Dragons Done Right! | MCDM Flee Mortals!

We look at the Action Oriented Dragons from MCDM's monster manual, Flee Mortals! and I paint a dragon! These high CR monsters are designed to solo a party of high level adventurers in Dungeons and Dragons 5E! After going over the stat block and abilities, I use MONSTROUS to put a spin on the backstory and read from Tolkien's the Hobbit!
‪@helloMCDM‬ Flee Mortals PDF: shop.mcdmproductions.com/coll...
MONSTROUS KICKSTARTER SEPT 5TH: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Download the MONSTROUS Preview Packet: www.thecloudcurio.com/monstrous
Sign up for the email alerts to make sure you here when the project goes live!
I often draw with Foam Grip Tubes from Impresa to ease my hand strain. You can buy them here: amzn.to/3KgpDXs
This was drawn on 100 pound Strathmore bristol board: amzn.to/3ZjTt67
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Patreon: / mapcrow
Podcast: thesplatbook.com/episodes
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Itch Store: mapcrow.itch.io/
Merch Store: www.etsy.com/shop/MapCrow
Drivethru RPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
Animation by Onesleepybeetle: www.haileesmith.com/
Music by Ivan Formin: ivan-fomin.itch.io/
Additional Music by Alex Ansaldi: www.epidemicsound.com/artists...
Also used the Title Theme from King's Field IV by Tsukasa Saitoh.

[@mcolville]

My armor is like tenfold shields. My teeth are swords, my claws spears. The shock of my tail a thunderbolt! My wings a hurricane! And my breath!? DEATH!!

[@mapcrow]

I really wanted to read more and more from the book!! That old wyrm has the BEST LINES!! Cheers!!

[@samuelesanfilippo222]

smaug?

[@Gale_789]

@@mapcrow What book? I’m interested.

[@mapcrow]

@@Gale_789 The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien! Also, there is a wonderful dragon scene in Grendel by John Gardener!

[@adamcgeller4545]

I've always been partial to the speech from How to Train your Dragon, the book

[@underratedhero372]

OH MY GOD. The idea of a dragon carrying a magical sword from an ancient battle carved into its back is FANTASTIC. You describe to the players how (even though they're dealing damage) nothing seems to really pierce or damage the scales. And then they notice the sword with a faint glow between the wings of the dragon. One PC decides to "waste" a turn to get there. When they want to grab it you make them roll for a WIS check, and then when they grab the hilt, they're flooded with memories of a hero, fighting a one on one battle with the dragon. It's all quick-cut flashes of the sword's history, and a glimpse to its capabilities. Dawnbreaker, the Bringer of Light, forged to slay Qazyldrath. Thematically *and* mechanically, a good counter to some of Qazyldrath's abilities. Bonus action cast Daylight on the sword, and now you can break the magical darkness. Something like that. F-ing cool. I'm so gonna use this for my games.

[@mapcrow]

Heck yeah!! It was so much fun to yes/and off of the art and design from Flee Mortals!! I hope you do run iwth it in your game!!

[@samuelesanfilippo222]

i love that style of dragons, i remember making one around that idea (though it was for a story) it was a race that grow swords on their body and then they wield them if they polymorph, as they age they tend to enchant and carve those sword into masterpieces, they can also eat the materials that may go into the production of said sword (so they can basically "steal" someone blade to grow it on their back)

[@chelseascreatures]

The only quote that kept running through my head while watching this was "THERE BE DRAGONS!"

[@angelalewis3645]

I heard “THERE BE DRAGONS” in a pirate voice when I read it. 😂

[@originalnamehere7308]

It is criminal how little attention this whole channel has

[@mapcrow]

Ha! Thank you, but I'm astonished I have the community I have! Astonished and very pleased!!

[@TaberIV]

Couldn't agree more, one of my very favorite RPG channels!

[@alexanderwizardjar9540]

80k subs isn't a little, but i agree! I wish Kyle had ten times more subs

[@hideshiseyes2804]

Very true. The Splatbook podcast is also excellent.

[@monkeysk8er33]

It's absolutely the fucking algorithm, because I watch a ton of DM stuff, and very rarely am I suggested new channels.

