This is me lifting directly from Dragonlance. I've always wanted to run Dragonlance in Burning Wheel, so instead of a monster this week, I just want to convert them pretty directly for the purpose of one day fulfilling this wish, I don't know if I'll ever make it happen - but why not make that future easier! So today we're doing Draconians, directly, so that I can pull out D1 Dragons of Despair and have a half elf, a kender, and a cleric be assaulted on their way to learn what's available on Xak Tsaroth.
The Draconians are the ultimate betrayal of the Dragons. The Queen of Darkness did not keep her word to the Good Dragons. She had her forces steal the eggs of the Metallic dragons, and held them hostage. Using this first, lesser, betrayal, the forces of Darkness extracted an oath from the Metallics to remain out of the war. The second, greater betrayal, was the mass destruction of the metallic dragon eggs by corrupting them into foot soldiers for the dragon armies. These corrupted dragons have become the ultimate weapon that Takhisis will use to control the world. As the Dragonarmies burn through Ansalon, they are lead by their victim, those who they hurt the most in all the universe.
Lifepath Time Res Stat Leads
Born To Parents 8 yrs 4 - -
Skills 4 pts: General
Traits 1 pt: -
Skulker 3 yrs 6 - Slave Pits, Dragonarmies
Skills 5 pts: Stealthy, Trapper, Sleight of Hand, Street Fighting, Tracking, Cave-wise
Traits 1 pt: Running (Away)
Escaped The Pits 2 yrs 4 +1 P Slave Pits
Skills 4 pts: Stealthy, Street Fighting, Falsehoods, Guard-wise
Traits 2 pts: Scarred, Maimed
Farmer 5 yrs 5 +1 P Slave Pits, Dragonarmies
Skills 8 pts: Farming, Mending, Animal Husbandry, Cooking, Firebuilding, Inconspicuous, Land-wise, Liege-wise
Traits 1 pt: Salt of the Earth
Mercenary 5 yrs 10 +1 P Dragonarmies
Skills 6 pts: Street Fighting, Soldiering, Intimidation, Company-wise, War-wise
Traits 1 pt: Untrustworthy, Merciless
Bandit 3 yrs 8 +1 P Dragonarmies
Skills 5 pts: Intimidation, Street Fighting, Military Archery, Peasant-wise, Road-wise
Traits 1 pt: -
Pirate 4 yrs 5 +1 P Dragonarmies
Skills 4 pts: Seamanship, Rigging, Knots, Street Fighting, Ship-wise
Traits 1 pts: Sea Legs, Maimed, Crewman
Thief 4 yrs 8 +1 P Slave Pits
Skills 7 pts: Inconspicuous, Sleight of Hand, Lock-picking, Climbing, Trapper, Vault-wise, Second Story-wise
Traits 1 pts: Jaded, Quiet
Student 10 yrs 15 +1 M Black Robes, Church of Takhisis
Skills 10 pts: Read, Write, Calligraphy, Philosophy, Rule of Law, Anatomy, Astrology, History, Dragon-wise, Hypocritical Bastards-wise
Traits 2 pts: Hazed, Geometric, Drunk
Apprentice 7 yrs 8 +1 P Black Robes, Dragonarmies
Skills 6 pts: Mending, Mason, Carpentry, Write, Jargon, Bridge-wise
Traits 1 pts: -
Engineer 10 yrs 15 +1 M -
Skills 7 pts: Fortifications, Artillerist, Carpenter, Soldiering, Bridge-wise, Campaign-wise
Traits 2 pts: Made Man
Requirements: Apprentice
Mason 9 yrs 15 +1 M -
Skills 6 pts: Mason, Appraisal, Architect, Building-wise, Stone-wise
Traits 1 pt: Dusty, Diligent
Requirements: Apprentice
Bandit-King 10 yrs 25 +1 M/P -
Skills 9 pts: Command, Intimidation, Seven Points of Agility, Persuasion, Falsehoods, Estate Management, Extortion-wise, Beggar-wise, Loafer-wise
Traits 2 pts: Paranoid, Cold Blooded, Merciless
Requirements: Bandit
Heretic 6 yrs 10 +1 M -
Skills 5 pts: Doctrine of Paladine, Ritual, Oratory, Suasion, Sin-wise
Traits 2 pts: Heretic
Requirements: Faithful Trait
Rogue Wizard 6 yrs 10 +1 M -
Skills 6 pts: Astrology, Enchanting, Read, Write, Orienteering, Moon-wise
Traits 2 pts: Alarming, Red Robed, White Robed
Requirements: Gifted Trait
Lifepath Time Res Stat Leads
Born to the Pits 7 yrs 3 - Dragonarmies
Skills 3 pts: General
Traits 1 pt: Abused
Pit-fighter 4 yrs 4 +1 P Dragonarmies
Skills 5 pts: Street Fighting, Conspicuous, Dance, Acting, Crowd-wise
Traits 1 pts: -
Kept Thing 3 yrs 6 +1 M Church of Takhisis, Outcast
Skills 3 pts: Soothing Platitudes, Persuasion, Beggardry
Traits 1 pts: Brutal, Cold Blooded
Crowd Favourite 4 yrs 10 +1 M/P Dragonarmies, Outcast
Skills 5 pts: Conspicuous, Oratory, Seven Points of Agility, Intimidation
Traits 2 pts: Show No Fear
Requirements: Pit-fighter
Beguiler 4 yrs 10 +1 M Black Robes, Outcast, Church of Takhisis
Skills 6 pts: Persuasion, Soothing Platitudes, Inconspicuous, Falsehood, Kindness-wise, Mark-wise
Traits 1 pt: Numb, The Story
