Converting True Dragons

Shade · Nov 11, 2009

RavinRay · Nov 12, 2009

I really love that breath weapon! It ties the drake more closely to its shadow nature, and makes the breath more versatile. Caster level progression is also good.

Shadow Drakes and Tome of Magic
If you are using Tome of Magic in your campaign, shadow drakes can learn and cast mysteries as shadowcasters, except that they cast mysteries as if they are always arcane spells. They can take shadow magic feats, including metashadow.

(Mysteries become progressively more innate to a shadowcaster, with low-level mysteries becoming Su abilities and mid-level mysteries becoming Sp abilities. That's how shadowcasters differ from other arcane casters.)

freyar · Nov 12, 2009

The sidebar looks good! Here's the breath weapon. It just needs an energy type. Cold, maybe?

Breath Weapon (Su): A shadow drake has one type of breath weapon, a 15-foot cone of x, which is only quasi-real. A creature caught in the area may make a Will save to disbelieve the illusion; if the save fails, the victim takes full damage, but a successful save reduces the damage to 20% (as if the breath weapon were created using the shadow evocation spell). In addition, creatures caught in the area may make a Reflex save for half damage (10% damage if they disbelieve the illusion).

Shade · Nov 12, 2009

Since the breath weapon is illusory, how about allowing the drake to pick the energy type?

RavinRay · Nov 12, 2009

So can it choose among the five classic acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic? What about force?

Shade · Nov 12, 2009

Let's exclude force, since it's simply a much more desirable option 99% of the time. I could see even excluding sonic.

freyar · Nov 13, 2009

The only reason I didn't want to let it choose is that being able to choose is somewhat valuable (worth a feat for most other dragons), and we're giving it better casting as compensation for the weak breath. If we're letting it choose, let's exclude force and sonic. Frankly, though, I'd prefer to pick one, and I think I like cold. Seems shadowy.

Cleon · Nov 13, 2009

Shade said:
Added to Homebrews.

Couple of quibbles.

Firstly, its CR should be at least equal to its sorcerer-level, so needs tweaking up for the older drakes, maybe CL+1? (i.e. very old 6; ancient 7; wyrm 8; great wyrm 9). That may even be a bit conservative, considering the Great Wyrm has 25SR and 12 Hit Dice in Dragon. I'm also thinking they'd get Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat like most titchy critters, so could get quite an impressive attack bonus as their Dex goes up to 26!

Secondly, Tiny -> Small usually gives +4 Strength, so I'd fancy giving the Ancient and older drakes Str 15.

Cleon · Nov 13, 2009

freyar said:
The only reason I didn't want to let it choose is that being able to choose is somewhat valuable (worth a feat for most other dragons), and we're giving it better casting as compensation for the weak breath. If we're letting it choose, let's exclude force and sonic. Frankly, though, I'd prefer to pick one, and I think I like cold. Seems shadowy.

I like illusory cold too for its "Shadow Breath".

RavinRay · Nov 14, 2009

If it's illusory, then either it deals much less energy/cold damage than expected, or maybe it can be nonlethal damage (either by itself or in part). Few dragons deal nonlethal energy breath weapons without taking feats (amethyst force breath can be nonlethal).