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Here is the second Preview: The Breeds
Dragon: The Hoarding
Preview 2 - Draconic Breeds
Dragons are distinguished by Breeds, which are the rough equivalent of
Clans or Kiths. Note, however, that dragons do not often form tight
factions around Breed allegiances (as vampires do with clans). The
primary factional affiliation for dragons is the House or Order, which
can include dragons of many different breeds -Houses often include
both metallic and chromatic dragons.
Dragons are hatched from eggs (the union of two dragons or the union
of a dragon and a human can produce an egg - don't ask too many
questions about this!) When a dragon hatches, it emerges as a
hatchling. Hatchlings have not yet manifested a specific breed.
Breed is a reflection of temperament, rather than genetics - a
hatchling that demonstrates domineering, calculating, and aggressive
personality traits will probably become a Red Dragon, regardless of
it's genetic heritage.
All dragons possess Fortitude. Metallic dragons all have Presence,
while all Chromatic dragons have Dominate. In addition, each breed
has two specific individual disciplines and one path of magic (adapted
from Thaumaturgy) that come naturally to that draconic type. Note
that a few of these disciplines and thaumaturgy paths will probably
have house-rule updates in order to maintain game balance.
METALLIC DRAGONS
GOLD - Crusader/Extremist
"It is noble to be good; it is still nobler to teach others to be good
- and less trouble." ~Mark Twain
Popular wisdom might expect these shining paragons to be the leaders
of the metallics, but despite their natural skills, Gold Dragons often
prefer to leave the mundanities of day-to-day rule in the claws of
others. Instead, Golds venture forth into the world like paladins of
old, rooting out corruption in service to a higher moral authority:
themselves. To be in the presence of a Gold is to be inspired towards
your better self, but also to feel slightly inadequate and immoral in
comparison. Gold dragons have a highly developed sense of ethics, and
they expect all around them to live up to their exacting standards.
While they can be ruthless in the execution of this moral justice,
they do not try to hide or shirk responsibility.
Gold personalities in popular culture: Jack Bauer; Buffy; Darth Vader;
Darth Revan; Strider; Batman; Don Quixote
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Obeah; Potence
Mana Path: Elemental Mastery
SILVER - Philosopher/Dogmatist
"All men desire to know." ~ Aristotle
Curiosity and the thirst for knowledge are the cornerstones of a
Silver Dragon's psyche. At their best, they are mystics, philosophers
and theorists, always exploring the boundaries of what is known and
what can be known. At their worst they become dogmatic, attempting to
pin and catalogue knowledge of the entire world like a butterfly to a
mat, or relativistic, collecting knowledge without evaluating or
analyzing it. In both any case, they have a tendency to become so
enamored with their studies that they withdraw from the real world.
They are as passionate about learning and understanding as any artist,
warrior or lover, and they are impatient with and disdainful of
ignorance.
Silver personalities in popular culture: Prospero; Giles; Hermione
Granger; Merlin; Saruman; Gaius Baltar; Temeraire
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Thaumaturgy (any 2 approved paths);
Obfuscate
Mana Path: Focused Mind
BRONZE - Minister/Autocrat
"Being a leader is like being a lady, if you have to go around telling
people you are one, you aren't." ~ Margaret Thatcher
Bronzes tend to be jacks of all trades, better suited as soldiers than
as leaders, but in the absence of strong leadership from the Golds and
Silvers, the Bronze Dragons have stepped forward to take up the reins
of power. Bronzes are driven to fix problems when they see them, to
fill needs when something is lacking, and to bridge gaps when
distances seem insurmountable. On the other hand, they can become
resentful when someone with a better idea comes along, or when they
have to yield their projects to someone who might be better suited to
the job. In particular, Bronzes resent even the most innocuous advice
from Golds or Silvers, and in their resistance to this interference,
they can become intractable.
