Dragon Geopolitics, Explained!

[@DenoftheDrake]

*Dragon Geopolitics:* Beating up peasants and stealing their lunch money since the first age.

[@ezrawoskes8499]

Hi Drake! Lowly subscriber happy to see the Mighty Hoarder of Cringe here!

[@kevinsmith9013]

Dragons are also noted for their long slumbers, and that unpredictability is another reason to fear them. I'd imagine a whole category of omens and signs associated with their potential awakenings and the havoc that creates.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

I mean, have a nap.... And THEN FIRE THE MISILES

[@Bluecho4]

@@DungeonMasterpiece I understood that reference.

[@Attaxalotl]

@@DungeonMasterpiece Thanks to this, I have found a most epic video.

[@Robisme]

I always thought when one goes to slumber the weaker ones wake up or stay awake to dominate the area.

[@calebchristensen900]

I'd imagine when the frost thaws and the brambleberries bloom is when the the Ancient Emerald Drake of the deep wood awakens. And it'd probably be best to not travel alone and keep an eye to the sky when the berries are ripe.

[@CJLloyd]

The geopolitics of monsters is not something I'd considered when thinking about fantasy geopolitics. I'd thought about magic, fantastic locations, organisations etc, but not monsters. It seems so obvious now that you brought it up. Thanks!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Geopolitically speaking, it's mainly with large powerful monsters that have an ability to shape the environment they're in. Hence the term "geo" in Geopolitics. Goblins are just as subject to the geography as humans are. Dragons however, not so much.

[@khayyin359]

Anything with Regional Effects are worth looking at. It's one of the first things I noticed when I started using 5e, and I immediately wanted to work it into my worldbuilding... And that added to my usual scope-creep, and slowed down my already slow worldbuilding 😅 (This whole channel has been a blessing, and is helping a lot 😁)

[@solsystem1342]

Not quite the same but there are super colonies of ants that have seized huge territories across the world. Really, anywhere that there are people living their lives there are also ants fighting over the same ground. There are even more ants then humans by weight.

[@Tortferngatr]

@@DungeonMasterpiece I was already thinking about having a "Drakonguard" spymaster organization meant to defend a strategically valuable, incredibly lucrative city that's technically four cities connected by massive portals from the schemes of wilier shapeshifting dragons, one that eventually came to have all sorts of other duties as well due to the skills needed to track down shapeshifters that can turn into massive, flying, fire-breathing lizards ALSO being quite useful for espionage and special operations in general. This video definitely helps me out in that regard.

[@starhalv2427]

Playing as a goblin nation in a D&D-inspided mod for a strategy game really did make me realise how stupid it is for even weaker monsters to be eternally divided and never a serious threat to civilised nations, as is the case in some settings.

[@CthonicSoulChicken]

Mindflayer or Beholder geopolitics would be interesting. Giants, too.

[@zacharyhawley1693]

Mind flayers will be much harder to do. Since a Kill On Sight is the only thing I can see towards an oppressive and antagonistic parasite. Most creatures you could attempt to live with. Them... no.

[@CthonicSoulChicken]

@@zacharyhawley1693 Right, but the impact of their control is what I would be curious about. The extent of their influence, population size required for feeding but not arousing too much suspicion, etc.

[@mooncake387]

@@CthonicSoulChicken they generally live in the underdark, they hide and dont want nearby populations to know they live there, if a city knows there is a hive neaby they will hunt them down.

[@003mohamud]

Throw in nagas as well

[@rachdarastrix5251]

Here is a joke for you, how do you say Giants in Draconic? Long Time Rivals.

[@tonyc3858]

As a DM for a "Less Dungeons & More Dragons" campaign, I approve this message. Great work!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Such a phenomenal phrase. I'm totally stealing this

[@kayosiiii]

A note about population sizes in a medieval campaign. So if we take 14th century England as an example and you need a population of 10,000 to 15,000 to support an army capable of taking down a Dragon there would be 3 settlements in the country capable of doing this London, York & Bristol. also great video.

[@krinkrin5982]

Was going to write a comment like this. While it's difficult to estimate population sizes of medieval communities, as a rule of thumb, our popular view vastly overestimates how big a town or village was. A typical farming community might have 100-200 people in 3-5 extended families.

[@Biostasis5x7]

So a pair of dragons and 14th century Britain is now a smoldering ruin? Good to know.

[@kayosiiii]

@@Biostasis5x7 London could handle two dragons, and the monark was capable of mustering forces in the neighbourhood of 10,000 soldiers, but outside 9f that yes.

[@kayosiiii]

Actually, after thinking about it pre 1666 London is a bit of a tinderbox, as long as one of your two dragons can breath fire I think you do fine.

[@Slipfish]

@@krinkrin5982 Fantasy settlements of any size don't tend to be 1:1 comparisons to real life medieval analogues. Part of this is just due to the conceit of our imaginations, but it usually also makes sense for there to be larger communities than what we would have seen in life. Magic is a hell of a logistics force multiplier.

[@Karlmakesstuff]

Economics and superstition aside, I wonder how the *existence* (never mind the proximity) of dragons and other flying creatures would affect defensive architecture. Suspect settlements and population centres would look quite different if flyers were common.

[@agustinvenegas5238]

A lot more underground cities and bunkers would probably be invented a couple hundred years before Thatched roofs and wood structures would be either very expensive or very stupid in areas near dragons, and I imagine the walls of cities not underground would be domed over to protect the people shooting from there

[@Karlmakesstuff]

@@agustinvenegas5238 Yes, thinking more along the lines of underground cities and maybe surface outposts to protect agricultural production - that would definitely be impacted. Makes me wonder if civilization would emerge at all if flying threats were very frequent.

[@macoppy6571]

Humans are not well suited to living underground. But dwarves, gnomes and halflings are. Elves likewise are ill suited to living underground, but are masters of camouflage. If dragons only are active for 1 year every 100, then humans would 'forget' the dragon every 4 generations.

[@Eowar]

I imagine if they feared fire from the sky they would build using more earthen materials, not necessarily quarried stone (which isn't available everywhere and often involved labor-intensive transportation) but instead things like sod, mud bricks or rammed earth.

