SUPERIOR HALF-DRAGON
Common dragons are well-known for their fecundity, siring half-breed offspring with myriad creatures. What few sages realize is that higher-order dragons share in this trait; however, such half-draconic offspring are much rarer both due to the scarcity of their draconic parents, and because few beings can successfully couple with such powerful creatures. The spawn of such unions, however, are superior half-dragons (the term is used collectively for all half-epic, half-adamic, and half-nehaschimic dragons) and can become multiversal movers and shakers in their own right. Oddly, some types of dragons should not be able to have children at all (such as void dragons), but rare instances of creatures having traits of such creatures indicate that such a thing is somehow possible.
SAMPLE SUPERIOR HALF-DRAGON
A dark figure seems to melt out of the shadows. Dressed in nondescript black clothing, the creature is unremarkable save for two notable features. The first is the pair of large, black wings unfurling behind it, their color slowly lightening to a bloody red. The second is how, above the creature’s large, toothy grin, there are no discernable features. Still grinning at you, the monster darts forward, a dagger raised in its hand.
This example uses a gloom as the base creature, with the half-polychromatic dragon template.
Garistus
Medium-Size Dragon (Augmented Monstrous Humanoid)
Hit Dice: 25d20+450 (950 hp)
Initiative: +24 (+16 Dex, +8 Superior Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft., fly 90 ft. (good)
AC: 61 (+16 Dex, +12 insight, +17 natural, +6 deflection), touch 44, flat-footed 45
Base Attack/Grapple: +25/+42
Attack: +20 0.003% orichalcum keen universal energy blast dagger of human dread +63 melee (2d4+37 plus 3d6 acid plus 3d6 cold plus 3d6 electricity plus 3d6 fire plus 3d6 sonic/17-20) or claw +42 melee (1d8+27)
Full Attack: +20 0.003% orichalcum keen universal energy blast dagger of human dread +63/+58/+53/+48 melee (2d4+37 plus 3d6 acid plus 3d6 cold plus 3d6 electricity plus 3d6 fire plus 3d6 sonic/17-20) and claw +37 melee (1d8+8) and 2 wing buffets +37 melee (1d6+8) and bite +37 melee (2d6+8)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, fear gaze, legendary wings sneak attack +13d6
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., immunities, keen senses, maven, opportunist, quiescence, spell-like abilities, SR 55, DR 10/epic
Saves: Fort +28, Ref +30, Will +23
Abilities: Str 44, Dex 42, Con 47, Int 36, Wis 25, Cha 40
Skills: Appraise +13, Balance +20, Bluff +43, Climb +45, Concentration +18, Craft (all) +13, Diplomacy +19, Disguise +15 (+19 to act in character), Escape Artist +16, Forgery +13, Gather Information +15, Heal +7, Hide +44, Intimidate +47, Jump +49, Listen +35, Move Silently +64, Perform (all) +15, Ride +16, Search +13, Sense Motive +7, Spot +35, Survival +35, Swim +17, Tumble +48, Use Rope +16
Feats: Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus (dagger)
Epic Feats: Sneak Attack of Opportunity, Superior Initiative
Challenge Rating: 45
Treasure: Nonstandard (just his dagger)
Alignment: Lawful evil
Garistus is the son of Tiamat, and serves as one of her most favored assassins. When there’s a being that she wants dead, Garistus is the one she dispatches, and thus far he has never let her down. Like most of her spawn, he tends to compete with his brothers and sisters for his mother’s attention, and to that end he has started plotting on his own to kill several of Bahamut’s children, without his mother’s knowledge or approval.
While few know this, Garistus’s mood can be surmised from what color his wings are at the time. He turns them black when hunting a target (anticipation), red when engaged in combat (joy), blue if brought down to one-third hit points or less (fear), white if retreating (anger), and green if not currently on a mission (boredom). He has a variety of other colors that telegraph his other moods, but those five are the most frequent.
In the hand of any other creature than Garistus, the dagger is a +6 0.003% orichalcum keen dagger. His natural weapons and any melee weapons he wields are treated as epic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
COMBAT
Garistus always tries to position himself to be able to sneak attack in melee. He’ll usually use his legendary wings power to use summon monster IX, summoning a group of elemental creatures purely to set him up for flanking attacks. Only if fighting a large group will he use the power of his wings to attack directly.
