I sometimes feel weird putting large flying monsters in dungeons...specifically dragons. I'm cool with the dungeon that leads to a dragon lair with a huge roof hole so the dragon can come and go, but it's the 4th level down full of corridors, rooms and chambers and whammo, a creature with a 50 foot wingspan walking around is kinda weird.

My solution has been wyrms, or worms. AKA, dragons with their wings clipped. I've also dabbled with shapechanging dragons.

What have you done?

Unless there was a good reason for it, such as a captured dragon or there for a specific purpose, I wouldn't.

Still, the definition of "Dungeon" is pretty broad.

I sometimes have Dragons lairs being a large cave (which is dungeonlike). Somewhere to  store stash, eggs and harder to sneak up on etc etc.

I once used a massive boulder that only a huge could shift. Blue dragon if memory serves.

I guess the whole dragons underground goes back to Smaug, and while I can kinda get behind a Big Red shacking out in a volcano or somesuch, ultimately it is just one more dumb thing that people put in dungeons. Yes it's fantasy, yes I'm willing to suspend my belief, but don't take the piss, eh?

I've got a Young Black in a swamp coming up, and I am looking forward to developing that, someone stepping into an acid puddle might just give the party the heads-up that this swamp had more than just the usual denizens....


On the plus side, OOTA used flying demons (chasme?) to good effect in an opening scene, and it didn't feel weird, because the underground area was huge, in all three dimensions. I do like that concept.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1088742I sometimes feel weird putting large flying monsters in dungeons...specifically dragons. I'm cool with the dungeon that leads to a dragon lair with a huge roof hole so the dragon can come and go, but it's the 4th level down full of corridors, rooms and chambers and whammo, a creature with a 50 foot wingspan walking around is kinda weird.

My solution has been wyrms, or worms. AKA, dragons with their wings clipped. I've also dabbled with shapechanging dragons.

What have you done?

A large flyer could surmount a physical barrior due to quantum mechanics.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1088742What have you done?

I don't think I've ever put a dragon in a dungeon. Despite the eponymous game.

If the Dragon wasn't captured and used to guard some wizard's hoard, then portals, a magical portal allows the Dragon to come and go and I have even had the players go into the portal and end up in a different plane/world/time or just really far away lands.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1088742What have you done?

Hmmm... well, I suppose I'll cheat and say I don't really use Smaug-types in dungeons? I prefer something more like a giant flying alligator (15-20 footer maybe).

Quote from: Spinachcat;1088742I sometimes feel weird putting large flying monsters in dungeons...specifically dragons. I'm cool with the dungeon that leads to a dragon lair with a huge roof hole so the dragon can come and go, but it's the 4th level down full of corridors, rooms and chambers and whammo, a creature with a 50 foot wingspan walking around is kinda weird.

My solution has been wyrms, or worms. AKA, dragons with their wings clipped. I've also dabbled with shapechanging dragons.

What have you done?

Dragon can polymorph

Dragon doesn't ever need to leave

Dragon can reduce

Dragon has a big hole somewhere covered by an illusion

Dragon can gaseous form

Dragon has a soul-trapping gem and switches bodies with a servitor when it needs to leave

Dragon has a means to teleport.

Dragon doesn't give a fuck if you ever learn how it does what seems impossible (and the DM doesn't either).

Quote from: EOTB;1088755Dragon can polymorph

Dragon doesn't ever need to leave

Dragon can reduce

Dragon has a big hole somewhere covered by an illusion

Dragon can gaseous form

Dragon has a soul-trapping gem and switches bodies with a servitor when it needs to leave

Dragon has a means to teleport.

Dragon doesn't give a fuck if you ever learn how it does what seems impossible (and the DM doesn't either).

Great ideas!

Sometimes I don't--when the complex is a place that doesn't seem to appeal to a dragon.  Others, I've used the shape changing bit more than once.  That fits well with the way dragons are themed in my current campaign, which also has frequent portals.

Elsewhere, I think my favorite though is the dragon simply has another entrance to accommodate its size.  The entrance isn't hidden.  It's just the kind of thing that is difficult to traverse except for fliers, and the dragon has means to detect such. It's more worried about rival dragons than characters.  Such a place may sound implausible, but if such exists, a dragon would be attracted to it.  Frequently, the complex has places that aren't accessible to the dragon, but are to its allies, er, minions I meant to say.

Traditionally dragons really don't like to leave their treasure hoards. Unless someone steals from it.

Dragon was brought there as a Wyrmling, and has grown to Young or Adult size?

Three things I've done.

1. I include a way in and out that the dragon can negotiate.
2. The dragon is undead so it doesn't need to go in or out.
3. The dragon got in when it was smaller, but after years of eating adventurers and other dungeon denizens it is now to big to get back out.

That said it's not something that's come up more than a handful of times. Far more oftten dragons are encountered outside of a dungeon.

Quote from: Razor 007;1088765Dragon was brought there as a Wyrmling, and has grown to Young or Adult size?

That would explain their grumpiness.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1088779That would explain their grumpiness.

Chromatic Dragons are always grumpy.