My top 5 Adversaries for Dragons

[quozaxx]

I've been doing some writing for Haymaker! on the subject of Dragons.  So, I was starting to wonder, if dragons were plentiful and possibly had a society; what forces could possibly be adversaries against these wonderful, huge, beasts.

 

So, I came up with my top 5 adversaries for Dragons.

 

#5

Tigers.  Tigers???  What do you mean tigers?  Well, in the Chinese zodiac the Tiger is considered the eternal rival with the dragon.  So, therefore, I have placed it last of my top 5 adversaries to appose dragons.  Granted, it would seem easy for a dragon to just snatch up a tiger in its jaws and end its life in one short snap.  But if it is important enough to be in the Chinese zodiac, then maybe there is something about tigers that we (as puny humans) don't know.  Maybe they know the dragon's weak spot.  Maybe dragons can't eat tigers for some reason.  Or maybe tigers can somehow survive when eaten and eat their way out.  Next time you see a tiger, ask them how they got rid of all the dragons. 

 

#4

A roc.  A roc.is a giant bird large enough to carry an elephant away in its talons.  Granted, dragons are big, but even an elephant would be difficult for it to carry away.  So, since a roc is so large, it needs large prey to eat.  Hence the dragon's adversary is born.

 

#3

Giants.  Some giants are large enough to take on a single dragon all by itself.  Thus making it number 3 in my countdown.  They need to eat, and dragons would make an excellent meal, and possibly a worthy adversary.

 

#2

Other dragons.  Whether its for mating rights, hoard, takeovers, boundary trespassers, or they have some sort of hierarchy, other dragons are worthy adversaries for dragons.  And they come in all shapes and powers.  

 

#1

Humanoids:  How many of us have played a Fantasy Hero game (or Fantasy role playing genre game) only to eventually meet up with the legendary dragon?  Humanoids (elves, trolls, ogres, dwarfs, humans, etc) hunt dragons.  We all know it.  They are plentiful, resourceful, and we never seem to run out of them.  Plus some are powerful enough to take on dragons all by themselves.  That makes humanoids number 1 on my countdown.

 

Now you may not agree, and that's okay, and personally I'd like to extend my list to 10 instead of just 5.  So please, put in your top 10 (or 5), and don't forget to include your reasons for picking them!

 

 

[QuietusEmissary]

Maybe tigers are a threat to dragons not when they're all grown up and fearsome but rather when they're young. Dragons are usually depicted as fairly autonomous even when they're still pretty small. Tigers are stealth hunters, and I could totally imagine a tiger pouncing on a wyrmling (to use the D&D term for a very young dragon) and killing it before it could fight back effectively.

[quozaxx]

Maybe tigers are a threat to dragons not when they're all grown up and fearsome but rather when they're young. Dragons are usually depicted as fairly autonomous even when they're still pretty small. Tigers are stealth hunters, and I could totally imagine a tiger pouncing on a wyrmling (to use the D&D term for a very young dragon) and killing it before it could fight back effectively.

I love your answer.

[Christopher R Taylor]

There's an Aethereal creature that infects the brains of dragons in my game world; the oldest ones are nearly impossible to kill due to their ever increasing power over life, great power in magic, and amazing lairs, but they have no defenses against this thing.

[zslane]

Though it might feel a bit anachronistic, there could be a highly lethal disease that only affects dragons. I mean, aside from the occasional deity-inflicted "plague", disease doesn't usually play much of a role in swords and sorcery tales. The horrors of incurable diseases and devastating epidemics are generally regarded as elements of modern life, not the stuff of epic fantasy. And so its unusualness may be the very thing that makes it so evocative and scary, especially to dragons.