Breath Weapon (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, Garistus is able to breathe a cone of energy that deals 25d6 points of damage (DC 40 Reflex save for half damage). He may choose the type of energy: acid, cold, electricity, or fire, each time he uses his breath weapon. The DC is Constitution-based.
Fear Gaze (Su): Viewing the gloom’s face inspires terror. Creatures that meet the gloom’s gaze must succeed at a Will save (DC 37) or suffer the effects of a fear spell as cast by a 20th-level caster. The DC is Charisma-based.
Immunities (Ex): Garistus is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, and death from massive damage. He is also immune to one type of energy (acid, cold, electricity, or fire) chosen each round on his turn.
Keen Senses (Ex): Garistus sees eight times better than a human in shadowy illumination, four times better than a human in normal light, and has 120 ft. darkvision.
Legendary Wings (Su): Garistus is able to change the color of his wings at will (though not the pattern). Since his wings are strongly aligned with elemental energy, on his turn he can duplicate any spell with an energy descriptor of up to level 9 (caster level 25th). This ability can also duplicate any epic spells with an energy descriptor of DC 20 or less.
Maven (Ex): Garistus has maximum ranks in all the skills he knows.
Opportunist (Ex): This ability functions like the rogue class feature of the same name.
Sneak Attack (Ex): Garistus is able to sneak attack as a 25th-level rogue, dealing 13d6 extra damage.
Quiescence (Su): Garistus is constantly silent, as per the silence spell, although the area does not extend beyond him. This quality gives him a +20 racial bonus on Move Silently checks (it is still possible him to create noise, such as by bumping into something that scrapes on the floor or by sounding a chime). Garistus can lower this effect at will.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—shadow walk; 3/day—true strike. Caster level 20th; save DC 25 + spell level. The DC is Charisma-based.
Creating a Superior Half-Dragon
"Superior half-dragon" is an inherited template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature with 20 natural Hit Dice (for epic dragons), 60 natural Hit Dice (for adamic dragons), or 120 natural Hit Dice (for nehaschimic dragons), referred to hereafter as the base creature.
Size and Type
The creatures type changes to dragon, and it gains the augmented subtype. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate base attack bonus or saves.
Hit Dice
Increase the base creature’s natural Hit Dice as follows: d20 for half-epic dragons and d100 for half-adamic and half-nehaschimic dragons. Superior half-dragons always gain maximum hit points per die (half-nehaschimic dragons gain double maximum hit points per die).
Speed
A superior half-dragon has wings, and may fly at three times their base land speed with good maneuverability, or as the base creature, whichever is better.
Armor Class
A superior half-dragon gains a natural armor bonus of +12 (epic dragon), +36 (adamic dragon), or +108 (nehaschimic dragon), which stacks with the base creature’s natural armor. It also gains a deflection bonus from its wings (see below) which does not stack with any other deflection bonus.
Attack
A superior half-dragon has two claw attacks, two wing buffet attacks, and a bite attack, and the claws are the primary natural weapon. If the base creature can use weapons, the superior half-dragon retains this ability. A superior half-dragon fighting without weapons uses a claw when making an attack action. When it has a weapon, it usually uses the weapon instead.
Full Attack
A superior half-dragon fighting without weapons uses both claws, both wings, and its bite when making a full attack. If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack and its wings and bite as natural secondary attacks. If it has a hand free, it uses a claw as an additional natural secondary attack.
Damage
Superior half-dragons have wing, bite and claw attacks, with damage as listed on Table 1-8: Universal Base Damage by Size in The Immortal’s Handbook Epic Bestiary Vol. 1. Remember that these values may be modified if the superior half-dragon has any virtual size categories. A superior half-dragon’s natural weapons, and all melee weapons wielded, are treated as being epic for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Special Attacks
A superior half-dragon has all the special attacks of the base creature, as well as the following:
Breath Weapon (Su): A superior half-dragon is able to use a breath weapon, the exact type and damage of which is determined by what kind of superior half-dragon it is. Epic half-dragons can use their breath weapon once every 1d4 rounds, adamic half-dragons can use their breath weapon once every 1d3 rounds, and nehaschimic half-dragons can use their breath weapon once every 1d2 rounds. The save DC is 10 + ½ the superior half-dragon’s natural Hit Dice + the superior half-dragon’s Con modifier.
