Dragons: Why We Love Them and How We Run Them

3 Wise DMs

Dragons are to D&D what Jerry West is to the NBA: The Logo. They’re the monsters so iconic that they’re literally part of the name. No other fantasy property has done as much or gained as much from its dragons. So, when you decide to put a dragon in your campaign, you know it has to be special. But how do you make sure it hits the right notes for your players?

Fortunately, dragons are some of Thorin’s, Tony’s, and Dave’s favorite creatures. How do you make dragons feel epic? How do you make sure their hoards are the stuff of legends? Should you use really them in every campaign? In this episode, we break down everything we’ve learned about running dragons over the years and take you through how we turn them into adventures, not just encounters.

2:00 Dragon archetypes from pop culture

5:00 The D&D dragon colors each play differently to encompass those pop-culture types and more

8:00 Dragons in D&D should be special creatures: They’re a whole adventure, not just one encounter

11:00 Your dragon is hundreds or thousands of years old … What’s it done with its time?

14:00 How to make your dragon feel epic

21:00 How to build a dragon fight

27:00 The dragon’s hoard should be as epic as the dragon fight itself

39:00 Make sure you know how to use your dragon’s abilities, including legendary and lair actions

41:00 How to measure your treasure to leave room for cooler stuff later

48:00 Dragons and spellcasting: Do you add Wizard/Sorcerer levels to your dragons?

53:00 Dragons in our other games: Curse of Strahd and the Marvel SHRPG

57:00 Final thoughts

63:00 PS: Should you use dragons in every campaign?