This is a concept that I wrote up some time ago and never submitted it, so some of it is a little outdated (specifically the "whispers" section that ended up being the Sirens.)
I hope you enjoy it!!
Sea of Thieves “Here There Be Dragons” Concept
SYNOPSIS
This will introduce a new creature to the Sea of Thieves. “Here There Be Dragons” will be an event similar to the spawning of the Kraken. When a world event has completed, there will be a chance for a fire-breathing dragon to descend upon a crew, either on sea or land. This will be a timed event in which the crew has to defeat it with cannons, harpoons, throwables, or firearms. If the crew does not defeat it before the timer has expired, the event will end and the dragon will depart to heal its wounds. Should the crew defeat it, there will be a substantial reward.
LORE
Dragons are intelligent, ancient beings that have existed far beyond the Shroud for longer than pirates have sailed the seas. Pirates and dragons have never encountered each other because the Red Sea has always kept them separated. Dragons are aware that a species unlike their own must live in another part of the world because they often find treasure washed up on their shores. The curious and greedy nature of the dragons have compelled them to penetrate the Shroud and venture into the world of Sea of Thieves to discover the source of these treasures and claim them as their own.
SPAWN
This event would randomly happen every twelve to thirty-six hours in real time. This would happen during a time when the Kraken would normally spawn. The strength of the dragon will scale by ship type. Dragons covet treasure and will be more likely to attack crews that have a higher quantity of loot on their ship. The Kraken will not spawn during this time. If the dragon spawns while a crew is on land, the crew can choose to either fight it on land or on the seas. If they take to the seas, the dragon will follow. If it spawns on the seas, the crew can choose to take it to an island and it will not despawn. Once the event has started, the crew must either defeat the dragon or stay alive until the dragon departs. If the crew does not feel confident in winning, they can offload their treasure onto an island for safekeeping. If the ship sinks, the event is over, unless another crew engages the dragon. The new crew is held to the original timer of the first crew and no additional time is granted.
FIRE DRAGON ATTACKS
● Fire Breath – This attack will target players on land and will attack the ship. Fire can be extinguished in the same manner as currently in the game.
● Mast Snap – The dragon will target the masts and break them with claws or wings. The masts can be caught and repaired in the same manner as currently in the game.
● Tail Whip – This attack will blunder players away from their cannons or off the ship. Players can avoid the attack by going to lower decks on their ship. On land, this will cause players to take fall damage.
● Wing Buffet – The dragon will stop and hover while flapping its wings. This will cause the players to have a grog-like effect until they grab a ladder, wheel, cannon, or retreat below deck. An unanchored boat will spin during this attack. Once on the cannon, the grog effect will end and the player will have the advantage of firing at a non-moving dragon.
FIRE DRAGON MOVEMENT
The dragon will fly around the players and ship in a circular pattern, in addition to diving and retreating. This will force the players to engage in both long- and short-range combat. The dragon will periodically stop and hover, allowing the players to engage a non-moving target, while trying to avoid the Wing Buffet AOE.
FIRE DRAGON CAPTURE
Players can hit the dragon with their ship harpoon to keep it from flying away for a short period of time. If the ship is anchored, the dragon is unable to fly away and players are able to attack it. If the ship is not anchored, the dragon is able to move it, possibly forcing players to be thrown from the ship.
DRAGON DEFEAT
The dragon is defeated if players have inflicted enough damage before the timer runs out.
REWARDS
Because dragons are known to be hoarders of gold, the only reward will be a substantial amount of gold and coins. This would make the event very desirable for players to attempt to trigger and worthy of their time should they defeat it. One million gold and one thousand Ancient Coins would be a reward that any pirate would fight for. This reward could be instantly granted or the players could receive a quest that would allow them to sail and dig up a chest of gold from the dragon’s treasury.
TITLE AND COMMENDATION
Players gain the title of DRAGON HUNTER on their first kill. This event would have an appropriate commendation for completing it the first time, with additional levels similar to the Shrouded Ghost Commendation. Upon completing five to ten dragon kills, players would receive the title of LEGENDARY DRAGON HUNTER.
