Some of the most memorable fights in computerized Dungeons & Dragons campaigns have revolved around dragons. Whether it was the Red Dragon fight in Baldur’s Gate 2 that won you the Carsomyr, the ending scenario in the first Icewind Dale expansion or the bronze dragon battle with the spirit of Tyranthraxus in Pool of Radiance, the great winged terrors have always been one of the best parts of D&D CRPGs.
Pillars of Eternity won’t deviate from the roleplaying norm, since Obsidian has posted new screenshots showing off some of the dragons that you’ll find in their upcoming RPG.
The screenshots show off the three life stages of their world’s great, winged beasts, starting with the “wurm” hatchlings, moving to flying drakes, and ending with full-grown dragons.
Wurms
Young dragons begin as wurms, and most never develop beyond that stage. Wurms are clever and sly, if not actually intelligent. To develop into a drake—and, eventually, a dragon—a wurm must have ample space and ample resources (food). They will not develop if they live near drakes and dragons, so they must seek out a habitat that has not already been claimed by a larger counterpart.
Since the chances of further development are low, most wurms will band together in covens for survival. They are bold and highly aggressive; both competition for food among other coven members and claiming territory for further development demand this.
Drakes
Drakes are the intermediary form between wurms and adult dragons. While wurms have the intelligence of a cat (i.e. mostly basic instincts) and dragons are often much more intelligent than humans, drakes are between, possessing cunning rivaling primates. They are clearly not dumb beasts. In contrast to wurms, drakes have longer torsos with a broader chest. Their most prominent fangs are longer, as are the claws on their forelegs. Their other features tend to vary by subtype. During this period of a drake’s life, they are starting the first stages of becoming “real” dragons. This means their colors start shifting, both overall and more strongly in patches. Some drakes have solid coats of scales, but others have multi-toned or even mottled coats. Because they are relatively young, their scales grow and heal fast, so they don’t show much wear and tear (unlike dragons).
The variation in their heads, mouths, spines, bumps, wings, all reflect the drake’s home climate. A drake from the swamp may be shades of green, brown, and black with yellow eyes, nictitating membranes, and a long, flat snout featuring raised nostrils. A drake that spends most of its time in the sky may be blue and white with scales that seem feather-like, a slender body, and wings that assist with sustained gliding. A drake who lives underground may have earth-tone scales, wide eyes, a compact body, small wings, and powerful forelegs with oversized claws. While all drakes can breathe fire, many also have developed limited alternative breath attacks—lightning, acid, steam, etc. This can also be reflected somewhere on their bodies.
Drakes have developed from wurms but have not reached, and may never reach, the dragon stage. They aggressively defend their territory and, when needed, seek out more. Their coloration reflects the territory they have claimed, and they are most hostile with other drakes, their territorial rivals.
Dragons
Dragons have reached the mature stage of their lifecycle. Like drakes, they have adapted to fit in their environment, but even more extensively. Their coloration, ornamentation, and (to a limited degree) body structure will reflect their chosen territory, as will some of their attacks and defenses. Because they have already claimed territory and rarely face a threat from other dragons or drakes, they are more conservative in nature and will not seek unnecessary conflict.
Only dragons can mate. This is generally the only occasion that will cause a dragon to leave its lands or seek out others of its kind. Upon reaching the dragon stage, these creatures will assume a sex. However, if surrounding populations are too heavily skewed one way or the other, individual dragons can change their sex. As creatures that reach this stage are so rare, this ability is critical to the survival of the species.
They are more intelligent than most other sentient beings, but their solitary nature prevents them from meaningfully interacting with others.
Pillars of Eternity raised nearly 4 million through its Kickstarter page, and will be launching later this month on March 26th. Until then, you can check out our tag for the game or stop by its official website for more information.
