In just about every
D&D game, at some point there's going to be a dead dragon.
Whether that dragon has slain dozens of PCs in a particularly-lethal
old-school game or barely got to start its villainous monologue
before being unceremoniously slaughtered, it's going to happen.
Usually, the
aftermath is pretty simple for the PCs. They write down the vast
amount of XP they've gotten for slaying the dragon, and then spend
the next half-hour or so divvying up the loot from the dragon's
hoard/bed. But sometimes that's not quite enough. A lot of dragon
slayers want to make it very clear that they've been out slaying
dragons. What better way to show off your dragon slaying skills than
by using the dead beast's own body as your armor, weapons, and magic
items? After all, gold can come from anywhere, but dragonscale plate
armor can only come from a dead dragon.
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That guy can get a lot of loot out of the dragon. Source |
Naturally, only
particularly skilled craftsmen can make these artifacts. Sometimes, a
mage is also needed to add the necessary enchantments. Using a
dragon's scales, bones, or blood might be a quest in and of itself;
PCs are rarely fortunate enough to find someone of the necessary
skills in their hometown or near their stronghold, after all.
Dragon slayers
taking advantage of artifacts made of a dragon's flesh or bones must
be wary, however. Other dragons may take offense to one of their kin
being made into armor or weapons and retaliate against the PCs.
NOTE: I'm using the
dragons from ACKS for this, which I'm adapting over to Swords &
Wizardry White Box. The exact nature of dragons in my games will be
another blog post. These items can be used in pretty much any
retroclone or old-school D&D game with a bit of tweaking. Also, a
lot of this is intended to inspire GMs, which is why most of the
stats are vague.
Dragonbone Armor
Heavy armor, such as
plate, can be crafted of a dragon's bones rather than steel. Such
armor grants protection from the dragon's breath weapon or similar
effects. Dragonbone armor reduces damage from the dragon's associated
breath weapon type by half. For example, dragonbone armor made from
the bones of a red dragon cuts fire damage in half, while armor made
from a green dragon protects against damage from poison.
Plate armor and
shields are the most common types of armor to be crafted of
dragonbone. Dragonbone armor is not inherently magical, though it may
be enchanted.
Dragonscale Armor
Lighter armors, like
leather or hide, may be made of dragonscale leather, much like how
plate may be made of dragonbone. Similarly, dragonscale has the same
effect as dragonbone, granting the wearer resistance against effects
like the particular dragon's breath weapon.
Like dragonbone
armor, dragonscale armor is not necessarily magical, but may be
enchanted.
Dragonbone Weapon
Depending on the
size of the slain dragon, its bones may be utilized to create
weapons. A shoulder blade can easily be carved to be an axe blade,
while the strong leg bones are commonly used for staves or maces.
Dragonbone weapons
always deal +1 damage over an equivalent weapon made of normal
materials. They are not inherently magical, but they are frequently
enchanted.
Dragonfang Dagger
Dragonfang daggers
are, naturally enough, carved from the teeth of dragons. These
daggers act as +1 daggers and, in addition, deal double damage to
dragons and draconic creatures. These daggers are frequently
enchanted to deal extra damage of the dragon's breath weapon type.
Dragon Blood
Though typically
used in potions, dragon blood has a more dangerous use known only to
the most dedicated of scholars and those most dedicated to power. A
series of infusions of dragon blood, taken over a period of several
weeks, can bestow great draconic power. The infused begins to take on
certain draconic qualities – wings, a breath weapon, and scales
among them.
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Most people would be afraid of this. Adventurers see only loot. Source |
A person infused
with the blood begins to grow scales. By the end of the first week,
the scales are hard and bulky enough to provide -2 [+2] AC. A week
after that, the scales provide -4 [+4] AC and are bulky enough to
prevent the wearing of armor.
The second infusion
grants the use of a breath weapon matching the type of the dragon
whose blood is being used. The breath weapon deals 1d6 damage per Hit
Die of the newly-draconic creature and half-damage on a successful
saving throw.
The third and final
infusion causes wings to sprout from the person's back, further
impeding the use of armor or similar coverings. The person can use
those wings to fly at their normal movement rate. If the person falls
unconscious while in flight, the wings automatically stiffen and turn
to induce a circular glide down to the ground – safer than falling,
but still uncontrolled.
The blood must
come from a single dragon – dead or alive – and the creature must
make a successful saving throw vs. death for each infusion. The
infusions should be given two weeks apart – any faster and death
will shortly follow, as the recipient's body breaks down under the
strain of transformation. A creature infused with dragon blood cannot
be infused with the blood of another type of dragon; mixing the blood
causes horrific transformations and, in most cases, death.
