Converting True Dragons
- Thread starter Shade
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Shade
Monster Junkie
Here's the last of the landragons...
Arack (Drogas amagia)
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4 (50%: 1 only)
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 15" (climbing: 9")
HIT DICE: 1-10
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: B
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE PER ATTACK: up to 1-8/1-8/5-30
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon, tail
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Breath weapon
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Semi- to low
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (up to 40' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The appearance of the arack dragon, and its use of a breath weapon, make it an obvious relative of the Draconian ("true") dragons. Its lizard-like body with slightly stunted wing appendages is somewhat bulkier than the bodies of the flying dragons, but its size and mobility on land make it a formidable opponent.
This species has blue-grey scales and a deep red underside matched in color by the crest on the head and neck and the membranous ligatures on the malformed wings. The wings have three slender "fingers" of unequal length, one with a long nail. These are the "wing spears" the beast uses as a secondary weapon in melee.
Arack dragons are found in rocky areas on the outskirts of civilization. They feed on domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats that stray into their area, as well as wild prey. In their encounters with humanoids, they will be very territorial and defensive. The arack will bluff and charge "half-heartedly," with crest and wings expanded, trumpeting the call that gives the beast its name, attempting to drive off anyone who comes within its domain. If the intruders run away, the dragon(s) will generally not pursue, unless especially hungry (1 in 6 chance). If cornered or the target of a charge, these beasts will attack at once, using the breath weapon in the defensive mode while doing so.
These great "lizards" grow fairly slowly but continually throughout their lives. Newly hatched young average 4' in length (nose to tail) and thereafter they grow at a rate of about 3' every 10 years until they are 120 years old. Beyond that, during old age, no further growth occurs.
Dragons of this species can live to be about 150 years old. As they grow, they gain hit points and earn increases in their melee attack ability. They are hatched with 1d10 hit points and gain one hit-point die with every 4 feet of growth; hence, the length of a particular arack can be used to determine its number of hit dice (length divided by 4, rounded down).
A newly hatched arack dragon has no breath weapon, its wing spears are unusable in attack, and its bite does only 1-6 points of damage. When it reaches 10 years of age, the creature gains the use of both its wing spears and its breath weapon; at this point, the wing spears do 1-3 points of damage per hit each, and the gas emitted by the breath weapon has full effect but only covers an area within a 14' radius to 7' high.
As the dragon grows thereafter, the area of effect of its breath weapon grows as well, with the height always equal to the dragon's length and the radius twice as large. The wing spears do 1-4 points of damage at age 40, 1-6 points at age 80, and 1-8 points at age 120. The damage figure for the beast's bite increases as well (as shown on the accompanying growth table), going up by 1d6 for, roughly, each 27 years up to age 106.
The breath weapon of the arack dragon is a gaseous cloud, nearly transparent but faintly visible in daylight (but not under torchlight, moonlight or magical light short of a continual light spell). The size (area of effect) of the breath weapon, as mentioned above, is a direct function of the dragon's size. The height of the cloud is equal to the length of the dragon's body, and the radius it covers is equal to twice that number.
The breath weapon is usable only twice per day but does not dissipate quickly; the cloud normally persists for 10 turns. Living creatures (except for the arack) within the gas will notice a sticky dampness and a stifling lack of oxygen (described by the DM as "stuffiness"). This causes the loss of 1 additional hit point, cumulative, for each round that a victim is in the gas cloud: 1 point for the first round, +2 points in the second round (for a total of 3), +3 points in the third (total of 6), and so on.
If a victim retreats out of the cloud and remains out of its area of effect for a number of rounds equal to the time he or she was inside, then the cumulative effect is "reset" (to 1 point) if the cloud is reentered. If the "time out" is not as long as the last period of "time in," then the cumulative damage will continue to increase, counting upward from where the count left off, if the cloud and the victim again come into contact. A character who retreats out of the cloud and stays out long enough to "reset" the cumulative damage receives a saving throw (vs. poison), success indicating only half (of the total accumulated) damage was taken from the character's last time in the cloud.
The other effect of the arack's breath weapon is a damping effect that it has on magic. The gas reduces the combat effectiveness ("to hit" and damage figures) of all magical weapons by 2, and has an adverse effect on certain spells. A +1 or +2 weapon becomes, in effect, a +0 weapon, still magical in nature (with its other special properties intact) but having no enhanced combat usefulness at the moment. A +3 weapon becomes "worth" only +1, and so forth. Cantrips and first-level spells will fail automatically in the casting, or cease to operate - regardless of the level of the caster - if their area of effect coincides, in whole or in part, with the gas cloud. A character attempting to cast a spell of higher than first level must make a saving throw, using the proper row of the following chart, for the casting to succeed - but this save is only necessary if the spell is targeted into or through the breath cloud. (This is in addition to all other rolls that might be necessary to determine spell success or failure.)
If a magic item having charges is within the area of the breath, the DM may (optionally) secretly roll a saving throw for each charge remaining in the item, assuming in this case that the gas dissipates charges from the item upon exposure of the item to the gas, but does not prevent it the item from operating (except, possibly, by dissipating all of its charges). Artifacts and relics will not be affected in any case, their spells work normally within the gas, and they may not be discharged while in the gas.
