Dragons
Dragons are unchallenged as the most powerful children of our world. These massive reptiles are covered in thick scales from their tail-tips to their toothy mouths, with wings strong enough to bear them aloft and to produce a blast of air. Dragons grow larger, and their power greater, with age.
When dragons fight, they claw, bite, kick, slap their tails and buffet with their wings, and every dragon species has its own specialty breath. Dragons are smart enough to save their more dangerous attacks for their more dangerous foes, or for when they face many enemies at once.
Good Metallic Dragons
The metallic dragons are the dragons of good, the first born of Algoron. Each color is named for the metal used to forge them. Good dragons are considered a little more powerful than evil ones, as most carry two breath weapons instead of one.
Alterform races: Good dragons can alter into a human or a Shalonesti elf. The alterform character must have under 4 hours of play time (2 hours for the other dragons). The older the dragon, the longer it can stay altered.
Composite set: Wearing one crafted piece each from Gold, Silver, Copper, Bronze, Brass and Steel improves ALL of your saving throws.
Evil Chromatic Dragons
The chromatic dragons are the world's evil dragons. Each color is named for the elemental force used to forge them, and each has its own breath weapon: blacks breathe acid, blues lightning, greens chlorine gas, reds fire, whites frost and browns blinding sand. All are immune to their own breath.
Alterform races: Evil dragons can alter into a human, a dark elf or an ogre. The alterform character must have under 2 hours of play time. The older the dragon, the longer it can stay altered.
Composite set: Wearing one crafted piece each from Black, Blue, Green, Red, White and Brown gives a permanent boost to both hitroll and damroll.
Neutral Gem Dragons
The gem dragons are the world's neutral dragons, created by the Gods of Neutrality and named for the gem-like reflections on their scales. The crystal dragons, the "Thirdborn" or "Gemsired", are the oldest. The topaz dragons grew from an unexpected evolution of the crystals, the emerald dragons are the most elusive of all, and the sapphire dragons of the deep caverns are heard long before they are seen.
Alterform races: Neutral dragons, such as the gem dragons, can alter into a human, a deep gnome, a tinker gnome, a hill dwarf, a mountain dwarf or a dark dwarf. The alterform character must have under 2 hours of play time. The Crystal Dragon note (2024) had said neutral humans, dwarves and gnomes.
Composite set: Promised, not defined: Gem Dragons will eventually get their own composite set bonus. The staff said that waits until the Gem family reaches six dragons (three existed then, four now with Sapphire).
Immunities, dragonskin resistances and set bonuses
Legendary Grand Master Armorcrafters and Tailors can craft armor from a dragonskin. Each piece keeps some of the dragon's resistance for the part of the body it covers, and wearing a full set of one color adds a bonus. Immunities are what the dragon itself is immune to: a blank means no source states one, not that there is none. Set bonuses come from the staff change notes; none has a published size.
| Dragon | Immune to | Skin resists | Full-set bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Dragon | its own breath weapon | Fire, Poison | Occasionally laughs off an incoming fire or poison attack and takes no damage from it. |
| Silver Dragon | its own breath weapon | Cold | A solid chance to completely shrug off incoming stuns and paralysis. |
| Brass Dragon | its own breath weapon | Charm, Fire | Successful attacks occasionally inflict Slow on the opponent. |
| Bronze Dragon | its own breath weapon | Lightning | Successful attacks occasionally rattle the victim and briefly reduce their hitroll. |
| Copper Dragon | its own breath weapon | Acid | Slow effects still work, but their Dexterity penalty is noticeably reduced. |
| Steel Dragon | Physical | A permanent bonus to both hitroll and damroll while the full set is worn; no chance is involved. | |
| Red Dragon | its own breath weapon | Fire | Successful attacks occasionally add a burst of fire damage. |
| Blue Dragon | its own breath weapon | Lightning | Incoming stun and daze effects are noticeably less likely to land. |
| Green Dragon | its own breath weapon | Poison | When struck, the attacker may be poisoned. This poison lands more easily than ordinary poison and overrides weaker poisons already on the attacker. |
| Black Dragon | its own breath weapon | Acid | When struck, the attacker's weapon may be briefly etched and weakened, reducing both its accuracy and damage. |
| White Dragon | its own breath weapon | Cold | Resistance against effects that attack or reduce your Strength. |
| Brown Dragon | its own breath weapon | Fire | Substantial protection against ordinary, non-magical blindness. Magical blindness still works normally. |
| Crystal Dragon | Light | Light, Harm | Sometimes when struck, the armor erupts in a flash of light that blinds the attacker and briefly staggers them. |
| Topaz Dragon | Drain | Sometimes when struck, a piece of the attacker's armor temporarily corrodes, weakening its protection. | |
| Emerald Dragon | Psychic (mental) damage | Psychic | Sometimes when struck, a pulse of psychic static disorients the attacker: their attacks become noticeably less accurate and less powerful. |
| Sapphire Dragon | Sound | Sound | Sometimes when struck, the armor rings like a struck bell, staggering the attacker and briefly deafening them. While the full set is worn you cannot be deafened, and hostile songs aimed at you will sometimes fail. Each crafted piece also resists sound damage. |
Alterform races and linking (game help)
Good dragons can alter into a human or a Shalonesti elf. Evil dragons can alter into a human, a dark elf or an ogre. Neutral dragons, such as the gem dragons, can alter into a human, a deep gnome, a tinker gnome, a hill dwarf, a mountain dwarf or a dark dwarf. The older the dragon, the longer it can stay altered.
