Why do paladins do double damage against dragons?


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


Topic title. I sort of understand undead and evil outsiders, but why dragons?


I'd imagine its to fill some imagery of knights slaying evil dragons.


MrSin wrote:
I'd imagine its to fill some imagery of knights slaying evil dragons.

Aren't evil dragons some sort of christian thing as well? I think I heard that somewhere

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

Google 'Saint George and the Dragon' and it will explain the question.

Killing dragons is actually more historical/legendary a task for knights then slaying demons and undead (which tend to be holy men tasks/exorcisms, not Knightly tasks).

==Aelryinth

Grand Lodge

I think it has quite a bit to do with the legend of St. George and the Dragon, which certainly informed a lot of the traditional mythos of the Shining Knight archetype.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

Mwahaha, ninja'd!

==Aelryinth


Thanks guys!

Grand Lodge

Curses! Nor again! You shall rue this day!....

Well, go on then. Start rueing it.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

I rue! Er...wait...the spellchecker didn't kick in...that's not missing a letter?!?

:)

==Aelryinth


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
CWheezy wrote:
MrSin wrote:
I'd imagine its to fill some imagery of knights slaying evil dragons.
Aren't evil dragons some sort of christian thing as well? I think I heard that somewhere

It goes back much further than that. The chief Babylonian god Marduk is noted for killing Tiamat, after all.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Well, also, just in game lore, Chromatic dragons are exemplars of evil the same way evil outsiders and undead are. They might be mortal, but they're very strongly aligned.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

the whole shtick of demon and undead slaying for paladins is a modern thing.

knightly types generally went up against dragons, trolls, ogres, giants and other living enemies, especially enemy warriors.

Going up against the undead was rare and particularly horrifying, because those monsters didn't die!

Look back at Arthurian, Greek and other myths, and you'll find very, very little mention of fighting demons and undead. Spirits like those were the province of holy men, not warriors and knights!

==Aelryinth

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Ross Byers wrote:
Well, also, just in game lore, Chromatic dragons are exemplars of evil the same way evil outsiders and undead are. They might be mortal, but they're very strongly aligned.

There was a also a guy in the original playtest for the iconic classes that put in a specific request for the double damage against dragons, based on Saint George, and it was granted because it was indeed so iconic.

Indeed, Dragonslaying and Giant slaying are far more iconic roles based on historical archetypes then demon slaying and undead slaying.

==Aelryinth


Aelryinth wrote:

the whole shtick of demon and undead slaying for paladins is a modern thing.

knightly types generally went up against dragons, trolls, ogres, giants and other living enemies, especially enemy warriors.

Going up against the undead was rare and particularly horrifying, because those monsters didn't die!

Look back at Arthurian, Greek and other myths, and you'll find very, very little mention of fighting demons and undead. Spirits like those were the province of holy men, not warriors and knights!

==Aelryinth

I believe you are correct except that paladins are both of these champions all in one.


In setting, I'd imagine that increased effectiveness against evil dragons comes from the fact that, due to a combination of their strength, magic, and intelligence, they are the most systematic and have the widest influence with their abuse of 'lesser' races out of all mortal creatures. They are typically the next largest nonhumanoid threat to most society in general after evil outsiders and undead.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I just figured it was because this was the follow on to D&D where the Dragon was still seen to be 'THE' iconic enemy.


lemeres wrote:
In setting, I'd imagine that increased effectiveness against evil dragons comes from the fact that, due to a combination of their strength, magic, and intelligence, they are the most systematic and have the widest influence with their abuse of 'lesser' races out of all mortal creatures. They are typically the next largest nonhumanoid threat to most society in general after evil outsiders and undead.

Abberations and magical beast are pretty nasty too.

Of course we all know the greatest enemy, is man!


For the same reason a vorpal sword goes "snicker-snack".


MrSin wrote:
lemeres wrote:
In setting, I'd imagine that increased effectiveness against evil dragons comes from the fact that, due to a combination of their strength, magic, and intelligence, they are the most systematic and have the widest influence with their abuse of 'lesser' races out of all mortal creatures. They are typically the next largest nonhumanoid threat to most society in general after evil outsiders and undead.

Abberations and magical beast are pretty nasty too.

Of course we all know the greatest enemy, is man!

Yeah, but those are much more of a grab bag of any random creature that comes to mind. As in, it often includes singular species that only occasionally threaten on the local scale.

Well, that is, if there is no major incursion from an outside source. I'll admit: aberrations tend to be associated with the vast unspeakable horrors from beyond the stars. If one ever turned its full gaze towards the planet, it would be a threat on par with the world wound. ...'if'. That simply has never happened yet on a sufficient scale to make it as immedite a threat as dragons.

Of course, there seem to be paladin orders devoted to preventing otherworldly and under-worldly threats from ever getting that bad. The Oath against Corruption shows what a paladin can do if they devote themselves against them. But that is an archetype, which tends to be for more specialized niches than normal.

Liberty's Edge

FarmerGiles wrote:
For the same reason a vorpal sword goes "snicker-snack".

I first encountered "Jabberwocky" in 1977. I memorized it.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / General Discussion / Why do paladins do double damage against dragons? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in General Discussion