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Old 07-21-2010, 02:45 PM   #1
roguebfl
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Default Dragons (Pern)

To go along with my Firelizard Write-Up I want to Start a Write for Pernese Dragons. I want to focus (at least at first) on 9th Path Dragons, as 1st Pass Dragons were about the size of Ruth.

Gold are 52'-60' long SM+6
Bronzes are 45'-60' long SM+6
Browns are 38'-51' SM+5/6
Blues are 31'-38' long SM+5
Green are 26'-31' long SM+5

Gold/Bronze:
ST+110 (Size ,-60%) [440]; DX+1 [20]; IQ-1 [-20]; HT+3 [30]; Per+4 [20]; Move(Air) 12 [0]; Enhanced Move 1.5 (Air) [30]
Brown:
ST+70 (Size, -50/60%) [350/280]; DX+2 [40]; IQ-2 [-40]; HT+2 [20]; Per+4 [20]; Move(Air) 12 [0]; Enhanced Move 1.5 (Air) [30]
Green/Blue
ST+50 (Size, -50%) [250]; DX+2 [40]; IQ-3 [-60]; HT+2 [20]; Per+4 [20]; Move(Air) 16 [8]; Enhanced Move 1 (Air) [20]

Claws (Sharp) [5];
Teeth (Sharp) [1];
Flight (Wings) [30];
Warp (Reliable 10, +50%%; Based on Per, +20%; Psi, -10%, Uncontrollable, -10%; Travel time 1 second in *Between* per 2,000 miles, -10%; Keeps orientation and momentum (bases on 3e), -50%; Loose Body parts that intersect with solids (based on 3e), -50%) [40];
Telesend (Psi, -10%) [27];
Mind Reading (Telecommunication, -20%; Psi, -10%) [21];
Telescan aka Detect (Personally Known Beings (base 20); Long range, +100%); Psi, -10%) [38];
Nictating Membrane [1];
Mindlink (Single Person; Psi, -10%) [5];
Jumper (Time) (Travel time 3 Turns(years) per second, nothing to Breath between, -10%; Psi, -10%) [80] ;

Cold Blooded [-10];
Easy to Read [-10];
Semi-Upright [-5];
Social Stigma (Valuable property) [-10];
Sense of Duty (Rider) [-5];
Bestial [-10];
Obsession (Fight Thread) (12) [-10]

Features:

Early Maturation, Tail.


Things I'm not sure on:

Breathe Fire (Innate Attack (Burn) [2d], Jet, +0%; Trigger (Firestone), -20%; Nuisance effect (Firestone/breath Reeks), -5%) [8];
I'm if it should be a cone or a jet, or if the range is right.

Strength and Size is another place where I'm Fuzzy. Ruth is about Man Higher at his shoulders, but he's smaller than even a Green or a Blue.
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Last edited by roguebfl; 07-25-2010 at 10:48 PM.
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Old 07-21-2010, 03:10 PM   #2
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

Quote:
Originally Posted by roguebfl View Post

Strength and Size is another place where I'm Fuzzy. Ruth is about Man Higher at his shoulders, but he's smaller than even a Green or a Blue.
Ruth is about the size of a "runner-beast" which is basically a horse. He'd be about that strong even if he's a little lighter.

The problem is that we don't much of anything as a concrete marker as to how much larger a large Bronze or a Gold like Ramoth is. A _lot_ bigger but I can't say how much.

Lessa is a small woman and her legs will still straddle Ramoth's neck but "neck no thicker than a horse's torso" is a little vague.

We absolutely won't be able to reverse engineer ST levels from the flying rules in Bio-tech. Even with genetically engineered ST boosts Pernese dragons of any size are too large to fly. Considering that the male supports the female during mating flight it's even worse. Even without that load capacity is still very large.

The good news is that you could justify a PK modifier on the Flight. Maybe with something like "Lift Only" but this is starting to get complicated.

A gameable compromise might be to stat Ruth's ST as equal to a horse's and work your way up through the classes in even jumps. Perhaps 3 to 5 pts.
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Old 07-21-2010, 03:16 PM   #3
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

Quote:
Originally Posted by roguebfl View Post
Gold/Bronze:
DX+1 [20], IQ-1 [-20] HT+2 [20] Per+4 [20]
Brown:
DX+2 [40], IQ-2 [-40] HT+2 [20] Per+4 [20]
Green/Blue
DX+3 [60], IQ-3 [-60] HT+2 [20] Per+4 [20]
Not sure I'd add quite so much DX to the smaller dragons. They were more maneuverable in flight, but they didn't strike me as notably more dexterous otherwise. I'd use the handling bonus enhancement on their Flight, instead. I believe that's from Shell-Tech, but I'm away from my books.
I'd also give bronzes and browns either higher HT, more FP, or simply Fit or Very Fit. They are noted for having more stamina than the smaller breeds.

Quote:
Originally Posted by roguebfl
Flight (Wings) [30];
They really deserve some Enhanced Move (Air), too. 2x Basic Speed just doesn't cover something that can patrol large areas of a continent in a day. The smaller ones should probably get an extra half-level, too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by roguebfl
Telesend (Semi-Vague, pictures and emotions only, -25%; Psi, -10%) [20];
I wouldn't use this level of vague. The dragons are pretty constantly shown as talking inteligibly with their riders. The low complexity of their communication is handled by low IQ.

