Half Dragons

[Cielingcat]

Why are dragons special enough that they get a sphere for each color?

Also I hate them.

[CatharzGodfoot]

Because each sphere would be thematically distinct, and it makes using dragons simpler. Although I'd probably only make chromatic spheres, and have good dragons distinguish themselves some other way.

[Cielingcat]

Can't they just have fire, ice, earth or whatever?

[Koumei]

Earth (Green), Fire (Red), Wind (Blue), Water (Black) and Useless... er, I mean, Heart (White). Their powers combined, they are Captian Tiamat!

Captain Tiamat! She's a weirdo!
Gonna' rip and tear her way through heroes!
Her claws are going to sunder...
the gear of heroes trying to steal her thunder!

"You'll pay for this, Captain Tiamat!"

[Bigode]

A) more options are a priori good.
B) 10 spheres is less than fiends would have, even after subtracting the elemental ones, so dragons aren't "that special" just due to this.

[CatharzGodfoot]

Blue Dragon
Sound Imitation (Ex): You can mimic any voice or sound you have heard, anytime you like. Listeners must succeed on a Will save (DC 10+ 1/2 level + Cha) to detect the ruse.

• [1]quickened Ventriloquism
  [2]Electric Loop [Spell Compendium]
  [3]Lightning Bolt
  [4]Mirage Arcana
  [5]Stunning Breath [Spell Compendium]
  [6]Veil
  [7]Reverse Gravity
  [8]Horrid Wilting
  [9]Sympathy
  [10]Storm of Vengeance

Black Dragon}
Water Breathing (Ex): You can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use your attacks, spells, spell-like abilities, and other abilities while submerged.

• [1]{Darkness}
  [3]{Summon Swarm}
  [5]{Plant Growth}
  [7]{Black Tentacles}
  [9]{Insect Plague}
  [11]{Acid Fog}
  [13]{Creeping Doom}
  [15]{Horrid Wilting}
  [17]{Elemental Swarm (water elementals only)}
  [19] Storm of Vengeance

I still don't know what to give Red or Green dragons for base abilities. And lightning is kind of dumb for a half-dragon that gets a leveld6 line of electricity...

[Avoraciopoctules]

I grabbed something off the Gold Dragon's entry and modified it a bit. How's this for a Red sphere ability? I'm not too sure about the algorithm I'm using to set the value threshold right now, but I like the basic idea.

Detect Wealth (Sp)
You can use this ability at will. This is a divination effect similar to a Detect Magic spell, except that it finds only valuable items. You can scan a 60-degree arc each round: By concentrating for 1 round you know if there are any items worth more than (Character Level squared x 100 GP) within the arc; 2 rounds of concentration reveal the exact number of valuable items; and 3 rounds reveal their exact location, type (including the kind of object and whether its value is due to craftsmanship, material, or enchantment), and value. This ability is the equivalent of a 2nd-level spell and can be blocked by anything that would stop a regular Detect spell.

[name_here]

It could be a gold sphere ability instead. it's tied to a gold dragon power and we need to distinguish red and gold somehow, because they're already both themed as fire and are pretty much each-other's opposite numbers.

[CatharzGodfoot]

It could be a gold sphere ability instead. it's tied to a gold dragon power and we need to distinguish red and gold somehow, because they're already both themed as fire and are pretty much each-other's opposite numbers.

Maybe, but Gold dragons will probably just be Red + Metallic.

Distinguishing Green and Black is the real bitch (they even have the same 'water breathing' and 'plant control' abilities).

[name_here]

Which is why we should have some difference.

[Koumei]

Well, I don't know about abilities, but for spells, Green tend to get druidic spells (mostly plant-based) and many "friendly" spells (Charm X, Suggestion, Fascinate/Hypnosis effects, Lullaby) whereas Black ones get darkness/stealth themed spells and Necromancy.

Maybe for an ability you could focus on the difference of subtypes? (Water/Earth)

[CatharzGodfoot]

I'm thinking, just for the hell of it, of remaking dragons. I mean really, why not?

Black (lightning, water): like glass knife fish, black dragons have highly developed electrical and magnetic sensory organs to help them navigate the opaque waters they call home. Like electric eels, they can use those organs to generate a nasty shock. Their powers center around darkness and necromancy.

Maybe Green dragons can have sonic breath weapons and voice mimicry.

[name_here]

Main reason not to for chromatic dragons is the close associations of their colors, homes, and breath weapons

Blue=sky, and lighting comes from clouds
black=swamp, which can be considered associated with acid, but this is a stretch.
green=forest, and green=chlorine gas
red=fire, and can also be considered associated with mountains to some extent.
white=ice.

You can do whatever with metalic dragons as long as you don't alter reletive power levels. I guess the breath weapons have slight inherent associations with the colors, but not much.

[SunTzuWarmaster]

But how are you going to survive 1st level as a "Half Dragon Human"? It doesn't give you a primary combat capability, it only gives you bonuses to whatever you happened to be doing before.

You'll probably hate me for this... but:

Take the Experimental Stock background (you are, so it's not cheating), to gain a natural bite/claw attack.


Side note, it does seem like Half-Dragons ought to get a claw/claw/bite attack at level 1, like the D&D cat does.

[CatharzGodfoot]

Main reason not to for chromatic dragons is the close associations of their colors, homes, and breath weapons

Blue=sky, and lighting comes from clouds
black=swamp, which can be considered associated with acid, but this is a stretch.
green=forest, and green=chlorine gas
red=fire, and can also be considered associated with mountains to some extent.
white=ice.

You can do whatever with metalic dragons as long as you don't alter reletive power levels. I guess the breath weapons have slight inherent associations with the colors, but not much.

Yeah, except Blue dragons have the earth subtype, not air. Green dragons have the air subtype (because their breath weapon is a gas. Get it?).

I was thinking, 'wouldn't it be neat if a dragon's breath weapon was useful in its chosen environment?', while leaving the environment mostly unchanged. So an acidic breath weapon would be useful to a burrowing (e.g. Blue) dragon. A sonic breath weapon would be useful to a green dragon, because we pretend that it wouldn't destroy all of the trees. Or maybe not. A poison cloud still probably makes the most sense, although it should stay poison rather than acid. White dragons and red dragons can stay pretty much the same, except the whities should really have that air subtype.

Blue and black dragons are really the biggest reversal.

[name_here]

Why not give the blues the air subtype instead of the earth subtype, then?

[CatharzGodfoot]

Why not give the blues the air subtype instead of the earth subtype, then?

That's a perfectly valid solution as well. Remove the Blue dragon's burrow speed, then you change Black dragons to [sonic] (the creepiest river dolphins ever). Red dragons probably get the earth subtype, and acidic breath weapons can go fuck themselves.

[name_here]

Red Dragons can keep the fire subtype, i'd say. Agree on acid breath weapons.