[@tophat5742]

That intro animation was legit

[@mapcrow]

Thank you!! That's from @onesleepybeetle !!

[@kicksywicksy]

Map Crow + Dragons = instant watch + solid gold quality!

[@One_Eyed_]

I had the pleasure of running all of the dragons during the second round of playtesting and Qazyldrath was also my favourite! An absolutely murderous, deadly beast that felled many a Player Character and had (in my opinion) the most interesting combat kit out of all of the dragons. The personality and extra juice you give them through this video is delightful!

[@mapcrow]

That's awesome!! Thank you for the kind words!! I haven't had a chance to run em yet! Did I represent the power synergies well?? Did you have the darkness from the breath block line of sight, or was the dragon too large for that to be a concern?? So curious!!

[@One_Eyed_]

@@mapcrow 100%. Had to work with the angles but you can definitely use the shadow breath to block los, especially in complex lairs with a lot of hard cover that can act as funnels (which you can conveniently block off with darkness, forcing players to adapt). It also gave great opportunities for Quazyldrath to create their own advantages for when their breath weapon was on recharge. The difficulties come when the party can fly as well. Makes it mucb harder to utilise the shadows to the dragon's benefit!

[@FriendsCallMeBunkers]

Wait OneEye, isn't Qazyldrath that still your profile image on the MCDM server?

[@drew_and_dragons]

Always love the voices!!! Thanks for all you do to make this space so evocative and fun brother!

[@mapcrow]

Heck yeah! I was pumped up for this one by all the great art in Flee Mortals!!

[@Olygrom]

Dark Souls 1 + 2('s DLC) play into the Ageless Scales trope in the same way. Both feature a dragon which when airborne is completely unmatched, but when brought down to the ground and handicapped in some way is actually beatable. It conveys that idea of dragons beig so powerful that you have use every advantage at your disposal for even a chance to beat them

[@MisterFizzer]

Holy smokes, what a great video. I'm so happy you liked the FM! dragons! 😊

[@mapcrow]

Heck yeah!! It's a book of wonders!! Kicks ass!!

[@yo5tan]

The format of this book is honestly genius, so often with idea generation tools it feels as though I'm entirely at the mercy of the dice, but the fill-in-the-blank nature of this in combination with the excellent art and keen insights about tropes and conventions really makes my mind spin with ideas!

[@antoniopadilha2476]

In case you missed it, check out the lore entry for the Hallowed Dark villain party at the end of the book. Spoilers: They're trying to reawaken Qazyldrath!

[@mapcrow]

Oh dang!! I hadn’t seen that!! Thanks!!

[@civilbeard]

No way! I missed that!

[@christophermiller8589]

Your enthusiasm is infectous and your art UNDENIABLE. BIG hype on this video!! Made my blood boil, thanks for the flavor boost! 🔥🔥🔥

[@mapcrow]

Thank you!! Cheers!!

[@sw33n3yto00]

It is always a toss-up as to which I enjoy more, the monster lore or the monster imagery that you create in these videos.

[@musingsofamadmitch]

Love the style of your drawings, that blood looks fantastic!

[@connormoore8430]

I'm so glad I found this channel. It is making all of my stuff so much more interesting

[@agronauttalos7077]

Another dragon video! Man, I love your content so much!

[@mapcrow]

Glad you enjoy it!! I love dragons, but making a good one can feel intimidating! Haha!! I'll probably give it another go before too long!!

[@BusinessWolf1]

I'm Romanian, the words Dragon and Dracula don't just 'share etymological roots', they are very directly related. Dracul means 'the devil', it's where Dracul + a comes from, it's also the nickname of a famous king we had, Vlad Țepeș, which he got because of his exploits. This dude was also part of his father's military organization club thing called 'The Order of The Dragon' (that's the translation of it).

[@ChazzKaskes]

Always wonderful content. I'm just so impressed.

[@kinruhighwood8640]

I allways enjoy each show 🎉

[@Thunderwolf4]

Great vid! Really interested in Flee, mortals monsters and how you used it with Monstrous! Also can't wait til the Kickstarter launch for Monstrous!🎉🎉

[@mapcrow]

Thank you so much!! We are really excited to be the book out there!!

