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1. Melee attacks vs. Reflex -- its attacks really do carve through armor!
2. Four claw attacks as a standard action, plus a bite against another target -- maybe they're trying to beef up dragons a bit?
3. Not a big fan of the adamantine dragon's head as illustrated -- kind of looks like a parrot (actually reminds me of Iago, from Aladdin). But the tail is cool -- wonder why the adamantine dragon doesn't have a cool tail lash power.
I think it's cute how designers are no longer allowed to write G/LG monsters. And yeah, it does look like Iago's third cousin twice removed on his half-draconic mother's side.
__________________ Proud gamer of Sullivan, New York.
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--Everything that I'd like to believe about the afterlife.
3. Not a big fan of the adamantine dragon's head as illustrated -- kind of looks like a parrot (actually reminds me of Iago, from Aladdin). But the tail is cool -- wonder why the adamantine dragon doesn't have a cool tail lash power.
I don't like the beak look much either, but it makes a lot of sense since if your gums are adamant, you don't need enameled teeth. D&D dragons sometimes get odd looking tail weapons or other body parts the core rules don't represent. Did 4E black or blue dragons get to use their horns for attacking yet?
Uhm, while I'll hope for something cthulhiod, I'd suspect that blurb refers to more Spawn of Tiamat.
Starspawn? Dragonspawn? Where do you get that connection? [this spot reserved for a quizzical emoticon that doesn't ERIC'S GRANDMOTHER, unlike the one we have here]
And the Iago reference just sold me on the monster, even though I don't actually like it much otherwise (rabid 4e fanboy talking; please don't kill me, or--worse--take my comment to imply that THE DESIGN IS SO HORRIBLE THESE DAYS, SCREW YOU MEARLS AND BAKER AND WHOEVER ELSE IS BIG IN 4E NOW).
Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters, right? I'm not sure why, but I assumed that was an Iron Dragon. Maybe because it looks kind of brutish and the irons were described as the "stupid" metallic dragon. The tail certainly implies that it's the same as in the Adamantine excerpt, though.
Not a fan of the beak either, but I can deal. Those tiny pinprick eyes make it look outright sinister - not sure if that's good or bad.
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Breath Weapon (standard; recharge 56) Thunder Close blast 5; +24 vs. Fortitude; 3d12 + 6 thunder damage, and the target is knocked prone. Miss: Half damage. Effect: At the start of the elder adamantine dragon’s next turn, it gives a thunderous roar: close burst 3; no attack roll; 15 thunder damage.
Would you all agree that the thunderous roar (which is probably a giant fart as the dragon seeks equilibrium after its thunder burp) is a free action in that it is described as an effect and no mention is made of a required action?
Would you all agree that the thunderous roar (which is probably a giant fart as the dragon seeks equilibrium after its thunder burp) is a free action in that it is described as an effect and no mention is made of a required action?
Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters, right? I'm not sure why, but I assumed that was an Iron Dragon. Maybe because it looks kind of brutish and the irons were described as the "stupid" metallic dragon. The tail certainly implies that it's the same as in the Adamantine excerpt, though.
Not a fan of the beak either, but I can deal. Those tiny pinprick eyes make it look outright sinister - not sure if that's good or bad.
Its an adamantine dragon. Scott once made an adamantine dragon facebook or livejournal page for fun and he used that picture.
And I already said back than that the dragon is ugly, but its nothing compared to the new picture.
And I agree with Tequila Sunrise. Why can't obviously good creatures not have the good alignment? Just so that PCs can fight it without any moral problems?
__________________ Everything about RPGs is subjective, so everything I say about them is I my opinion and not hard facts
Having a backstory is good. Using this backstory in game is better. And for that you need background skills.
4E, the game where you play HSMFOS
Heroic
Only good, or at least unaligned adventurers are supported and no monster you can fight is good aligned.
Super-
The PCs become masters in any skill automatically and it is impossible for them to be bad at a mundane task
Mutants
Compared to NPCs of the same strength, PCs poses a ungodly amount of HP and can withstand huge mountains of punishment. That or they can spontaneously regenerate wounds.