COSMETICS
Upon defeating the dragon, players will be able to purchase Dragon Hunter cosmetics. Possible items could include pants, jackets, boots, belts, hats, and dresses made from shimmering scaled dragon leather. Possible weapons or cosmetics could include Dragon Eye Spyglass, Dragon Horn Cutlass, Dragon Bone Pistol, Dragon Bone Blunderbuss, and Dragon Eye of Reach.
Reskins of these cosmetics can be earned by killing different types of dragons.
DRAGON VARIANTS
ICE DRAGON
ICE DRAGON ATTACKS
● Frostbite – This attack shrouds the players and the ship in an icy embrace that slows movement by 50%. The attack can be interrupted with a Firebomb that is launched from a cannon or thrown by a player. Players can remove the effect by using a Firebomb to melt away the ice.
● Hail Storm – The dragon will stop and hover. During this attack, the dragon will launch a barrage of ice shards that will crack masts and puncture the ship’s hull. While in this phase, the dragon is more vulnerable to Firebomb attacks.
● Snow Flurry – The dragon will cast a Fog spell to reduce visibility. During these attacks, players will suffer a small amount of AOE damage until they locate the dragon and disrupt the spell with cannons or firearms.
ICE DRAGON MOVEMENT
The dragon will fly around the players and ship in a circular pattern, in addition to diving and retreating. This will force the players to engage in both long- and short-range combat. The dragon will periodically stop and hover, allowing the players to engage a non-moving target, while trying to avoid being hit in the Hail Storm.
ICE DRAGON CAPTURE
Players can hit the dragon with their harpoon to keep it from flying away for a short period of time. If the ship is anchored, the dragon is unable to fly away and players are able to attack it. If the ship is not anchored, the dragon is able to move it, possibly forcing players to be thrown from the ship.
WATER DRAGON
WATER DRAGON ATTACKS
● Water Cannon – This attack targets the ship's hull with a similar attack used by the Sirens. These attacks will cause Tier 1 holes.
● Thunderstorm – The dragon will rise from the sea and summon a Thunderstorm. During this attack, players are susceptible to lightning strikes. Players can reduce the duration of the storm by distracting the dragon with Blunderbombs.
● Waterspout – The dragon will swim rapidly around the boat to create a vortex, causing the boat to spin. Anchored boats will sustain damage during this attack. Players will temporarily lose control of the boat and must disrupt the action with some well-timed firearm or cannon shots.
WATER DRAGON MOVEMENT
The dragon remains in the water and will circle the players and ship, in addition to rising and retreating. This will force the players to engage in both long- and short-range combat. The dragon will periodically rise from the sea, allowing the players to engage a non-moving target, while trying to avoid being hit by lightning during the Thunderstorm.
Water Dragons are confined to the water and will continue to attack players and ships that are on or near islands or while in open water.
WATER DRAGON CAPTURE
Players can hit the dragon with their ship harpoon to keep it from swimming away for a short period of time. If the ship is anchored, the dragon is unable to swim away and players are able to attack it. If the ship is not anchored, the dragon is able to pull it in the same manner as Megalodons, possibly forcing players to be thrown from the ship.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Dragons Incorporated into a New Season or Tall Tales
Instead of creating a single event, Dragons could be incorporated into Sea of Thieves lore without entirely disrupting the existing storylines. We have already learned that places exist beyond the Shroud because Pirates can travel to the Shores of Gold. We have recently learned of the Sirens below the surface. We have evidence of the Ancients all over the current maps. According to Merfolk’s Lullaby, there are still runes that have yet to be deciphered. We also know that “there are whispers and legends from across the waves of sightings of something more dangerous to come.” Perhaps these runes and whispers relate to dragons?
After seasoned Pirates have obtained their Gold Curse, there is little to do except to continue grinding season rewards and commendations. There is an opportunity to add a chain of Tall Tales that would open up in the Shores of Gold to pirates with the Gold Curse. These would be portaled instances so the map would not need to be expanded. To bring Dragons into the current game, one could make its way into the Seas as described above. This would make new players aware of dragons and give seasoned pirates an opportunity to begin hunting them beyond the Shroud.