Disadvantage-wise, they should really have Bestial. They're smarter than animals, but they don't really get human society. If they weren't reigned in by their riders, they'd have problems pretty much constantly with eating the wrong animals/people, killing people who anger them, etc.
They also need a Sense of Duty to their rider.
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Old 07-21-2010, 03:19 PM   #4
roguebfl
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

Ruth is Stronger than a Runner Beast, he was capable of carring 4 adults in Flight at once.

But you right their ST is deftly psi enhanced
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Old 07-21-2010, 03:42 PM   #5
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

Not sure if the dragons' powers deserve the Psi modifier, though. They were labeled as psi, but we've never seen any indication in the books that they were subject to either anti-psi powers, or that psi-negating technology existed. If neither of those were the case, then the -10% for psi wouldn't be appropriate. It would effectively be a -0% modifier.
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Old 07-21-2010, 04:08 PM   #6
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

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Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen View Post
Not sure if the dragons' powers deserve the Psi modifier, though. They were labeled as psi, but we've never seen any indication in the books that they were subject to either anti-psi powers, or that psi-negating technology existed. If neither of those were the case, then the -10% for psi wouldn't be appropriate. It would effectively be a -0% modifier.
I thought of this myself but it depends on whether this is a purely "local" write up or a "universal" one. I.e. if it comes up ISWAT or Centrum have counter-measures.
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Old 07-21-2010, 04:12 PM   #7
roguebfl
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

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Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
I thought of this myself but it depends on whether this is a purely "local" write up or a "universal" one. I.e. if it comes up ISWAT or Centrum have counter-measures.
Also after at the end of the 9th Pass, it just might be the Dragonrider's that go Visiting...

But point taken, when the write-up is finish I will list a separate point total with out the Psi Mod.
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Old 07-21-2010, 04:16 PM   #8
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
I thought of this myself but it depends on whether this is a purely "local" write up or a "universal" one. I.e. if it comes up ISWAT or Centrum have counter-measures.
Well, whether that's applicable depends on whether Pernese psi is the same "kind" of psi as on other timelines, too. It might not be subject to the same limitations at all.
I note that even in Dragonsdawn, when the colonists still had their full tech level, or at least knowledge of it, no one mentioned anything about anti-psi being possible, either as a power or technology. No one suggested putting psi-damping fields around kids who bonded to firelizards but were too young to cope with the urges brought on by mating flights, for example.
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Old 07-21-2010, 04:46 PM   #9
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

On the subject of Ruth's ST, I'd make it higher than a horse, or at least a typical riding horse. Ruth, IIRC, was regularly eating "herdbeasts", i.e, cattle, and doing it in the typical draconic way of swooping down, grabbing, and flying it off to a convenient spot to eat. That's a lot of ST, especially since fliers have to maintain a certain minimum speed to stay aloft. Basically, a Ruth-sized dragon needs enough ST that it can lift a small cow (at least 1100 lbs, I'd guess), and still not reduce its air move below stall speed.
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Old 07-21-2010, 04:47 PM   #10
roguebfl
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Default Re: Dragons (Pern)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen View Post
Not sure I'd add quite so much DX to the smaller dragons. They were more maneuverable in flight, but they didn't strike me as notably more dexterous otherwise. I'd use the handling bonus enhancement on their Flight, instead. I believe that's from Shell-Tech, but I'm away from my books.
I'd also give bronzes and browns either higher HT, more FP, or simply Fit or Very Fit. They are noted for having more stamina than the smaller breeds.



They really deserve some Enhanced Move (Air), too. 2x Basic Speed just doesn't cover something that can patrol large areas of a continent in a day. The smaller ones should probably get an extra half-level, too.
I Had original plant on give the Green/Blues HT+1 and the Gold/Bronze HT+3
to represent their endurance issues, but forgot when i typed that.

Your comment about the flight speed. Green/Blues are siad to be more maneuverability, not faster as depect in mating flights.

Would support the DX difference based on this, or would rather Green/Blue with the same Dex as Browns, but Some increased Move? , and give the Green/Blues Enhance move 1 (Air) but the Browns, Bronzes, Golds Enhanced move 1.5 (air)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen View Post
I wouldn't use this level of vague. The dragons are pretty constantly shown as talking inteligibly with their riders. The low complexity of their communication is handled by low IQ.
I forgot to remove the Vague from when I used it for Firelizards. my bad for forgetting to remove it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen View Post
Disadvantage-wise, they should really have Bestial. They're smarter than animals, but they don't really get human society. If they weren't reigned in by their riders, they'd have problems pretty much constantly with eating the wrong animals/people, killing people who anger them, etc.
They also need a Sense of Duty to their rider.
I'm not sure Bestial is right, Mnementh's Reaction to Fax's slights to F'lar and F'nor purly his or just an echo of F'lar.

and Ruth said to Jaxom he would never eat Stupid, because Stupid was afraid of Piemur, and Piemur was his friend, and he doesn't eat friends of friends.

But you're right Riders exert considerable influence over them.

And you're Right they need a Sense of Duty but it not just to their riders. Dragons are almost uncontrollable if they're forced not to fight thread while thread is falling.
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