A Radiant dragon, also known as a Celestial or Star dragon, is a draconic creature native to wildspace in the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]
Overview[]
Radiant dragons, also known as star dragons or celestial dragons, are enormous dragons native to wildspace, and are among the largest of their kind in existence.[1]
Description[]
A radiant dragon is a sinuous, serpentine dragon with graceful, translucent wings. Its scales are a collection of glittering pearl-like shards of mica and gypsum, which cause the dragon to shimmer in starlight, giving the creature its name.
Radiant dragons speak their own dialect as well as the common trade tongue. They are quick with languages and fond of mimicry, so they tend to imitate the accents of those individuals they speak to. One-in-ten radiant dragons are born with the ability to understand any given tongue.[1]
Behavior[]
“Better to be slain by a star dragon quickly, before it has a chance to think about it.”
- Giff saying..[2]
Radiant dragons typically spend their lives in wildspace, especially since their huge size would make them ungainly on most worlds. They enjoy mingling with mere mortals, often taking the form of a well known adventurer or hero when visiting various asteroid communities. A ship's captain or adventurer faced with unpaid bills for services from places they have never visited before may guess that their renown is great enough to entice a radiant dragon to assume their form. In some regions of wildspace this is considered a great honor (once their veracity has been confirmed through the liberal use of detect lie and other divination spells). In other areas of space it is considered a blasted nuisance.
Radiant dragons can be of any alignment; there are radiant dragons who terrorize the spaceways, those who are are great deal more beneficent, and those who prefer to set themselves up as whimsical god-king on small, distant worlds. On the whole, radiant dragons are proud, haughty, and feel that they are the ultimate in draconian development: they are, after all, the largest of their kind.
Radiant dragons are friendly towards dracons and lizard men, whom they encourage to worship them at every opportunity they get. They are haughty toward humans, elves, halflings, and most other mammalian humanoids. They consider mind flayers, beholders, and neogi to be genetic aberrations who haven't had the good sense to die off. This opinion is reciprocated by these same races, which hunt the dragons whenever they have a chance and think they can beat them. In addition, radiant dragons are occasionally attacked by larger krajen.[1]
Combat[]
How a radiant dragon will react in combat depends on the situation as well as the individual dragon. They rarely flee from a fight, however, depending on their huge size to keep them safe from opponents. As a general rule, they will give a ship and its crew the opportunity to leave, parley, or generally bow and scrape and beg for their kindness and mercy. Even the smallest of these creatures has an overweening sense of pride.
A radiant dragon will concentrate on attacking the ship first, seeking to destroy or eliminate any serious threats (such as any ballistae or catapults). The dragon will also focus on eliminating any spellcasters or those with spell-like abilities. If a radiant dragon is good-aligned, it will rely on silence, 15' radius spells to neutralize any spell casters (if available). If less concerned about killing, it will merely slay hostile spell casters as soon as they encounter them.
Radiant dragons utilize much of the same attack forms as other draconic species, except on a greater scale. A radiant's wing buffet is particularly potent in the confined space of a ship's atmospheric envelope, inflicting significant injuries on all crew within 200-feet on either side, as well as causing an effect similar to a “Ship Shaken” critical hit. In addition to the tail slap used by dragon's against groups of creatures, a radiant dragon may grip a ship in the coils of its serpentine tail and inflict crushing damage as it begins constricting the ship's hull. Lighter materials, like wood or ceramic, are particularly vulnerable, but heavier materials, such as stone and metal, will sustain less damage. A radiant dragon can make other attacks, and even attack other vessels, while constricting a ship.
The radiant dragon Blacklight attacking a hammership with its breath weapon
A radiant dragon's breath weapon consists of glowing pulses of force that in some ways resemble magic missiles (as per the spell). They can breathe a single pulse dealing significant damage, or any number of smaller pulses which deal a fraction of the damage dealt by the larger pulse. Each pulse can target a separate victim, and is unerring in its attack, unless the victim manages to dodge the pulse, which will then simply evaporate. A radiant dragon can target both creatures as well as physical objects (such as a ship) with its breath weapon.
As radiant dragons mature, they gain a number of innate abilities:[1]
- Juvenile dragons can restore or corrupt air (as per the spell).
