How to (realistically) kill a dragon

[GabbyJ]

Hi, everyone! I’m writing a fantasy trilogy, and I’m still in the editing stages of the first book, which contains a LOT of fights between humans and dragons. So, I’m starting to wonder if the fights (especially the ones where the human warrior is armed with a sword or some other close-range weapon) are realistic.

Is it unrealistic to borrow moves from movies? Somehow they don’t seem the same when written out, and I REALLY want to make this novel believable.

Also, does anyone have any tips in general for killing dragons?

Thanks so much in advance! 😀

@allison-grace @daeus @dekreel @ingrid @daughteroftheking @anyone-interested

*Swirls cape menacingly while the Imperial March plays in the background*

[itisastarrynight]

@gabbyj I haven’t given it much thought, but..
Dragons have wings, which means they mostly fly. So they are probably slower and less dangerous when they’re on foot and their flight is disabled. As for killing them..
Is it easier to be attacked if you went for the heart or the neck?  Or poison always sounds legit, too, in whatever form it could be useful in.

I can't believe it's not butter!

[The fledgling Artist]

@gabbyj
I feel like what is ‘realistic’ has a lot to do with the context of your story. I’ve never written a fantasy but I feel like (pls correct me if i’m wrong ..) a large part of making a ‘realistic fantasy’  is having strong suspension of disbelief with your audience. I’m aware this doesn’t really answer your question but .. uh food for thought?

and I was so confused

[TheAcornman]

@gabbyj I’d say it depends on their size mostly. How big are dragons in your fantasy?

That one English guy.

[PrincessFoo]

@gabbyj

Dragons! I love dragons. There is a lot of variation across stories between them though, so it really depends on the dragons in your story. If you are going to have a lot of fights with dragons, than they are probably going to be less powerful than say, Smaug. Here are some things to keep in mind in dragon fights.

• The biggest problem, especially if the heroes only have short ranged weapons, is that they need the dragon to stay on the ground. The best option for the dragon will be to hover and fire down blasts at them, so the heroes will need some way to counteract that.
• Generally, dragon hides are very tough, and need special weapons to penetrate. However, the underbelly is a common weakness, but you could also go with the inside of the mouth, nose, eyes, and in-between claws. There is also the classic, important missing scale weakness.
• Bigger dragons will be harder to take down, but smaller dragons will be more agility and quick.
• The intelligence of the dragon will also change the fight. Smarter dragons will resist coming down to the ground, where they are weakest, but animal-like dragons might be caught in a trap.
• Not all dragons blow fire, but almost all have some sort magical power.

Does this help at all? If you have any more specific questions let me know. It really depends on the world, so if you want to give me some more details I might be able to offer specific strategies. I’m a bit of a geek in these areas.

[Catwing]

@gabbyj
*clears throat* To slay a flying dragon one must first, ground, said dragon (unless you have great aim and can shoot one of their softer parts or where they are missing a scale *see @princessfoo above*. Though that is really hard and requires lots of skill. So here’s a much easier way, grounding.)
How to Slay a Dragon 101
Grounding
~If the dragon can talk, perhaps trick it into landing. “You aren’t a dragon! You’re just afraid! Come down and fight like one!”(Some dragons are too smart for this though.)
~Try shooting it with a net that pins it’s wings down. (Or tail fins. Those are essential for certain dragons to fly. But netting it’s wings disables them from hitting you. And if it’s wings double as it’s front legs, make it much harder for them to move.)
~Some dragon’s wings are thin and could be pierced by a sharp arrow (while some wings look thin, but are very strong, so this wouldn’t work on them.). If you shoot enough holes in their wings they will crash to the ground. [Note: Focus on one wing, if just one wing is too torn to fly it will make their flight uneven and they will still crash.]

Watch
~Make sure you are a good distance away when the dragon crashs, you don’t want to be crushed.
~Watch the dragon and figure out where they are injured. This is easiest if they don’t know you are watching, because they will try to hide it.
~See what parts are uninjured or free, if one of their feet is loose you need be careful around that area, this could mean you life or death.

Approach
~Keep yourself hidden if possible. If you can surprise them it is very helpful. Some dragons can smell you, so you might have to roll in the mud or something else to mask your scent.
~The dragon may roll around, see if you can shoot an arrow or spear when they are exposed.
~After the dragon realizes you are there, it will try and attack you. If the dragon can breathe fire, that means they will breathe fire.
~It is best to make them think you are one place, when you are on the other side.
~If you must get close with a sword or dagger, get behind them. You can stab in between their scales and pry them off. Unless the dragon is mobile enough to roll on top of you.
~Fire proof armor is always a good option.

Those are just some of the ways it can be done.
Anyone else want to help?

@dragon-snapper @kate-flournoy @ethryndal @dragon-geek @Dragon-watcher

IMMA KAPEEFER! Til we're old and gray!

[Sam Kowal]

@gabbyj

Stan really, really takes offense at this. He is a dragon, after all. And an angry one, right now.

*puts Stan to bed*

*whispers*

Okay, now maybe I can help.

So, it sorta depends on the dragon. Someone like Stan… well, that would be pretty easy. He’s small and can’t fly. (please, don’t ever read that, Stan.)