[@Karlmakesstuff]

@@macoppy6571 Good point! Cities have been built in the shadows of active volcanoes - there's definitely an element of "Eh, we'll take our chances" at play.

[@Merlinstergandaldore]

Fun analysis! Speaking from an old school perspective, in 1e and 2e Dragons had a fear aura, which would completely wreck any army of 0-levels just by doing a flyby, leaving only the leveled opponents. From a 1e demographic PoV that's 1 to every 100 0-levels. Granted 1e dragons are physically less impressive than later editions, but still not to be discounted.

[@CthonicSoulChicken]

2nd edition, FTW!

[@tom_curtis]

5e dragons of a sufficiently high CR still have the same feature, and it out ranges the short range of all but one martial ranged weapon, and all simple ranged weapons. Even Veterans and Knights are utterly defeated by this tactic in 5e, if they encounter an Ancient Red Dragon. RAW, they can never succeed in the saving throw. The best standard NPC force against dragons (Archers) will only succeed in their saving throw on a roll of 20, meaning by the time a Dragon gets close enough to use its breath attack, only 1 in 20 of the Archers are still putting up a fight. So those Archers, with their Longbows get (at best) four shots with disadvantage and only a 2.25% chance to hit (because of that disadvantage) plus one shot without disadvantage before their formation is broken, and many of them are dead (only 1 in 20 Archers, Veteran's or Knights will survive a single breath weapon attack from an Ancient Red).

[@Merlinstergandaldore]

@@tom_curtis Excellent. I thought they might but didn't want to get my books out to confirm... the bookshelf is 10 feet away... too far. :P

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

OSR is always right!

[@thefallenmonk605]

I have yet to have a party survive a dragon encounter. They have trouble with smart enemies lol

[@pointblank2890]

Oddly enough, this video helps understand the Ancient Dragon Cult within Skyrim and how ancient dragons enslaved, and at the same time, co-existed with their human subjects. There was fear and oppression, but there were also dragon cults and reverence, with high ranking dragon priests being given masks that connected to their specific dragon and access fragments of their power

[@AynenMakino]

Nice vid! It also occurs to me that the presence of a dragon can greatly upset people's idea of who the 'highest authority' around the region is. I mean, if there's a king there but the people respect the dragon more than the king, how will that king take it? Same with temples, does a temple of Helm evoke respect greater than that of a dragon when the power of Helm is perhaps less obvious? So what would the temple of Helm do?

[@NinjaxPrime]

Here's an interesting idea: syncretism. Perhaps instead of competing with the dragon's power, the local clerics might instead lean into it by claiming that the dragon is a servant or even an avatar of the god itself, and thus increase their own standing. The dragon might even encourage this if it means getting a tithe from the local population, or the dragon itself might believe it. Likewise, kings or nobles might legitimize their authority by claiming the dragon as part of their lineage. It all depends on the temperament of the dragon of course.

[@AynenMakino]

@@NinjaxPrime Excellent idea!

[@gopro_audio]

Most dragon's are absent from the political scene in D&D. Even in Dragonlance, there are so many Lawful Good and other good dragons that refuse to engage evil. Its b.s. and Ed Greenwood knows better.

[@rachdarastrix5251]

I mean, I have gotten pretty heavily involved in protecting the domain, fending off evil, helping with the safety and prosperity of those who could sure use the help. Of course you already know what thanks I got. Those people I did all those great heroic things for are completely blind to my deeds and my actions. Instead they give me the good old "But you are always saying things that hurts my feelings!" And I'm like "Bitch, please. You think the hammer is at fault, when you make the anvil out of eggshells?"

[@duhg599]

To be fair to Paladine’s children, their eggs _were_ being held hostage by Takhisis’ goons so long as the good dragons stayed away. It wasn’t until the good dragons found out that Takhisis was turning their eggs into draconians that they got involved and engaged evil.

[@theophrastusbombastus1359]

What does Ed Greenwood have to do with Dragonlance?

[@ShizaruBloodrayne]

Big Dragon propaganda. It's all a conspiracy I tell you.

[@danielramsey6141]

This is why Wild Dragons are much more interesting, and we’re talking game of thrones style rampages!

[@lutzhartwig2440]

Nice idea. Some additional thoughts: The presence of a dragon weakens the borders between the material and elemental planes of existence, so here and there, related bands of mephits or other elemental beings could emerge. Also, Dragonborn and Kobolds might become attracted to serve or settle in the area, becoming his strongmen and vassals. An additional campaign idea taken from AD&D 1st: Dragons can be subjugated by intimidation and appliance of non-lethal damage. One of my campaigns-in-waiting has a noble house that specializes in capturing and taming all great beasts and are known as the "Dragon Traders".

[@johnstuartkeller5244]

It would seem, sir, that you have finally answered the ages old question: "But what about dragons!?" Quick! Alert Shadiversity!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

I mean........

[@rikospostmodernlife]

Oh sweet Moradin, this is gonna make ripples

[@PhyreI3ird]

Oh shit YOU'RE RIGHT!!

[@chazzitz-wh4ly]

You got me thinking about not just dragons, but also other major monster threats. Krakens, medusas, hydras, giants. What does their presence influence for the nearby settlements? It opens up quest hooks and factions like monster hunter guilds and bounties.

[@kingcrowbro2486]

I already knew this was gonna be an interesting video, but I wasn't expecting you to basically lay out an entire adventure hook in about 8 minutes. Great video always and I'm thankful to have something else to think about. I'm not sure if only Pateron or channel members can make video suggestions, but if so hopefully one of them will see my comment and pass it along. Could we possibly get a Geopolitics Episode on the Underdark, and specifically the Drow?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

I will likely do the under dark in the not too distant future. I got ebberon, the astral sea/spelljammer, and dragonlance up first tho lol

[@kingcrowbro2486]

@@DungeonMasterpiece looking forward to it then

[@patrickmcathey7081]

I think it depends on the type of dragon, green dragons love politics and blue dragons love setting themseleves up as rulers often leveraging their racial ability to make water. While I can see black, white, bronze, copper and gold doing this. Reds silver, blue and green have their own stick. I mean the regional effects of a red dragon literally summon monsters from the elemental plane of fire miles around their lair, a green dragon likely knows everything going on in your city as all the birds and vermin are extra eyes and ears.

