Dreams of more Dragons...

BRIMSTONE DRAGON (#1/28, #1/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 15


STAMINA: 25

ATTACKS: 4

WEAPON: Very Large Claw and Bite

ARMOUR: Heavy

DAMAGE MODIFIER: Double Damage

HABITAT: Demonic Planes, Volcanic areas, Caves, Mountains, Hills

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1

TYPE: Monster

REACTION: Hostile 

INTELLIGENCE: High

"The Brimstone Dragon foe of old

Bring home to court its hoard of gold"

- The Tasks of Tantalon 

Thought to be related to the Hell Dragon, the fire-loving BRIMSTONE DRAGON is known from several places of furnace-level heat in the Demonic Pit, such as the Plane of Obsidian, the Plane of Pain, and the Plane of Steel. They are huge creatures, covered in a tough hide of bronze-coloured scales, with a finned crest running down their spine to the tip of a long serpentine tail, and broad spiny wings like sheets of copper. Brimstone Dragons attack with swipes of their clawed fore-paws and by biting with beak-like jaws lined with sharp spiky teeth.

Every third Attack Round the Brimstone Dragon will breathe a blast of incandescent hellfire at one opponent, who must Test their Luck or be roasted for 4 STAMINA points damage. They are of course immune themselves to all fire-based attacks whether magical or otherwise, and in fact radiate heat and steam. Anyone in combat with a Brimstone Dragon must reduct their SKILL by 1 for the duration of the battle as their energy is drained by the energy-sapping conditions.

As well as existing on warmer Demonic Planes of the Pit, the Brimstone Dragon is occasionally encountered on Titan, usually in mountainous or volcanic areas. The most infamous individual of recent times was a huge specimen that terrorized the Whitewater Valley and surrounds in Gallantaria, flying out from its cave-lair at the base of the Dark Cliffs, among the foothills of the Cragrock Peaks. The hero known as Tantalon's Heir imbibed an Invisibility Potion and stole the creature's treasure hoard of gold coins, but left much wealth and strange items behind. Perhaps they, and the dragon, remain there still?

HELL DRAGON (#29/31, #364/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 16


STAMINA: 30

ATTACKS: 4

WEAPON: Very Large Claw and Bite

ARMOUR: Heavy

DAMAGE MODIFIER: Double Damage

HABITAT: Demonic Planes, Volcanic areas, Caves, Dungeons, Ruins, Mountains

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1

TYPE: Monster

REACTION: Hostile 

INTELLIGENCE: High

One of the most fearsome of foes for any demon-stalker or monster-hunter is the dreaded HELL DRAGON! Thought to be a native of the Demonic Planes, hence the name, the Hell Dragon is a horrific creature covered in armoured red and black scales, with powerful wings and a profusion of spikes and horns sprouting from its skull, spine and tail. When attacking, which is often, for the Hell Dragon is a bad-tempered and irascible beast, it will slash out with iron-hard talons and bite with jaws containing enormous sharp yellow teeth.

Every second Attack Round the Hell Dragon will breathe a blast of coruscating hellfire at up to three opponents at a time, who must all Test their Luck or be roasted for 6 STAMINA points damage. They are of course immune themselves to all fire-based attacks whether magical or otherwise, and in fact radiate heat and steam. Anyone in combat with a Hell Dragon must reduct their SKILL by 1 for the duration of the battle as their energy is drained by the baleful conditions.

The Hell Dragon is found throughout the Demonic Pit, in all abyssal habitats, and occasionally summoned to Titan by reckless Conjurers and Demonologists. Forty years ago the peaceful kingdom of Ruddlestone was menaced by a Hell Dragon that incinerated large swathes of the countryside before being slain by Lady Jorgia of Ide, a Templar-Knight of Telak the Swordbearer. Riding her warhorse Celestaine, Lady Jorgia drove the enchanted weapon known as the Paladin's Lance into the scaly breast of the beast, piercing its heart and killing the creature instantly. Thus were the fields and forests of Ruddlestone free at last from the flaming breath of the vanquished Hell Dragon.

SHADOW DRAGON (#30/31, #365/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 12


STAMINA: 16

ATTACKS: 4

WEAPON: Very Large

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: Double Damage

HABITAT: Dungeons, Caves, Ruins, Ethereal Plane, Demonic Planes

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1

TYPE: Monster

REACTION: Hostile 

INTELLIGENCE: High

The SHADOW DRAGON or Dream Dragon is a tenebrous creature, a denizen primarily of the Ethereal Plane, but also present in dark places across both the Pit and Titan. Some consider it as a Dreamtime reflection of the mighty Night Dragon itself, a projected horror of a truly terrifying enemy. Regardless, this large creature appears as a sleek, long-tailed black-scaled draconid at least twenty metres long, with a two-metre long skull-like head. In combat it will attack with shadowy metre-long talons and fangs that nevertheless cut through flesh like weapons made from black steel.

Every third Attack Round the Shadow Dragon will breathe out a cone-shaped fog of super-frozen magical cold that affects anyone fighting it. They require a successful Test for Luck to avoid losing 6 STAMINA points due to the intense cold of the Shadow Dragon's breath. In addition, it is difficult to wound the shadowy substance that the beast is comprised from; for every successful hit in combat roll one die and on an odd roll, the blow does not fully connect, passing through the beast's insubstantial form, and the Shadow Dragon takes 1 less STAMINA point damage from the hit.

These strange creatures are rarely encountered, but nevertheless some tales of Shadow Dragons do exist. Written accounts such as the Tome of the Reaches claim Priests of the Night Dragon have the power to summon Shadow Dragons to do their bidding, for the creature can be sent to seek and destroy a target across all planes, realms and dimensions. This planar-travelling ability is thought to be an inherent power of the Shadow Dragon, as crusaders who encountered such a creature in Bathoria reported on its propensity to suddenly disappear when the battle was going poorly for it, and considered the Shadow Dragon one of their most vexatious adversaries.