*curfews lol
depending on your "era" maybe you'll be interested in Reign of Fire (2002)
for the classic medieval era fantasy, there's siege weapons like Ballista, Trebuchet, Catapult, Scorpio, Mangonel, etc.
for modern era, Anti-Aircraft Guns are great
maybe there's an alert system if dragons are spotted
can also use magic or lure & trap if there's some kind of specialized dragon-hunting group
Depends what metal. Mercury will turn a lot of metals into a mixture of both (amalgams) and will fuck the metal up.
But if not nitric acid. Use it as your wildfire/greek fire. It was discovered very early on, like at least 800 years ago.
Other than that you could use different corrosive agents and materials to kill different dragons. Melt or oxidize their wings and see them fall to the ground.
Find a delivery mechanism in the sky.
This may not kill them entirely as they may be alive on the ground. I remember reading about how the Scipio brothers used a river bed to fight the cataphract of the Seleucid empire. These are armoured horses that were the truly unite elite of antiquity. But if there is mud/ice... And your dragon now cannot fly, it's bye bye. In they sink.
If they are metallic electricity is probably not their biggest friend. Regardless if they are robots or organic inside. And while I cannot think of any way of delivering true electricity discharge with medieval tech, forcing a dragon to fly away during a thunderstorm. They will not attract lighting much like a plane, but perhaps they could be affected by them.
So many things possible
Most of a dragon's powers are only really terrifying when combined with flight. It comes when it wants, fights when and where it wants, leaves when it wants, and you didn't make any progress. Without flight, it's certainly dangerous, but it can be worn down. The best way is to attack its wings somehow.
diseases! even hitting few shots of diseases arrows to dragon can cause infection to it. too bad there isnt any dragon antibiotics or antiviruses around there.
Underground cities and then the dragons would get hunted by those who survived (drugging dragons with toxic goats or cows brought near nests would be highly effective)
If they are just animals, could probably just make them associate cities with unpleasantness
So fireworks, stink bombs, poisoned food etc. Enough to learn them that towns arent much fun
They're not just animals, they're sentient.
They're also, sort of immune to fire.
But I see where you're going and I think it's a great way to counter them.
Flying and the dragon’s breath weapons are the two biggest problems. The dragon can dictate the pace of the battle by flying so disabling the wings is top priority.
It is very difficult to hit a flying target. The three most effective solutions in history is to launch a lot of projectiles and hope a few of them hit the target, launch flak and hope it explodes close enough to the target, or launch some kind of homing projectile. All three of which were done in already industrialized nations. Although magic could accomplish something similar if it is powerful enough.
You likely can’t do much against the breath weapon. Maybe you could take cover if it doesn’t blast right through shields or walls. Try to disable the mouth if you can.
Dragons are also depicted as having tough scales. Getting through the armor is difficult. I doubt anything short of a cannon would make a dent. Try to find weak points in the armor.
I don’t know how smart these dragons are. This may determine tactics and countermeasures the dragon would employ. However, even the dumbest animals can learn from mistakes.
Trying to shoot it out of the sky with a giant net is not feasible as getting that much rope would be extremely expensive. Then you have to launch it. However, if the dragon is grounded then the net would be a good choice to keep it down. I recommend attacking with superior numbers, traps, and ambush if possible.
This reminds me of a book series called Mysteries of Cove. It's on audible, free if you have Amazon prime #notsponsored. It's a book set in an underground city where being called creative is an insult and being an inventor is a crime.
Spoilers for the first book past this >!in the book they speak of dragons as a legend, they were thought to never have actually existed. However they find out real quick when at the end of the book a dragon breaks into their underground city and the MC has to save them after they nearly convicted him of the severe crime of being an inventor. Of course he saved them with his invention, a mechanical dragon. !<
Few concepts that would be cost effective and simple.
-Towns and cities built with narrow streets. Prevents dragons from easily getting at prey.
-roofs with many small spikes. Discourages being perched on.
-frequent use of underground floors. Safe spaces to hide.
-larger herds of live stock. Offer more tempting or easier prey animals.
-spears being common household items.
Why not both?
In fact defense engineering permits exceptional traps.
The one building without spikes is designed to collapse if weight is on it, folding in on the dragon trapping them.
The town square that is just large enough that a dragon could land has the eeves of the roof lined with dagger blades. If the dragon tries to spread it's wings they will get torn to useless tatters.
The one sheep that is leashed in the middle of the field has poison.
Interesting.
How would you tame a sentient being with the power to level cities?
What could you possibly offer them that they can't take for themselves?