[@josiahhopkins9188]

All of your geopolitics videos are fantastic and have made me rethink a ton of my setting that I've been running for a couple decades. Please do more of this. Thanks!

[@Lurklen]

I mean all of this supposes the model of "Dragon as a Wild Creature" Or maybe as a natural disaster that arrives to an already established civilization and then continues doing what it was already going to do. But these things are scary smart, they are likely to engage with their surroundings and adapt their strategy to be effective, using the tools at their disposal. Us. When you are equivalent to a unit of 300 men (which is debatable depending on the context) it's not that hard to get 300 more men to follow you, and so on until you're not occupying an area on the edge of things, but instead now rule at the center of it all. Given the innate arrogance dragons are depicted as possessing, regardless of their alignment (well earned though it may be), it seems unlikely that any powerful enough to be called ancient, wouldn't have been building a power base along with a horde. What you describe sounds like the actions of a younger dragon, building that up. But the nigh immortal ancient dragons would already be there at the center of everything, and from the perspective of many, would have always been. Your comments on Metallic dragons (in the video and in the comment section) fly in the face of D&D lore, but align with my own read. These giant, often hyper intelligent, and destructive creatures, also tend to be--by human standards anyway, incredibly neurotic and alien in their mentality. They are obsessive, compulsive, violent, psychopaths, with extreme narcissistic personalities, and non-delusional feelings of superiority, that have incredible sensory perception and potential destructive power, and are also very large predators (even if some of them can survive off of gemstones, which could be a whole other weird issue). That is a bad recipe for a neighbor. Even the good ones have a megalomaniacal streak, and the inhuman quality of being an apex predator that rarely needs to adapt to predation or direct threats. They basically come out of the box equipped with everything they need to dominate, unlike us. They would be really hard to negotiate with, if that was even an option, and it beggars belief that--considering they would predate us, we would even get a chance to become a civilization without their influence, let alone a force of 300 crossbowmen before they had already taken over. Because of course they wouldn't be the outsiders, we would. Or rather we would be the pests growing in their territory. It kind of feels like we would be pawns in between slumbering ancient overlords, and younger upstarts on the fringes of other dragons territories. The landscape would be altered by these ancient wyrms, and we would be subject to them even when they weren't present. Likely functioning as a living hoard/security system Bring magic and spellcasting into it and we have obsessive and tyrannical war machines that can appear and/or monitor nearly anything or anywhere in their territory, and may be able to rain destruction at a level far beyond their physical abilities. Oh, also many of them can shape change into most other creatures. It's possible only their weird draconic neuroses have prevented this outcome, but at least a few of them (Red, Blues, Greens, Golds, to name a few, Black dragons too, but with more of a deconstructive angle) have this kind of agenda in their bio. Dragons as written would be a huge problem, and their presence would impact the landscape in huge ways. The only way they make sense, is if there is some force that deters them from basically just roosting everywhere before any big civs kicked off (but for a number of reasons I doubt that would be humans).

[@joebobby8371]

Being at war with giants might do a number on them

[@Lurklen]

@@joebobby8371 True, which is part of the in world lore, though it still feels pretty shaky. But since the giants are greatly reduced in presence and power, there seems to be little keeping dragons in check. Like unless we somehow rose up during the eras when giants and dragons were at war, and for some reason went unnoticed, you still end up with us being the pets of whoever wins, unless somehow they both lose, for a veeeery long time so we can build up to be able to kind of handle them as threats. This is why things like the Witcher setting make a little more sense. Everything just kind of popping in from other worlds explains how they all didn't wipe each other out a million years ago, and how a displacer beast and a lion can exist on the same planet in the same parts of the world, without driving one or the other extinct (yet...).

[@ocirMZ]

The sponsored bit fit in too well. I don't think an ad ever got me more interested than that one

[@carpma11]

This is awesome stuff, absolute gold for storytelling! You're playing chess while the rest of us are out here playing checkers.

[@CloseingStraw97]

Here's something I never got from Fantasy settinfs is that why don't dragons just say "Hey I'm the big ruler so send me your tax money." Them being the rulers of the land that dominates all that they seems to fit a dragon's MO far better then some beast who happens to horde away money.

[@niedude]

How do you think dragons got their hoards? This is literally seen since the inception of dragons

[@CloseingStraw97]

@@niedude It is usually treated as something they already stole or was cursed by. An acient nordic myth was one where someone became so greedy over a treasure that they turned into a dragon. Tolkien used that as the basis of Smough in The Hobbit. Yet smough just lazzed around never using his wealth to get more wealth or govern the people from the river.

[@Whichendup]

From a dragon's perspective they do rule their territory, and they take what they want when they feel like it, but the dumbest dragons are human intelligent and many range in genius human levels of Int. Plus they live for thousands of years in some cases. Dragons play the long game. Imagine these dragons are like beekeepers, and mortals are the bees. The beekeeper doesn't harass a hive all the time, they come, take what they want, make sure the hive as a whole can continue, then leave them to do their bee things until they have stuff worth taking again.

[@CloseingStraw97]

@@Whichendup Reminds me of a Medieval tradition where once a beekeeper dies someone goes to the bee hives and tells the bees that the Beekeeper has died.

[@rachdarastrix5251]

Did you know the story of a heroic knight fighting a dreadful dragon is just one of internal conflict between the positive view of a nobleman in the eyes of the people and in the eyes of those who see him as a monster? As he is rescuing a princess from a dragon in reality he is trying to focus on what kind of man she deserves to marry, as he is rescuing her from himself at an arranged marriage.

[@jeroenimus7528]

Going to address other big beasties as well? (As I assume a Beholder or an Aboleth will not entirely have the same impact as a Dragon does.)

[@rikospostmodernlife]

Monkey DM, if I remember correctly, did a video on a beholder that created a cult to help keep themselves safe

[@klaasvaak4803]

This channel has been such a blessing, I've been running out of idea's lately and you fuel my brain with such fantastic knowledge and inspiration. Thanks!