Cometary (adamic): A half-cometary dragon can breathe a cone of temporal stasis, affecting everyone in range for 1d3 rounds if they fail a Reflex save. Opponents frozen in this manner can be attacked normally by the half-cometary dragon, but cannot be affected again by its breath weapon until the effect wears off.
Firmament (nehaschimic): A half-firmament dragon breathes a line of quarks (sub-atomic particles) that rend asunder the target’s physical being. Creatures hit by this take 1d6 points of permanent damage per 4 natural Hit Dice of the half-dragon (half damage on a successful Fortitude save). Permanent damage cannot be healed, except by a limited wish (which restores 1 hit point) or wish (which restores 1 hit point per caster level).
Force (epic): A half-force dragon breathes a cone of pure force, dealing 1d4 points of force damage per natural Hit Die of the half-dragon (no save).
Nexus (nehaschimic): A half-nexus dragon can breathe a cone that has a 33% chance (roll once per individual) of shunting those within it into another universe, erasing them from every having existed at all in their native universe. Those affected by the same use of this breath weapon might be shunted into the same alternate universe.
Platinum (epic): A half-platinum dragon has two breath weapons. The first is a cone of sonic energy that deals 1d6 damage per natural Hit Die of the half-dragon (half damage on a successful Reflex save). The other is a cone of healing vapors that heals 5 points of damage per natural Hit Die (this harms undead creatures, who may make a Reflex save for half damage). The half-platinum dragon may inhale the latter breath weapon if it chooses, affecting only itself.
Polychromatic (epic): A half-polychromatic dragon breathes a cone of energy that deals 1d6 points of damage per natural Hit Die of the half-dragon (half damage on a successful Reflex save). It may choose the type of energy: acid, cold, electricity, or fire, each time it uses its breath weapon.
Prismatic (epic): A half-prismatic dragon has a prismatic spray breath weapon. The breath weapon’s cone is of the size indicated by Table D-13: Breath Weapon Size in The Immortal’s Handbook Epic Bestiary Vol. 1, not the normal cone for the spell.
Starshadow (adamic): A half-starshadow dragon breaths a line of energy that does 1d20 points of damage per natural Hit Die of the half-dragon (half damage on a successful Reflex save). The type of energy adapts itself as the most damaging type for each target struck (e.g. a creature with the cold subtype would take fire damage from this breath weapon). If a creature has no particular energy vulnerability, then this is treated as being force damage. Regardless of energy type, this breath weapon ignores any miss chance a target might have for being incorporeal.
Timber (epic): A half-timber dragon breathes a cone of death energy, dealing 1d8 points of damage per natural Hit Die of the half-dragon to living creatures (half damage on a successful Fortitude save). This deals d12 points of damage per natural Hit Dice to creatures of the plant type, or water subtype. It deals no damage to constructs and the undead.
Titanium (epic): A half-titanium dragon breathes a line of telluric force (which appears as a green lightning) dealing 1d10 points of damage per natural Hit Die of the half-dragon (half damage on a successful Reflex save). Targets struck by a consecutive use of the breath weapon take double the normal damage (2d10 per natural Hit Die of the half-dragon) so long as the next use occurs within 24 hours.
Void (adamic): A half-void dragon breathes a cone of annihilation, causing living beings who fail a Reflex save to lose 1 level/Hit Die per 4 natural Hit Dice of the half-dragon (this is treated as though they had failed a Fort save to remove a negative level), those who make their save suffer no damage. Creatures immune to energy drain still take half damage from this effect (no damage on a successful save).
Special Qualities
Superior half-dragons have all the special qualities of the base creature, as well as the following:
Adaptation (Ex): Half-adamic and half-nehaschimic dragons take no damage from any natural environment; they are capable of existing anywhere.
Immunities (Ex): All superior half-dragons are immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, and death from massive damage. They also have additional immunities based on type:
Cometary (adamic): Half-cometary dragons are immune to cold damage, and are healed instead of harmed by fire damage.