Requirements: Kept Thing or Crowd Favourite
Lifepath Time Res Stat Leads
Foot Soldier 3 yrs 5 +1 P Outcast
Skills 6 pts: Soldiering, Street Fighting, Scavenging, Tracking, Human flesh-wise, Officer-wise
Traits 1 pt: -
Archer 4 yrs 4 +1 P Outcast
Skills 6 pts: Mounted Archery, Stealthy, Foraging, Observation, Goblin-wise, Draconian Hierarchy-wise
Traits 1 pt: -
Scout 3 yrs 3 +1 P Outcast
Skills 5 pts: Stealthy, Trapper, Orienteering, Trail-wise, Soldier-wise
Traits 1 pt: -
War Wizard 8 yrs 20 +1 M/P Outcast, Black Robes
Skills 6 pts: Soothing Platitudes, Sorcery, Alchemy, Cartography, Astrology, Relic-wise
Traits 2 pts: Arrogant
Requirements: Any Black Robes lifepath
Drummer 2 yrs 7 +1 M Outcast, Slave Pits
Skills 5 pts: Drum, Oratory, Conspicuous, Poetry, Sing
Traits 1 pt: -
Navy 5 yrs 10 +1 P Outcast
Skills 5 pts: Seamanship, Street Fighting, Rigging, Knots, Mending
Traits 1 pt: Iron Stomach, Sea Legs
Spy 5 yrs 8 +1 M Outcast
Skills 6 pts: Observation, Stealthy, Disguise, Acting, Falsehoods, City-wise
Traits 2 pts: Reviled, Death Shape
Requirements: Scout, Beguiler, or Drummer
War Chaplin 6 yrs 15 +1 M/P Outcast, Church of Takhisis
Skills 5 pts: Doctrine, Daemonology, Street Fighting, Riding, Oratory
Traits 1 pt: Idealogue, Disciplined
Requirements: Beguiler, Scout, or Acolyte
Battle Priest 7 yrs 15 +1 M,P Outcast, Church of Takhisis
Skills 6 pts: Command, Doctrine, Ritual, Seven Points of Agility, Military History, Terrible Secrets-wise
Traits 2 pts: Fanatical Devotion, Vested
Requirements: War Chaplin or Cleric of Sargonnas
Lifepath Time Res Stat Leads
Church Slave 3 yrs 4 - Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 4 pts: Hauling, Ditch Digging, Soothing Platitudes, Falsehoods
Traits 1 pt: Broken-in, Keys to the Church
Acolyte 6 yrs 5 +1 M Outcast, Dragonarmies, Slave Pits
Skills 5 pts: Doctrine, Ritual, Daemonology, Suasion, Queen of Darkness-wise
Traits 1 pts: Queens Favourite, Faithful
Cleric of Takhisis 5 yrs 15 +1 M Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 5 pts: Oratory, Religious History, Obscure History, Astrology, Inconspicuous, Cult-wise
Traits 1 pt: Vested
Requirements: Acolyte or War Chaplin
Cleric of Sargonnas 4 yrs 12 +1 P Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 6 pts: Intimidation, Street Fighting, Conspicuous, Fire Building, Ritual, Firebombs
Traits 1 pt: Vested
Requirements: Acolyte or War Chaplin
High Priest 6 yrs 20 +1 M,P -
Skills 7 pts: Torture, Ritual, Suasion, Administration, Church Law, Rule of Law, Rumour-wise
Traits 2 pt: Learned, Imperious Demeanor
Requirements: Cleric of Takhisis or Cleric of Sargonnas
Lifepath Time Res Stat Leads
Student of Magic 2 yrs 8 +1 M Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 7 pts: Read, History, Symbology, Astrology, Daemonology, Empyrealia, Great Masters-wise
Traits 1 pt: Hazed, Overworked
Passed The Tests 8 yrs 25 +1 M Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 7 pts: Sorcery, Aura Reading, Rhetoric, Herbalism, Obscure History, Inner Self-wise, My Own Limits-wise
Traits 2 pts: Graduate, Gifted, Maimed, Second Sight
Requirements: Student of Magic or War Wizard
Mage 10 yrs 30 +1 M/P Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 7 pts: Symbology, Instructor, Calligraphy, Philosophy, Ugly Truth, Illuminations, Ancient History
Traits 1 pt: Versatile
Requirements: Passed The Tests
Archmage 15 yrs 40 +1 M,P Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 8 pts: Rhetoric, Sorcery, Symbology, Observation, Doctrine of Nuitari, Fools-wise
Traits 2 pts: Stoic, Master of Mages
Requirements: Mage
Researcher 10 yrs 15 +1 M Outcast
Skills 8 pts: Research, Composition, Read, Apothecary, Foreign Languages, Ancient Languages, Dark Arts-wise, Orc-wise
Traits 1 pts: Speaker of the Secret Language, Bookworm
Requirements: Passed The Tests
Alchemist 6 yrs 10 +1 M Outcast
Skills 6 pts: Alchemy, Herbalism, Apothecary, Taxidermy, Substance-wise, Acid-wise
Traits pts: Incomprehensible, Mad
Requirements: Passed The Tests
Experimentation 7 8 +1 P Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 3 pts: Torture, Anatomy, Surgery
Traits 1 pt: -
Necromancer 10 yrs 20 +1 M Outcast, Dragonarmies
Skills 5 pts: Death Art, Falsehoods, Firebuilding, Astrology, Haruspex-wise
Traits 1 pt: Spooky
Requirements: Passed The Tests
Master of The Undead 8 yrs 16 +1 M,P Outcast, Dragonarmies, Church of Takhisis
