[SUGGESTION] Make the dragons' attacks blockable, but with a consequence (like maybe 1 second of blocking consumes 10 times the durability) i swear there is no way you can defeat them without enchanted diamond gear.

The shields can be tiered based on materials and their resistance to dragon attacks, making progression feel rewarding:

Iron-Plated Dragon Shield: Crafted from iron and dragon scales. Offers moderate resistance to fire, ice, or lightning.
Crafting Recipe: Iron ingots, wooden shield, and a few dragon scales (from lower-tier dragons).
Effect: Reduces damage from elemental breath attacks by 25%.

Scale Shield: Crafted entirely from dragon scales of a specific type (fire, ice, or lightning dragon scales).
Crafting Recipe: A wooden core surrounded by scales from a single elemental type.
Effect: Reduces elemental damage by 50% and grants temporary immunity to elemental knockback effects.
Unique Look: Fire scales make the shield glow, ice gives a frosty sheen, and lightning adds a faint electric crackle.

Elder Dragon Shield: Crafted from rare items found in dragon lairs (e.g., elder dragon horns, enchanted dragon hearts).
Crafting Recipe: A mix of dragon bones, rare dragon lair drops, and enchanted diamonds.
Effect: Reduces elemental damage by 75%, absorbs a portion of the attack to recharge durability, and reflects some damage back to the dragon.
Special Perk: Elemental Resistance Aura - Nearby allies gain slight elemental resistance when the shield is equipped.

Shields could also be enchanted with custom effects using dragon-forged anvils or rare books found in dragon libraries:
- Flame Absorption: Converts fire damage into health regeneration.
- Ice Barrier: Slows attackers when struck by their melee attacks.
- Lightning Rebound: Reflects lightning projectiles back at attackers.

To add depth, shields could interact dynamically with dragons and the environment:

Blocking Dragon Breath: When held up, shields create a visible barrier that reduces breath weapon damage and effects.
Elemental Imprints: After blocking an attack, the shield temporarily absorbs the element:
- Fire: Deals extra fire damage to enemies struck with the shield bash.
- Ice: Slows enemies on contact.
- Lightning: Causes a shockwave that knocks back nearby enemies.
Environmental Adaptation: Shields could have passive effects based on their element:
- Fire shields grant immunity to lava damage.
- Ice shields prevent freezing or slow effects.
- Lightning shields make the player immune to fall damage when in storms.

Rare shields could be found through quests involving dragons or other mythical creatures:

Dragon Guardian's Shield: A reward for defeating a legendary dragon or protecting a dragon cult shrine.
Ancient Defender: Found in ancient ruins guarded by hostile mobs and puzzles. This shield could resist multiple elements but requires high cost in materials to craft or repair.
Quest Variants:
- A fire dragon lair has a shield that grants ice resistance for countering opposing dragon types.
- A hidden cache in a tundra biome offers a lightning-resistant shield.

To balance the shields' power:

Durability: Elemental shields degrade faster when exposed to their opposing element (e.g., fire shields against ice dragons).
Repairing: Players must collect rare items like dragon essence, elemental crystals, or enchanted metals to repair them, adding a challenge.

Introduce a progression system for shields:

Dragon Forge Enhancement: Shields can be upgraded using a dragon forge to increase their elemental resistance and durability.
Tiered Upgrades:
- Level 1: Basic resistance to elemental damage.
- Level 2: Adds environmental protection (e.g., fire shields reduce lava damage).
- Level 3: Adds offensive capabilities, like elemental damage to enemies.

Special Reactions: Dragons could recognize and respond to shields made from their kin:
- Fire dragons become enraged when they see a shield made from fire dragon scales.
- Ice dragons are wary and less aggressive toward ice shields but attack fiercely against fire shields.
- Lightning dragons have a chance to disable shields momentarily with powerful attacks.

Shields could have unique appearances to encourage diversity in multiplayer:
- Each player could wield a shield tailored to their role in the group (e.g., tank with fire resistance, ranger with lightning rebound).
Shields could be ceremonial or symbolic in roleplay scenarios, representing allegiance to dragon factions or ancient orders.

AlexModGuy / Ice-and-Fire-Suggestions