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Some of the connections are a little bit abstract so it'll be a bit trickier than most of my riddles.

Death is an old friend of mine,
My actions rarely by design,
Unbiased fortune is my oath,
Dragons, onions, fear me, both!

What am I?

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    $\begingroup$ The first and last line make me think of Dark Souls :p $\endgroup$
    – Weckar E.
    Mar 15, 2017 at 11:29
  • $\begingroup$ @WeckarE. FFXI fits well too $\endgroup$
    – Alex
    Mar 15, 2017 at 14:00
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    $\begingroup$ Frankly, I was hoping to come back here today to provide an answer - but it's been solved. My guess would have been Harry Potter. $\endgroup$
    – Weckar E.
    Mar 16, 2017 at 13:59

3 Answers 3

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Is it

Dice?

Death is an old friend of mine

The phrase "dice with death" means to perform something risky.

My actions rarely by design,

The roll of dice is generally random.

Unbiased fortune is my oath,

Dice can be used in fortune telling, and their usage is presumed to be random and unbiased.

Dragons, onions, fear me, both!

The life of an enemy in Dungeons and Dragons may hang in the balance of a dice roll, and onions, if given sentience, may fear being diced.

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    $\begingroup$ The title also refers to a game, which may be a nod to the solution (dice are used in many games). $\endgroup$
    – DyingIsFun
    Mar 15, 2017 at 17:00
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    $\begingroup$ Aah, i am late, this is it. +1 $\endgroup$
    – ABcDexter
    Mar 16, 2017 at 7:28
  • $\begingroup$ You got it dood. +1 Sorry about the late response. $\endgroup$ Mar 16, 2017 at 8:32
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Perhaps it's:

Ace of Spades (possibly a play on the homophone 'spayed' in places as well); and could possibly also be the Dead Man's hand of aces & eights ("ates" for onion).

Death is an old friend of mine,

This card is sometimes referred to as the 'death card'

My actions rarely by design,

As part of a deck of playing cards, it's random when you'd receive it.

Unbiased fortune is my oath,

Also, as part of a deck of playing cards, anyone can win the pot.

Dragons, onions, fear me, both!

A spade could slay a dragon and also dig up an onion.

Based on Beastly's legitimate concerns, I have to mention that I was in a rush when I wrote the final part and it actually should've read as follows:

Dig up an onion with a spade whilst slicing it in half, then throw the eye-irritating vegetable at the dragon, making her cry. Repeat this several times. Apologize to the dragon for making her cry, then offer to make it up to her with dinner. Now the trap has been set. Dig large hole with spade then lay out carpet, gingerly placing the dragon's dinner chair over the hole. She sits down for a lovely four spit-roasted sheep dinner. Voila! (The hole is not large enough for her to spread her wings and fly!)

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    $\begingroup$ I hereby challenge you to go and slay a dragon with a spade! :P $\endgroup$ Mar 15, 2017 at 22:11
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    $\begingroup$ Love this answer +1. Not correct but still love it, and I whole heartedly agree with @BeastlyGerbil +1 $\endgroup$ Mar 16, 2017 at 8:32
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    $\begingroup$ @BeastlyGerbil That is a completely legitimate concern and I believe I've addressed it in my amended answer. :) $\endgroup$
    – John
    Mar 16, 2017 at 13:59
  • $\begingroup$ @John haha love it! $\endgroup$ Mar 17, 2017 at 13:39
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Is it a :

Sword


Death is an old friend of mine,

Sword is meant for protection and killing, so it causes death.

My actions rarely by design,

The actions of a sword are mainly dependent of its manufacturing process, for example whether it's made double-edged or not.

Unbiased fortune is my oath,

When a Knight is accoladed in the ceremony and swears an oath of allegiance to the King/Queen.

Dragons, onions, fear me, both.

Dragons are known to be slayed by brave warriors by using their swords, and miniature melee weapons like knife can be used to cut onions.

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    $\begingroup$ I see where you were going with this +1 but It's not the answer. You're missing a few clues there. $\endgroup$ Mar 15, 2017 at 11:46

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