The Mighty Draconians

[Asmodai]

I'd just like to say keep in mind that because one faction doesn't make something doesn't mean they can't use it.
They haven't really covered how ships will work in the game at all. If it's Civ5 style then EVERY faction may be able to move over ocean tiles early in the game via an "Embark" ability. They're just vulnerable to attack (by other factions or even sea monsters?)
If on the other hand transport ships have to be built like in earlier Civ games, MoM, etc. then even excluding using Dragon Turtles as ship replacements all a Draconian faction would have to do is capture a city of a race that does make ships and they can start building ships there.
Allowing every unit to fly while definately cool would be a very unbalancing capability. Especially with their natural armor and weapons as well. Finally I don't think having a move bonus in swamp and allowing them to move on coastal tiles without a ship is an insignificant movement perk.

[Happerry]

I like what's been done here, but that list seems to be lacking something.. Mainly, it seems to be lacking siege weapons. (And also a giant monster, but that's optional)

If I could make a small suggestion, maybe you could steal an idea from Age of Wonders and have the Draconians mount their siege weapons on the backs of turtles? IE, Turtle Catapult and so on.

And while indeed, a full grown dragon is too powerful to be a easily attainable unit (With easy meaning, in this case, on top of the tech tree), what about their lesser cousins, the Drakes? Even in Master of Magic the Draconians didn't have true dragons, but could instead breed Drakes as their most powerful unit. Maybe, to go with the theme of the elemental temples, each city can, once you've upgraded to a Cathedral, make a single "Altar of <Element>" Building, which allows for recruitment of properly colored drakes?

There is also the option of using younger then adult dragons too, who are therefor less powerful, even if still on the top of the tech tree.

[Asmodai]

Wyverns are weaker dragon cousins like the Drakes you mention and Dragon Turtles are big monsters. With flying units and a big monster I'm not sure seige weapons are needed. Plus they'll be able to use the siege weapons of the races they conquer if they have any. I think it's a good downside for the faction considering all the perks they have. Just my opinion though.

[Happerry]

Fair enough. Though for some reason i thought dragon turtles were going to be a water only unit, unable to get on land.. not sure why.

[Aaron]

Good ideas. Need to give them a think!

Also, do we have another bid on Draconian culture? Asmodai may walk away with this one uncontested if someone doesn't jump in with another idea

We're are getting close to the "fifth race vote" and we have to have the culture picked out before that.

[Tiavals]

A very different spin on the draconians, based more on olms and worms than your basic european dragon(I'm also writing about stuff that you may have already set in stone, but it makes it easier to write, so... ):

In the beginning, all was dark. This was good. Then came the accursed sun with it's bright light and blistering rays, driving the dragons beneath the surface. Most dragons were content, but the World Serpent was not. One day he hid just beneath the surface with hunger in his stomach. Patiently did the World Serpent wait, following the sun until it grew exhausted from flying and had to rest on the land, where the serpent had his mouth wide open. Thus he swallowed the sun and darkness appeared again. Yet the sun was not to be contained and it burst out from the serpent. He did not give up, and swallowed the sun again and again, and in time this period of darkness was to be called the night.

Meanwhile, the dragons that had hid began to multiply, but there was no room beneath the surface. Their spawn began to trickle up to the surface again, appearing in swamps, where the ground near the surface was soft. The sun had learned to fear dragon-kin and its rays evaded the swamps where the draconians had emerged and darkness reigned. This was good, for the draconians did not have eyes, yet they sensed their way in the dark, as a worm would in the ground. Yet if they journeyed far from their swamps, the light burnt their sensitive skin terribly, so they remained in the primordial swamp. As the centuries passed, some draconians grew to be so strong they too wished to swallow the sun as it flew across the sky. Thus they learned the secret of flight. They did not have wings, but rather slithered up the air, like a worm would in the soil. So the sun learned to avoid these powerful draconians as well, and so darkness followed them where they went. Finally the draconians spread through the world. Yet it did not end here. Some powerful draconians did manage to fly up to the sun and take a bite out of it, and whenever they breathed after that, fire came out of their mouths as the sun's pieces tried to escape.

---

Draconians gather in towns around the few powerful draconians whom the sun fears, so their settlements are always under the effects of darkness. Without such a draconian to lead their armies, they suffer daylight penalties, much as the drow would. These draconians can also cast darkness at will.
The legacy of the world serpent is apparent in draconian towns, as they do not create walls, but rather coil the infinite body of the world serpent around their settlements, so it surrounds them like walls, denying access to enemies. Noxious fumes surround the body inflicting poison to those nearby, to which the draconians aren't immune.

Draconian settlers are more expensive than settlers of other races, but their cities always start with the darkness effect and the serpent-body-wall, making them easily defensible.

Low-tier units are pretty much normal OGL lizardmen, except better in darkness and worse under light-spells.
Medium tier units have learned how to fly and are a bit brawnier.
High tier units can fly and cause darkness, and have breath weapons(fluff-wise fire, but if you go the half-dragon route, anything I suppose).

[Aaron]

That is certainly a non-European take on it

It also has a fair amount of unique mechanics. As usual, we'll see what the rest of the community thinks.

[James Davey]

Perhaps have some of the higher tier ones have some sort of way of "Ascending" to true Dragon-hood and are able to become more dragon like? or even have a special building that "Researches" a special Dragocian Spell that allows you to either "Ascend" a high tier unit into a Dragon, Create a "Dragon-God" or Revive an old Dragon and then have that as a unit cap of 1 but be able to re-research the spell if the unit were to die? Perhaps for Sea-Creatures have a Leviathan type creature?

[Aaron]

Seems like their was some prestige class or something that made characters more dragon-like. Asmodai, you remember something like that?

Anyways, it's also an interesting idea (Although true dragons are WAY too powerful to have as "buildable" units.)

[Asmodai]

Seems like their was some prestige class or something that made characters more dragon-like. Asmodai, you remember something like that?

Anyways, it's also an interesting idea (Although true dragons are WAY too powerful to have as "buildable" units.)

Yes, the Dragon Disciple Prestige class makes a character who takes it into a half-dragon with wings at the end. It requires the Draconic language, that the character is not already a dragon or half-dragon, and that they be able to cast arcane spells without preparation. I actually used it in my Draconian suggestion making the Draconians only Lizardman based instead of half-dragons and sorcerers instead of wizards so that if they generated a hero it could be a Dragon Disciple. If we do end up with something similar to my Draconian faction suggestion I would also suggest a Draconian Champion be made that is a higher level Dragon Disciple so that you can level to 20. (A Dragon Disciple only become as full half-dragon at the last level.)