[@mr.factoid105]

I had an unfinished game where the GM described ,entire towns of people disappearing and the village nut case being paranoid about the fog that would roll in every morning. The bit about the green dragon puts things into context.

[@MageGate]

Great insights as usual! Would love to see more videos with your thoughts on how local geopolitics are influenced by nearby monsters or other threats or dangerous terrain (warlords, bandits/pirates, volcanos, swamps, etc.). Keep up the great work!

[@drewforchic9083]

And all of this is before the dragons start playing Xorvintaal, the dragon sport where they deep-state puppet-master the rest of the world into defeating their draconic rivals using a scoring system so complicated even the dragons barely understand it.

[@SuperAnthonyBennett]

I've just found your channel Praise the algorithm. I love this stuff. Honestly wish this was longer and more detailed. This is such an interesting subject. Thank you, look forward to binging your videos

[@DeusExAngelo]

I just discovered your channel, as a DM, worldbuilder, and storyteller this has been a huge help! Another set of creatures I'd want to see your take involving geopolitics would be Giants (unless you've made that vid and I haven't found it). I say this because unlike Dragons, Giants (outside Storm Giants perhaps) do congregate in groups. I think one's that would have the most negative geopolitical impact would be Hill Giants especially in ideal temperate regions. Their generally ravenous and opportunistic appetites combined with their often lack of cunning is scarier to me than a dragon. Most hill giants probably prioritize short term fulfillment and gain over setting up long term extortion/tribute. Especially since they can travel in groups. A family of Hill Giants wouldn't just eat a farm's lifestock and crops, but the farmer and their family too. This would be devastating to a smaller town or village for their survival, but also could majorly impact trade and supply lines.

[@aled857]

You have no idea how this video is perfect timing for the group I play in, we have an awesome unconventional d.m., we are in a very custom "storm king based" campaign where we are "smugglers", any way while scouting a ice giant base came across a pinned down white dragon under fire from all angles, we assist it and in short made an agreement to help her free her "mate" or whatever that's being held and tortured by this hard ass " yarl" super ice giant, we stormed the place with her, one guy snuck in and set the mate free (knock spell) and blasted our way out, now our party is semi reluctantly making arrangements with a white dragon and her mate, not much of a choice while we are in their presence. And this video just matches the dragon angle we are at right now, sorry to ramble, thanks for the content, the d.m. in that group will get a big kick from it .

[@ajpetrina86]

Just getting into your videos and loving them, but I have to say, you may want to put a couple vertical shelf supports in with your library.

[@Attaxalotl]

My character is from some mountains that used to be home to a purple dragon, and there's a lot of taboo against lights outside, especially when traveling. Purple Dragons are nocturnal, and _very_ interested in the affairs of anyone they so happen to come across. A campfire stands out very well against the moorlands / pine forests, especially from the air at night.

[@goldenlokosian3740]

My favorite video of yours so far! Your videos have really helped me improve how I write my setting, and given me ideas for the future. Keep up the good work!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

You're so welcome!

[@lordInquisitor]

The population of dragons is a big factor ," animals" that size and who are also carnivores almost never reach high population density due to a number of factors , add to how they fight among each other and the fact that most even the strongest of mortal dragons will die if you turn them into a pin cushion with cannons / magic / balistea and so on

[@pistol975]

Recently found this channel and I have been really enjoying these videos! Thank you for the work you do on these videos!

[@thomascook3336]

Saving this for later. My world right now is a little barren of plot hooks but you just gave me so many ideas to bring more life into it.

[@IvoryKnight22]

I would love to see a deeper dive into the geopolitics on Temples and theistic wars, Guilds (thieves, fighters, and, wizards) Factions of Merc companies, druid circles, and various smaller aspects of a world to see how to use them at the best. Plus some ways to make those things feel more alive and interesting.

[@rouventrollblut2275]

Thanks for an other entry to geopolitics, great series! Have you considered a video about the geopolitics of the "Birthright"-Setting?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

It's on the list!!

[@Giantstomp]

I think you found your niche with these Geopolitics videos. Well done and by far your best videos. I would love to see you investigate other races like orcs, goblins, beholders etc. Geopolitics or wizards and clerics would be great too.

[@override367]

Ooh! I love this! I'd love to see Giant Geopolitics. I know Cloud Giants sometimes "benevolently" install themselves as overseers of "smallfolk" and Storm Giants are so awe inspiring and powerful that many settlements simply view them as gods that are visiting, especially when they have one of their legendary get togethers where they all drink and boast and fight and the weather changes on a dime and lightning is hurled about, fire giants being slavers, stone giants leaving elaborate artworks of pigments and living stone around while never coming up to see the sun - etc. In my curse of strahd game I gave the druids veneration of Stone Giants that live in the mountains, they learned druidic magic from studying a dreamwalker stone giant (With whom they do not communicate with words) as she works stone and flesh interchangeably to create her art, viewing the dreamwalker as a rival power to strahd (meanwhile the dreamwalker literally doesn't know the waking world is real)

[@Keyce0013]

It makes sense to me that creatures like Silver and Gold Dragons might actually be more harmful to humans than we might think. These are ultra-powerful creatures who permit humans to live because they aren't (yet) seen as pests in their territory. As a comparison, look at how humanity treats dogs as pets. Of course there are a lot of people who treat dogs with love and respect, but there's also many people who breed and butcher dogs for pit fighting or for whatever the latest breeding trend is. Purebreeding has lead to some of the worst genetic dispositions among canines and it's entirely the fault of human breeders for trying to keep them "pure." Now tell me, do you want your resident Blue Eyes White Dragon doing the same thing to you and your family? I wouldn't.

[@derekstein6193]

It will be fine; just get yourself a dark magician and a Celtic warrior.

[@AlexKlindt]

Well, Golds in general tend to keep to themselves unless they feel compelled to engage some great evil while Silvers tend to feel obligated to take a much more active role in their surroundings.

[@deriznohappehquite]

Okay Edelgard.

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

I at one point wrote about half of a setting where the first states were established in a kind of arms race between Dragon-Kings fighting to keep their hordes secure in spite of their multi-century sleep cycles. Eventually some of these states successfully rebelled when their de jure masters awakened and held off other Dragon-Tyrants, becoming the first human kingdoms.

