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Draconic Profiles: Sophie of the Pits
#1
Name: Sophie
Hit Dice: 29 (see below)
Alignment: Lawful
Breath Weapon: Chlorine Gas

Sophie is one of the offspring of Gertie that were placed under the care of the Wizard of the Woods. She is a huge green dragon, but surprisingly she is lawful, possibly as a result of her unusual heritage and upbringing. Sophie is still fairly young, but the Wizard of the Woods has used powerful magic to increase her size and ability.

Given her ancestry, Sophie has been able to grow to a gargantuan size, effectively dwarfing most common dragons. She is greedy like most dragons, and also has an interest for art and art objects. She is a breeder dragon, which is unusual among this generation of great dragons.

LAIR
Sophie's lair is deep in the Dragon Hills, in a region known only as the Garbage Pits of Despair. This is one of the few places in the North where you find caves large enough to be home to one of the Great Dragons. Parts of these tunnels are filled with foul smelling garbage. All manner of strange creatures make their home here. One tunnel is believed to lead to the city of Rodhin. Slavers have also been known to use these tunnels to smuggle captured slaves from Thonia to the Duchy of Ten or the Temple of the Frog.


ON THE NAMING OF DRAGONS
Dragon names spoken in their own language are difficult to pronounce by mortals. The people of Blackmoor with their unique sense of humor have therefore taken to giving dragons names similar to what they would give house cats or other pets. This makes them seem less dangerous, untill you meet one face to face.

APPEARANCES IN THE ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN AND PUBLISHED SOURCES
Sophie appeared in print in Different Worlds Magazine #43 which included the second part of the adventure Garbage Pits of Despair by Dave Arneson. The references in the module connects the dragon to the Wizard of the Wood which most likely means she also appeared in the original campaign when Pete Gaylord played the Wizard of the Woods. It is likely that she is among the offspring reported in the Blackmoor Gazette leaflet (1971).


NOTE:
In the adventure in which she appears, Garbage Pits of Despair, Sophie is described as having 80 HD. I think this was a mistake. She is also stated to have 290 HP, which is why I revised this to 29 HD. In BECMI, Huge God Dragons have 22 HD, so this still makes her more powerful than most mortal dragons. In fact, the Diamond Dragon (Immortal) only has 30 HD.

See Also: -Havard
Currently Running: The Blackmoor Vales Saga
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign
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#2
This is why I love Blackmoor dragons; they are allowed to have a personality that isn't defined by their traditional D&D dragon color.

Players should never assume that when they see a green dragon, that they should immediately attack it because its evil. :mrgreen:
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#3
bobjester Wrote:This is why I love Blackmoor dragons; they are allowed to have a personality that isn't defined by their traditional D&D dragon color.

Players should never assume that when they see a green dragon, that they should immediately attack it because its evil. :mrgreen:

Thanks bobjester! Those are some great observations. Smile

What do you guys think about me changing Sophie's HD? In BECMI, Great Whales and Giant Rocs have 36 HD, but I dont think I have seen anything with more HD than that outside the Immortal Set.

Then again, Garbage Pits of Despair is leading me to think that Dave Arneson imagined the Great Dragons to be similar to the Dragon Lords that appeared during the 5th Age of the Dragonlance Setting. Maybe I should reconsider?

-Havard
Currently Running: The Blackmoor Vales Saga
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign
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#4
Big Grin So, the caves of Despair are linked to Rodhin? Interesting. Giving her interest in art stuff, I guess the lorekeepers of Clan Kayitz would likely to be interested in talking to her.
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#5
Zeromaru X Wrote:Big Grin So, the caves of Despair are linked to Rodhin? Interesting. Giving her interest in art stuff, I guess the lorekeepers of Clan Kayitz would likely to be interested in talking to her.

Well, this is not canon. But since those caves (Love the name Caves of Despair, by the way!), are found beneath the Dragon Hills, I thought it would make sense. Most of Dave Arneson's dungeons connect to other dungeons anyway. In fact they could all quite possibly be connected with all the twisting tunnels found below the lands of Blackmoor Smile

I am sure Sophie would be interested in talking to those Dragonborn lorekeepers, though she can be rather grumpy towards other mortal races Smile

-Havard
Currently Running: The Blackmoor Vales Saga
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign
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#6
Hey, Havard, are you going to continue with these articles about dragons?
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#7
Zeromaru X Wrote:Hey, Havard, are you going to continue with these articles about dragons?

Thanks for asking!

I just got an idea for a new one....

-Havard
Currently Running: The Blackmoor Vales Saga
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign
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