Dragonlords of Dumnonia

DRAGON BREEDING MANUAL

(Revised 2/10/99)

So you've Bonded with a Breeding Male or Female and completed your Training! Congrats! You are now a full Dragonrider, and there are a few things you need to know as the Bond Partner of a Breeding Dragon. This means your dragon gets to mate (to fertilize eggs, not just for fun), lay clutches, and run some extra risks that infertile Dragons don't have to worry about. Here is a quick summary of the information that you need to know.

MATING

  1. A Dragon, like a human,can mate whenever he or she feels like it. The Breeding Females are fertile from the age of sixteen onward, but they risk dying from the strain of carrying and laying eggs if they breed while they are too young. One of the primary duties of Dragonriders with Striplings is to ensure that Breeding Females do not come into contact with a Breeding Male too soon. But your Dragon is "of age" since he or she has been allowed to Bond with you, so you don't have to worry about that unless you acquire a fertile Stripling.
  2. When your Dragon wishes to mate, let your BOD know if the choice of mate is a fertile Dragon of the opposite sex, so they can schedule the events that will ensue. Two fertile Bronzes have a 100% chance of conceiving if they mate on the first day of the rotation. The chance is decreased at a rate of 5% per day until the middle of the rotation, then increased 5% per day until the end of the rotation. So if your Breeding Female mates on the eleventh day of the rotation, there is a 50% chance she will conceive. (A fertile Bronze who mates with a fertile Dumnonian always has a 100% chance of conceiving, but that's a special case that will be taken up in a moment.)
  3. When Dragons mate, they engage in a "mock" battle on the dunes outside any camp. It is highly inadvisable to have more than one Breeding Male present. It is also an extremely bad idea to allow either the Male or the Female to consume a love potion prior to the Breeding attempt unless this is a forced mating, against the will of one or both partners. If a love potion is used, extreme caution is advised.
  4. During the "battle", the Bond Partners of the Dragons will experience their Dragons' amorous feelings. The Partners are not at the mercy of those feelings. While most Bond Partners choose to retire to the Mother's Tent or their own quarters at such time, it is possible to remain present at a function, such as a Feast, with little more than a tell-tale blush spreading over one's face. Riders are familiar with such "inconveniences", and it is considered highly rude to call attention to any Rider whose Bond Partner is "on the dunes."
WARNING: If a Breeding Female mates with a non-Dragon, fertile male while in her humanform, she will become pregnant and will be stuck in her humanform, unable to shapeshift for twenty-five years. If a Breeding Male mates with a non-Dragon fertile female while in his humanform, the non-Dragon will become pregnant, and the Breeding Male will be stuck in his humanform, unable to shapeshift for twenty-five years. We are playing real time here, so all such encounters require BOD approval (to make sure that you really understand the consequences <g>). The only exception to this is that if a Breeding Female is carrying fertilized eggs or if the non-Dragon female is already pregnant, then the magic will not trap the draconic member of the mating pair.

LAYING AND HATCHING DATES

These are pretty straight forward for a Dumnonian Bronze. The female lays precisely 20 days after she is impregnated. The eggs hatch precisely 20 days after that. Most Breeding Females try to indulge themselves around the first of a rotation or while on leave so an inconvenient pregnancy won't interfere with their performance on the front line.

HAVING A CLUTCH

The Breeding Female carries her eggs for 20 days, then lays them in a nest, which she carves out of the whaleback dunes at the entrance to the Valley of Ancients. After laying one (which would be a mutant) to five eggs, the Breeding Female reports back for duty. All eggs have a leathery shell that hardens in the heat of the desert sun. Pure bronze eggs are light bronze in color. Mutant eggs are speckled with the colors of the various types of dragons that the mutant will combine.

To determine a clutch for a Breeding Female, roll two six-sided dice. Add the numbers together, and look up the result on the following chart:

2-3=1 egg (must be a mutant)

4-7=2 eggs

8-10=3 eggs

11=4 eggs

12=5 eggs

For the number of mutant eggs in a clutch larger than one, roll two six-sided dice and consult this chart:

2-6=2 mutants

7-10=3 mutants

11=4 mutants

12=5 mutants

Shashtah Dragonking

"Shashtah Dragonking"
by
L.A. Malcor

THE HATCHING

The Hatchlings pass into the Ruler's care from the moment they break their shells. The draconic parents should have no contact with them at this or any other time until the dragonettes are mature. (Shashtah's a little lax about this rule, but a traditionalist will still follow it to the letter.)

If you have any questions/comments about these instructions, contact Dragonlord Krin at Legend@malcor.com. Enjoy your Bond Partner!

Return to Paks, Etc.

Return to Fun Stuff

Return to Dragonlords of Dumnonia Home Page