Age Of Dragons: Hatchery Overview

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IN PROCESS OF RE-WRITING, SORRY FOR INCONSISTENCIES!

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


Overview of Character Generation


The character generation process is as follows, broadly divided into three steps (Core Framework, Tiered Attributes, Advantages, Characterisation):

CORE FRAMEWORK:

  • Framework: Select Draconic Breed
  • Framework: Determine Age and Experience Level
  • Framework: Select Lifepath, or Lifepaths

TIERED ATTRIBUTES:

  • First Tier Attributes: Select Spheres
  • Second Tier Attributes: Choose Variances (optional)
  • Third Tier Attributes: Assign Specialisations (optional)

ADVANTAGES: (optional)

  • Advantages: Choose and record Lifepath Milestones
  • Advantages: Choose and record Lifepath Resources

CHARACTERISATION: (optional)

  • Name Your Dragon
  • Aesthetic Detailing
  • Create History
  • Establish Character Relationships
  • Set Agenda
  • Consolidate Character




Core Framework

Tiered Attributes

Advantages

Characterisation

--- below this line all info to be changed

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.

An 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.


Determine Derived Stats


A dragon has the following additional stats:


  • Life Points equal to twice his Soma.
  • Mind Points equal to twice his Sophis.
  • Magic Points equal to twice his Pneuma.


These are depeleted by expenditure or by different sorts of damage.

They can be restored by resting or by magical healing.

A dragon can rest once per 24 hours, and needs at least 6 hours of rest to gain any benefit. Resting restores Life points equal to his Soma rating, Mind points equal to his Sophis rating, and Magic points equal to his Pneuma rating.

Mortals, such as humans and the like, are slower to recover and instead heal only after 1 week of rest.


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 Breeds for 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 Chapter on the Twelve Dragon 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. On the other hand, thanks to a phenomenon known as the "Birthing Sickness", dragons who have had offspring will tend to be weaker than other dragons of a similar age. 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 the dragon's Soma, Pneuma and Sophis.
  • For every egg that the Dragon has been parent to (either as mother or father), 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.
See the section on Legacies for more details on the Birthing Sickness.


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: Link to Lifepaths

The first fifty years of your dragon's life must be assigned to the Neonate Dragon Lifepath, and beyond this first 50 years, you cannot remain on or return to the Neonate Dragon Lifepath.

Beyond this you are generally free to select any Lifepaths you choose.

A few special Lifepaths have entry prerequisites that you must fulfil before pursuing this Lifepath, which are normally story-related goals.

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): Neonate Dragon
  • 50 years to 112 years (62 years total): Warmaster
  • 112 years to 160 years (48 years total): Farsky Ranger

New players should aim to have their characters spend at least 50 years on a single lifepath before changing to a new one. Lifepaths pursued for less than 50 years tend to offer little mechanical benefit in-game, so it is best to optimise characters with longer periods.

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 dragon's 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 Warmaster 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 if and when you return to that Lifepath.

For example, if you were a Warmaster for 30 years, but only want to buy 8 years worth of Warmaster Milestones, then 22 years are banked, and can be put aside for when you later return to the Warmaster lifepath.

However, 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" Warmaster experience, and you are currently a Farsky Ranger, then you can't spend those banked years until you return to the Warmaster 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 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 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 Lifepath, and have been on that Lifepath for less than 50 years, then you are considered to be Trained of its Lifepath Skills.


  • If you are not currently on a given Lifepath, and have never been on that Lifepath, then you are considered to be Untrained in its Lifepath Skills.


  • If you are not currently on a given Lifepath, and have have spent less than 50 years in total on that Lifepath during your lifetime 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 the Neonate Dragon Lifepath for the rest of their lives. Naturally they cannot ever return to that Lifepath once they leave it.

Many skills appear on several different lifepath lists. In this case, Dragons gaint he highest level of training applicable. For example, the skill Tooth and Claw appears on both the Neonate Dragon lifepath and the Warmaster lifepath. A character that is currently a Warmaster, and has been for 80 years (having previously been a Neonate Dragon for 50 years) treats Tooth and Claw as an Expert skill. On the other hand, a character that is currently a Warmaster, and has been for only 25 years (having previously been a Neonate Dragon for 50 years) treats Tooth and Claw as only a Trained skill.


Create Name, Consolidate Characterisation, History and Relationships

The Age of Dragons game is about creating the stories of your dragons as they grow and age, and charting how they interact and react as history unfolds around them. Its not 100% necessary to have a complex backstory, but its worth thinking about your character a little, so as to enrich your roleplaying experience.

