By Vanessa K.
Dragons are some of the most well-known mythological creatures. They exist in nearly every culture around the world and are beloved by fantasy fans. But creating a dragon for your story without falling into the usual tropes can be tricky. The following are tips for creating unique dragons for your tale.
Change their appearance.
Depending on where you are in the world, when you picture a dragon, a certain image comes to mind. In the West, we usually think of winged dragons that breathe fire and may or may not be evil. In the East, dragons don’t usually have wings and are mostly benevolent creatures in stories. Both scenarios are great but have been done more times than anyone can count.
To mix it up, try changing your dragon’s appearance. Instead of one head, why not two? Sure, that’s close to a hydra, but you can make it your own. What if the dragon’s scales shifted on its body like waves in the ocean? Try giving them the ability to camouflage their skin to hide in plain sight. Or you can play with its size. Could your dragons shrink to the size of a Pomeranian? Maybe your dragon is a shapeshifter, able to change from beast to man. You could always go the Dungeons & Dragons route and make dragonborn people, humanoid creatures that look equal parts dragon and human. There’s also creating dragons that are made from different materials such as dragons made of pure fire or stones come to life. There’s no shortage of ways to tinker with their appearance. If you want to stick with the standard dragon of the West (A:TLA reference intended), then think about changing its skills.
Fire is out, literally anything else is in.
Fire breathing dragons are the standard. In recent years, we’ve seen a rise of dragons with different spewing capabilities in both books and media. Few stories have such a variety as the How to Train Your Dragon books turned movies/the show. The dragons in this story spew fire, ice, and gas that, if ignited, can cause massive explosions. Your dragons can breathe lightning, liquid poison, or simply molten lava. The same goes for the Dungeons & Dragons games. Their dragons can spew most of the above and are categorized based on their color.
What if your dragons came from space and instead spewed tiny meteorites via a portal connected to the back of their throat? Or whenever they roared, a black hole appeared in their throat, sucking everything inside? If breathing dangerous objects isn’t your thing, try creating dragons that have skills beyond their mouths. In Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods the dragon Ladon can paralyze its victims by overwhelming them with fear whenever its prey is close. What if your dragon is part-Medusa, able to paralyze its victims with a single look? Or it sings like a siren, enchanting people to wander inside their lair to their doom? And let’s not forget, dragons have many skills other than killing.
Flying is only the tip of the iceberg.
Dragons are so fun to write for many different reasons including their versatility. They’re skilled hunters both in the air and on land. What if you played with these ideas? The dragons of your story could have the ability to phase their body through solid objects. Can you imagine a dragon phasing through the ground and dragging you to the center of the earth? I’d crap my pants and die from fear long before we reached the center. Or if a dragon could detach its limbs to use against you in a fight? Better yet, what if a dragon could give another character said limbs to use in battle. A dragon gifting a friend their wings while they fight with their mouth and claws would be interesting.
Maybe the dragons of your world can share their abilities, granting others dragon-like powers via touch or spell. You could have them shoot their scales outward like bullets. Or you can take things in a more subtle direction. In lots of stories dragons have hordes, what if your dragons are excellent treasure hunters able to sniff out different metals and burrow deep into the earth? Now that we’ve covered the physical abilities, let’s not forget the mental tricks.
Brains and brawn, a deadly combination.
Dragons are large, majestic beasts that can easily intimidate others with their size. But what if their greatest threat was their mind? Your dragons don’t have to be mindless animals. Try creating a species that’s more advanced than humans. Or make them better at magic. Giving them psychic capabilities would only add to the terror they could reign on others. Instead of a dragon/rider connection (think Eragon), what if dragons could track their prey via their prey’s mind? Imagine a dragon not just hunting you on land but in your thoughts and dreams. Stalking you no matter where you went.
There’s always mixing and matching monster lore. What if dragons could infect people with one bite like zombies? Some characters might be into becoming giant lizards while others would hate it or hunt them for sport. Want to stay with the usual dragon tropes? Cool, how about your dragons have treasure hordes but instead of jewels they steal people’s memories? Did someone say a heist book about dragons stealing memories from a monarch? I’d read the hell out of that.
Or you could do a deadly combination of everything listed. A lightning breathing dragon that can phase through the earth and hunt you via your thoughts would inspire terror in many readers. There’s never going to be a shortage of dragon stories. The dragons in your story don’t have to be the most unique thing in the known universe, they just need to be unique to your story. Make them your own and have fun.
Y’know this helped me with dnd