Firmament (nehaschimic): Half-firmament dragons are immune to sonic damage, are healed instead of harmed by fire damage, and reflect all cold-based attacks. Further, they cannot be harmed by sub-epic spells.
Force (epic): Half-force dragons are immune to all force effects.
Nexus (nehaschimic): Half-nexus dragons are immune to cold damage, are healed instead of harmed by electricity damage, and reflect all sonic-based attacks. Further, they cannot be harmed by sub-epic spells.
Platinum (epic): Half-platinum dragons are immune to cold damage.
Polychromatic (epic): Half-polychromatic dragons are immune to one type of energy (acid, cold, electricity, or fire) chosen each round on their turn.
Prismatic (epic): Half-prismatic dragons cannot be harmed by any light, including Evocation [Light] spells, searing light, and the various prismatic (sphere, spray, wall) spells. In addition, they are immune to any spell or effect that causes blindness.
Starshadow (adamic): Half-starshadow dragons are immune to electricity damage, and are healed instead of harmed by sonic damage.
Timber (epic): Half-timber dragons are immune to negative energy and necromantic effects.
Titanium (epic): Half-titanium dragons are immune to sonic damage.
Void (adamic): Half-void dragons are immune to cold damage, and are healed instead of harmed by acid damage.
Keen Senses (Ex): Superior half-dragons have heightened senses, as follows: half-epic dragons see eight times as well as a human in shadowy illumination, four times as well in normal light, and have 120 ft. darkvision. Half-adamic dragons see twenty times as well in shadowy illumination, ten times as well in normal light, and have 600 ft. darkvision. Half-nehaschimic dragons have sight that extends infinitely, though not to other planes, and see in the dark as well as they do in the light.
Legendary Wings (Su): While all superior half-dragons have features that are indicative of their draconic parent, all have wings that are completely identical to what their dragon progenitor would have (replacing any wings the base creature would otherwise have). They are able to use these wings to protect themselves, wrapping them around their bodies protectively, granting them a deflection bonus equal to ¼ their natural Hit Dice (for half-epic dragons), ½ their natural Hit Dice (for half-adamic dragons) or equal to their natural Hit Dice (for half-nehaschimic dragons); this does not stack with any deflection bonus the base creature may have. Additionally, each variety of superior half-dragon is able to, as a standard action unless otherwise noted (no AoO), use their wings to gain a different effect (none of which interferes with their ability to fly):
Cometary (adamic): A half-cometary dragon’s wings are grey and very translucent, being made of compressed time. By enfolding itself within its wings, a half-cometary dragon may place a safe time effect on itself. This lasts for as long as the half-cometary dragon wishes; it is aware of the passage of normal time, though time ceases to pass for it, and it may not take any actions except to move back into normal time on a subsequent round (which is a free action).
Firmament (nehaschimic): The wings of a half-firmament dragon seem to be made of light. On its turn it may choose a being within reach to become immune to. Thereafter, that creature is unable to affect the half-firmament dragon at all; its attacks, spells, actions, etc. do no damage to and have no effect on the half-firmament dragon. A half-firmament dragon may change this designation as often as it likes, but it may only ever be immune to a single being (eternals are higher beings are not subject to this power). When using this power, a half-firmament dragon seems to wave its wings through a creature, attuning itself to that creature’s existence totally.
Force (epic): A half-force dragon’s wings are completely invisible, through still tangible. On its turn a half-force dragon is able to negate all force effects within 100 ft. of it. This functions like a successful dispel magic used against all force-related spells and magic items (e.g. a wall of force would immediately cease to exist, bracers of armor would be nonfunctional for 1d4 rounds, etc).
Nexus (nehaschimic): The wings of a half-nexus dragon are composed of light, though they shine less brightly than those of a half-firmament dragon’s. By using their wings, they may “attack” the laws of physics, denying an effect from happening despite it having the requisite cause. As an immediate action, a half-nexus dragon can cause someone within 100 ft. to lose a standard action from their turn (e.g. the victim may only take a move action this turn, unless they somehow have more actions).