From Outer Space
Yet despite no matter how powerful the PCs become, they can never do anything special what the "natives" (=NPCs) can do like animating a skeleton.
Last edited by Derren; 13th April 2009 at 01:44 PM..
Why can't obviously good creatures not have the good alignment? Just so that PCs can fight it without any moral problems?
What is it about the adamantine dragon that makes it "obviously good"?
They are described as: Haughty and imperious, adamantine dragons assume leadership of any creatures in their territory. They demand loyalty, tribute, and respect, and in return they take the responsibility of protecting their charges seriously.
Nothing about this makes it "obviously good". It removes the sovereignty of anything in its territory and makes them its subjects. The only thing keeping it from being evil is the fact that it's not a callous or devious tyrant, but it's not really far off.
Yes, metallic dragons used to have their goodness hardwired into their DNA. I think by now we should all have come to terms with the fact that 4e often breaks with tradition; a 4e monster's alignment should be based on its 4e-mindset, not what a book from several editions ago said.
__________________ Belphanior
"This is a cool sig."
Yes, metallic dragons used to have their goodness hardwired into their DNA. I think by now we should all have come to terms with the fact that 4e often breaks with tradition; a 4e monster's alignment should be based on its 4e-mindset, not what a book from several editions ago said.
Of course they only do this to good monsters (so that the PCs can fight them more often). Previously evil monsters are still evil.
While in older editions it was "Colour coded for your convenience" it is now "If it moves, kill it".
__________________ Everything about RPGs is subjective, so everything I say about them is I my opinion and not hard facts
Having a backstory is good. Using this backstory in game is better. And for that you need background skills.
4E, the game where you play HSMFOS
Heroic
Only good, or at least unaligned adventurers are supported and no monster you can fight is good aligned.
Super-
The PCs become masters in any skill automatically and it is impossible for them to be bad at a mundane task
Mutants
Compared to NPCs of the same strength, PCs poses a ungodly amount of HP and can withstand huge mountains of punishment. That or they can spontaneously regenerate wounds.
From Outer Space
Yet despite no matter how powerful the PCs become, they can never do anything special what the "natives" (=NPCs) can do like animating a skeleton.
Of course they only do this to good monsters (so that the PCs can fight them more often). Previously evil monsters are still evil.
While in older editions it was "Colour coded for your convenience" it is now "If it moves, kill it".
Zombies and skeletons aren't evil in 4e any more. They were in 3.5
I'm not really focusing just on alignment here, just the overall purpose of a critter within the game.
Demons and devils got mixed up a bit to put the "monstrous engines of destruction" in one camp and the "thinking guys of corruption" in the other (globally speaking). Although they were evil, those definitely got shaken up.
But like I said, why are you focusing on what the older editions were like? 4th is its own thing and handles monsters in its own way. Demanding the metallic dragons be good for the sake of tradition strikes me as unwise, because that tradition itself was always a bit silly. The dragons took quite a lot of pages in the MM, but compared to the chromatics hardly ever got used.
__________________ Belphanior
"This is a cool sig."
That seems nastier than any dragon in the MM1, or the Draconomicon for that matter. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the other dragons look like!
Would you all agree that the thunderous roar (which is probably a giant fart as the dragon seeks equilibrium after its thunder burp) is a free action in that it is described as an effect and no mention is made of a required action?
No. It's not an action, it's an effect of using the power. If for some reason the dragon can not take actions, it still occurs. The cost with regards to economy of actions was already paid when the power was used.
So to paraphrase, it is indeed a giant fart, biologically incapable of being stopped.
That seems nastier than any dragon in the MM1, or the Draconomicon for that matter. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the other dragons look like!
Compared to the level 22 Red Dragon solo soldier in the MM, it looks significantly better offensively. However, it's also weaker defensively; 2 lower AC for its level and just over 2 lower average FRW for its level. It also has 250 fewer HP despite being only one level down. So the designers may have decided to redesign solos for greater offense and less defense, or this might be a function of it being a soldier in particular (since soldiers are already the highest AC monsters, elite and solo soldiers with AC=18+level can lead to players missing quite often).
Spawn of Tiamat.
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