Creation of the Golden Chimera – Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition
Long ago I came up with this creature. Inspired by the regular Chimera I set out to make something personnel and cool. I never truly gave it a name because it was more of a unique creature in my mind then one of many. But over the years the idea has changed and grew.
Now Nerdarchy did a video on the chimera For Dungeons and Dragons, you can watch that below, and I talked about my version. The Golden Chimera like the regular has the head of a lion and a dragon. The lion looks more regal than vicious. The dragon is that of a gold dragon rather than that of a red dragon.
Would You Use this in Dungeons and Dragons?
With this change it strives to gain knowledge, but not to squirrel it away but so that it can grow in understanding. It does not care about accumulating wealth and power, though it is powerful. Where normally there is a goat head, it is replaced with the head of an eagle.
The goat head represented stubborn and it unwillingness to give up. While some of this can be a good thing the Chimera as it is created takes the worst qualities of all and makes it worse. The eagle head represents loyalty and freedom.
So the lion brings nobility, it is considered the king of the jungle after all, and pride but not to the negative angle but to the center of confidence. The dragon head is a creature of magic and represents a drive for knowledge and understanding. And the eagle head again represents loyalty and freedom.
The creation and basis for this Dungeons and Dragons Monster is all about things that are near and dear to me. The lion, the center head, is at its core so many things to me but most important is I am a Leo. While I do not always hold stock to the zodiac there are many times it holds a lot of truth to me. Nerdarchist Dave and I are both Leos and 
while we have our differences we have our similarities as well.
The dragon head, this one is probably the easiest to understand. As a gamer, you probably are too, Dungeons and Dragons gave me confidence and an escape from a world that was not treating a nerdy teen with loving care and attention.
The fantasy world, be it in a book or the minds of all of us at the gaming table, took us places that do not exist in our world. Dungeons and Dragons had a large impact on me and it is therefore significant to include in my creation.
The eagle head is easy to understand for those that have known me long enough know that I have spent years in the Boy Scouts of America. The highest rank that can be obtained from this is the rank of Eagle. To toot my own horn a little bit I am a 7 palmed Eagle. If you are a fellow scout you should know that achieving that is no easy feat.
Is this Golden Chimera Fit for your 5th Edition Campaign?
In our video we asked if any artist would be interested in actually doing a rendition of this awesome creature and we did get one response. The cool creature at the top of this article was created by Justin Lewis and I am thankful for his time. His Bio is below and should you wish to recruit his services he can be contacted at jlillustration86 @ gmail.com
Justin Lewis is a freelance fantasy illustrator and concept artist based out of Columbus, GA. His love of the arts sprang from a deep desire to bring his imagination to life. He spent countless childhood hours creating unique characters and worlds for them to inhabit, all for the joy of his family and friends. This experience taught him how valuable a gift art could be. It takes us out of the known for a brief moment and lets us experience something completely unique and beautiful.
Justin is a student at Columbus State University studying art education, and has years of self teaching experience. He has won a number of awards, and has had his work displayed in the Springville Museum of Art. He frequently works on privately commissioned pieces, as well as creating new designs for his store on Redbubble.
So thanks for reading and Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!
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