[@Wsnewname]

Just boosting engagement because this has to be some of the best DMing content to come out on this site since Matt Coleville's "Running The Game." Love seeing this channel grow.

[@wagz781]

It's important to also remember that dragons have their minions. Kobolds being, perhaps, the most associated with them. However, guard drakes, pets in the form of dinosaurs, elementals, monstrosities, and beasts, and other humanoids are far more likely to make up the dragon's main fighting force. Kobolds might be weak as individuals, but they have a long history as being quite industrious and efficient. Were it not for their monster status and the curses of garl glittergold, there is a case to be made that they could rival dwarves. Providing a good economical base for the dragon to play around with in acquiring additional, more powerful fighting forces. Which is to say; considering the dragon's force projection as JUST the dragon is a bit disingenuous. They are, in and of themselves, lords of the monsters within their domain to one extent or the other. Cities should, and rightly do fear them. Not just the frontiers.

[@KnarbMakes]

Great Vid! Curious, how many of your campaigns feature dragons vs no dragons at all.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

I go back and forth. I have had some campaigns where every boss fight is a dragon. I've had campaigns where not a dragon was found

[@davidcollier2500]

One idea I use in one of my campaigns is that some of the more lawful dragons have decided to take a more symbiotic approach to living with humans and other sentient races. Because they already like hoarding gold and precious gems, some dragons have taken up the roll of bankers, allowing humans to willingly contribute their own gold to their hoards in exchange for much more convenient bank notes. Most humans know better than to try to steal from a dragon's vaults or not pay their loans on time.

[@richiecastle460]

Off topic, but I definitely own that tie and used it for about 8 years as my go to. Excellent wardrobe choice!

[@gameraven13]

That comment about metallic dragons came just in time for something campaign relevant for me. I have a silver dragon who has been masquerading as a pompous, but kind noble that the party has befriended. He’s always very aloof when they ask him questions about what he is a lord of and how he came into his supposed riches. One players has even caught the hints and figured it out out of character haha. I wanted to eventually reveal that my world’s version of Bahamut basically gave him a “time out” and cursed him to wander in a human form. Silver dragons already, in the canon lore, enjoy the company of humanoids, but it’s different than actually having to live amongst them as one of them. The experience is meant to humble him so he can return to his grand, ancient form. However, due to his charade as a noble, he has yet to actually achieve this. I’ve been trying to think of what possibly could have happened to cause this curse if he’s a good dragon. That comment about metallic dragons not being necessarily on the same moral compass as humans and the discussion it has sparked in the comments has greatly helped me in ideas for fleshing out what could have caused this curse. Plenty of things that a godly being of justice could see as a cosmic violation of good that an arrogant ancient metallic dragon would deem as the morally correct thing to do. I think the party eventually going back to his lair, which he described as a fortified keep at the top of a snowy mountain, only to find it inhabited by something sinister that has claimed it while he was gone will be a great thing later in the campaign as well! Perhaps finding remnants and hints of some ancient cult that used to worship him scattered about.

[@frederickbeuttler2811]

Do the shapechanger one alongside Eberron stuff. Changelings are a known part of Eberron, and the people have ways to deal with their presence. Check out Keith Baker's blog for more info.

[@TheAnimeAtheist]

This is something I've noted for a long time. Nations would be in standstills with dragons, neither side really wanting to make a move against the other. The nation would tolerate some dragon activity, but the dragons would also be careful not push their luck. Dragons would then likely start a dragon cult with their kobold minions who help collect magic sources for the dragon. Which is another thing to note, hoarding gold is more a red dragon thing. Considering dragons live is such inhospitable areas, dragons will subsist more on magic than food and water. They can get nutrition from these sources of course but they can also just "horde" magic to be consumed later. Given their reptilian nature they can also go for long spans without any intake at all, though they won't grow if they do this. Which also explains their long lifespans and slow growth. Also makes a great point about offerings to dragons, they prefer more magical things.

[@DM-CW]

Nice point that even 'good' dragons would oppress settlements because they think they're morally right. Throughout history people are either oppressed through rulers because they know they can or rulers who think they're ordained / morally meant to

[@the24thcolossusjustchillin39]

The thing with DnD dragons is that most of the metallic dragons aren’t that interested in hurting humanoids, Silver dragons go out of their way to not hurt anyone, brass and copper mostly just want some Companionship, that just leaves gold and bronze, with bronze being the only ones that actively threaten them in any capacity, small as it is since they often seek out millitary campaigns to fight in, as for golds? They do have the capacity be tyrants to an extent, but that appears to be the exception rather than the rule.

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

I personally fell in love with the dragons as the bank mafia thing from that space Pathfinder rpg.

[@richiecastle460]

Another application of this video is using ANY sort of threat. Using the CR method you described, I've been able to estimate how many soldiers of different ranks there would be in a kingdom of 10 million. Another example would be raiders made of orcs, ogres, or any other monster. Using this model, you would know how big the bandit force would need to be to threaten a town, and vice versa how big a town needs to be to properly defend.

[@DiploRaptor]

Next month gonna have to get in on that patreon

[@FlintFireforge]

Great info to build context into one's game. Thanks.

[@safaricompanion]

You mentioned draconic subjugation, which is an underrated point. Communities could grow around ritual tribute centers in an effort to placate a dragon that could grow to take on ruling or religious significance. Dragons could be looked at as warlords or deities, or even as saviors. Let's say a dragon's presence is an effective ward against subjugation by a central authority, but that's considered a good thing.

[@vandals4873]

I made like a dozen story hooks from this video, great job!

[@Dinofaustivoro]

I define my game world as "dragons geopolitics", this title was a surprise

[@mikegould6590]

The environmental effects are 100% spot on and certainly a great plot hook. Even for low level adventurers, investigating why a water source is toxic is a great way to introduce a dragon's influence. It may be perceived as sabotage, a curse, or some other influence, only to be uncovered as a draconic aspect later on. Nice.

