The cool monsters are my favorite part of the Dungeons & Dragons game, and I always look forward to the release of each new Monster Manual. They’re never disappointing, offering a wide selection of mythology-inspired beasts, Lovecraftian aberrations and various other things that could probably be best described as “WTF!” Monster Manual 3 is no exception to the tradition of D&D monster awesomeness.
With it being Dragon Week here at Suvudu, I thought I’d introduce you to some of the new dragons that will likely be nom-nom-nomming your player characters in future adventures, should your DM have already purchased a copy.
You may already consider running into any sort of dragon to be a catastrophic event, but that’s because you’ve never met a Catastrophic Dragon. They come in three distinct flavors, Blizzard, Earthquake and Volcanic, and as they say down in my neck of the woods, “Ain’t none of ‘em nice.” According to the flavor text accompanying their entry, both Chromatic and Metallic dragons consider them abominations. They mostly make their homes in the Elemental Chaos, and some of them are tough enough to level entire astral domains. The Catastrophe Dragons are allied with the ancient Primordials, and would like nothing more than to unleash these forces once again upon creation.
Blizzard Dragons are creatures of ice and snow. They band together with allies like frost giants, frost titans, winter wolves and winterclaw owlbears, and use their powers to sculpt entire glaciers into palatial lairs. They enjoy triggering avalanches and sharp icicles down upon adventurer’s heads, and that’s just for starters. They can blast opponents with icy winds that damage, blind and restrain. Ancient Blizzard Dragons have a power called Deep Freeze. It’s exactly what you think. Who’s up for Elf-sicles?
In contrast to Blizzard Dragons, Earthquake Dragons are loners. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they’re pretty much tough enough on their own to level your average party. They level entire cities and then leisurely stalk the ruins, hunting survivors for food and sport. They consider gemstones especially delicious, so they’ll probably nosh on any treasure they find as well. As you probably guessed, Earthquake Dragons use the powers of the earth against their enemies. They can trigger earthquakes, causing hapless adventurers to lose their footing and possibly their lives in the process. They can also bite and paralyze anyone that gets too close. Even if an adventurer manages to close in on the Earthquake Dragon, they might not be able to penetrate its armor. Even a Wyrmling has an AC of 20. So, uh, good luck there, St. George.
Volcanic Dragons are – well – complete and total b*st*rds. It doesn’t say that in the description, but seeing that they’re described as “foul-tempered, cruel, hateful and ambitions,” I’d say my characterization is a fair one. They pal around with demons and fire giants, and they hate the world and everything that lives in it. Blizzard Dragons and Earthquake Dragons are clumsy in the air. Not so for Volcanic Dragons. They’re fast and agile, and their preferred combat tactic is to swoop in and transform the battlefield into a hellscape of volcanoes and fissures full of boiling lava. They emit noxious fumes (hey, maybe my dog is a Volcanic Dragon) that poison nearby enemies, and can blast anyone left standing with waves of fire. Better be quick on your feet if you’re planning on fighting a Volcanic Dragon: the ground you’re standing on may become a rift full of lava the next.
So what’s your best tactic for surviving an attack from a Catastrophic Dragon? Have a Druid or other spellcaster with elemental magic on standby. Try not to let it get too close. Maybe your melee fighters should run interference while your ranged fighters launch attacks from a distance. If none of this works, RUN!