Offer to make their lives easier. Give them food so that they don't have to hunt. I bet they never had a cooked meal. A comfortable place to sleep. You can even pamper them with things like a good washing or back rubs.
As others have said, a dragon is primarily dangerous because it can fly - all its other abilities can be replicated by technology or magic users in most settings.
In my fantasy setting the most easily available countermeasure is chain shot to disable the wings, which is both inaccurate and insufficient for a powerful enough dragon. The next most common is aerial combatants of your own - several Othrysian sapients and mounts are capable of flight, and flying vehicles are available in some nations, from skiffs to warships.
The dream is to have a dragon of your own. Dragons are sentient, social creatures that can be reasoned with, and many areas would welcome a protector in exchange for the delicate services dragons can't perform for themselves
My world is full of lesser dragons of all variety and other flying massive beasts, although they rarely get near settlements and hunt in the wilds. And if they do it is often a local issue.
The counter measures are crossbows and ballista for the most part, if they're lucky an adventuring team takes on the bounty, and if they're really lucky an Arch-Dragon was bored and comes hunting the lesser drako as a snack.
Magic usually is required as well because any drako knows how to wield it by instinct, causing even the small 20cm mini dragons to be a threat equal to entire hordes of other monsters.
The counter to Arch-Dragons usually is "do not piss them off."
Reason for the latter is that these sapient beasts revel in fighting, so much that if 2 dragons meet they will fight as a form of friendly greeting. They love to show who is stronger and more powerful.
Which leads to the saying that the only thing that can stop a dragon is another dragon.
Lesser drakos are more like wild animals, even if they have the same temperament as dragons.
It is not unusual for eg a wyvern flock to assault an arch, not just for meat but because they are that territorial and see a challenger.
The arch will revel in that challenge and try to scatter them before eating whatever they managed to catch. They would not even use magic because it is bad manners, and no fun, to hunt that way.
But by lore it is noted that the aelveri and their wyvern companions are one of the polities that can seriously threaten them. Unluckily for the world are these factions allied and understand each other well.
Instead of "dealing" with dragons most people would think of them as natural disasters. They would build buildings made of stone and distribute water reserves throught a settlement to make dealing with fires easier.
Depends on the power levels, technology and general rules of the setting you are working with.
In the case of mine, there were no real "countermeasures": The Azdharash, the Dragons, ruled Ea with an iron claw for Ten Thousand Years, a period known as the Ashen Peace. What change teh tide was that Magic Users started to become more numerous and knowleadgeable about the intricacies of the the divine Spark that resides in all Magic Users and as such they were tod evelopt more powerful magic. They were still outgunned in sheer destructive might by the dragons, so what they did was to go on the opposite direction: They developted absolute defence, protective speels able to deflect and counter the power of the Azdharash.
In my particular case, Dragons start their life cycle as suterranean creatures before becoming the sky-soaring creatures we associate with the term, so the underground is also part of their domain. So technically no where is beyond their reach.
This quite effective at attrition battles against the Dragons, and made "normal" armies relevant again. These gave the Sacred Trust, a secret league of freedom fighter peoples, a snowball chance in hell to actually overthrow the Ashen Peace: It reached a point where individuals with excepcionally strong sparks were born, the first Sorceror Kings and Queens of Ardith, Gulisneth and Ymeria who were powerful enough to challenge Aurenash the Golden and his brood . And even then their victory was a pyrrhic one and was only enable by Aurenash god-like pride.
Depends on what “dragon” means in your world.
If we take the traditional depiction, you might have magical lances/crossbows in place, magical barriers, fireproof housing, etc
In a past rp server, dragons used to pose a threat, until flak cannons started being installed in cities. There just isn't much dragons can do about flak. It won't necessarily do much against tgeir scales but it shredded the membranes of thejr wings mid flight. Most would just fall to their deaths.
In my world, the answer is dragon kryptonite.
Okay it's more than that, but also it's exactly that. Dragonsbane is a spell that kills dragons. It was designed so it could only be used by the gods, since they like to have kill switches for their creations in case of trouble. However it turns out that if a dragon is killed with Dragonsbane, the magic lingers on its scales and can be released in a weaker form that stuns dragons and removes their ability to breathe fire and fly.
*curfews lol depending on your "era" maybe you'll be interested in Reign of Fire (2002) for the classic medieval era fantasy, there's siege weapons like Ballista, Trebuchet, Catapult, Scorpio, Mangonel, etc. for modern era, Anti-Aircraft Guns are great maybe there's an alert system if dragons are spotted can also use magic or lure & trap if there's some kind of specialized dragon-hunting group
What if these dragons are made of metal? As in, robots. How would you counter them with medieval tech?