[@digaddog6099]

What about character options associated with dragons? Draconic bloodline sorcerers, gift of the ____ dragon, draconic gifts, drakewarden rangers, and so on. Maybe way of the Ascendant Dragon monk too, seeing as its origin table says that dragons are often the cause. I'd assume that a dragon would give politically powerful families gifts to ensure loyalty, or in exchange for treasure. Looking at the list, a lot of these are just gifts, so it would probably have some overlap with warlock patrons. You could probably do a full episode on sorcerers and warlocks each.

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

How far from home would a dragon *fly?* That's a much different question than where you might encounter a dragon, depending on what kind it is. Dragons know spells, so teleportation is on the menu

[@althesilly]

Interesting point about a dragon likely found mountain near a plain and body of water. So a singular mountain near a town on a lake, with perhaps a colony of elvish in the magic forest for local trade and politic. Perhaps legends of where the dragon got his treasure from a bygone kingdom. This could make a great adventure for large party 12 maybe even 13 for a veteran GM with decades of experience.

[@JoshDurelofIOW]

An interesting note too, as I feel: the ability for people to deal with a local dragon would greatly depend on the system you use, 5e they could be dealt with the said 300 man army, but say using the 3.5e versions of them makes them far more impossible for an army of any size of lackluster soldiers. Admittedly the 5e approach might be over all more real, I thought it would be cool to provide this idea, for those adventurous dms contemplating other rule editions.

[@BennysGamingAttic]

I had a dragon that set up it's den near a coffee producing village. Because it consumed coffee, the players soon found out this dragon was jacked on caffeine... So basically Haste. That was a fun encounter I rolled accidentally on a chart for what the farmers mainly grew

[@rachdarastrix5251]

Dragons have been described as egotistic. For those DMs out there who want to learn how to play an egotistic NPC I am told that I am quite good at it. Here are my instructions. Step 1: Open your mouth and say a few words. Now the person next to you is offended. Ask them what you did to offend them and there is a 50/50 chance they will tell you instead of just continuing their aggression without giving you any clues. Now, if they do tell you, move on to step 2. Step 2: They will tell you, what you meant by what you said, and that this is why they are offended. Step 3: Disagree with them on what you were thinking. This is when they will give their mighty war cry of "How DARE YOU disagree with ME on what YOU were thinking!" Congratulations, you are now egotistic.

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

In older editions dragons had magic and damage reduction... Making them a bit untouchable to a regular army. And their Frightful Presence almost guaranted that nobody could get close enough to it or fight it... That and dragons usually have many minions and powerful magic objects.

[@rachdarastrix5251]

But then they had to nerf them to get people to stop crying after a TPK.

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

@@rachdarastrix5251 No, to a party of PCs those aren't a problem. You have spells to deal with the fear, the fire damage, a flying enemy, etc.

[@Bathorite]

Ooh a monster series like this would be awesome also would have loved t hear about the other dragon types

[@mollydaughterofduck1484]

This is great. I forwarded it to my whole DnD group!

[@andrewdiaz3529]

Not gonna lie, I watch a couple people sponsored by Dscryb, but you and the way you did your sponsor spot combined with the dragon shanty has gotten closest to making me really think about getting it.

[@bromossunstarranger8706]

Fantastic video well put together excellent inspirational content thank you. Dragons are some serious climate and geographic game changers.

[@edstevens1503]

I think about the movie Dragon Slayer a lot when planning out how local populations deal with a dragon.

[@TheEbrithil2]

I'd love to see a video about the influence of dragons and similarily mighty monsters on politics and warfare.

[@TaintedBalance]

You do a lot of good basic math breakdowns across your videos that I think would be good to both make a written resource link to AND you could add expanded versions of it for your patreon tiers. I know (suspect, whatever) that the way you break it down is to demonstrate to people how to do it, but by just machinegunning through it in these short videos you're really risking people just taking away the final math instead of really learning how you're going about approaching and thinking about how to get at the numbers, and what reasonable assumptions about them are. Maybe the topic for a specific video in the future?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Honestly, I try to machine gun through it because it's really dry for the normal viewer. It's def something I could do for patrons tho

[@jajsem1109]

In my current campaign, Holly empire is ruled over by a dragon. One day he came in the pallace in human form, asked for a duel for leadership. Current emperror laughed at the young man and send his big guy to duel with this one (and because magic is very much real, they had to use conventional weapons only, no magic). Challenger won in a fair fight, but emperror did not want to accept defeat, so he told his guards to kill the man. The "man" turned into his dragon form, burned emperror and his guards and said, that he won fairly. (and by the law, he was right) So now he rules over an empire. Funny thing, he is the good guy. Just and very moral. But as PCs are from different country, they does not see him as such :D

[@Kholan95]

Yo, I would love a Geopolitics focused on the Underdark of fantasy worlds like the Forgotten Realms. They are just so different than what we have in the real world.

[@mikec64]

This is a brilliant take. Thank you!

[@MrDrewwills]

The math doesn't quite work because of breath weapons. If the same CR creature had no area of affect attacks then yeah, a bunch of people with bows and crossbows would be scary. But when you can wipe out huge chunks of the enemy force every few seconds the odds quickly turn in the dragons favor.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

That's why I said "laughably" but with 300 people, you could muster ballistas, nets, and bolas, enough to where dragons would stay the hell away.

[@MrDrewwills]

@@DungeonMasterpiece That's true. Although the real threat would be to infastructure. The dragon has a birds eye view and incredible speed. It could see where the army is, then avoid them and target crops, buildings, ships, things that can't fight back.

[@simonblanjean6538]

Nice, I really want to make an old school dnd dungeon and I have to factor in an ancient war between giants and dragons, I think this will help. I just want to make a giant king tomb so bad.

[@Marcus-ki1en]

As always, excellent vid. Thanks for the ideas.

[@rb2040]

Feels like we should be in a lecture hall lots of oak, candles and pipe smoke hooded robed figures

[@PlehAP]

You kind of briefly alluded to it at the end, but what about the changes to politics of a Dragon who becomes Lord of a city? It is a common enough fantasy trope, especially for Gold or Silver dragons that seem to have the highest altruistic qualities. The dragon might consider the city's population of humanoids to be their hoard that they protect from other dragons.