Bronze personalities in popular culture: Brutus; Captain William
Adama; Boromir; Denethor; Captain William Lawrence; Gul Ducat
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Protean; Dominate
Mana Path: Hearth Path
COPPER - Trickster/Fool
"The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some
way truthful." ~ Kurt Vonnegut
Copper Dragons see themselves as filling a necessary but often
underappreciated role in draconic society. Although they tend to
function on the edges of the social structures, and to play fast and
loose with social strictures, ultimately they do this for the
improvement of those things, rather than their dissolution. Copper
Dragons see themselves as teachers. Their classroom is life, and the
ruler that they use to smack the fingers of unwary students is
humility. Other dragons are less likely to look fondly on the lessons
that Coppers like to impart: one dragon's teacher is another dragon's
annoying nuisance of a pest that needs to be obliterated in a column
of fiery death if she doesn't leave us all the shell alone
Copper personalities in popular culture: Any Shakespearean fool (Puck,
Feste, Touchstone, etc.); The Joker; Yoda; Meriadoc Brandybuck
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Chimestry; Celerity
Mana Path: Movement of the Mind
BRASS - Humanitarian/Sympathizer
"The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming it." ~
Hellen Keller
Brass dragons are the philanthropists, gossips, activists and
socialites of draconic society. They love humanity, celebrate the
division of the Firmament, and happily embrace the mortal coil. Many
Brasses use their deeper understandings and great age to help
humanity, either in general as philanthropists, or more personally as
guides to enlightenment. Others lose themselves in more frivolous
celebration, devouring all that human experience has to offer. Still
others bemoan their draconic nature, which prevents them from truly
integrating into the human society they love. Brasses argue fiercely
that being in the coil allows unparalleled opportunities for dragons
to increase their hordes, as well as offering the protections of
mortal laws and customs against threats like the Slayers and the
Scions. Some dragons find Brasses to be overly in love with their
mortal coils. Brasses are often accused of having sold out, gone
native, or having forgotten entirely what it means to be a Dragon.
Brass personalities in popular culture: Arthur Weasley; The Doctor;
Gandalf; Angel; Delenn; Paris Hilton; Marie Antoinette
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Melpomine (includes rhetoric, not
just song); Auspex.
Mana Path: Oneiromancy
CHROMATIC DRAGONS
RED - Lord/Tyrant
"What is good? Everything that heightens the feeling of power in man,
the will to power, power itself." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Unlike their golden counterparts, Red Dragons are only too happy to
take their rightful place as the leaders of draconic society. They
are the rightful Kings: puissant, commanding, scary-as-all-get-out.
Reds follow a variety of paths to power, from Machiavellian scheming,
to Napoleonic strategy, to Pol-Pot tyranny. A Red in a position of
power is a wonder to behold, and often they will be benevolent and
capable rulers, expertly managing their subjects. The one thing they
are never willing to do is take back-seat or yield the spotlight to
anyone. A Red may bide his time, but he will never be satisfied with
being the power behind the throne. He will be the throne, or he will
destroy it.
Red personalities in popular culture: Machiavelli; Napoleon; Pol-Pot;
Emperor Palpatine; Queen Elizabeth I; Queen Victoria; President David
Palmer; Aragorn
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Potence; Quietus
Mana Path: Lure of Flames
BLUE - Creator/Corrupter
"In a writer there must always be two people - the writer and the
critic" ~ Leo Tolstoy
Unlike Silvers, Blue Dragons don't so much desire to seek knowledge,
as they desire to create it. They are the artists, the scientists and
the critics of draconic society. Blues value innovation,
interpretation and meaning-making. A Blue in creative mode is
constantly churning out new vistas of possibility, sometimes even to
the point of turning cancerous. However, Blues can also turn
critical, breaking down the meaning in other's works as well as their
own, until it all dissolves into noise and nothingness.
Blue personalities in popular culture: Fred Burkle; William
Shakespeare; Joss Whedon; Dr. Frankenstein; Bill Gates; Socrates;
Roger Ebert; Rita Skeeter; Anne Coulter
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Vicissitude; Dementation
Mana Path: Levinbolt
GREEN - Diplomat/Seducer
"He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander." ~ Napoleon
Bonaparte
Words are the instruments of choice for Green Dragons, and
appropriately enough, Greens are said to speak with forked tongues.
Renowned as diplomats and negotiators as well as blackmailers and
con-men, a green in top form could negotiate a peace between Israel
and Palestine, or convince you she's your best friend while slipping a
knife into your spleen. Appropriately enough, Greens celebrate their
serpent associations (although lisping is considered very bad form,
given their facility with words). Where Reds are the throne, Greens
are satisfied with being the power behind the throne - or at least
they claim to be satisfied with this. With a Green, one can never be
sure.