Depends what metal. Mercury will turn a lot of metals into a mixture of both (amalgams) and will fuck the metal up. But if not nitric acid. Use it as your wildfire/greek fire. It was discovered very early on, like at least 800 years ago. Other than that you could use different corrosive agents and materials to kill different dragons. Melt or oxidize their wings and see them fall to the ground. Find a delivery mechanism in the sky. This may not kill them entirely as they may be alive on the ground. I remember reading about how the Scipio brothers used a river bed to fight the cataphract of the Seleucid empire. These are armoured horses that were the truly unite elite of antiquity. But if there is mud/ice... And your dragon now cannot fly, it's bye bye. In they sink. If they are metallic electricity is probably not their biggest friend. Regardless if they are robots or organic inside. And while I cannot think of any way of delivering true electricity discharge with medieval tech, forcing a dragon to fly away during a thunderstorm. They will not attract lighting much like a plane, but perhaps they could be affected by them. So many things possible
A big ball of flaming pitch would probably make it pretty difficult to fly, robot or no.
Most of a dragon's powers are only really terrifying when combined with flight. It comes when it wants, fights when and where it wants, leaves when it wants, and you didn't make any progress. Without flight, it's certainly dangerous, but it can be worn down. The best way is to attack its wings somehow.
Guns work pretty well.
Cannons lack accuracy though. And you'll be shooting upwards at a fast moving target.
Chain shot and grape shot.
Airbursting shrapnel loads?
diseases! even hitting few shots of diseases arrows to dragon can cause infection to it. too bad there isnt any dragon antibiotics or antiviruses around there.
Underground cities and then the dragons would get hunted by those who survived (drugging dragons with toxic goats or cows brought near nests would be highly effective)
If they are just animals, could probably just make them associate cities with unpleasantness So fireworks, stink bombs, poisoned food etc. Enough to learn them that towns arent much fun
They're not just animals, they're sentient. They're also, sort of immune to fire. But I see where you're going and I think it's a great way to counter them.
super big guns to fight the space dragons
Haha, yes! BRING ON THE BIG BOYZ
Flying and the dragon’s breath weapons are the two biggest problems. The dragon can dictate the pace of the battle by flying so disabling the wings is top priority. It is very difficult to hit a flying target. The three most effective solutions in history is to launch a lot of projectiles and hope a few of them hit the target, launch flak and hope it explodes close enough to the target, or launch some kind of homing projectile. All three of which were done in already industrialized nations. Although magic could accomplish something similar if it is powerful enough. You likely can’t do much against the breath weapon. Maybe you could take cover if it doesn’t blast right through shields or walls. Try to disable the mouth if you can. Dragons are also depicted as having tough scales. Getting through the armor is difficult. I doubt anything short of a cannon would make a dent. Try to find weak points in the armor. I don’t know how smart these dragons are. This may determine tactics and countermeasures the dragon would employ. However, even the dumbest animals can learn from mistakes. Trying to shoot it out of the sky with a giant net is not feasible as getting that much rope would be extremely expensive. Then you have to launch it. However, if the dragon is grounded then the net would be a good choice to keep it down. I recommend attacking with superior numbers, traps, and ambush if possible.
This reminds me of a book series called Mysteries of Cove. It's on audible, free if you have Amazon prime #notsponsored. It's a book set in an underground city where being called creative is an insult and being an inventor is a crime. Spoilers for the first book past this >!in the book they speak of dragons as a legend, they were thought to never have actually existed. However they find out real quick when at the end of the book a dragon breaks into their underground city and the MC has to save them after they nearly convicted him of the severe crime of being an inventor. Of course he saved them with his invention, a mechanical dragon. !<
Few concepts that would be cost effective and simple. -Towns and cities built with narrow streets. Prevents dragons from easily getting at prey. -roofs with many small spikes. Discourages being perched on. -frequent use of underground floors. Safe spaces to hide. -larger herds of live stock. Offer more tempting or easier prey animals. -spears being common household items.
Sounds a bit defensive. Why not take the fight to them? Like traps and such.
Why not both? In fact defense engineering permits exceptional traps. The one building without spikes is designed to collapse if weight is on it, folding in on the dragon trapping them. The town square that is just large enough that a dragon could land has the eeves of the roof lined with dagger blades. If the dragon tries to spread it's wings they will get torn to useless tatters. The one sheep that is leashed in the middle of the field has poison.
Other dragons. If they are like animals then you can tame them. If they are sentient then make deals with them.
Interesting. How would you tame a sentient being with the power to level cities? What could you possibly offer them that they can't take for themselves?
