D&D General Companion Thread for D&D Survivor: Ferrous Dragons

[RealAlHazred]

Companion thread to the Survivor thread for Ferrous dragons. And before anyone complains, per the original article:

...Gruaghlothor is not a divine power...

He's probably/basically/maybe a metamorphosis of an iron dragon, which maybe/basically/probably makes him a new life stage at the very least, probably a new species since he's sufficiently mutated to have a new breath weapon option.

Gruaghlothor is said to have been the very first ferrous dragon ever to exist. It was under his guidance that the clan hierarchy was formed. He was destroyed in battle with a huge pack of red dragons. With his dying breath, Gruaghlothor swore to destroy the red dragons if he had to come back from the grave, and return he did. The red dragons remain, but deep under a mighty mountain burns the smoldering hatred of a thousand kings waiting to flare into the destruction of their age-old enemies.

Whenever Gruaghlothor dies, the iron dragon chosen to replace the former goes into a state of hibernation for one year. During this time, the chosen one undergoes a metamorphosis. When it emerges, it has become Gruaghlothor. There is no solid explanation for how this works, and the iron dragons answer only, "It has always been so."

HEX COLOR CODES (for those who enjoy color-coding their votes):

• Chromium Dragon #C6C8C9
• Cobalt Dragon #0047AB
• Iron Dragon #827E75
• Nickel Dragon #727472
• Tungsten Dragon #228B22
• Graughlothor, the Supreme Dragon #5E626B

These dragons got a 3.5E update in Dragon #356, in "Ferrous Dragons: The Return of Heavy Metal—Dragons" by Kevin Baase and Eric Jansing. One of the authors of this article posted what we may consider a web enhancement in the Paizo forums, in which he speculates that one of the 7 "lost" species of Ferrous dragons mentioned in the original article could be the magnetite (lodestone) dragon...

 

[RoughCoronet0]

I know more about the Ferrous dragons then I did the Lung dragons. However I ended up just using the 4e versions of Iron and Cobalt dragons for my world as I like their lore there and better then the Ferrous dragons in general.

Still, these are cool dragons that represent the more “lawful” type of dragons if I remember correctly from what I have read about them. Add the Catosprophic dragons to the mix and you have the singular alignments covered. Good = Metallic, Evil = Chromatic, Lawful = Ferrous, Chaotic = Catastrophic, and Neutral = Gem.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Speaking of lodestone dragons, Max Wartelle of Humperdink's Wares and Loot Tavern, author of Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting, has written up a Magnetite Dragon for 5E, which you can check out here.

 

[RealAlHazred]

I know more about the Ferrous dragons then I did the Lung dragons. However I ended up just using the 4e versions of Iron and Cobalt dragons for my world as I like their lore there and better then the Ferrous dragons in general.

Still, these are cool dragons that represent the more “lawful” type of dragons if I remember correctly from what I have read about them. Add the Catosprophic dragons to the mix and you have the singular alignments covered. Good = Metallic, Evil = Chromatic, Lawful = Ferrous, Chaotic = Catastrophic, and Neutral = Gem.

I seem to remember when I researched my blog post listing dragons that there was a Steel Dragon that was Ferrous, instead of Metallic or "other," but I can't find it now. Might have been one of those I thought was from a sourcebook but then turned out to be someone's original creation for AD&D 2nd edition instead.

 

[Tonguez]

I know more about the Ferrous dragons then I did the Lung dragons. However I ended up just using the 4e versions of Iron and Cobalt dragons for my world as I like their lore there and better then the Ferrous dragons in general.

I’m the opposite and know absolutely nothing about Ferrous Dragons

that said I do like the Graughlothor story and that he’s essentially a mega-evolved form of the Iron Great Wyrm.

anyone got a run down on the others?

 

[Maxperson]

All I want to know is if a tungsten dragon lights up when you hit it with a lightning bolt or shocking grasp.

 

[RealAlHazred]

anyone got a run down on the others?

• Chromium [chaotic evil (2E) or lawful evil (3.5E)]: These dragons look a lot like silver dragons (their deadliest enemies), but are the greediest of Ferrous dragons, rivaling red dragons for sheer greed. They have two breath weapons, a cloud of freezing crystals or a bolt of solid ice.
• Cobalt [lawful evil]: These dragons like to dominate others. They have one breath weapon, a pulse of pure magnetic energy. Their mortal enemies are green dragons, who share their habitat.
• Iron [lawful neutral]: These are the most powerful of the Ferrous dragons, and frequently assume human form to meddle with the affairs of mortals. They have two breath weapons: a cloud of sleep gas and a cone of superheated sparks. They are mortal enemies of red dragons, who share their habitat.
• Nickel [chaotic neutral (2E) or lawful neutral (3.5E)]: These dragons are the weakest of the Ferrous dragons, but make up for it by being deceptive and vicious. They have one breath weapon, described as either a cloud of acidic vapors (2E) or a cone of corrosive gas (3.5E). Mercurial and changeable in temperament, they count black dragons as their mortal enemies, since they share the same habitat.
• Tungsten [neutral good (2E) or lawful good (3.5E)]: Relentless and pragmatic by nature, these dragons are dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the forces of good, but usually limit this preservation and expansion to their own domains. They have one breath weapon, a cone of blasting sand. They usually count blue dragons as their enemies; they share their habitat with both blue and brass dragons, but they can usually come to an agreement with the brass dragons.
• Gruaghlothor, the Supreme Dragon [lawful neutral]:The greatest of the Ferrous dragons. He has three breath weapons,each usable twice a day: a cloud of sleep gas; a cone of super-heated sparks; or a bolt of solid stone. One of the co-authors of the #356 article posted the sidebar on this guy in a Paizo forum thread, so it's probably just fine to share it here; note that the story of his creation has slightly different wording from the original article in #170.
  

  "Gruaghlothor is the supreme ruler of the ferrous dragons. His power was once equal to that of Bahamut and Tiamat, before they achieved godhood. According to ferrous dragon legends, Gruaghlothor was the first of the ferrous dragons, and was responsible for creating the hierarchy that all ferrous dragons strictly follow. Several powerful red dragons banded together and destroyed Gruaghlothor, but he swore a dying curse to return for vengeance and not rest until all red dragons are destroyed. As a result of this curse, Gruaghlothor was indeed reborn, but not as the same creature. Should the current Gruaghlothor perish, the great wyrm iron dragons meet to choose one from among their ranks to become the new Gruaghlothor. Through a secret ritual that lasts exactly one year, the new Gruaghlothor emerges to lead the ferrous dragons and plot the extermination of red dragons.
  
  "Gruaghlothor possesses a constant telepathic link with all ferrous dragons, and thus even the most evil of the species will not defy his will, for he will know instantly."

 

[RealAlHazred]

FWIW, I see the original authors (Shade and BOZ) arewere active on ENWorld, and Shade posted a 3.5E Gruaghlothor stat block here, but it's only CR 25.

 

[Mecheon]

Back in the day I know I found the thread where the Ferrous were updated to 3E, plus the beginnings of the counterparts (Stone dragons IIRC). Its somewhere in all of those updates to 3E

 

[Corinnguard]

These dragons got a 3.5E update in Dragon #356, in "Ferrous Dragons: The Return of Heavy Metal—Dragons" by Kevin Baase and Eric Jansing.

I still happen to have this Dragon Magazine issue in my Dragon Magazine collection. It was an okay article. I liked how the Cobalt and Iron Dragons briefly joined the big leagues by becoming a part of the 4e line-up of Metallic Dragons.