[@TronHammer]

Flee Mortal was suuuch a good buy! :D It's an amazing book and I personally like how the different presented humanoid races feel different! Been loving your videos as of recent, especially the one on better monsters and on better dungeons. Though especially your video on Jayquasing the dungeon has taught me to make meaningfully different paths throughout my dungeon and also have meaningfully different entrances. Cheers for all that helpful advice!

[@mapcrow]

Thank you so much!! Yeah, I want to get back to talking about maps after I draw all these monsters!!

[@dittrich04]

You plus MCDM is perfect! I'd watch any amount of videos from you going through Flee mortals. Especially your thoughts on the Where evil lives maps!

[@mapcrow]

Oh! That's a really fun idea, looking at one of the Where Evil Lives preview lairs! I think I'd like to run it before I did a video on it, but that's a real fun idea! Thanks!!

[@galanothi]

Heya! Crow, this video is going to help me a lot now that I'm working on my setting dragons. Thanks to some specifics, I can use basically everything here, specially the "stuck ancient weapon" one, my martials will be salivating to rip it out.

[@pwnyboy9714]

I can't wait to get this book in the mail. Backed it pretty immediately lol

[@thedabblingwarlock]

I really need to read the Hobbit all the way through. It sounds like playing in a game with you, especially if you're running, would be a blast.

[@Calebgoblin]

Map Crow being a Map Bro

[@Evyanon]

Commenting for support! Love your stuff!

[@henrypaleveda7760]

Hey there and thank you for the message after crow. This has been helpful and made things a little less lonely.

[@R2-DPOO]

Smashing it, favourite channel

[@jamescanjuggle]

feck me this channels a diamond thrown in the rough by the algorithm, your fantastic! the narrations amazing and really draws me into your work!

[@mapcrow]

Thank you so much!!

[@cameronmaas2644]

Thank you for you art and videos!

[@mapcrow]

Glad you like them! Thank you for the kind words!!

[@kredonystus7768]

Message from an Aussie. Every single one of us winced when you said emu as "ee-moo". It's an "eem-YOU".

[@mapcrow]

Thank you.

[@kredonystus7768]

@@mapcrow Aussie creatures don't get much love in fantasy. If you run out of creatures to draw bunyips, yowies, drop bears, and rainbow serpents need love.

[@danielstohr6391]

How have I not found this channel yet? It's awesome.

[@mattscorpio_official]

Love your video as always Mapcrow! (Just on a side note: The Norse Wolf that devours the sun is called: ‘Fenrir’) But that a side, Awesome video and thanks for always inspiring me!

[@piethegoon5189]

THATS HOW YOU START AN EPISODE!!!

[@coryhorton5837]

Fantastic

[@alexanderwizardjar9540]

Oh wow I hadn't heard of Monstrous before, it looks really really useful

[@petsdinner]

It's the dragon episode! It's the dragon episode! ::wild screaming and sundry dragon noises::

[@mapcrow]

Ha! And not the last either!!

[@s.j7423]

those guys rock man

[@sireyoursistermodernworld4244]

Even Smaug runs from angry Emu's = those are some scary birds.... Might even be worse than Canadian Cobra Chickens.... maybe.... I wouldn't want to be in the room when they both throw down... :D :D :D :D

[@civilbeard]

Boy howdy this gave me a great idea for a campaign. Can't wait til I have the chance to run it!

[@mapcrow]

Glad to hear it!

[@raff3486]

great vid

[@cripplegod1754]

dope

[@neemiasleal9773]

awesome video!

[@mapcrow]

Glad you enjoyed it!!

[@onesleepybeetle]

Another dragon video?? I had to double check my calendar to make sure it wasn't my birthday!!

[@theirontitan]

Ive got an obsession with encorperating ancient dragons into my world. Terra, electrum dragon and ruler of the ringed city in Titan's grave. Red death, an ancient red dragon and tyrant king of the norhern mountains. All must pay tribute or it shall be taken ten fold. Artor vias alucium. Paladin of the platinum dragon. The slumbering forge under the Dwarven city of dargrough. Golden fang. Grey dragon and guardian of the singing mointan, othia. I have more, but this comment is already long.

