Breath Weapons

[alondor]

We have killed the topic of fire breathing to no end I'd say. However, there are more energy types than that, just look at Dungeons and Dragons. So, would one of those be easier to figure out? (an electric dragon might work similar to an eel for instance) If so, what other energy types can we figure out?

[Sivert3]

Electricity that comes arcing out of the mouth? Nope. Doesn't work like that. Not possible.

What could work would be an electric bite though. If it had the kind of cells electric eels have, stacked all the way from the feet and to the jaw. Then, when the electric potential in those cells are released at once, it will create a strong electrical potential difference between the feet and the jaw. If the feet of both involved is firmly planted on the ground, and the jaw in the prey, the release of the electricity will go from the jaw, through the prey into the ground and back to the feet of the dragon. Which would be felt by the prey as a strong electric shock.

Of course, the hard part with this would be making it such that the dragon doesn't electrocute itself while using it...

[alondor]

Wll, how does the eel not hurt itself?

[Falconer]

Maybe electric eels are hit just as bad as their targets are, but they're so badass that it doesn't phase them.

I see acid breath as being the most plausible. Heck, more so than fire.

[Drakel]

Electricity that comes arcing out of the mouth? Nope. Doesn't work like that. Not possible.

What could work would be an electric bite though. If it had the kind of cells electric eels have, stacked all the way from the feet and to the jaw. Then, when the electric potential in those cells are released at once, it will create a strong electrical potential difference between the feet and the jaw. If the feet of both involved is firmly planted on the ground, and the jaw in the prey, the release of the electricity will go from the jaw, through the prey into the ground and back to the feet of the dragon. Which would be felt by the prey as a strong electric shock.

Yes and no...

If we take the same concept of what you stated, but instead of putting it into the dragon's maw, we place it into their saliva or some form of spit, in which the bacteria and 'cells' inside would be released as soon as the main conditions are changed. I'd have to say that once the spit makes contact with the target's skin it'd still be effective but not as much as it would be while fresh in the dragon's mouth. So instead of it shooting a large bolt of lightning, it's more like the dragon is spitting out a highly elective loogie.
Of course the 'bite' idea you have works equally well.

Of course, the hard part with this would be making it such that the dragon doesn't electrocute itself while using it...

For both solutions this is a relative problem since we'd need to find balance that'd make both solutions work logically without the dragon electrocuting itself to a dangerous degree, especially with the idea I also presented of the dragon spitting out the discharging cells that are highly reactive.

I suppose for the dragon we could go back to the idea of a 'fire-bladder' in which fat is turned to oil, except for this it's more of a self refilling solution of a highly reactive, electrocuting phlegm that'd mix into the spit on demand (thus not electrocuting the dragon every time it opens it's mouth) and once it spits the substance out it'd discharge and electrocute the target at a relatively fair distance. Even then it's easy to say the distance wouldn't be very far since the further it'd go, the less power it'd have.

I must admit though that Falconer is right that no matter how we do this, the dragon would most likely still electrocute itself mildly.

As for other breaths...

Acid, Poison, 'Death cloud', plague and those like are all equally and easily possible, though what of a more 'air based' attack?

[Corva]

Alternatively, it has a very long forked tongue that can build up a substantial voltage between the forks. One lick and you're dead, unless you're wearing something that can conduct the charge around you.

[Falconer]

Drakel had me at "electric loogie".

And if the tongue was long/fast enough, it could definitely seem like a short range breath weapon to some.

[Corva]

A biological taser that could perhaps knock a person on their back? Would be absolutely terrifying...