[@scottburns4458]

Fantastic video just wished it was longer as it seemed you were getting into it the bam it ended.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

The issues of suffering a weekly release cadence

[@TheHobbyGrotto]

Always down for some geopolitics! 🔥

[@the24thcolossusjustchillin39]

good video, but I have a question though, the metallic dragons aren’t that interested in hurting humanoids and spend most of their time in non-dragon forms, how would This affect the geopolitical effects you described?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Watch the VERY END of the video

[@damongraham1398]

Any chance you might do videos for the different dragons? I like Crucible making Sanction his hoard.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

Great video and to add... You could give a reason why Dragons have hordes like it's a sorce of power or they use it for naesting or as a status sybole in their socity.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Same reason I owned a black lotus for about six months. "it's shiney"

[@danrimo826]

If they were animals then the reason would be to attract a mate. Bigger hoard => more chance of a mate. Kinda like a bower bird. Or a person lol. If they thought completely like people then hoard => power => safety/happiness If, however, they were supernatural magical creatures then the answer could be anything. In my world, dragons "age" based on the size of the hoard. The more treasure they accumulate, the more powerful they get. It's not older dragons that have bigger hoards (dragons don't age), the size of the hoard determines the size of the dragon. This is also why they HATE people taking their stuff - you take their treasure, you are taking away their power. They lose enough they go backwards in age category. Just a fun idea.

[@krinkrin5982]

@@danrimo826 I like this lore. It also puts a cap on how big any given dragon can get... and incentivizes it to make the population prosper so that it can take from it more often. Setting up a personality cult or a tribute deal becomes much more preferable to simply raiding the town every so often.

[@zawwin1846]

Maybe the treasure is all the people we met on our journey?

[@rikospostmodernlife]

I have a worldbuilding project where I decided to have no dragons ( well, except for _Draco volans_ ) so there the closest thing to a dragon is what I can only describe as "a behir but with ice breath". These beings have an aligator like behavior and are very impactful to the culture and economics of the lands where they live. They are revered in deserts, seen as angelic (powerful and fearsome, but not obey-able since the beast cannot give orders) by the desert nomads and by passing traders, because their lairs are oasis they themselves feed or create by making icebergs with their breath weapon and letting it thaw. This is, obviously, to lure in camels and asses but the nomads have come to believe them givers of life and the desert traders frequent these places and tend to spread the nomad's lore because of the frequent contact,

[@davidstrife165]

That was a smooth sponsorship, holy hell.

[@jamesscott305]

Fascination vid. Lots to think about in world building

[@NineNoRouge]

Even magic would shape geopolitics, as if there is access to mass teleportation it could make large states more feasible. Also I could imagine Dragons acting like the mafia and ask for protection money.

[@tom_curtis]

Doing some quick maths, the break even point is 92 Archers, 218 Veterans, or 382 Knights to fend of an attack from an Ancient Red Dragon. By break even point, I mean that that is the number where it is a 50/50 proposition as to whether the dragon dies before the last ten soldiers standing die. Soldiers wouldn't want to sign up on that proposition, but neither would dragons want to risk that attack either; so that is a reasonable estimate of the number of guards of different caliber you would need to employ as a standing army to ward of dragon attack (at last from an Ancient Red Dragon). However, these are drawn out battles. Thirty rounds for the Archers, 65 for the Veterans, and 114 for the Knights (on average). The dragon could intimidate the city sufficiently by a simple fly over which is completed in a minute or so. The dragon would not kill many guards with such an attack, nor take much damage - but it could set half the city of fire. To prevent that sort of attack you would need around 1350 Archers, 7160 Veterans, or 21840 Knights. You would also need them to be able to turn out quickly in a concentrated manner. In short, if the King or Mayor doesn't want to pay off the local dragon, they need to be able to defend every major population center they want safe (and probably core farmlands as well) with a force of over a thousand Archers at each such center. For comparison, England mustered 5000 Longbow Men at Agincourt, which would scarce be enough to defend London from a Dragon, let alone all of England's cities and towns.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

You answered your own question though. I think we agree a heck of a lot more than we disagree. Just as the archers wouldn't show up to a 50-50 coin flip, neither would the dragon.

[@tom_curtis]

In case it is not clear, I think Baron De Rop's figures about the number of town guards or villagers needed to fend of Dragon's are woefully low. That a levy of villagers has any significant chance of harming a Dragon is absurd. Even knights will only hit an Ancient Red Dragon on a crit, and Archers only hit on a roll of 18 or better. These are figures for trained, professional soldiers. A militia levy would not even be able to get close enough to use its weapons because of the Frightful Presence feature (which Veterans, Knights and peasant levies can never pass with RAW). That combined with the Legendary Wing Attack action, which gives the Red Dragon a movement of 120' when it attacks, and 200' when it doesn't means the Red Dragon can circle and snipe with its breath weapon while scarcely ever being within the short range of martial ranged weapons. Even the tactic of the entire forcing holding its action until the Dragon comes into short range fails for all but Longbows. The Dragon's Frightful Presence has a longer range than the short range of every other ranged weapon.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

@@tom_curtis eh, one town wizard with sleet storm levels all that out. Also, I "laughably used challenge rating and the xp budget"

[@tom_curtis]

@@DungeonMasterpiece, agreed that the Dragon wouldn't turn up for a knockdown fight with 100 odd archers, there are plenty of ways the Dragon can cause ruinous damage while largely avoiding the Archers. The easiest way is to simply burn crops. It would not take long before the threat of famine would bring the humans to heel, and cropland is to dispersed to be defended by a force that needs to be concentrated to be effective (ie, the Archers). And if the local politicians decide to take the fight to the Dragon, the Dragon can use hit and run tactics to whittle down and demoralize the force. I suspect an Ancient Red Dragon could easily defeat a body of 500 Archers using such methods. If desperate, the Dragon could soften them up by dropping boulders onto their camp from altitudes above 600 feet. (Could probably do the same quite effectively against a town, come to think of it.)

