40d:Dragon

Dragons are ferocious predatory Megabeasts which are extremely hostile, larger than elephants, and quite resistant to damage. In addition to bite and claw attacks, they can breathe fire over a considerable area, which can cause things such as grass, equipment and people to ignite. This fire is apparently magical in nature, and can hurt many creatures who are otherwise comfortable in the fire.

When a dragon enters your area, the game will announce its presence and its name. It will then attempt to eat you. Quickly.

Dealing with Dragons

It takes from 3 to 10 stone-fall traps to kill a dragon. This is probably the safest way to manage this creature

Despite all its advantages, it is possible for relatively small groups of dwarves (even as few as 8) to take down dragons, especially if there are high proportions of relatively well trained marksdwarves available.

Additionally, dragons can be caught in cage traps and then tamed or sold to traders. (Beware: When transferring a Dragon cage to a trade depot the dragon, like all captured creatures, may escape, wreaking havoc on all your dwarves who are bringing other trade items.)

While the dragon itself is usually fairly easy to deal with, if you are not quick in doing so, it will likely set a large number of objects (and dwarves) on fire. Given that dwarven AI doesn't understand being on fire very well, this can quickly lead to dwarves inadvertantly spreading the fire throughout your fortress. Be sure to quickly forbid burning objects that dwarves might want to pick up, and also draft burning dwarves so you can order them to take a bath before spreading the burning horror around.

Timing can make the difference between black and white. One strategy is to pile a large squad of melee dwarves and marksdwarves on the dragon while its crossing a bridge / floor-path over a river. If you're lucky, the barrage of bolts will send the dragon falling off of the bridge stunned and you can have your way with it. This is possible to pull-off without a single casualty (war dogs being an exception).

Dragon Irregularities, Bugs, and Planned Features

Note that, as of the current version, Dragons cannot actually fly, which contributes towards the ease of killing them. Certain dev_notes indicate that in eventual future releases, dragons will not only be able to fly, but will use their flight to a terrifying level of efficiency, strafing your troops with fire from above, as well as picking them up and dropping them from a great height. Unfortunately (fortunately?) these enhancements may not show up in the game for many months.

Dragons are apparently immune to dragonfire, but not immune to any other kind of fire. Unfortunately, the dragon AI (like the dwarf AI) seems to believe that it is in fact immune to all fire, and so they will gleefully go swimming in lava-- and hence get burned to a crisp. Their dragonfire can also ignite many objects on the ground, and if the dragon then walks over these objects, they will sometimes ignite themselves in the process. These factors are all likely bugs, and are liable to be fixed at some time in the future.

Not necessarily a bug, but sometimes when a dragon appears in the middle of an ambush or siege, the goblins will attack the dragon, either wounding it greatly or killing it in the process.

Taming dragons with a dungeon master

Dragons can be tamed only with the help of the dungeon Master noble. Any dragon that has already tasted dwarven blood and received a title for doing so will never be truly tamed. Dwarves will believe the dragon to be tame, and will not run away in fear from it, but the dragon will continue to happily devour them. This bug/feature exists for all creatures that have killed your dwarves, not just dragons.

Even in the case of taming a dragon that has not killed any of your dwarves, beware that dragonfire does not discriminate between friend or foe.

V · T · E Creatures
Races	Dwarf • Elf • Goblin • Human • Kobold
Animals	Alligator • Beak dog • Bilou • Black-crested gibbon • Black-handed gibbon • Black bear • Bonobo • Cat • Cave crocodile • Cheetah • Chimpanzee • Cougar • Cow • Deer • Dog • Donkey • Elephant • Elk • Fox • Gazelle • Giant bat • Giant cave spider • Giant cave swallow • Giant cheetah • Giant desert scorpion • Giant eagle • Giant jaguar • Giant leopard • Giant lion • Giant mole • Giant olm • Giant rat • Giant tiger • Giant toad • Gorilla • Gray gibbon • Grimeling • Grizzly bear • Groundhog • Harpy • Hippo • Hoary marmot • Horse • Ice wolf • Jaguar • Large rat • Leopard • Lion • Mandrill • Mountain goat • Mule • Muskox • Naked mole dog • One-humped camel • Orangutan • Pileated gibbon • Polar bear • Raccoon • Rhesus macaque • Saltwater crocodile • Sasquatch • Siamang • Silvery gibbon • Tiger • Two-humped camel • Unicorn • Warthog • White-browed gibbon • White-handed gibbon • Wolf
Aquatic	Angelshark • Basking shark • Blacktip reef shark • Blue shark • Bluefin tuna • Bluefish • Bull shark • Carp • Cod • Coelacanth • Common skate • Conger eel • Frill shark • Giant grouper • Great barracuda • Great white shark • Halibut • Hammerhead shark • Longfin mako shark • Longnose gar • Manta ray • Marlin • Milkfish • Nurse shark • Ocean sunfish • Opah • Pike • Sea lamprey • Sea monster • Sea serpent • Shortfin mako shark • Spiny dogfish • Spotted wobbegong • Stingray • Sturgeon • Swordfish • Tigerfish • Tiger shark • Walrus • Whale • Whale shark • Whitetip reef shark
Humanoids	Antman • Batman • Blizzard man • Cave swallowman • Dark gnome • Fire imp • Fire man • Foul blendec • Frogman • Gremlin • Iron man • Leechman • Lizardman • Magma man • Merperson • Mountain gnome • Mud man • Nightwing • Ogre • Olmman • Ratman • Satyr • Slugman • Snailman • Snakeman • Strangler • Tigerman • Troglodyte • Troll • Werewolf
Semi-Megabeasts	Cyclops • Ettin • Giant • Minotaur
Megabeasts	Bronze colossus • Dragon • Hydra • Titan
Nonexistent	Centaur • Chimera • Griffon • Treant • Wizard