Platinum (epic): A half-platinum dragon’s wings are a beautiful silvery-white, and are incredibly strong. When fighting defensively, a half-platinum dragon can use one wing as an extremely potent bastion, gaining damage reduction 25/--. When using a total defense action, it uses both wings, raising the damage reduction to 50/--.
Polychromatic (epic): A half-polychromatic dragon is able to change the color of its wings at will (though not the pattern). Since its wings are strongly aligned with elemental energy, on its turn it can duplicate any spell with an energy descriptor of a level equal to 9 + number of automatic metamagic capacity feats (caster level equal to its natural Hit Dice). This ability can also duplicate any epic spells with an energy descriptor of a DC equal to the half-polychromatic dragon’s spellcraft check +20.
Prismatic (epic): The wings of a half-prismatic dragon constantly sparkle and shift colors. A creature hit by a half-prismatic dragon’s wing buffet has the light around it solidified; it is trapped inside a prismatic sphere of a single color (roll 1d8 to determine the color, re-rolling any result of 8) that takes up just that creature’s space.
Starshadow (adamic): A half-starshadow dragon’s wings are a black film, with white spots on them that make it seem as though the wings are windows into deep space. Because a half-starshadow dragon’s wings naturally aggregate magic, any opponent it hits with a wing buffet loses all magical ability for 1 round, as though that creature were in an antimagic field. This ability does not work on sidereals or higher beings.
Timber (epic): A half-timber dragon’s wings seem to have their bones made from wood, with the membranes being leaves. As its wings are incarnations of nature, they offer the half-timber dragon great defensive power from unnatural things. While fighting defensively, a half-timber dragon takes the minimum possible damage from manufactured weapons (e.g. a +7 longsword wielded by someone with Str 26 would only do 16 points of damage). Unarmed strikes and natural weapons continue to inflict normal damage.
Titanium (epic): The wings of a half-titanium dragon are composed of a dark bluish metal, and seem to almost be manufactured rather than grown. Strongly resistant to magic, a half-titanium dragon that takes a total defense action wraps its wings around itself, and is treated as having unbeatable spell resistance so long as it maintains a total defense. This does not function against sidereals and higher beings.
Void (adamic): A half-void dragon’s wings are utterly black, being wing-shaped holes in the fabric of reality. A half-void dragon’s wing buffet attacks are always touch attacks, and ignore all hardness and damage reduction. Moreover, they deal permanent damage. Permanent damage cannot be healed, except by a limited wish (which restores 1 hit point) or wish (which restores 1 hit point per caster level).
Maven (Ex): Superior half-dragons have maximum ranks in all skills they know.
Omnicompetent (Ex): Half-adamic and half-nehaschimic dragons know all skills.
Spell Resistance (Ex): A superior half-dragon has spell resistance equal to its Challenge Rating +10 (half-epic dragons), +15 (half-adamic dragons), or +20 (half-nehaschimic dragons).
Abilities
Superior half-dragons gain ability increases as follows:
Half-epic dragons: Str +12, Con +10, Int +10, Cha +10.
Half-adamic dragons: Str +30, Con +24, Int +24, Cha +24.
Half-nehaschimic dragons: Str +72, Con +50, Int +50, Cha +50.
Challenge Rating
As base creature +20 (half-epic), +36 (half-adamic), or +70 (half-nehaschimic)
Alignment
As base creature or dragon variety.
Level Adjustment
As base creature +30 (half-epic), +54 (half-adamic), or +105 (half-nehaschimic)
Adventure Ideas
Mid-Epic: Tiamat has targeted the PCs for termination due to them having defeated an evil dragon sometime in the past. Now, Garistus is stalking them, planning to kill them at their weakest moment.
High Epic: Kliga, an advanced (72 HD) half-infernal half-void dragon, appears on the PCs world. She claims to be the child of Siva, the Vedic god of destruction, and the Mother of Nothing, better known as Atalia (a great great great void wyrm), and wishes to summon her mother to the world so that they may destroy it together.
Low Cosmic: An incredibly powerful (200 HD) pseudonatural half-cherubim half-nexus dragon emerges into the PCs reality. Divinations reveal that it's the beacon for a flight of nexus dragons, necessitating that it be destroyed before it can lead them to that universe.