Spell saving throws
Cantrips = Fail automatically
1st = Fail automatically
2nd = 20
3rd = 17
4th = 15
5th = 12
6th = 9
7th = 5
8th = 1
9th = Succeed automatically
Rings = 7
Rods = 15
Staves = 14
Wands = 16
In melee, the arack can be a formidable opponent. If a fight is imminent, the beast will use its breath weapon to create a cloud of gas in a convenient area, then step into the cloud to fight the humanoids threatening it. The gas does not dissipate or spread under normal conditions (short of a gust of wind spell or the like), so anyone trying to fight it must suffer the effects of the breath unless it can be blown away. The effects are not always obvious, however, since the gas is nearly invisible, even in daylight.
Meanwhile, the arack will attack with its mouth and wing spears against anyone in front or alongside it (on three separate targets). The neck is supple, able to attack on either flank, and the beast is quick about turning to face those who think they are behind it. In battle, it sweeps its tail back and forth continually and with some velocity. Anyone to the rear of the dragon will have to contend with the tail as they attack; a successful hit by the tail (rolled as for any other "to hit" chance) knocks the opponent down, does no damage, but causes the victim to take a round to get back to his or her feet.
ARACK DRAGON GROWTH TABLE
Age (yrs.) Hit dice Wing spears Bite
0-9 1d10 none 1-6
10-12 1d10 1-3 1-6
13-26 2d10 1-3 1-6
27-39 3d10 1-3 2-12
40-52 4d10 1-4 2-12
53-66 5d10 1-4 3-18
67-79 6d10 1-4 3-18
80-92 7d10 1-6 4-24
93-106 8d10 1-6 4-24
107-119 9d10 1-6 5-30
120-150 10d10 1-8 5-30
*Breath weapon capability gained at age 10.
Length
4'-6'
7'*
8'-11'
12'-15'
16'-19'
20'-23'
24'-27'
28'-31'
32'-35'
36'-39'
40'
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #74 (1983).
Arack (Drogas amagia)
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4 (50%: 1 only)
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 15" (climbing: 9")
HIT DICE: 1-10
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: B
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE PER ATTACK: up to 1-8/1-8/5-30
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon, tail
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Breath weapon
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Semi- to low
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: L (up to 40' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
The appearance of the arack dragon, and its use of a breath weapon, make it an obvious relative of the Draconian ("true") dragons. Its lizard-like body with slightly stunted wing appendages is somewhat bulkier than the bodies of the flying dragons, but its size and mobility on land make it a formidable opponent.
This species has blue-grey scales and a deep red underside matched in color by the crest on the head and neck and the membranous ligatures on the malformed wings. The wings have three slender "fingers" of unequal length, one with a long nail. These are the "wing spears" the beast uses as a secondary weapon in melee.
Arack dragons are found in rocky areas on the outskirts of civilization. They feed on domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats that stray into their area, as well as wild prey. In their encounters with humanoids, they will be very territorial and defensive. The arack will bluff and charge "half-heartedly," with crest and wings expanded, trumpeting the call that gives the beast its name, attempting to drive off anyone who comes within its domain. If the intruders run away, the dragon(s) will generally not pursue, unless especially hungry (1 in 6 chance). If cornered or the target of a charge, these beasts will attack at once, using the breath weapon in the defensive mode while doing so.
These great "lizards" grow fairly slowly but continually throughout their lives. Newly hatched young average 4' in length (nose to tail) and thereafter they grow at a rate of about 3' every 10 years until they are 120 years old. Beyond that, during old age, no further growth occurs.
Dragons of this species can live to be about 150 years old. As they grow, they gain hit points and earn increases in their melee attack ability. They are hatched with 1d10 hit points and gain one hit-point die with every 4 feet of growth; hence, the length of a particular arack can be used to determine its number of hit dice (length divided by 4, rounded down).
A newly hatched arack dragon has no breath weapon, its wing spears are unusable in attack, and its bite does only 1-6 points of damage. When it reaches 10 years of age, the creature gains the use of both its wing spears and its breath weapon; at this point, the wing spears do 1-3 points of damage per hit each, and the gas emitted by the breath weapon has full effect but only covers an area within a 14' radius to 7' high.
As the dragon grows thereafter, the area of effect of its breath weapon grows as well, with the height always equal to the dragon's length and the radius twice as large. The wing spears do 1-4 points of damage at age 40, 1-6 points at age 80, and 1-8 points at age 120. The damage figure for the beast's bite increases as well (as shown on the accompanying growth table), going up by 1d6 for, roughly, each 27 years up to age 106.
The breath weapon of the arack dragon is a gaseous cloud, nearly transparent but faintly visible in daylight (but not under torchlight, moonlight or magical light short of a continual light spell). The size (area of effect) of the breath weapon, as mentioned above, is a direct function of the dragon's size. The height of the cloud is equal to the length of the dragon's body, and the radius it covers is equal to twice that number.
