Difference between revisions of "Age of Dragons: Hunter Dragons"

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(Physical Appearance)
(Society and Culture)
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Organisations.
 
Organisations.
  
In the Alliance.
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In the Alliance - Talons of Open Sky.
  
 
In the Ascendancy.  
 
In the Ascendancy.  

Revision as of 09:54, 19 May 2008

Age Of Dragons: Main Page -> The Twelve Breeds -> Hunter Dragons


Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw

Dragons are animals. It is a truth that the other breeds often deny or choose to forget, but to the Hunter Dragons, it is a truth that is self-evident. They are aware that nature is a pyramid of predator and prey and they see that as Dragons, their place is at the head of the food chain.

Many other breeds often assume that because Hunters live as animals, they know no better, and that they lack the wit to adopt civilised ways. The Hunters know better - they have seen civilisation and they know that it makes dragons weak. They have seen the land poisoned and warped by those who espouse "progress" and they know that their way is better. Hunter Dragons point out that you only have to look at the blunt stubby claws and shortened teeth of the other breeds to recognise that their weak ways are doing them harm.

Hunters believe in survival of the fittest, and in living in the old ways. On the one hand, their ways can seem cruel - they will kill stunted and disfigured young, and they will leave the sick and crippled to fend for themselves. On the other hand, no-one can deny that the Hunters have a vibrancy of soul and a strength of form that few others can match.

"This is nature," they say, "red in tooth and claw. Hunt or be hunted."

Character Creation: Game Rules

Sphere Ratings

  • Soma 5
  • Sophis 3
  • Pneuma 4


Birthrights

Mark of the Predator - The claws and teeth of the Hunter Dragon are a good thirty to fifty percent longer than those of weaker "ordinary" dragons, and are far sharper as well. Any unarmed claw or bite attack made by a Hunter Dragon has a -1 TN to the damage roll.

Thickened bone plates - The scales of the Hunter Dragon are hardier and thicker than those of other breeds, and are far sharper as well. Any resist damage check made by a Hunter Dragon is at -1 TN.

Tracker's Nose - Hunter Dragons are (unsurprisingly) skilled at hunting, thanks to their enhanced sense of smell. Any rolls which involve their sense of smell are at -2 TN - this includes tracking and hunting their prey.

Breed Weakness

Contempt of Civilisation - Hunter Dragons do not receive any Lifepath Resources relating to possessions or to civilised society. They cannot read or write, and they have little understanding of the use of even the simplest technologies. They may not use weapons, wear armour or don clothing of any sort. They cannot adopt any Lifepaths which involve the trappings of civilisation (such as Scholar-Sage or Warmaster).

A Hunter Dragon who wishes to integrate himself into society can do so, simply by adopting one of the forbidden lifepaths as noted above. Doing so removes the "Contempt of Civilisation" flaw and replaces it with the "Disconnection" flaw below.

Disconnection - A Hunter Dragon who embraces civilisation loses touch with the essence of his breed. His soul starts to wither, and his body soon follows suit. Every 5D6 years years he has this flaw he permanently loses 1 point of Pneuma, Sophis and Soma. When Sophis hits zero, he goes insane. When either Pneuma or Soma reaches zero, he dies. Once a Hunter has begun the process of disconnection there is no going back...

Physical Appearance

Hunter Dragons are called "bronze-scaled", but the majority of their scales are earthy-brown and non metallic, with only the armoured back-plates having any metallic shine. There is great variation in hue with Hunter Dragons, with males tending towards darker scales, and females towards lighter scales. On close examination their scales are decorated with spirals and whorls, like those found on petrified wood or the shells of beetles. The most distinctive feature of Hunters, however, is their "ferality". To other breeds, the Hunters are primitive and bestial looking, with longer horns, teeth and talons than other dragons, deep set black eyes, predator facies and quill-like spines running in rows across limbs and back. Even their voices are snarling and animalistic. Other dragons respond to Hunters in the same way that a human might respond to a neolithic caveman - they find their appearance primitive, and a little frightening.

Society and Culture

Domain.

Attitudes.

Organisations.

In the Alliance - Talons of Open Sky.

In the Ascendancy.

Lifepaths and the Pure Dragons

Usually Beast Unbound

Also Redtooth Berserker and Animist Adept

Sometimes Far-Sky Ranger.

Outlook

Tooth and Claw, Hunter from the Tribe, tells it like it is:

  • Pure Dragons - ".."
  • Argent Dragons - ".."
  • Solar Dragons - ".."
  • Forest Dragons - ".."
  • Storm Dragons - ".."
  • Ashen Dragons - ".."
  • Velvet Dragons - ".."
  • Chimerical Dragons - ".."
  • Ghost Dragons - ".."
  • Blood Dragons - ".."
  • Sable Dragons - ".."