Song Dragon's Alternate Form: Frightful Presence, or Not?

[ksbsnowowl]

The Song Dragon from Monsters of Faerun (slightly updated in the PGtF web enhancement) has an alternate form ability that reads:

Alternate Form (Su): Usable at will, a song dragon can appear as a unique human female. The dragon can use spells and all abilities, except its breath weapon, in either form. Changing from dragon to human takes 2 rounds; reverting to dragon form takes 1 round. During that time, the song dragon cannot move and can only use its spells or breath weapon; other actions and attacks are impossible. The change rends all known bonds, clothing, and other confinements, without harm to the dragon. (+10 disguise)

The Alternate Form ability in the SRD/MM states:

The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armor, and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature).

The Song Dragon has the Frightful Presence Extraordinary attack. Normally in 3.5 a creature would lose such an attack in its alternate form. (I'll have to check my 3.0 MM later, but I don't think any of that changed.) However, the Song Dragon's alternate form ability very clearly states that it retains all abilities, other than its breath weapon, in either form.

Is this a case of specific trumps general? My female human-form song dragon will force a save against fear when she attacks with a dagger?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Specific beats general... but IMO, it defies common sense for the song dragon to have frightful presence in its "human{" form.

 

[nijineko]

i think by raw, yes, it gets what is stated. i can entirely see how this is possible, though i imagine that it would be most useful if one could choose to use it or not depending on the situation.

i have seen where a completely unassuming looking person can suddenly generate an extreme aura of menace and confidence that shakes and cows an opponent that thought they had the upper hand. so i find it believable that even in human form, they could pull off the frightful presence thing. maybe it could be rp'ed as some minor characteristics change slightly: fingernails, teeth, eyes, imperious manner, hair/cloak flying about, a tiny touch of breath weapon, etc..