Half Dragons

[Username17]

For reasons that are, honestly, completely lost on me people want to have half dragons in their games. I don't know why this is, because when you throw down "half giants" and "half-your-mom" people get very annoyed. But half-dragons in particular have a lot of traction. They want to have them running around in their games, they want to play them as PCs. And some people even want to tell me at great length about how half-dragons are made.

This gives me the jibblies. I hold firm to my rule:

"Dragon cock? I walk."

It rhymes. And you know it rhymes. But hey, people want it in the game, and there's no reason that we shouldn't accommodate it from a Rules standpoint. But hey, we know that the Half-Dragon template in the Monster Manual is unplayable. For players it adds insufficient resilience to keep your PCs from dying horribly, and for NPCs it gives out offense at low level so horrendous as to virtually guaranty player killing at the low end (while simultaneously not scaling, and therefore making high level monsters that are completely unimpressive).

The Half Dragon
"Also, dragons are pretty… Very pretty."

Half Dragon is a character class that can be used to make a monster into a more "dragon-like" monster. It can also be taken by player characters who want to be more dragon-like, for whatever reason. Maybe they got spilled with dragon blood and became dragon-like themselves. Maybe their mother slept with a dragon in disguise. Maybe the dragon wasn't in disguise. I don't want to hear about it.

Prerequisites:
Special: Must have some reason why you're more draconic than everyone else. Maybe it's inherited, maybe it's not. Something. Just don't go into too much detail, I probably don't even want to know.
Special: Must choose one appropriate dragon type to be more like.

Hit Die: d12
Class Skills: The Half Dragon's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluuf (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str).
Skills/Level: 6 + Intelligence Bonus
BAB: Good (1/1), Saves: Fort: Good; Reflex: Good; Will: Good

Level, Abilities:
1 Breath Weapon, Scales of the Dragon, Dragon Sight
2 Wings of the Dragon, Subtypes, Immunities, Strength of the Dragon
3 Sphere, Spell Resistance
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Half Dragon gains no proficiency with armor or weapons.

Breath Weapon (Su): A Half Dragon is able to emit a deadly breath weapon. The energy type of the weapon is appropriate to whatever dragon type is involved in the dragon-half. As appropriate, it will either come out as a cone with short range, or a line which is twice that long. The breath weapon does 1d6 of damage per character level (or CR) of the Half Dragon and the Reflex save DC is 10 + ½ Hit Dice + Con Modifier. Using this breath weapon is a Standard action, and once used it cannot be used again for 2d4 rounds.

Scales of the dragon (Ex): Half Dragons gain an Enhancement Bonus equal to 1/3 of their Hit Dice (rounded up) to their Natural Armor Bonus to AC.

Dragon Sight (Ex): Half Dragons gain 60' of Darkvision and see 3 times as far in limited light conditions as per Low Light Vision.

Wings of the Dragon (Ex): At second level, a half dragon grows dragon wings. They may be small and cute or huge and cloak-like. But regardless of size or mass ratios, they allow the character to fly half again as fast as their land movement rate with average maneuverability.

Subtypes: A Half Dragon of second level has the Dragon Subtype, as well as whatever elemental or energy subtypes is appropriate for whatever kind of dragon is manifest within her. For example: a Half Black Dragon would gain subtypes of [Dragon, Water].

Immunities (Ex): 2nd level Half Dragons are immune to sleep and paralysis effects, as well as the energy type that they themselves breathe on people.

Strength of the Dragon (Ex): Upon achieving 2nd level, a Half Dragon is blessed with increased Strength. She gains an Enhancement Bonus equal to 1/3 of her hit dice (rounded up) to her Strength score.

Sphere: A 3rd level Half Dragon gains a single Sphere.

Spell Resistance (Ex): 3rd level Half Dragons have Spell Resistance of 2 + Character Level (yes, only 2 + Character Level, I'm not even kidding).

---

-Username17

[endersdouble]

What's the point of the ridiculously low SR? How will that make a difference against level-appropriate enemies?

[Username17]

1187026334[/unixtime]]What's the point of the ridiculously low SR? How will that make a difference against level-appropriate enemies?

It's roughly equivalent to getting +1 to Saving Throws against spells, allows them to kick weaker monsters around, and is essentially free. Also it means that if they get real SR, it pushes it up by +1.

Dragons have extremely low SR for I suppose that exact reason. Like Dragons being immune to sleep of all things, it's one of the key points of D&D Drgaon flavor that makes little sense to an outside observer.

-Username17

[Fuzzy_logic]

Why does the Natural Armor Advance when the Spell Resistance doesn't?

[Username17]

1187032368[/unixtime]]Why does the Natural Armor Advance when the Spell Resistance doesn't?

Spell Resistance stays a minor bonus at any level. The Natural Armor bonus is likewise a minor bonus at any level. I don't undertsnad the question.

Basically, at character level 9, you have a +3 bonus to NA (which is bullshit), and a Spell Resistance of 11 (which is bullshit).

