If you’re playing in or running aDungeons & Dragonscampaign, it’s only natural that Dragons are expected to show up in the story. They are part of the game’s name, after all, and their might has made them some of the most fearsome enemies the TTRPG has to offer.
When the time has come to run your own Dragon, you definitely want to do justice to all the stories that are told about them. Yet many DMs fall into the trap of turning Dragons into mindless animals when they’re just as intelligent as any humanoid, if not even more so.
1Generate Build-Up Toward The Dragon
Create Hype For The Fight
No matter the size of the Dragon you’re planning to add to your campaign, the impact it has on the surrounding area needs to be felt. Farms are burned to the ground, noble houses are torn asunder; Dragons leave their mark wherever they go, especially in settlements around their lair.
If your Dragon is particularly devious or sneaky, you can still have an impact without it being obvious. Dragons still need to feed, and stealing from farmers is too easy to pass up; this gives the party something to investigate, making the inevitable Dragon discovery all the better.
2Make The First Fight Memorable
Dragons Are Rarely Beaten In One Go
A Dragon should be a spectacle of a fight and a fearsome adversary. They don’t have to be the main antagonist of your whole campaign, but they shouldn’t be used as the monster of the week, meaning that more than one fight against the same Dragon is expected.
This introduction also serves as a warning to players, letting them get prepared if they decide to hunt the Dragon down. you may have the party witness the Dragon stealing a whole caravan or be attacked by the flying creature while on a boat; the main takeaway is the elemental dangers the Dragon possesses and its ability to fly.
3Tempt Your Players With The Dragon’s Hoard
More Than Simple Riches Await Them
There are usually three reasons players venture into dungeons: for justice, for glory, or for greed. While plenty of monsters can cover the first two items, Dragons are experts at luring adventurers due to their impressive treasure hoards, containing all kinds of jewels and magical items.
Yet Dragon Hoards aren’t exclusively about wealth since the Dragon might be in possession of something the party sorely needs. The point is that the party needs substantial motivation to go and face a fearsome Dragon, and hoards are a great way to do so.
4Use Dragons That Shapeshift
Don’t Make The Ability Exclusive To The Metallic Ones
The most common Dragons that players face off against are the Chromatic kind since they’re usually depicted as Evil. As such, rarely, if ever, do Dragons shapeshift into humanoid forms since that ability tends to be tied to Metallic Dragons, but you’re missing a lot of potential roleplay by keeping that limitation.
Granted, if your players are only into combat, you might think there’s no point in having Dragons shapeshift, but it goes beyond them hiding in plain sight. you’re able to have the encounter start against the leader of a cult, and as the players deal with their followers, the leader reveals their true form, likely leaving the players in awe.
5Remember That Dragons Can Talk
And Not Only For Evil Monologues
Even when not shapeshifting, Dragons can still more than converse with whoever they want to. It might seem like there’s little point in doing so, but not every encounter needs to be based around a fight, and in fact, Dragons can be memorable quest givers.
While they’re prideful creatures that often fight to the death, you can also make your Dragon slightly more cowardly, begging for its life if the players clearly have the upper hand. This can turn the Dragon into a helpful means of transportation and maybe a worthy ally down the line.
6Use The Dragon’s Lair
Not Only Wealth Hides Within
While it might seem obvious, a Dragon’s lair is just as important as the Dragon itself, starting with where it is located. The most affected area is around the lair, after all, and players can have all sorts of quests around finding it and getting to it.
Once inside, the lair can be the star of the encounter on its own, particularly if the players are facing off against a Dragon far more powerful than them. Sneaking around, stealing a key item, and then leaving without a fight can be just as rewarding for some players as actually fighting the beast.
7Limit The Dragon’s Flight
It Just Gets Frustrating
Yes, Dragons can fly, and no, they aren’t dumb. Therefore, Dragons will rarely land just to give the party a fighting chance. But it’s your job as the DM to balance encounters so they are fun. You need to find the balance between what makes sense and what’s entertaining.
An initial encounter where the Dragon flies by can teach players about the creature’s advantages, giving them an opportunity to better prepare for next time. This is where hunting the creature in its lair is once again advantageous since it greatly limits where the creature can fly off to.
8Don’t Use A Dragon After A Dragon
It Can Get Old
No matter how much you like Dragons, it’s hard to make them unique if your players are facing one every week. The hoard, the lair, the breath weapons, it’s all great fun when it happens every so often, but make it happen too much, and it becomes more of a chore.
As a rule of thumb, you want to avoid having more than two Dragons per campaign, maybe three if it’s a particularly long one. Dragons should be the centerpiece of anything they’re in, and like the prideful creatures that they are, they don’t like sharing the spotlight.