Green personalities in popular culture: Sawyer; Aziraphale (from Good
Omens); Iago; Circe Bannister; Inara Serra; G'kar; Professor Charles
Xavier; Severus Snape; Count Dooku
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Presence; Serpentis
Mana Path: Vines of Dionysius
BLACK - Renegade/Insurgent
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent
revolution inevitable." ~ John F. Kennedy
Black Dragons are warrior-philosophers, identifying the problems and
inequities in a situation and actively striking out for change. They
resist the control of the Reds as much as they resist the bureaucracy
of the Bronzes. They are most like Coppers, but ultimately they view
Coppers as tools of a corrupt and imperfect system that needs to be
massively reformed, if not destroyed in its entirety. Often, their
fight against much more powerful foes means that Blacks must use
guerilla tactics rather than a head-on approach, and sometimes Blacks
can get so caught up in their fight that they forget the greater
cause, and the fight becomes a fight for its own sake.
Black personalities in popular culture: Subcomandante Marcos; Tom
Zarek; Michael Collins; Malcolm Reynolds; Qui-gon Jinn; King Leonidas;
V
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Obfuscate; Obtenebration
Mana Path: Conjuring
WHITE - Naturalist/Feral
"Nature is not human hearted." ~ Lao Tzu
Rugged and feral, White Dragons chafe at the restrictions of the
mortal coil, and the divisions of the Firmament. Most Whites eschew
mortal society, and have a great disdain for those dragons who stink
too much of the coil. They see themselves as the keepers of the true
form and guardians of the world. Whites guard their territory
fiercely - and sometimes violently - against human incursions, but
they have also been known to form alliances with humans in order to
accomplish mutual goals (especially ecological groups). Whites are
the most likely breed to disregard the strictures of draconic society,
often justifying this by claiming that those strictures go against
draconic nature and are a betrayal of all it means to be a dragon.
White personalities in popular culture: Spike; Sabertooth; Wolverine;
Malcolm X; Magneto
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Animalism; Protean
Mana Path: Weather Control
***
Next Preview: Character Creation Guidelines!
Let the Hoarding Begin...
The Dragon Storytellers
Dragon: The Hoarding
Preview 2 - Draconic Breeds
Dragons are distinguished by Breeds, which are the rough equivalent of
Clans or Kiths. Note, however, that dragons do not often form tight
factions around Breed allegiances (as vampires do with clans). The
primary factional affiliation for dragons is the House or Order, which
can include dragons of many different breeds -Houses often include
both metallic and chromatic dragons.
Dragons are hatched from eggs (the union of two dragons or the union
of a dragon and a human can produce an egg - don't ask too many
questions about this!) When a dragon hatches, it emerges as a
hatchling. Hatchlings have not yet manifested a specific breed.
Breed is a reflection of temperament, rather than genetics - a
hatchling that demonstrates domineering, calculating, and aggressive
personality traits will probably become a Red Dragon, regardless of
it's genetic heritage.
All dragons possess Fortitude. Metallic dragons all have Presence,
while all Chromatic dragons have Dominate. In addition, each breed
has two specific individual disciplines and one path of magic (adapted
from Thaumaturgy) that come naturally to that draconic type. Note
that a few of these disciplines and thaumaturgy paths will probably
have house-rule updates in order to maintain game balance.
METALLIC DRAGONS
GOLD - Crusader/Extremist
"It is noble to be good; it is still nobler to teach others to be good
- and less trouble." ~Mark Twain
Popular wisdom might expect these shining paragons to be the leaders
of the metallics, but despite their natural skills, Gold Dragons often
prefer to leave the mundanities of day-to-day rule in the claws of
others. Instead, Golds venture forth into the world like paladins of
old, rooting out corruption in service to a higher moral authority:
themselves. To be in the presence of a Gold is to be inspired towards
your better self, but also to feel slightly inadequate and immoral in
comparison. Gold dragons have a highly developed sense of ethics, and
they expect all around them to live up to their exacting standards.
While they can be ruthless in the execution of this moral justice,
they do not try to hide or shirk responsibility.