The breath weapon is usable only twice per day but does not dissipate quickly; the cloud normally persists for 10 turns. Living creatures (except for the arack) within the gas will notice a sticky dampness and a stifling lack of oxygen (described by the DM as "stuffiness"). This causes the loss of 1 additional hit point, cumulative, for each round that a victim is in the gas cloud: 1 point for the first round, +2 points in the second round (for a total of 3), +3 points in the third (total of 6), and so on.
If a victim retreats out of the cloud and remains out of its area of effect for a number of rounds equal to the time he or she was inside, then the cumulative effect is "reset" (to 1 point) if the cloud is reentered. If the "time out" is not as long as the last period of "time in," then the cumulative damage will continue to increase, counting upward from where the count left off, if the cloud and the victim again come into contact. A character who retreats out of the cloud and stays out long enough to "reset" the cumulative damage receives a saving throw (vs. poison), success indicating only half (of the total accumulated) damage was taken from the character's last time in the cloud.
The other effect of the arack's breath weapon is a damping effect that it has on magic. The gas reduces the combat effectiveness ("to hit" and damage figures) of all magical weapons by 2, and has an adverse effect on certain spells. A +1 or +2 weapon becomes, in effect, a +0 weapon, still magical in nature (with its other special properties intact) but having no enhanced combat usefulness at the moment. A +3 weapon becomes "worth" only +1, and so forth. Cantrips and first-level spells will fail automatically in the casting, or cease to operate - regardless of the level of the caster - if their area of effect coincides, in whole or in part, with the gas cloud. A character attempting to cast a spell of higher than first level must make a saving throw, using the proper row of the following chart, for the casting to succeed - but this save is only necessary if the spell is targeted into or through the breath cloud. (This is in addition to all other rolls that might be necessary to determine spell success or failure.)
If a magic item having charges is within the area of the breath, the DM may (optionally) secretly roll a saving throw for each charge remaining in the item, assuming in this case that the gas dissipates charges from the item upon exposure of the item to the gas, but does not prevent it the item from operating (except, possibly, by dissipating all of its charges). Artifacts and relics will not be affected in any case, their spells work normally within the gas, and they may not be discharged while in the gas.
Spell saving throws
Cantrips = Fail automatically
1st = Fail automatically
2nd = 20
3rd = 17
4th = 15
5th = 12
6th = 9
7th = 5
8th = 1
9th = Succeed automatically
Rings = 7
Rods = 15
Staves = 14
Wands = 16
In melee, the arack can be a formidable opponent. If a fight is imminent, the beast will use its breath weapon to create a cloud of gas in a convenient area, then step into the cloud to fight the humanoids threatening it. The gas does not dissipate or spread under normal conditions (short of a gust of wind spell or the like), so anyone trying to fight it must suffer the effects of the breath unless it can be blown away. The effects are not always obvious, however, since the gas is nearly invisible, even in daylight.
Meanwhile, the arack will attack with its mouth and wing spears against anyone in front or alongside it (on three separate targets). The neck is supple, able to attack on either flank, and the beast is quick about turning to face those who think they are behind it. In battle, it sweeps its tail back and forth continually and with some velocity. Anyone to the rear of the dragon will have to contend with the tail as they attack; a successful hit by the tail (rolled as for any other "to hit" chance) knocks the opponent down, does no damage, but causes the victim to take a round to get back to his or her feet.
ARACK DRAGON GROWTH TABLE
Age (yrs.) Hit dice Wing spears Bite
0-9 1d10 none 1-6
10-12 1d10 1-3 1-6
13-26 2d10 1-3 1-6
27-39 3d10 1-3 2-12
40-52 4d10 1-4 2-12
53-66 5d10 1-4 3-18
67-79 6d10 1-4 3-18
80-92 7d10 1-6 4-24
93-106 8d10 1-6 4-24
107-119 9d10 1-6 5-30
120-150 10d10 1-8 5-30
*Breath weapon capability gained at age 10.
Length
4'-6'
7'*
8'-11'
12'-15'
16'-19'
20'-23'
24'-27'
28'-31'
32'-35'
36'-39'
40'
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #74 (1983).
RavinRay
Explorer
Yet another dragon with non-standard abilities. I like the challenge!
- It looks like it has wing spear attacks in place of claw attacks.
- It has a very low HD and size progression rate (Small to Huge?).
- Int appears low too, but Dex seems high.
- It can bluff its opponents by making itself appear larger in a confrontation, like the real-world Australian frilled lizard Chlamydosaurus.
- It has a magic-dampening and suffocating breath weapon.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Int ranges from 2 to 7, so we could stick with that and just increase it by 1 point every 2 to 3 levels. I'd imagine Wis would be average to decent (see other predators like tigers and wolves), but Cha is probably only average.
What if we start with the very young white dragon's Str and Con, then increase by 1 at each age category (and maybe boost by an additional 1-2 at each size increase)?
As RavinRay pointed out upthread, Dex seems decent. Maybe start at 12 and increase by 1 per age category?
What if we start with the very young white dragon's Str and Con, then increase by 1 at each age category (and maybe boost by an additional 1-2 at each size increase)?
As RavinRay pointed out upthread, Dex seems decent. Maybe start at 12 and increase by 1 per age category?
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