Whereas one like @dragon-snapper… that would be more tough

If the weapon is a sword, the dragon really needs to be on the ground, and not able to fly away. Bows can be used (like Bard in the Hobbit) but then the dragon needs a weak spot, probably

I think realistically killing a dragon is tough. If they were real, no human would be able to kill one in battle. But you can take a more realistic side

1) Don’t have loads of dragons die, it’ll seem more realistic if it’s more of a rare, huge accomplishment (which it would be)

2) Have a lot of people team up and do it, like a whole army of soldiers and a legion of bowmen… that’s more realistic

3) Use traps to counter the dragon’s strengths. For example, running up and killing a dragon with a sword would be tough. Maybe you can give it a drug that cuts off its flames, and then tie it down using a network of chains, and shoot it with a ballistae once you have it caught

Still, just plain old single hero, single sword slayings are pretty epic, in my opinion 😀

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Sam Kowal.

*Giarstanornarak tries to melt chair*
Also, Daeus has 22 turtles in his signature.

[Snapper]

I find this conversation very depressing. 😉

Okay….soooooo.
I actually think that everyone else covered it. The one kill-dragon scene I wrote was terrible–perhaps I should have asked this question myself.

Besides, I can’t give away information on how to take down my comrades.

☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀

[Catwing]

*hands @dragon-snapper a chocolate* There, there, no one wants to kill you we like you. With out you on Kingdom Pen who will melt the chairs? The chairs might try and start a take over if you weren’t around. *pushes a scratched up chair up to you for you to melt* Here you go.

IMMA KAPEEFER! Til we're old and gray!

[NC Stokes]

@GabbyJ *puzzled glance at everyone* These people sound experienced. It’s unnerving. Anyway, I (almost) never have to worry about slaying dragons, but my thoughts are:
• If the dragons have a weakness, they’re likely going to know about it. They would probably have a kind of instinct to protect their weakness. (Not flying directly over people who can stab them in the belly or something.)
• Special dragon-slaying tools? If people have been slaying dragons for a long time, they’ve probably designed special weapons.
• If the dragons breathe fire, or have a similar magical power, is it affected by how tired or injured they are? Then trying to make the dragon so tired or weak that they can’t blast you would be a good strategy.
• How big are dragons? Are they strong enough to uproot trees or pick up boulders to drop on slayers? Are there any other “weapons” they might use?
Any of those helpful? 😀 Also, I think using moves like the ones in movies aren’t bad, they just need to not feel forced. It has to fit the scene, and be told in the same voice as the rest of the book. If you switch to describing it almost like a technical description, it’ll sound weird. But if you make the narrative flow into the description like it’s just another part of the scene, it will work better. I’d recommend having someone else look over parts where you feel it’s unrealistic, and see if they agree.

Blog: https://weridasusual.home.blog/

[Aislinn Mollisong]

Um….the only dragon I’ve had to worry about taking down is the Ender Dragon from Minecraft, and no one who values his life hurts a dragon in Leifer. But….I guess I do have some thoughts.

One: Basically everything everyone else said. Nice work, guys! (Should I be concerned that you people seem like such experts?)

Two: First, you must get the dragon on the ground. (Unless you have some super-OP-ballista and perfect aim.) I would suggest poisoned arrows aimed at weak spots, such as mouth, eyes, underbelly, old wounds, etc. Also, if this particular dragon has a nexus power-point, for example a spot on their chest where they create the fire they spew, that would be a prime hitpoint.

Three: Once said evil dragon is on the ground, multiple people should attack from different points, creating too many targets for the beast to take out it one or two blasts. Your hero should pound on the weak spot, unless you want the dragon to be defeated by a Soldier Man.

Four: Create a legit-seeming death scene.

Hope this helped, @gabbyj!

ENTP, Aether-borg Hero with cape obsession and fascination with swords.
https://forums.theaetherli

[GabbyJ]

My deepest apologies to @Stan and @Dragon-snapper. Let me clarify: the only dragons I want to kill are the evil ones. 😛

Thank you so much, everyone, this is extremely helpful!!!

@Theacornman The dragons in my story are pretty big; like, maybe roughly three times the size of a workhorse? I should probably make them smaller, though, so they can be vanquished more easily.

@Princessfoo Yes, this is very helpful! That’s a very good point about smarter dragons not coming to the ground.

@catwing Great advice, I especially love your idea of shooting holes in their wings–I will definitely use that! Thanks!

@sam-kowal Great point about not having loads of dragons die–I’ll definitely cut back on the number of dragon deaths in my novel.

@daughteroftheking Thanks so much! I’ll look into dragon-slaying tools.

@Itisastarrynight @notawriter @aislinn-mollisong Thank you all muchly! 😀

 

*Swirls cape menacingly while the Imperial March plays in the background*

[TheAcornman]

@gabbyj Okay. Well, in that case I’d definetly try and keep my distance if I could. Whenever possible I’d use long ranged weapons. Due to their size a ballista springs to mind. I’m going to assume your dragons breath fire so wooden weapons are redundant. A suit of metal armour might not be the best idea as it would essentially become an oven. Even if you’re not directly hit by its flames. The best non-projectile weapons would be something like a pike, halberd or a spear. Again try to keep your distance. Hopefully this is helpful. I’ve only really skim-read everyone else’s advice so I apologise if I repeated anything.

That one English guy.

[Snapper]

@gabbyj *hands you hot chocolate* Worry not. I know my close relatives can get out of hand sometimes. 😛

@theacornman I love your signature. XD

☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀

[GabbyJ]

@theacornman No, you didn’t repeat anything. This is very helpful, thanks! 😀

*Swirls cape menacingly while the Imperial March plays in the background*

[Author]

Posts