-Username17

[Fuzzy_logic]

THe Spell Resistance nullifies 10% of elvel-appropriate spells forever.

The Natural Armor nullifies 5%, then 10%, then 15%...

[RandomCasualty]

The natural armor bonus is an enhancement bonus to natural armor, which means the ability is: "you get an amulet of natural armor for free."

[Username17]

1187032800[/unixtime]]THe Spell Resistance nullifies 10% of elvel-appropriate spells forever.

The Natural Armor nullifies 5%, then 10%, then 15%...

Actually not really. In D&D attack bonuses go up with a quasi-quadratic curve. Caster levels are (mostly) linear.

The Spell Resistance will stop only 5% of level appropriate spells. But the Natural Armor will be part of a series of bonuses which must be added together to accumulate to a total which will hopefully in aggragate be able to stop some measure of the incoming physical attacks.

It's totally fvcked of course, but you have to make concessions to that sort of thing. If you're fighting a Dragon, you just have to wrap your mind around the fact that the Wyrmling Black Dragon you are fighting gets a +6 Attack straight, while the Adult Black Dragon gets a +24 Attack before his spells, feats, and equipment is even factored in. Those 8 levels of difference don't add +8 to-hit, they add probably more like +20 to +25 to-hit. A +1 AC bonus doesn't stay level appropriate, it has to grow because the attack bonuses it is competing with are growing stupid fast.

-Username17

[angelfromanotherpin]

Not to mention that as you go up in level the number of hostile actions heading your way that even care about natural armor grows ever smaller.

[fbmf]

Thank you, Frank.

Game On,
fbmf

[Captain_Bleach]

1187023308[/unixtime]]

"Dragon cock? I walk."

Sigged!

[Koumei]

Nice one. Also, I like the "Just don't go into too much detail, I probably don't even want to know." part.

Let's say a player goes out of their way to be annoying, which you know they will, because we are all players (presumably - of some game or another, even if it's not D&D), and we do dumb things. So if they pick a force-breathing dragon, it means no-one is immune to their breath, but their immunity applies to what, five spells? Likewise a fire breath means their breath weapon is worth 2/3 of nothing but they're immune to the most common energy type. Whatever.

But let's say they choose to be annoying. "I was born in the exact same location as a Pyroclastic dragon was!" Those bastards breathe half sonic, half fire. Do we say "Pick one of the two and like it" or can they breathe half and half, and take half damage from each?

Likewise, some dragons don't breathe pure damage effects. Just to be annoying, I presume. Like Shadow dragons (they breathe negative levels), or Hex dragons (Con damaging poison breath) or Prismatic Dragons (prismatic spray).

Any quick idea of what to do there? I have no qualms with "Fine, you look like a _____ 1/2 dragon, but use the stats for one with a plain damaging breath weapon." personally.

[Catharz]

The way Frank phrased it, you just choose 'what's appropriate'. That might vary campaign to campaign, but I'd say that negative energy is appropriate to a shadow-esque dragon-esque character, poison or acid damage is appropriate for your Hex dragon-like person, and 'random energy type determined when the breath is used, from the prismatic spray table' is appropriate for a prismatic dragon.

[Draco_Argentum]

I wish someone would explain why D&D players want everything from elves to oozes to be capable of having children with humans. Then again I probably don't want to know.

[angelfromanotherpin]

It's a time-tested method of declaring why your character is all unique and has shiny powers that no-one else does, but hey, he can't help being cooler than the rest of y'all, man, he was born that way.

[Count Arioch the 28th]

Plus, it puts you in the frame of mind to fantasize about having relations with various fantasy races. Personally, if there were elves and minotaurs and sylphs and whatnot in the real world, I'd probably attempt to sex their females to the exclusion of human females.

[CalibronXXX]

...Minotaurs?

[Cielingcat]

Yeah, I can understand the elves and sylphs, but minotaurs?

[Count Arioch the 28th]

I've seen pics of cute female minotaurs before. Is there a problem?

[Koumei]

I also seriously hope that doesn't explain why people want half-oozes.

[angelfromanotherpin]

If it moves, has ever moved, or looks like it might once have thought about moving, someone who wants to make sweet love to it is using the internet to find other people who want to make sweet love to it.

I don't care if they go there, as long as they don't take me with them.

[Count Arioch the 28th]

1187136980[/unixtime]]If it moves, has ever moved, or looks like it might once have thought about moving, someone who wants to make sweet love to it is using the internet to find other people who want to make sweet love to it.

And unfortunately, none of them are women, which only serves to irritate me.

[the_taken]

Couldya?
Wouldya?
Shouldya?

[Captain_Bleach]

1187134161[/unixtime]]I also seriously hope that doesn't explain why people want half-oozes.

Ever heard of 4chan? Those guys would bang anything that moves.

[Cielingcat]

Go to /d/; goo-girls are a common fetish there.