- Young adult dragons can use interposing claw (as per the Bigby's interposing hand spell).[note 1]
- Adult dragons can use grasping claw (as per the Bigby's grasping hand spell).[note 1]
- Mature adult dragons can shapechange three times per day (24 hours), gaining the abilities of the creature that it mimics, including the ability to cast spells as well as any spell-like abilities.
- Venerable dragons can create a wall of force (as per the wand)
- Wyrm's can use forcecage (as per the spell).
- Great wyrms can create a prismatic sphere large enough to encapsulate themselves as well as up to 4 other creatures of similar size. and to maintain it indefinitely.
Society[]
Radiant dragons are normally solitary and very territorial about their “turf”, which may include the region around a particular planet or moon. Mated pairs with young may be encountered, having established their lair within a hollowed out asteroid. In fact, many of the hollow asteroids used by human colonies were originally created by radiant dragons.
Radiant dragons are very protective of their young, and harming them is a sure way of earning their enmity. They will hunt down those responsible, all the while devising inventive ways of gaining their revenge. As the giff saying goes: “Better to be slain by a star dragon quickly, before it has a chance to think about it.”
Radiant dragons are totally spaceborne and can survive for long periods in the depths of wildspace. They can sometimes be seen near fire bodies with their wings outstretched, gliding on the radiating heat waves. Sages surmise that radiant dragons can absorb energy from such fiery celestial bodies and store it within their bodies, much like the kindori. However, a selfish and hungry radiant dragon can just as easily descend on an asteroid community and clean out all other living things (particularly if it considers the asteroid its “own” from an earlier stage of life).
Radiant dragons can be encountered in any region of wildspace and in the phlogiston. Their great size provides them with their own atmospheric envelope, but unlike the kindori, they do not encourage riders, and will often preen their scales to remove krajen spores and other hitchhikers.
Spelljamming[]
Radiant dragons have the inherent ability to cast a number of priest spells. They are also amongst the largest living creatures with a natural spelljamming ability. Radiant dragons can spelljam at will without tiring, and can achieve a ship's rating equivalent to a priest powering a major helm. (A radiant dragon's SR is directly proportional to its age). A radiant dragon's spell-casting abilities function in any sphere that has a native population of dragons. In those rare spheres without dragons, they still retain access to first and second level spells and their natural spelljamming ability. Radiant dragons have, on occasion, used their spelljamming ability to rescue or tow wrecked ships (in return for a promised reward, or a statue in their honor at least.)[1]
Rumors[]
For some reason there is a great deal of speculation about how the radiant dragons gained their spelljamming ability, and whether it is natural or as a result of some deal with the arcane. One school of thought believe that the radiant dragons are the only natural spelljamming creatures, and that the arcane use them to create their helms. A second school believe that the radiant dragons received their ability from the arcane in exchange for transportation or other favors. Of course this all pure speculation, especially since the radiant dragons and the arcane appear to have little contact.[1]
Notable Radiant dragons[]
- Blacklight maintained a lair in a derelict leviathan located within the Sea of Sorrow at the heart of Pirtelspace, preying on asteroid communities and passing ships for centuries.[3]
- Celestial Nightpearl possessed an ultimate helm in the form of a sapphire pendant.[4] While she was not willing to become the captain of the Spelljammer, she was determined to find a suitable replacement and decided to partner up with Teldin Moore to test his suitability for the role.[5]
- Starlight Brilliant Glowing Radiance was a draconic pirate who extorted wealth from passing ships in exchange for safe passage.[6]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Radiant dragons claim, loudly, that Bigby stole these spells from them, and then named them after himself. Careful research by sages indicate that the reverse is true: these spells did not come into common use among radiant dragons until Bigby developed them. However, given the size and temperament of those dragons making the claim, few have chosen to argue the point with them.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Radiant dragon article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Radiant dragon article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, Dragon, Radiant (Celestial) entry (pp.73–74)
- ↑ Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, Dragon, Radiant (Celestial) entry (p.74)
- ↑ Steve Kurtz, "The Sea of Sorrow", Dungeon Magazine #36, July/August 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 45 and 64-65
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Radiant Dragon, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Prologue, pages 4-7 (first appearance)
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Radiant Dragon, 1992, (TSR Inc.), pages 249-252
- ↑ Nigel D. Findley, SJA2 Skull & Crossbows, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Pirate-Wyrm section, chapter 1: Pirates and Corsairs, pages 13-14