Names

The language of dragons is called Ess^rag-hhai, though is often simply called "Draconic" by mortals. It is a language of considerable complexity and nuance, and to the human ear can vary between simple growls and roars to musical hums, intonations and clicks. Body language is part of the language, and a word can change meaning altogether if roared or whispered, according to its context, and whether it is at the start, middle or end of a breath. Certain words also have different meanings according to the breed, age and gender of the speaker, or even according to their current and past Lifepaths. A harmless comment can be revealed to be a grave insult when a dragon discovers more about the speaker's past.

Draconic names are always in this language, though as the human tongue has trouble with this, we use their translations for the purpose of this game.

A dragon name typically has many meanings, but one primary meaning, and when humans use their translated names they tend to go with this primary meaning. For example, an ancient Hunter Dragon goes by the name Predator-Claw, but to other dragons the collection of syllables and intonations that make up this name can also mean "king of the hunt" and "taker of lives", and when spoken in the context of his tribal name, there are also subtle notes indicating his purity of purpose and his enmity to the Ashen breed.

The pages on the individual breeds give more suggestions as to the naming traditions of each breed.

Characterisation

First, consider your dragon's personality. To a mere mortal, dragons might seem pretty similar to each other - they all seem wise but haughty, powerfully intelligent and brilliantly charismatic. To a human, every dragon is fearsome and monstrous.

To dragons, of course, all humans seem pretty similar. They're all short-lived and rash, and prone to a sense of over self-importance.All are fairly brutish when it comes to social nuance, and all are fairly dim-witted, and all are suitably cowed by even the slightest intimidation.

Consider instead what your dragon seems like to other dragons, and consider how his personality compares to his peers. Is he a walking paragon of his Breed's ideals, or is he a loose cannon who has little in common with his family save the colour of his scales? How does he view the world around him? What motivates him?

A good way to approach this as a group is for the GM to create some situations, and for the players to say how their dragon would react. Some examples might include:

  • The Obstacle - A Dragon will often encounter obstacles to his goals, for example if he wants an artifact, but it is in the hands of another dragon. How does he approach obstacles in general?
  • Dealing with Defeat - Life never goes perfectly for any dragon. How does your dragon react to setbacks and defeats?
  • Dealing with Victory - When your dragon gets what he wants, how does he react? What thoughts and feelings go through his head?
  • Social Attitudes - How does your Dragon view his friends and allies? What of his enemies? How does he interact with strangers?

History

Your Lifepaths and Milestones give you a timeline of your dragon's life till now, but this isn't the sum of his history. Its worth putting flesh on the skeleton that the timeline provides. Sure, you were a Scholar-Sage, but were you a lonely hoarder of lore who studied in the deep desert, or a sociable White Archivist in the Kalarni libraries?

As well as fleshing out the timeline, players may want to create an event or two from their past, which may be personal or tied into the setting's history. These should tell us a little about the character, give something to roleplay off, or provide plot hooks for GMs. Events might be anything from small moments important to the Dragon himself, to grand melodrama. Ambitious player groups may want to roleplay out these memories, either during the prologue to character creation, or during in-game flashback sequences. Some examples to spur your imagination:

  • You killed your father after you discovered that you were the product of rape.
  • You were presented with a carved stone tablet by your mentor, as a reward for years of scholarship and study.
  • You were in a battle once, but held back from full melee because of a knot of fear in your gut.
  • You had a sister once, but she went over to the Ascendancy twelve years ago and now you consider her to be dead to you.

Relationships

Your character might have a backstory stretching across ten pages, but if you don't relate to the other players then you're writing a novel rather than roleplaying.

Consider the other player characters and the back-stories they have made. Can you link your story to theirs? Even if you barely know them, can you say how your dragon views them?

Creating binding ties between player characters is extremely important. The power and mobility of the player characters means that it is very easy for a solo dragon player characters to move away from the others, so that he is effectively playing in his own little story away fromt he others. This makes for very hard work for the GM, but forcing characters to stay together unnaturally can strain disbelief ("uh, you all meet in a tavern... a draconic tavern"), so its the players' responsibility to give their characters reasons to interact.

That's not to say it all needs to be hugs and sweetness - a century long rivalry, or an unrequited love relationship works just as well as comradeship and perfect friendship. As with everything else in your character's background, his relationships are there to provide material for roleplaying and storytelling.