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Seethyr
Master of Realmslore
USA
1256 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Jan 2026 : 03:08:32
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Dragon Magazine was a goldmine of ideas that I miss more than almost anything from the pre4e phase of DnD. It’s lost is second only to the spellplague in the list of things I don’t like that have changed over the years.
With that being said, the ferrous dragons we such a cool concept and I wonder if they could have a place in the Forgotten Realms.
I assume that the Draco Holy Wars and the war with the giants was such a huge span of time that it wasn’t the only thing going on. Do you think the Iron Wars could have fit in to Realmsian history? If so, maybe the ferrous dragons are in exile elsewhere in the world? Graughlothor lives somewhere beyond Maztica to the west or even in the mountains of the Utter East?
Have you ever used them? For reference, these dragons appeared first in Dragon Issue 170, and then updated in 356. I’ve also put up a small book on them for 5e in DMsGuild.
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Follow the Maztica (Aztec/Maya) and Anchorome (Indigenous North America) Campaigns on DMsGuild!
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8066 Posts |
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PattPlays
Senior Scribe
484 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2026 : 09:28:40
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Big G isn't exactly a specific creature.
Big G dies, the next biggest Iron Dragon across the crystal spheres transforms into Big G.
Big G dies, repeat ad infinitum. At least thats how I interpreted the ecology. I love ferrous dragons! Tungstens are my favorite- I had one as a ghost in a dungeon that had been used by dwarves as a tungsten mine. My players investigated a blown-apart foundry that had been hit by the breath weapon of the Tungsten Dragon. The breath weapons of the ferrous are really creative! If you add them to Faerun, be sure to check the date you are playing in. If the game is modern and the final dracorage has come and gone, then all dragonkind should be surging as the giants fail to oppose them. The cult of the dragon has also changed a lot leading up to 5e, so think about what your dragon values more: the tribe of Big G or personal immortality...
quote:
The Supreme Dragon, Gruaghlothor, is the ruler of all ferrous dragons and is an incarnation of all the sovereign iron dragons since the dawn of time. Despite this, Gruaghlothor is not a divine power. Gruaghlothor is said to have been the very first ferrous dragon ever to exist. It was under his guidance that the clan hierarchy was formed. He was destroyed in battle with a huge pack of red dragons. With his dying breath, Gruaghlothor swore to destroy the red dragons if he had to come back from the grave, and return he did.
The red dragons remain, but deep under a mighty mountain burns the smoldering hatred of a thousand kings waiting to flare into the destruction of their age-old enemies. Whenever Gruaghlothor dies, the iron dragon chosen to replace the former goes into a state of hibernation for one year. During this time, the chosen one undergoes a metamorphosis.
When it emerges, it has become Gruaghlothor. There is no solid explanation for how this works, and the iron dragons answer only, “It has always been so.”
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Edited by - PattPlays on 16 Jan 2026 09:46:36 |
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Ferrous Dragons in the Realms
