To Feast Upon Dragons

Dragons are not born, you know. 

Some claim that they, lizard-like, lay eggs atop volcanoes and or in the dark depths of the earth. This is not true. 

Others claim that they were forged from the fires of creation, moulded by the God-Nova of eternity. This, also, is not true. 

Dragons are not born. Dragons become. 

A Primer on Dragons. 

Among the mightiest beings in existence, dragons are entities of Hunger. Their appetite is unrivalled, and their viciousness is legendary. Though blissfully rare, dragons are capable of exceptional devastation, reducing even the most abundant habitats to deserts of bone and ash. 

No god would willingly create such an indomitable force. And yet, dragons can be found in the forgotten corners of the world, holding dominion over their desolate territories and devouring all that crosses their path. The shamans and astronomers of our ancestors long puzzled over how these awful beings came to be; from which hell they first spawned. 

Now we know the answer all too well. 

The Hunger

When a dragon is slain - when its blood is spilled and its final breath runs from ragged lungs - a change occurs. Its Hunger bleeds into the world, settling into the land and infecting any living thing nearby. They become hosts to the Hunger. Their stomachs become as a womb, nurturing the dragon’s appetite. Their bodies shift to accommodate it, stretching and swelling and hardening until they are large enough, strong enough to contain the Hunger that gnaws within them. 

They become dragons. 

Dragons seldom die of natural causes. Their lifespans are long and vital. Their bodies burn away disease and frailty until only strength - and the Hunger - remains. Dragons do not die naturally. They are always slain. 

To slay a dragon was once considered a noble task. Our warriors relished the opportunity to lose their lives to these colossal fiends, all in the hope that one or two solitary heroes among them would plunge their blades into its throat and fell the beast. But then the blood would drain into the dry soil and the Hunger would hurry down the dragonslayers’ throats. They would be compelled to eat, to reach out and stuff fistfuls of dragonflesh into their salivating maws. They would eat beyond capacity, filling their faces in a ravenous revelry. From the moment of that first taste, the change would soon follow. 

These dragonslayers would return to their homes to the sound of applause and prayers. They would become kings and chieftains, and rule with a fierce Hunger. Their longhouses - their bellies - would fill with bone and flesh. Their kingdoms would starve from within and the king would grow fat and terrible. Their bodies would warp. Their teeth would harden into iron, their skin would bunch and lock into scales. And then, when their longhouses could hold them no longer, they would slither bellyward out into the wilds, vomiting fire and bile in their wake. They would make their new homes in mountaintops and verdant forests, snatching up meagre prey and devouring whole and slathering. They would feast on whole generations, eating man, beast, plant, and stone alike. Then, when all was reduced to rubble and bone, the transformation would be complete. 

Just in time for a new band of warriors, blood-blind and arrogant, to march upon it, swords drawn with a Hunger of their own. 

Mechanics for the Hunger 

Upon successfully slaying a dragon, all conscious creatures capable of digestion within a 1 mile radius must roll to resist the Hunger. This roll will have a mid-level threshold - strong-willed creatures will usually be able to resist, while weak-willed creatures will almost immediately succumb to the Hunger. Even non-sapient creatures, such as local wildlife, must make this roll. 

Upon failing this roll, the affected creature will enter a trance-like state as they hungrily devour the dragon’s flesh. If uninterrupted they will eat far more than they could normally, and will not need to eat for at least 24 hours following this feast. This process can be interrupted with a high-level strength roll: If interrupted, the affected creature will be briefly hostile to whoever interrupted them before returning to a more normal state. 

Within 1d6 days of feasting on dragon flesh, the affected creature will undergo the following changes: 

• The creature will become physically stronger, gaining a minimum of +1 to all rolls that involve strength. 

• The creature’s appetite will dramatically increase, requiring them to eat at least half their body’s weight in food every 24 hours. If they do not eat a sufficient amount, they will be unable to rest as their hunger pangs keep them from sleep. 

• The affected creature grows by up to 1d6 ft. in height. 

• If the affected creature was previously herbivorous/vegetarian, they will begin to crave meat. If they were already carnivorous, they will begin to crave raw meat. 

• Their body’s temperature will increase. Immediately after eating, they will be physically hot to the touch. 

Within 2d6 days of these changes, the affected creature’s condition will become more intense: 

• Their fingernails and teeth will grow sharper and harder, and will function identically to daggers. 

• Their stomach acid will become much more potent, and if regurgitated will be able to dissolve most materials over the course of 1 hour. This manner of regurgitation can be triggered once every 24 hours. 

• Patches of the affected creature’s body will harden into scales. These scales function like a natural armour on par with half-plate.

• The affected creature grows by an additional 2d6 ft. 

• The affected creature’s intelligence is reduced, giving them a -3 to all rolls that require intelligent thought. 

• If they had an alignment, their alignment will change to either Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Ravenous. 

The final stage of the transformation begins 4d6 days after these previous sets of changes. 

• The affected creature’s type changes to “Dragon”. 

• The affected creature grows to a minimum of 20 ft. in height. 

• The affected creature’s intelligence is greatly diminished to that of a particularly cunning animal. Any motivations, ideals, beliefs, or allegiances they once had are gone, replaced only with a rampant Hunger. 

• Any players that controlled the affected creature lose control over them. If the affected creature was a player character, it can no longer be a player character.