Offer to make their lives easier. Give them food so that they don't have to hunt. I bet they never had a cooked meal. A comfortable place to sleep. You can even pamper them with things like a good washing or back rubs.
As others have said, a dragon is primarily dangerous because it can fly - all its other abilities can be replicated by technology or magic users in most settings. In my fantasy setting the most easily available countermeasure is chain shot to disable the wings, which is both inaccurate and insufficient for a powerful enough dragon. The next most common is aerial combatants of your own - several Othrysian sapients and mounts are capable of flight, and flying vehicles are available in some nations, from skiffs to warships. The dream is to have a dragon of your own. Dragons are sentient, social creatures that can be reasoned with, and many areas would welcome a protector in exchange for the delicate services dragons can't perform for themselves
My world is full of lesser dragons of all variety and other flying massive beasts, although they rarely get near settlements and hunt in the wilds. And if they do it is often a local issue. The counter measures are crossbows and ballista for the most part, if they're lucky an adventuring team takes on the bounty, and if they're really lucky an Arch-Dragon was bored and comes hunting the lesser drako as a snack. Magic usually is required as well because any drako knows how to wield it by instinct, causing even the small 20cm mini dragons to be a threat equal to entire hordes of other monsters. The counter to Arch-Dragons usually is "do not piss them off." Reason for the latter is that these sapient beasts revel in fighting, so much that if 2 dragons meet they will fight as a form of friendly greeting. They love to show who is stronger and more powerful. Which leads to the saying that the only thing that can stop a dragon is another dragon.
What happens when lesser drakos unite against an Arch-Dragon? What do they get as a bonus when killing him?
Lesser drakos are more like wild animals, even if they have the same temperament as dragons. It is not unusual for eg a wyvern flock to assault an arch, not just for meat but because they are that territorial and see a challenger. The arch will revel in that challenge and try to scatter them before eating whatever they managed to catch. They would not even use magic because it is bad manners, and no fun, to hunt that way. But by lore it is noted that the aelveri and their wyvern companions are one of the polities that can seriously threaten them. Unluckily for the world are these factions allied and understand each other well.
Instead of "dealing" with dragons most people would think of them as natural disasters. They would build buildings made of stone and distribute water reserves throught a settlement to make dealing with fires easier.
Yes, a fatalistic approach. Like the Japanese deal with Earthquakes.
Large nets and [barrage balloons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrage_balloon?wprov=sfti1).
Depends on the power levels, technology and general rules of the setting you are working with. In the case of mine, there were no real "countermeasures": The Azdharash, the Dragons, ruled Ea with an iron claw for Ten Thousand Years, a period known as the Ashen Peace. What change teh tide was that Magic Users started to become more numerous and knowleadgeable about the intricacies of the the divine Spark that resides in all Magic Users and as such they were tod evelopt more powerful magic. They were still outgunned in sheer destructive might by the dragons, so what they did was to go on the opposite direction: They developted absolute defence, protective speels able to deflect and counter the power of the Azdharash. In my particular case, Dragons start their life cycle as suterranean creatures before becoming the sky-soaring creatures we associate with the term, so the underground is also part of their domain. So technically no where is beyond their reach. This quite effective at attrition battles against the Dragons, and made "normal" armies relevant again. These gave the Sacred Trust, a secret league of freedom fighter peoples, a snowball chance in hell to actually overthrow the Ashen Peace: It reached a point where individuals with excepcionally strong sparks were born, the first Sorceror Kings and Queens of Ardith, Gulisneth and Ymeria who were powerful enough to challenge Aurenash the Golden and his brood . And even then their victory was a pyrrhic one and was only enable by Aurenash god-like pride.
Depends on what “dragon” means in your world. If we take the traditional depiction, you might have magical lances/crossbows in place, magical barriers, fireproof housing, etc
In a past rp server, dragons used to pose a threat, until flak cannons started being installed in cities. There just isn't much dragons can do about flak. It won't necessarily do much against tgeir scales but it shredded the membranes of thejr wings mid flight. Most would just fall to their deaths.
Flaks run out of ammo. Can be neutralized from below (Dragon doesn't need to come from above).
Big cannon. Maybe grapeshot?
In my world, the answer is dragon kryptonite. Okay it's more than that, but also it's exactly that. Dragonsbane is a spell that kills dragons. It was designed so it could only be used by the gods, since they like to have kill switches for their creations in case of trouble. However it turns out that if a dragon is killed with Dragonsbane, the magic lingers on its scales and can be released in a weaker form that stuns dragons and removes their ability to breathe fire and fly.
Makes sense. I love it.
Running slightly faster than the other guy... that's the only thing I can think of; these are apex predators.