Gold personalities in popular culture: Jack Bauer; Buffy; Darth Vader;
Darth Revan; Strider; Batman; Don Quixote
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Obeah; Potence
Mana Path: Elemental Mastery
SILVER - Philosopher/Dogmatist
"All men desire to know." ~ Aristotle
Curiosity and the thirst for knowledge are the cornerstones of a
Silver Dragon's psyche. At their best, they are mystics, philosophers
and theorists, always exploring the boundaries of what is known and
what can be known. At their worst they become dogmatic, attempting to
pin and catalogue knowledge of the entire world like a butterfly to a
mat, or relativistic, collecting knowledge without evaluating or
analyzing it. In both any case, they have a tendency to become so
enamored with their studies that they withdraw from the real world.
They are as passionate about learning and understanding as any artist,
warrior or lover, and they are impatient with and disdainful of
ignorance.
Silver personalities in popular culture: Prospero; Giles; Hermione
Granger; Merlin; Saruman; Gaius Baltar; Temeraire
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Thaumaturgy (any 2 approved paths);
Obfuscate
Mana Path: Focused Mind
BRONZE - Minister/Autocrat
"Being a leader is like being a lady, if you have to go around telling
people you are one, you aren't." ~ Margaret Thatcher
Bronzes tend to be jacks of all trades, better suited as soldiers than
as leaders, but in the absence of strong leadership from the Golds and
Silvers, the Bronze Dragons have stepped forward to take up the reins
of power. Bronzes are driven to fix problems when they see them, to
fill needs when something is lacking, and to bridge gaps when
distances seem insurmountable. On the other hand, they can become
resentful when someone with a better idea comes along, or when they
have to yield their projects to someone who might be better suited to
the job. In particular, Bronzes resent even the most innocuous advice
from Golds or Silvers, and in their resistance to this interference,
they can become intractable.
Bronze personalities in popular culture: Brutus; Captain William
Adama; Boromir; Denethor; Captain William Lawrence; Gul Ducat
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Protean; Dominate
Mana Path: Hearth Path
COPPER - Trickster/Fool
"The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some
way truthful." ~ Kurt Vonnegut
Copper Dragons see themselves as filling a necessary but often
underappreciated role in draconic society. Although they tend to
function on the edges of the social structures, and to play fast and
loose with social strictures, ultimately they do this for the
improvement of those things, rather than their dissolution. Copper
Dragons see themselves as teachers. Their classroom is life, and the
ruler that they use to smack the fingers of unwary students is
humility. Other dragons are less likely to look fondly on the lessons
that Coppers like to impart: one dragon's teacher is another dragon's
annoying nuisance of a pest that needs to be obliterated in a column
of fiery death if she doesn't leave us all the shell alone
Copper personalities in popular culture: Any Shakespearean fool (Puck,
Feste, Touchstone, etc.); The Joker; Yoda; Meriadoc Brandybuck
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Chimestry; Celerity
Mana Path: Movement of the Mind
BRASS - Humanitarian/Sympathizer
"The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming it." ~
Hellen Keller
Brass dragons are the philanthropists, gossips, activists and
socialites of draconic society. They love humanity, celebrate the
division of the Firmament, and happily embrace the mortal coil. Many
Brasses use their deeper understandings and great age to help
humanity, either in general as philanthropists, or more personally as
guides to enlightenment. Others lose themselves in more frivolous
celebration, devouring all that human experience has to offer. Still
others bemoan their draconic nature, which prevents them from truly
integrating into the human society they love. Brasses argue fiercely
that being in the coil allows unparalleled opportunities for dragons
to increase their hordes, as well as offering the protections of
mortal laws and customs against threats like the Slayers and the
Scions. Some dragons find Brasses to be overly in love with their
mortal coils. Brasses are often accused of having sold out, gone
native, or having forgotten entirely what it means to be a Dragon.
Brass personalities in popular culture: Arthur Weasley; The Doctor;
Gandalf; Angel; Delenn; Paris Hilton; Marie Antoinette
Disciplines: Fortitude; Presence; Melpomine (includes rhetoric, not
just song); Auspex.
Mana Path: Oneiromancy
CHROMATIC DRAGONS
RED - Lord/Tyrant
"What is good? Everything that heightens the feeling of power in man,
the will to power, power itself." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Unlike their golden counterparts, Red Dragons are only too happy to
take their rightful place as the leaders of draconic society. They
are the rightful Kings: puissant, commanding, scary-as-all-get-out.
