Erebor: An omission in the Dragon Age Categories?

[Otaku-sempai]

If this has already been discussed then I haven't found the thread. Looking over the Age table for Dragons on page 74 of the Erebor sourcebook, there seems to be a gap in the age categories:

Age Table:
Dragonet: Att. Level 2-3; End. 20-30; Hate 4; Parry 2; Armour 3d
Young: Att. Level 7-8; End. 60-80; Hate 6; Parry 4; Armour 4d
Adult: Att. Level; 9-10; End. 80-100; Hate 10; Parry 6; Armour 5d
Old: Att. Level; 11-12+; End. 100-120+; Hate 12+; Parry 10+; Armour 6d

Shouldn't there be an Age category covering Attribute levels 4-6? (And wouldn't Tolkien have hated the French-derived term 'Dragonet'? Perhaps that should have been 'Wormling' or 'Hatchling'. But I digress.)

I suggest that the youngest category could be 'Wormling' with 'Dragonet' (or 'Juvenile'?) coming next. Some other data would shift accordingly.

Wormling: Att. Level 2-3; End. 20-30; Hate 4; Parry 2; Armour 2d
Dragonet: Att. Level 4-6; End. 30-60; Hate 6; Parry 4; Armour 3d
Young: Att. Level 7-8; End. 60-80; Hate 8; Parry 6; Armour 4d
Adult: Att. Level; 9-10; End. 80-100; Hate 10; Parry 8; Armour 5d
Old: Att. Level; 11-12+; End. 100-120+; Hate 12+; Parry 10+; Armour 6d

Isn't that more elegant? EDIT: Alternately, the four categories remain, but the gaps in the Attribute Levels and Endurance can simply be closed:

Dragonet: Att. Level 2-4; End. 20-40
Young: Att. Level 5-8; End. 40-80

[Falenthal]

Your addition doesn't seem to hurt the game in any way, and one more option is always welcomed.

And I have to add, even not being a native english speaker as I am, reading the word "dragonet" stroke me as strange in the text.

[Otaku-sempai]

If Dragonet is allowed to stand as the youngest Age category (though I still prefer Wormling) then we could do something like have the Age category Adolescent or Juvenile (Stripling?) between Young and Adult.

[Halbarad]

Wormling is good. Wyrmling even?

I’d rebrand the table for my game as follows.

Dragonet/Wyrmling
Young
Adult
Old
Ancient

[Otaku-sempai]

Wormling is good. Wyrmling even?

Wormling would be more in keeping with Tolkien's usage of 'Great Worms'; he never referred to Smaug or his other dragons using the spelling 'wyrms'. Hatchling would also work for the youngest dragons.

I’d rebrand the table for my game as follows.

Dragonet/Wyrmling
Young
Adult
Old
Ancient

I don't really expect the TOR design team to change their table from four Age categories to five. It might be more practical to adjust the Attribute levels instead to close the gap (though I would still like to find out why it was there in the first place). Endurance values would change slightly as well:

Wormling*: Att. Level 2-4; End. 20-40
Young: Att. Level 5-8; End. 40-80
Adult: Att. Level; 9-10; End. 80-100
Old: Att. Level; 11-12+; End. 100-120+

* Originally: Dragonet.

The remaining values would stay the same as in the original table.

[Falenthal]

(though I would still like to find out why it was there in the first place).

You know how it is with kids: One day they are all smiles and "Daddy! Mommy!". Then you blink for an instant and you have a teenage stranger that only wants some more money to hang out with his friends.

[Otaku-sempai]

You know how it is with kids: One day they are all smiles and "Daddy! Mommy!". Then you blink for an instant and you have a teenage stranger that only wants some more money to hang out with his friends.

Mind the gap!

[Eucatastrophe]

Tolkien actually uses the term dragonet in at least two places that I can think of. In 'The Quest of Erebor' in Unfinished Tales, there's

'"What!' cried Glóin. 'One of those simpletons down in the Shire? What use on earth, or under it, could he possibly be? Let him smell as he may, he would never dare to come within smelling dis­tance of the nakedest dragonet new from the shell!'

And in Fellowship, the description of Old Man Willow includes mention of 'great winding roots grew out into the stream, like gnarled dragonets straining down to drink'.

As for the suggestion of an age category to cover the Attribute Level 4-6 range: completely agree! In light of Glóin's line, I would propose that dragonet should be the name of the youngest category. Given the other categories are named straightforwardly, maybe just 'juvenile' for the 4-6 range?

[Halbarad]

Ooh, good call Eucatastrophe.

[Halbarad]

@Otaku Sempai

Quite right on the Worm/Wyrm thing. Tolkien used Worm.