[@s.j7423]

hell yeah

[@Galburok]

DRAKKEN IST SEHR STARK (really love your vids!)

[@mapcrow]

Thank you so much!!

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

Dragons eating stars... those are some end-of-time shenanigans similar to the Loop Hero video game

[@mapcrow]

Heck yeah! If you're fighting the Sun Eater, that's the kinda end of time shenanigans I'd want to see! Haha

[@TheRavenLilian]

That was wonderful!!! I got the beginnings of some new ideas to start playing with as I was listening. Though I did have a bit of a 404 error moment with the scales of dark matter and eating a phase of the moon, but I am an astronomy nerd so. *shrug* lol As always great video. Inspiring ideas. 🌟

[@mapcrow]

Haha!! I read too many comic books! I also tend to run a more mythical game, so that's where my imagination goes. Haha!! Cheers!!

[@snackums996]

I was in the same place, I believe. How would one "eat a phase of the moon"? What would that mean functionally? He blotting it out ala a lunar eclipse? But the moon's reflection(s) are so potent/harmful that he has to wait ~n years between each event to heal/recharge?

[@sanstormbringer]

It is such a damn fine book, can't wait to use its stuff in tandem with monstrous ;)

[@mapcrow]

Flee Mortals blows me away!! Heck yeah!!

[@Lord_Durok]

That poor horse, got squished :( Awesome video and art!

[@mapcrow]

SQUASH~~ Thank you so much 😀

[@raymondharnack4160]

Draconic sorc would be great for the veinglory

[@JacintoDeSousa-bq2wp]

W!

[@zacheryredden5417]

This painting is dope. Flee Mortals is dope. The only thing not dope is the thought of having to play high level dnd 5e

[@mapcrow]

Ha! Well put! I'm really looking forward to the new MCDM game sorting out 10 levels of character progression in a way that makes me feel more confident to run the end game!!

[@PaladinHD]

I really like having dragons in my settings being closer to a demigod like being that could destroy whole cities if it wanted to. Having them be the awkward power level they are in vanilla dnd just feels weird to me, as well as the way that the dragon color/alignment thing is handled is just icky. Would love to have a chat with the person whos idea it was lol

[@mapcrow]

I agree with the sentiment here. But keep in mind that 1E did all this stuff for the first time, and back then it was new and exciting! It's only boring now because people (including the current rights holders) have been copying them for 50 years! Haha! Cheers!

[@bigbiggoblin2873]

noice

[@Lurklen]

What are you going to do with that art, because it's gorgeous and I want it lol.

[@mapcrow]

I like to hold onto the originals for a long time in case I need to rescan them for something. But I might put them up for sale at some point.

[@Lurklen]

@@mapcrow I'd want to hold onto it too lol. But When I asked I didn't realize it would be in the book, so even if I can't get the original I will be happy to enjoy it on the page, along with the wonderful content you've created.

[@karmathegolden]

Im losing my mind ive looked across the intire internet what does the company name stands for???? MDCM (its probably something obvious but i cant seem to figure it out)

[@mapcrow]

I could be wrong, but I've always thought it meant "Matt Colville Dungeon Master." He has always seemed playful about not answering directly though. Haha

[@ZeroPhoenixTheLastBladeTheory]

What's the intro tune called?

[@mapcrow]

It's the Title Theme from King's Field IV by Tsukasa Saitoh.

[@velcalo]

King's Field OST!

[@mapcrow]

Love that OST!

[@juhel5531]

Grounded in reality dragons always tickles my fancy. I don't want the dragons to be creatures of fantasy. I want the dragons to feel like real life animals but SO much better. Imagine a gigantic dinosaur that's so innately intelligent and powerful they never developed industrial technology. Just a group of sky lizards where each individual can independently discover calculus and THEN you add the magic. Now you're dealing with ginormous flying dinosaurs that has an innate graps of technology and can make a modern day pc from scratch, breathe magical fire, AND they're souls are entwined with magic itself allowing them to cast both sorcerous and wizardly spells.

[@riandickson3541]

Great content to use for great content! Stoked to see what’s in store in Monstrous!