Making dragons slightly tougher

[Not]

Given that some snakes have it, Infravision makes sense for dragons, if you include Protected Sense so they don't blind themselves with their own fire.

[Flyndaran]

Pit vipers have very weak "heat vision" out to no more than 6'.
But it certainly fits dragons, thematically.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Pit vipers have very weak "heat vision" out to no more than 6'.

Well, it doesn't have a range limit per se. It just has cruddy resolution (observed accuracy is about 5 degrees, which is about 1/300 the resolution of human vision).

[Flyndaran]

From the studies I read, they were incapable of recognizing prey right in front of them past that distance.
Even then they're using rather advanced processing to make out even that with all the inherent limitations of their method of heat vision.

[Kromm]

Of course, SM -1 snakes have ~1/22 to 1/100 the surface area, and thus most likely the light-gathering power, of SM +3 to +5 dragons. That corresponds to an effective range multiplier between ~4.6× and 10×, so even if snakes can recognize prey at only 2 yards, dragons should be able to manage 10 to 20 yards (equivalent to a Vision bonus equal to SM difference: +4 to +6).

Dragons also have better processing: Per 14-18 vs. a snake's Per 10 (equivalent to a further +4 to +8), for a range multiplier between ×5 and ×20.

All in, between hardware and processing, I'd expect dragons with Infravision to be recognizing prey out at 50 to 400 yards even if they work exactly like big snakes, which is unlikely for fantasy monsters.

However, dragons already get Night Vision 9. Read as light-gathering power, that's well beyond the +3 to +5 you'd expect relative to a SM 0 human, based on size alone. Depending on how you argue, you can justify another +3 to +6 with a suitably-constructed eye, so on average there's around +5 from that. The same construction may well benefit near-infrared vision and give another ~7×, justifying more like 70 to 150 yards with hardware alone – or around 300 to 3,000 yards with good processing.

Average Per 10 humans with the +10 for "in plain sight" and no darkness modifiers have the same odds of seeing things at 100 yards, so I'd have no problem saying that draconic Infravision is simply Infravision without any weird limitations.

[Not]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Is there a reason the Dragon isn't casting Gloom (Starlight) or Darkness (followed by Darkvision) and then just owning the adventurers?

Or slapping Blur and Armor on itself if it wants to go Claw/Claw/Tail/Breath Weapon all up in melee? (Or honestly leading with Darkness, then Dark Vision, then Armor, then Blur just in case)


For non-casting Dragons...

Why, when it went first (and it did go first right?), didn't it slam the Knight to the ground and do some sweet Overrunning? Along with the Knight's puny friends (especially the squishy Wizard). Remember a Knight on the ground is a Knight you can chomp at leisure (1 - It's Close Combat so the Knight is screwed out of his strongest weapons, 2 - The Knight is Prone, so -4 to making attacks)



My real issue is it's low attack skills. If it's honestly supposed to be a challenge to a party, it should have skills in the low twenties, at least a 20 so it can easily smack heads or Deceptive Attack at -2 to the PC's defenses.

Is the ground fighting technique available in DF? I didn't find it.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Not

Is the ground fighting technique available in DF? I didn't find it.

If the GM allows it... otherwise, no I don't believe it's in either DFRG or DF.

[Kromm]

Techniques and perks don't exist per se in the DFRPG. Some are hidden within the pricing of professional abilities, but in general they're not part of the game. That sort of finely sliced complexity is what GURPS is for.