Making dragon breath weapons feasible (without magic)

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I was just reminded of my work on this subject while making another post, and thought that maybe those of us true geeks might share some brainstorming on the subject. I'll start off with a couple easy ones:

Black and Copper: Acid - Even we humans have acid in our stomachs; it's what dissolves the food we eat. These dragons could simply have much stronger acid in their stomachs (as well as more acid-resistant tissues) and be able to regurgitate at will.

Red and Gold: Fire - A type of venom sack that instead contained some sort of highly flammable substance that the dragons were able to metabolicly create. Pressure put upon it would squeeze the liquid out and up the dragon's throat, while simultaneously the dragon created a spark via a couple of special bones in its throat. Instant flaming oil.

So, anyone else have ideas about some of the others?

 

I just like to think it's magic. A full biological explanation just sweeps away what's interesting about these things.

 

There was a fairly decent attempt to explain dragons on the Discovery Channel a few months back. In their spoof documentary it was speculated that fire breathing dragons would require a large internal sack (think liver) filled with hydrogen that was formed by their digestive track. To produce flame, they would eat platinum (I believe it was something like this) to coat their back teeth. By exhaling hydrogen, a chemical reaction would occur and cause flames to spew forth.

So there you have it, my contribution to the already mentioned Red\Gold variety.

As for Green's vapour, a steady diet beer and plenty of curry maybe?

(err, that translates into eating plenty dwarves and perhaps plenty of travellers from Kara-Tur or Malatra i guesses)

[ February 19, 2006, 07:39: Message edited by: Celesialraven ]

 

a white dragon's breath would be ridiculous to try to figure out. He's require some organ what could supercool water, the amount of energy required to have vast quanities of supercooled air and ice always ready to go would create a dragon who has to always be feeding.

 

Some of the gaseous breath weapons could be explained by way of the analogy used in the fire-belching explanation, but relying on atomised poisons. Green dragon breath causes are harder to nail, since it's specifically chlorine (or at least, it was in 2E).

Sleep and slow clouds could be inhaled or contact soporifics and/or muscle relaxants, although to cause that effect so fast, there would probably be enough/sufficiently potent to stop a person's involuntary muscular functions as well.

 

I'm not a chemist, but I guess it could work like a chemical cold pack, where you mix ammonium nitrate with water. The chemical reaction absorves heat, rather than producing it, thus causing the water to cool down. A white dragon "breath mechanism" could be divided in three sections:

1- A gland that produces water
2- A gland that produces ammonium nitrate (or similar)
3- A mixing sac, probably located under or behind the tongue, so that the jaws can squeeze it.

The water and ammonium glands release the two parts into the mixing gland. When the cold reaction takes place, the dragon sqeezes the mixing sac and spits forth the freezing mixture.

 

Aye, I think you've locked onto the Green Dragon one fairly well. Humans have Hydrochloric Acid in their stomachs, which is just basically an atom of Hydrogen and an atom of Chlorine. Split them up and maybe bond the Hydrogen with Oxygen for some harmless water (which could just be urinated out later), and you've got pure Chlorine gas as a result.

4 HCl + O2 = 4Cl +2 H2O

And good job with the cold breath!

Here's another one: Brass Dragons.
A second stomach for storage of sand, and forceful regurgitation on command. (Hey, that rhymes! )

If we can get the blue/bronze lightning breath, we can move onto the gem dragons.

 

a blue dragon would probably utilize neuro-conductors. Have a very large nerve ending located in the mouth (perferably near the exit of the mouth so the dragon doesn't reabsorb the electicity) that merely transmits its "signal" outside of the dragon.

 

Not that this is a particulary feasible reaction, since you're basically talking about the combustion of hydrochloric acid, and that Cl- in water just forms a weak basic solution.

 

For the blues, think of the electric eel. I worked in an aquarium with them on display. The back room of the tank was fairly secured, just putting your finger in the water could get you killed. And this was from only 2 eels, both about the size of your arm. They worked similar to a chemical battery, and can discharge it at will, to either defend themselves or stun prey.
For the dragons, however, you would need some kind of conductor, maybe a thin stream of water or spittle to direct the current.