To link one, first create a brand new character linked to your master with: under 2 hours of play time (under 4 hours for good dragons), the same sex as your dragon, level 5 or lower, and a race the dragon's type allows. Log off, then from your dragon type alterform <name of the new character>. From then on typing alterform switches between the two; if the timer runs out in the altered state the dragon changes back where it stands. You cannot do it in pk lag or while fighting.
An alterform follows every rule a dragon does, including being 100% in character, and cannot take part in Bloodbaths or OOC quests.
Source: game help alterform (updated 2026-11-01); change note 632 (2008-06-16)
Dragonskin sets
Wear a FULL crafted armor set of ONE dragon color and gain a special effect based on that dragon. Or wear ONE crafted piece from EACH dragon of the Metallic or Chromatic family to unlock a composite set bonus.
No bonus has a published size: the notes say 'occasionally', 'a solid chance' and 'a small chance'. The staff said the bonuses were new and could be adjusted after review.
Source: change note 1150 (2026-08-13)
Pieces a set needs
The Gem sets need all six matching pieces: head, body, arms, hands, legs and feet. Remove even one and the bonus stops until the set is restored. With all six worn there is a small chance the armor retaliates whenever someone hits you.
The note that introduced the Metallic and Chromatic sets says 'a FULL crafted armor set' without listing the slots.
Source: change note 1152 (2026-08-14); change note 1150 (2026-08-13)
Centaurs
Centaurs cannot wear normal leg or feet armor. Specially made leg and feet items with the Centaur-only designation make the six-piece sets possible for them.
Source: change note 1152 (2026-08-14)
What the skin itself resists
Every dragonskin piece keeps some of the dragon's resistance for the part of the body it covers (see each dragon's 'Dragonskin resists').
Steel dragonskin's resistance was reduced from 33% to 25% damage reduction after players asked for a review (2013).
Source: dsl-mud.org Dragons of Algoron; change note 800 (2013-01-25)
Age & Growth
A dragon is born a hatchling and ages with the time it lives in Algoron. As it ages it grows in size, armor and strength. The older the dragon, the more powerful it is.
A dragon's description should match the age and size the dragon has reached through its hours, not its level, so it should change as the dragon grows. Your score in game shows how far along your dragon is.
In time a dragon becomes ancient. For an ancient dragon, the next step is death.
Stages, youngest to oldest:
- Hatchling
- Very Young
- Young
- Juvenile
- Young Adult
- Adult
- Mature Adult
- Old
- Very Old
- Venerable
- Wyrm
- Great Wyrm
- Ancient
Breath & Chamber
Dragons can chamber their breath until they wish to unleash it upon their enemies. The chambered breath can be aimed at one foe or delivered as an area attack, and the dragon can vary the strength of each exhale.
Because this attack draws directly on the dragon's natural abilities, a dragon whose air is exhausted must recover over time before it can breathe again.
Vitality & Death
Dragons lose vitality with every death, though their alterforms do not. When a dragon's vitality is gone, the dragon dies permanently.
Dragons and the players behind them are held to the highest of standards. Playing a dragon is not meant to be easy, nor fair. They can be very powerful indeed, and it takes a dedicated player to keep one long term.
The Five Empty Thrones
Long before the kingdoms, each great continent belonged to a single dominant wyrm. Those sovereigns are gone; their thrones are not. A dragon of level 51 or higher may enter the hidden Dominion beneath a continent's Wyrmgate, conquer it alone, and claim its throne to rule as Dragonlord of that land until another dragon takes it away. When all five thrones are held, the Sixth Throne stirs, and the fastest of the five to conquer it becomes High Dragonlord of all dragonkind.
Type help thrones in game.
Rules for Dragons
Cheat, break any game rule, be penalized for any reason or fail to meet role-playing standards, and your dragon will be denied instantly. These rules, from help rules: remorts, bind every dragon:
- Dragons and their alterforms are 100% in character at all times, including roleplay and channels. Go OOC only with Immortals, for questions, restrings and the like.
- Never share who your dragon or alterform is with anyone, Immortals included, unless Admin or a Coder is helping you with an issue.
- Your description must match your dragon's age and size by hours, not level.
- Group only with remorts of the same alignment, and only where it makes good roleplay sense (no grouping with Slayers).
- Do not use fly spells or potions to get around wingbind.
- Do not kick city guards out of the room.
- No mudsex with your dragon; alterforms are fine.
- Dragons may purchase a lair but not a private home. A lair has one owner, who may add up to two warders. Dragons may roleplay as mates only with a dragon of the opposite sex and the same color. An alterform cannot revert in another player's home or lair.
- Direct questions about your class to Admin, and issues with it to Coder Admin.
Source: dsl-mud.org, Dragons of Algoron.