Any tips for a "dragon's" dragon lair?

[Shian]

I have some lairs that are functional (Eg. Tenkako's lair in Back Bay, Shian's Lair in Winter's Peak) and a few that are merely for fun or aesthetics. (Brighthear'ts lair in Genvia or Ricar's lair in Drakul)

Been thinking about deconning one of the lairs and trying a new design. I've been an in game decorator for years (over different games of course) and have even planned out some other dragon's lairs by request. Right now I'm trying my hand at creating the most dragon-ish lair I can using some of the tricks other players have taught me.

For example, some players hide a lair chamber in the deepest part of the lair for their dragon to rest- the furthest away from anything else and is therefore, the quietest and most private.

Another places a small lair chamber at level 0 by first going down into main hall chambers, then back up using the orientation technique on a spiral. By having this helian lair chamber at the topmost level, one creates a "summer lair" and a "winter lair" is created by placing a lunus one deeper in towards the bottom.

I've used pawnbrokers off a lair to do nothing but serve as "hatching chambers" or non-activated machine chambers to serve as foyers.

Another player used a closed spiral right at the entrance "to better defend the lair from intruders" and works much like a castle staircase, limiting the movement of those within it.

Anyone have any tips that they use for their lair that serve no other purpose other than to be more dragon-ish?

[RuneDragoon]

I've been using unactivated machine rooms for living spaces, murals wherever I feel I can put them without looking tacky, but for more fun, consigner and pawnbroker rooms have been used for the orb. Those orbs are a really beautiful decoration and in my particular lair using them, they act as arcane barrier/shield generators to block someone's path.

The titian mine so far has a layout where it branches at the start, and a person can easily get turned around and wind right up at the entrance. In character you have an option with trying to fiddle your way through three shield generators, or one shield generator and passing right by the lair guardian's room. Either way, its hard to infiltrate the place.

As far as I know, have an ego. Make elegance and shinies, but of course only if your sanity can hold the work involved.

[Steelclaw]

I've always wanted to do a maze -- jam-pack the lair with corridors, slopes, and spirals. Leave no space unused! Located at the 'end' of the maze is a single lair chamber stocked with tokens that can be brought back to me and redeemed for something on them (like a free tech comp or scale...). Alternatively, put some cruddy item in the lair with the inscription "Nothing to see here... move on, move on!".

I don't have the free plot slot to do this though. -_-

And yes, there are ways to cheat, so it's definitely on the honor system...

[Frith-Rae]

Well I've seen all of what you mentioned before Shian, and use a few of those "dragony" qualities myself.

I have (or will have) most of the rooms just for looks and variety's sake - since I'm parked in Chiconis the *need* for me to activate rooms isn't as pressing (though I have activated a few just out of sheer laziness and hatred of crafting to even go up the hill to finish items..LOL).

So as I result I have several different versions of the "blue shinies" room as I call it (I gues sthat's the essence chamber? LOL), only one activated - though I LOVE the sphere in that chamber for RP purposes as well (though yes the Pawn sphere is bigger, for some reason the smaller one seems more character friendly to me).

And to me the tier I silo's in my lair I call "hatchling" lairs heh.

So I would imagine if the lair is "pure just as a dragon would have it" there may be only one floor with machines, the "public" floor, and the rest is more 'private'. Which to me says lots of winding passageways leading up and down into private chambers; maze-like but not just one central area. To me I imagine a dragon would have lots of chambers to duck into, hide in, tuck horard into, etc. if another part of the lair was "invaded."

When I first started designing the lair I tried to come up with a way that there would be one of the big 'Lair' chambers that would be blocking/guarding multiple smaller lairs as to set up the idea of the adults guarding the chambers where the eggs/young would be. But it doesn't really work the way the lairs are in game (would be I imagine almost impossible to find the space to say put a tier IV/V lair and then multiple tier I lairs "behind" or "below" it more than 1 or 2 lol); and the chambers are far bigger than when I first had the idea - unless you did string 4-5 tier I silos down a hallway on the bottom of a major lair, then you could have the idea that they are hatchling rooms (at the very very bottom...).

I too have got the one "upper" lair (Helian) and one "lower" lair (Lunus). I didn't realy think summer/winter when I designed it - I just liked how I saw the layout in another lair of having an almost "hidden" lair chamber; with only one entrance below (like level 3) even if its placed on level 1 (no entrances on level 1 or 2).

That to me felt "dragony" as well .

[Shian]

I've always wanted to do a maze -- jam-pack the lair with corridors, slopes, and spirals. Leave no space unused! Located at the 'end' of the maze is a single lair chamber stocked with tokens that can be brought back to me and redeemed for something on them (like a free tech comp or scale...). Alternatively, put some cruddy item in the lair with the inscription "Nothing to see here... move on, move on!".

This is what Brightheart's lair in Genevia currently is

I decided to make a dragon version of the full plot maze in Carmo- no reason for bipeds to get all the fun! The ending is a shrine, although now that you mention it, a lair chamber would be better. I used a tent and a house in the biped maze, but had forgotten about having the shinies as a reward until you mentioned it.

I also have one of every mural in that lair, so if you've memorized the way to the shrine, you can pick a mural off the list and try to find it or have races to see who can get to a specific one first. I've only dug to the 2nd level in though, so will be a month or two until it is all dug out (school impending). It should be TONS easier now that I have all the murals open and I don't have to find a specific spot to place materials. Anyone need some T1 exp?

and I really appreciate all the advice and ideas! Keep them coming please

[Knossos]

Shian, unless Steelclaw has a toon on Order he will not be able to examine Brightheart's Genevia Lair Maze.

Knossos

[Shian]

All the more reason to have an alt for each server

[flamestar]

How do you go about getting a lair anyway? After paying for the subscription, I mean.

[Shian]

I'm back. In the addition to the above, now I am looking for what people have repurposed chambers for.

I find that when designing lairs I end up with something that looks like this:
corridor (low level unactivated machine chamber)
foyer (hall or T4 unactivated machine)
sleeping chamber (lair)
sleeping chamber (unactivated machine)
corridor
sleeping chamber+ egg hatchery (lair+ unactivated pawnbroker)
shrine
guard sleeping chamber (unactivated cauldron)
combat practice arena (T5 hall)
spell practice arena (T4 unactivated crystal chamber)

.... My Ancients sure love sleeping... most of my entire lair is sleeping chambers. Has anyone more creative than I come up with some use for a chamber not related to its intention?