath Skills".

• If you are currently on a given Lifepath, and have been on that Lifepath for at least 50 years, then you are considered to be Expert in its Lifepath Skills, for as long as you remain on that Lifepath.

• If you are not currently on a given Lifepath, but have previously been on it for at least 50 years, then you are considered to be Trained in its Lifepath Skills, and will remain so for the rest of your life.

• If you are currently on a given Lifepath, and have been on that Lifepath for less than 50 years, then you are considered to be Trained of its Lifepath Skills, for as long as you remain on that Lifepath, or till you have spent 50 years or more on it.

• If you are not currently on a given Lifepath, and have never been on that Lifepath, or have spent less than 50 years in total on that Lifepath before leaving it, then you are considered to be Untrained in its Lifepath Skills.

Note that all Dragons spend the first 50 years of their life as Neonate Dragons, so have the advantage of remaining Trained in all the skills of this Lifepath for the rest of their lives. Naturally they cannot ever return to that Lifepath once they leave it.

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