Post/Author/DateTime	Post
crumpton23 07-25-06, 12:14 PM	So at some point in the future (i.e. after a few other adventures and some Spycraft), the party is going to help defeat an great wyrm known as "The White". I am toying with the idea of it being an evil silver instead of a white dragon. So the question is how does a silver "always lawful good" dragon become evil? Of course there is DM fiat, but I want a reasonable explanation on how this could happen. I do not really want to use a template such as half-fiend, because it is a bit too common and it raises the CR too much for my purposes (26 is plenty high). Any ideas on how this happens? Thanks.
Peacimowen 07-25-06, 01:12 PM	Atonement spell, the "Redemption or Temptation" option can be used on a creature to "offer it a chance to change its alignment to match yours".
crumpton23 07-25-06, 01:23 PM	But that would have to be a willing target, and I cannot think of why a silver dragon would ever choose that. It does remind me of a spell in BoVD (and maybe Spell Compendium) called Morality Undone. It changes your alignment on the good/evil axis. I will have to look it up and see if it is permanent. Thanks!
Sorcen_Anenooata 07-25-06, 01:25 PM	Maybe it was raised by a white dragon or some other evil dragon. It happened to go exploring a humanoid settlement with its parent or some other similarly important person and then that parent figure was killed and the young dragon was harassed and beaten and almost killed by the dragon hating settlement and thus it became evil. There are many other ways for a good dragon to become evil, I'll post more as I think of them.
runestar 07-25-06, 01:37 PM	Maybe it fought evil for so long that it eventually became so jaded and discouraged itself and became twisted in mindset, deciding that the good fight was not worth fighting for, and so became evil. :P
obrysii 07-25-06, 02:15 PM	So the question is how does a silver "always lawful good" dragon become evil? Of course there is DM fiat, but I want a reasonable explanation on how this could happen. Well, right now I am playing a Lawful Evil Gold Dragon, so here's my take on it: Warped perceptions. The dragon might think it is doing good, such as "spreading purity" by wiping out all those things that are impure. My particular character became warped when he first hatched: his first conscious thoughts were looking in fear at a vast pool of blood that had formed from his mother's recently slain form. His first real experiance involved him swimming through this lake of blood to get out of the lair. Through this tramatizing experiance, he realized that those responsible for it were inherently vile and evil. Now he has set his will about transforming the world into desert, as to him it was a logical step: the desert is pure, and things that die do not often rot when buried in sand. He has, of course, tapped several ancestral memories, most of which were not positive (including a memory of one of his ancesters going through his twilight), and so feels he is not long for this world, and thus instead of taking the 'long view' ... he is quick to begin his mission of renewing purity of the world through desertification.
Peacimowen 07-25-06, 02:50 PM	It does remind me of a spell in BoVD (and maybe Spell Compendium) called Morality Undone. It changes your alignment on the good/evil axis. I will have to look it up and see if it is permanent. Morality Undone is only 10 minutes/level. You could have a higher level caster create a more powerful version of the spell that lasts much longer, or... ...it is evil for x number of minutes and does evil acts. Use atonement immediately as morality undone ends, while it's just getting over enjoying doing evil acts...
Talisman 07-25-06, 05:07 PM	One word: background. Don't go with the evil spell, artifact, or GM fiat. Give the big lizard some history. Make it psychological and it will be that much more beliveable. Obrysii's backstory is a great example. What could possibly have happened to a yound wyrmling to warp it that badly? Does it consider itself good, and its evil acts necessary? Or is it thoroughly malign, possibly insane? Most evil people become so because of circumstances around them, such as their caregivers or other authority figures. Was the wyrmling raised by demon cultists? Did it have to survive alone? Why? Good luck.
malignor 07-25-06, 05:53 PM	As a young dragon it was playing with a Helm of Opposite Alignment. Whoops! :eek:
Prak, the Mad 07-25-06, 06:26 PM	I say give it a red dragon major blood line(from unearthed arcana), that gives it just as much reason to be evil(chaotic evil, at that) as it has to be lg....
crumpton23 07-25-06, 08:15 PM	Thanks a lot for all the suggestions. The warped psychological background is a very good idea, and it will have a much stronger impact. Now I am off to write some backstory.
fiendkiller 07-27-06, 11:13 AM	Just an idea. Maybe the Silver Dragon was reared by the white dragon, or was charmed, but when he saw the adventure party do something noble, he rebels against the white dragon. Hope it helps! fiendkiller
Daffydd ap Hywell 07-27-06, 12:18 PM	For the D&D campaign I run, a dragon's color indicates it's powers and environment preferences, but only as a tendancy for alignment. Besides, in a world where you can have Good Drow, what's to stop there from being an Evil Silver Dragon? In an early game, the PC's were robbed by a pair of wyrmling dragons, 1 red, 1 gold (they still fume about that one). I did like the creature challenge where they had the "albino red dragon." Go for it! If you prefer, instead of the half-fiend template, how about fiendish? Or planetouched?
Orchomenos 07-27-06, 12:39 PM	If you prefer, instead of the half-fiend template, how about fiendish? Or planetouched? Perhaps the Corrupted template? After all, bathing for some time in his mother's blood could be enough to Corrupt a wyrmling.
pita 07-27-06, 01:00 PM	If you want a good example of good becoming evil, read Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba. When Light Yagami first got the Deathnote, he used it to kill all criminals, and make the world a better place. Later, he still retained his good intentions, but the constant chase by L, the need to kill more criminals, the fact that he may have to kill his own father, and many more reasons warped him and he became evil. His job as Kira, and his need to kill the criminals remained. He did good acts, but his mind was so warped he became insane. The maniacal laugh and the terror when L announced himself in book 3 are both evident signs of madness. EDIT Besides, in a world where you can have Good Drow, what's to stop there from being an Evil Silver Dragon? The fact that R.A. Salvatore didn't write about an evil silver dragon. And no silver dragon would use double scimitars.