Dragon Breath Wand
A dragon breath wand
is crafted of dragonbone and adorned with gems. The length of a
human's forearm, a dragon breath wand is thick, almost more akin to a
mace's haft than a wizard's wand. These wands give a mage the power
to cast a spell that acts as the breath of a dragon.
Each dragon breath
wand is crafted with fifty charges. Once the last charge is used, the
wand loses its enchantment and may not be enchanted again. The wand
may not expend more than three charges per day. Each charge grants
the user one use of the breath weapon of the dragon the wand was
crafted from. The older the dragon, the more powerful the breath. The
breath of a hatchling, for example, is far less dangerous – and far
less valuable – than that of a thousand year old great wyrm.
Dragonwing Cape
Though the most
famous dragons are ancient and massive, even dragons are not truly
eternal. Their young hatch from eggs and, depending on the variety of
dragon, are between the size of humans and halflings at hatching. If
such a young dragon is slain, their wings may be crafted into a cape
of sorts and enchanted. Such capes, when the command word is spoken,
can return to a semblance of life, bonding to the wearer and
bestowing the gift of flight.
For up to ten
minutes per day, the wearer of a dragonwing cape can fly at up to
double their normal movement rate. However, heavily-encumbered
wearers may not be able to fly. If the time runs out while the wearer
is flying, the wearer's player should consult the relevant rules on
fall damage.
Dragon Steel
As a dragon ages,
its scales become more lustrous and deeply colored. The oldest
dragons appear to be scaled entirely in colored gemstones, due to
their scales' great age. These scales, harvested upon a dragon's
death, can be melted down and mixed with steel, alongside their more
mundane use as armor or jewelry.
This dragon steel
becomes tinted with the color of the scales and takes on arcane
properties. Though named dragon steel, the metal is as soft as gold
and is unsuitable for use in armor or weapons. Dragon steel is thus
highly sought after by mages of all kinds. Rings, wands, arcane rods,
even necklaces – these can all be made of dragon steel.
Spells cast through
rods or wands that deal the same type of damage as the original
dragon's breath weapon do 50% more damage. Necklaces or rings of
resistance that resist the dragon's breath weapon type cause the
caster to take half-damage from attacks of that type.
Specific Items
Onyxfang
This vicious dagger
was crafted by an ancient order of mages after they came together to
slay Onyx, a great black wyrm. The mages, dark and devious, crafted
four of these blades. Three were lost to history and are thought to
be lost, while the fourth has passed from owner to owner over the
ages. A favored weapon of assassins and dark paladins, Onyxfang must
be carried in a special black scabbard due to its acidic nature.
Crafted from a
massive dragon tooth, Onyxfang is a curved short sword. The tooth
blade is stained greenish-black and the hilt is inset with a black
gem on both sides. On a successful hit, Onyxfang releases acid into
the victim, doing an extra 2d6 damage. Onyxfang is a +2 short sword.
The Sapphire Shield
The Sapphire Shield
was once wielded by an elven warrior named Illithia, who defeated the
blue dragon Delastrix and crafted this shield from the dragon's bone
and scale. Though Illithia fell in battle several years after, the
shield was passed on through her knightly order. Over a hundred years
ago, the Sapphire Shield was lost in battle after its wielder was
captured and later killed by ogres.
The Sapphire Shield
is made of dragonbone and wrapped in shiny, sapphire-like scales,
hence its name. The shield grants its user immunity to lightning and
the ability to reflect lightning-based attacks at others (standard
ranged attack roll, damage equal to original attack or spell).
Winter's Bane
A two-handed
battleaxe with a single blade, Winter's Bane has a blade carved from
the shoulder blade of an unknown red dragon. The blade is the color
of ivory and the haft is steel carved in the shape of vertebra. The
head of a dragon is carved into the top of the axe, with the blade
extending from beneath the head. The phrase “Flame conquers all”
is inscribed in the Draconic tongue on the blade.
Winter's Bane was
originally crafted by a group of lizardfolk enslaved by a relatively
young red dragon. Stealing into his lair while he slept after
devouring a party of adventurers, the lizardfolk slew him while he
was still weak from the battle. After, they crafted Winter's Bane,
giving it to their greatest champions to free those clans of
lizardfolk still in thrall to other dragons. They found that the
axe's flames worked best against the white dragons in the southern
ice plains and gave it the name Winter's Bane.
Winter's Bane is a
+3 battleaxe. At the wielder's command, Winter's Bane bursts into
flames. These flames do not harm the axe or the wielder, but deal an
extra 2d6 damage to whatever the axe strikes. In addition, Winter's
Bane deals double damage (both fire damage and regular damage) to
white dragons and their kin.