Reds follow a variety of paths to power, from Machiavellian scheming,
to Napoleonic strategy, to Pol-Pot tyranny. A Red in a position of
power is a wonder to behold, and often they will be benevolent and
capable rulers, expertly managing their subjects. The one thing they
are never willing to do is take back-seat or yield the spotlight to
anyone. A Red may bide his time, but he will never be satisfied with
being the power behind the throne. He will be the throne, or he will
destroy it.
Red personalities in popular culture: Machiavelli; Napoleon; Pol-Pot;
Emperor Palpatine; Queen Elizabeth I; Queen Victoria; President David
Palmer; Aragorn
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Potence; Quietus
Mana Path: Lure of Flames
BLUE - Creator/Corrupter
"In a writer there must always be two people - the writer and the
critic" ~ Leo Tolstoy
Unlike Silvers, Blue Dragons don't so much desire to seek knowledge,
as they desire to create it. They are the artists, the scientists and
the critics of draconic society. Blues value innovation,
interpretation and meaning-making. A Blue in creative mode is
constantly churning out new vistas of possibility, sometimes even to
the point of turning cancerous. However, Blues can also turn
critical, breaking down the meaning in other's works as well as their
own, until it all dissolves into noise and nothingness.
Blue personalities in popular culture: Fred Burkle; William
Shakespeare; Joss Whedon; Dr. Frankenstein; Bill Gates; Socrates;
Roger Ebert; Rita Skeeter; Anne Coulter
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Vicissitude; Dementation
Mana Path: Levinbolt
GREEN - Diplomat/Seducer
"He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander." ~ Napoleon
Bonaparte
Words are the instruments of choice for Green Dragons, and
appropriately enough, Greens are said to speak with forked tongues.
Renowned as diplomats and negotiators as well as blackmailers and
con-men, a green in top form could negotiate a peace between Israel
and Palestine, or convince you she's your best friend while slipping a
knife into your spleen. Appropriately enough, Greens celebrate their
serpent associations (although lisping is considered very bad form,
given their facility with words). Where Reds are the throne, Greens
are satisfied with being the power behind the throne - or at least
they claim to be satisfied with this. With a Green, one can never be
sure.
Green personalities in popular culture: Sawyer; Aziraphale (from Good
Omens); Iago; Circe Bannister; Inara Serra; G'kar; Professor Charles
Xavier; Severus Snape; Count Dooku
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Presence; Serpentis
Mana Path: Vines of Dionysius
BLACK - Renegade/Insurgent
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent
revolution inevitable." ~ John F. Kennedy
Black Dragons are warrior-philosophers, identifying the problems and
inequities in a situation and actively striking out for change. They
resist the control of the Reds as much as they resist the bureaucracy
of the Bronzes. They are most like Coppers, but ultimately they view
Coppers as tools of a corrupt and imperfect system that needs to be
massively reformed, if not destroyed in its entirety. Often, their
fight against much more powerful foes means that Blacks must use
guerilla tactics rather than a head-on approach, and sometimes Blacks
can get so caught up in their fight that they forget the greater
cause, and the fight becomes a fight for its own sake.
Black personalities in popular culture: Subcomandante Marcos; Tom
Zarek; Michael Collins; Malcolm Reynolds; Qui-gon Jinn; King Leonidas;
V
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Obfuscate; Obtenebration
Mana Path: Conjuring
WHITE - Naturalist/Feral
"Nature is not human hearted." ~ Lao Tzu
Rugged and feral, White Dragons chafe at the restrictions of the
mortal coil, and the divisions of the Firmament. Most Whites eschew
mortal society, and have a great disdain for those dragons who stink
too much of the coil. They see themselves as the keepers of the true
form and guardians of the world. Whites guard their territory
fiercely - and sometimes violently - against human incursions, but
they have also been known to form alliances with humans in order to
accomplish mutual goals (especially ecological groups). Whites are
the most likely breed to disregard the strictures of draconic society,
often justifying this by claiming that those strictures go against
draconic nature and are a betrayal of all it means to be a dragon.
White personalities in popular culture: Spike; Sabertooth; Wolverine;
Malcolm X; Magneto
Disciplines: Fortitude; Dominate; Animalism; Protean
Mana Path: Weather Control
***
Next Preview: Character Creation Guidelines!
Let the Hoarding Begin...
The Dragon Storytellers