Skills 6 pts: Taxidermy, Surgery, Death Art, Poisons, Herbalism, Undead-wise
Traits 1 pt: Off Kilter
Requirements: Necromancer or Experimentation
Draconic Form: Draconians look like dragons stretched over humans. They're often considered brutish or stupid, but this is mostly a product of their upbringing, like humans, their stat caps are all 8s, though it's rare for them to have high Will, and their masters tend to only reward higher Power. Once the Doom Brigade finally discovers the clutch of eggs and allows Draconians to self-propagate, then they are finally able to be like themselves.
Dragon Origin: There are several origins of Draconian based on the type of Dragon egg they came from (or their parent's lineage). This mostly affects their death throes, as well as some other small effects. But most importantly, their type informs their social role within the dragonarmy, and the colour of their scales.
Stubby Wings: All the draconians, except Aurak and Sivak, have small vestigial wings which they can only use to prevent harm from falling. This counts as a call-on for any tests regarding safely falling.
Scaly Skin: As per the Troll trait, see the Codex p. 527
Fangs: As per the Troll trait, see the Codex p. 518
Clawed: As per the Troll/Roden trait, see the Codex p. 514
Snake Like Speech: Character trait. The Draconians speak in a hissing and elongated manner. It's hard for them to blend into the background.
In Awe Of Dragons: Most Draconians are in awe of Dragons, being willing to obey their every command. Some Draconians do not have this level of awe, but the important thing is that they never suffer from the Dragonfear,
Crewman: Draconian Pirates find they tend to get along with their peers very well, their distrustful nature is hard to get past, but once it's done, they tend to become very trusting. This is a call-on for any Rigging or Seamanship test that receives help from at least one person the Draconian trusts. Draconian lifepath trait.
Death Shape: This is a rare ability primarily associated with the Sivak draconians. If the Draconian kills a creature of approximately the same size as itself, it may choose to shapeshift into that creature. The Draconian can choose to turn back into their own form at any time, and the shift back is permanent until the Draconian kills again.
Queens Favourite: Takhisis doesn't necessarily like the Draconians. They are a tool for her use, but also the children of her mortal enemies the Metallic Dragons. If the Queen chooses to allow a Draconian to become a part of her church, it's a rare and unforeseen event. The Draconian gains a 1D Affiliation with the Church of Takhisis or Sargonnas, and a 1D Infamous reputation among the other clerics of Takhisis or Sargonnas.
Draconians use the same Age and Resources sections as Humanity, this is because they age approximately as quickly as humans, and do not have a proper culture of their own.
These lifepaths are designed to cover Draconians during the Age of Despair, in the lead up to and shortly after the War of the Lance. As such, the Draconians are primarily being hatched from the eggs of the Metallic Dragons and then kept in slave pits most of their lives. The official Dragonlance sources treat Draconians as Monsters, and so my assumption is that the Draconians in those supplements have the lifepaths Born To The Pit -> Pit Fighter -> Foot Soldier (or Archer or Scout to cap off their lives). This results in a very young Draconian (which most are during the War of the Lance, since the Ritual to create them is quite new). Later Kang (or someone else, it's your War of the Lance) will find the clutch of female eggs and new Draconians will be born to Draconian parents, meaning that the Born to Parents lifepath will become an option. However, during this period, Draconians are either outcasts viewed with suspicion, trying to survive in a hostile world, being hunted for desertion by the Dragonarmies and distrusted by humans and elves, or else living within the Dragonarmies trying to make peace. As such, these lifepaths assume that Draconians are on a vary narrow set of life options, with most of them leading them to be an outcast from their own family, and the other races. This is also why they use Mannish resources, because they must spend their money in human cities.
A Burning Wheel Monster Every Week