[@tom_curtis]

@@DungeonMasterpiece, I agree that Wizards or Druids make a big difference to the equation. I think the spell of choice is Earth Bind rather than Sleet Storm, as I do not think Sleet Storm can be coherently interpreted as applying to flying creatures (or at least, not knocking them prone). A town defended by 300 Archers plus 10 or so 5th level Wizards and or Druids (or Sorcerers, Warlocks or Bards) has a significant chance of stopping Dragon attacks against the town, and might even be able to press an attack against the lair. I think this should have interesting role playing consequences. In regions that have made a deal with a Dragon for peace, it is likely that the deal would include strict controls on magic users which could impact player characters - something in the form of a license which must be paid for to enter the area, or possibly a magical contract to not interfere with the Dragon (in the form of a Geas); with the local authorities becoming very hostile to anybody who upsets the Dragon by being non-compliant (let alone attacking the Dragon). I also think where such arrangements did not exist, it would lead to Dragons using spies, assassins and targeted attacks to eliminate any magic users foolhardy enough to move into their territory. They are too much of a game changer for the Dragon's balance of terror.

[@patrickbuckley7259]

4:40 someone is getting Lawful and Good mixed up...

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Law to the spider is chaos to the fly.

[@patrickbuckley7259]

@@DungeonMasterpiece Except Alignment is not supposed to be subjective. In D&D. Having the Good Alignment means you have certain traits, which includes valuing the life and liberties of other sapient life. If you do not have those traits you are not Good Aligned. Moral busybodies and tyrants are Lawful Neutral/Evil in D&D. Both a Spider and a Fly are True Neutral in D&D because they lack the capacity for moral understanding. Dragons however possess mo such limitations. Run the game however you like, but it's a bit obtuse to just claim, that's just how they would be. Especially sense it runs in contrast to the definitions provided.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

@@patrickbuckley7259 okay, so how would a good dragon respond to the trolley problem, under the guise of "good"? That's what I'm getting at.

[@patrickbuckley7259]

@@DungeonMasterpiece I mean depending on it's age? Probably rip the trolly up and place it down after everyone is safe and clear... Or try to bring the trolly to a slow stop. If unable to do either of these, the answer would likely differ from dragon to dragon. As it does from one person to another. I think part of your problem is you assuming this has to be the "guise of good". Regardless I fail to see how reacting to the trolly problem amounts to oppression. I would think a being with a high Wisdom score and a Good alignment would quickly realize that too much interference in peoples day to day lives, or trying to bully others is never going to get it the results it wants. While younger Metallic Dragons will have older ones to teach them that lesson. I'd imagine most would take a very non-interventionist approach, especially as they grow older, if not take on a human guise to affect change in a more subtle manner. Heck you used a Silver Dragon as you example picture, and that's their modus operandi. The negative effects I could see from a Metallic Dragon being in a region, are the numerous accentual heart attacks from people witnessing the beast, maybe some missing livestock in the case of younger chaotic good Dragons. (Which could be a genuine problem, over hunting as well for the young ones.) The closest to oppression I could see is the aftermath of a Silver Dragon coming back to its favorite village to find it ransacked and pillaged by bandits. Those bandits are not going to have a pretty death... Then again, If you mean the Dragon will "oppress" any armies marching thru the territory, well then you may actually have a point. Considering how medieval armies operated, and how "clingy" some Metallic Dragons can get with their neighbors. However, an older and wiser dragon is likely to realize this might just attract more trouble, and would likely seek other means to solve such issues than simply resorting to violence. Though perhaps a younger more brash Dragon might do so, and may go so far as to loose their Good alignment outright. Hmm... taking notes on how to make a Silver Dragon the "bad guy" as we speak. King ransacks village on the way home from war...

[@GahloWake]

Don't come at metallic dragons like that and slander my silver bois with gold dragon behavior, man.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Silver dragons just lock you in a maze when they disagree with your politics

[@MATHEUS-sw4xq]

he looks like a real palentologist of a fantasy world in our days searching for the past. i think.

[@Painocus]

Ok, but what if the dragons ruled those societies? *Council of Wyrms campaign setting intensifies*

[@dubuyajay9964]

You ever considered dragon merchants or bankers or nobles? Especially bankers. They can stay in the building and sleep on the hoard during "off" hours, are part of their own security (and advertise that no less! Who wouldn't want a dragon guarding their lockbox?), and increase the hoard size (depending on the career chosen) via taxes, loans, stocks, sales, etc...

[@DaWolf805]

In my homebrew setting, magic is sufficiently rare and dragons are sufficiently powerful that they essentially function as nukes. Political forces therefore work to bribe, cajole, trick, or even outright mind-control dragons to work for them, and have developed a sort of mutually assured destruction, though a much less stable one than the mutually assured destruction that exists in real life. If one side breaks the other side's established red lines, they would unleash 'their' dragons, and everyone loses. So there is a sort of enforced, uneasy peace, with constant proxy wars and subtle tensions that mirror our real world and offer lots of opportunity for adventurers to influence the balance of power. While technically, it might not actually make sense if you run the numbers on how powerful 5e dragons are.... I personally haven't even bothered to check, because it's just such a cool idea and quite frankly, with this concept, the odds of my players ever actually fighting a dragon are vanishingly low. So I don't need them to have statblocks!

[@relhaz4326]

Man, I can barely put together some encounters in a week. When am I supposed to plot out the geopolitical influences of a dragon??? This is awesome though. Definitely something to try and keep in mind

[@RoseKindred]

There is a real-life example of this video. The wolves of Yellowstone. They created what is known as a "Trophic cascade" when introduced to the park. Rivers actually shifted because of their introduction. In short, they fed on the animals that kept eating around the water banks which created erosion. Once the animals were steered away from the banks the plants grew stronger and their roots stabilized the banks, waters started to deepen and form pools in other areas. The water bodies eventually linked together. Now, just replace wolves with Dragons and you can see the parallels. People have to shore up their towns, so the walls get larger and stronger, and more people travel to the safety of the city. This causes the city to adapt and grow, establishing trade routes and more farmlands. Dragons pester the farmers so more people are hired to fight the dragons and other monsters. At the same time, corruption increases throughout the city, illegal trade, or backroom deals, causing more internal troubles and deaths. You take away the threat and the people who supplied the adventures or the military are not needed, so their businesses suffer and they pack up raising prices for everyone.

[@SpiritWolf1966]

I enjoy all of Dungeon Masterpiece videos