Converting True Dragons

[freyar]

No preference for me, really. I'll be happy to work on either.

 

[JiCi]

Looking at it again, it looks different enough from the prismatic. So without further ado...

Rainbow Dragon
Created by: Gregory Detwiler
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1 (5% of 2)
ARMOR CLASS: -2
MOVE: 9"/24" (MC: E)
HIT DICE: 10-12
% IN LAIR: 60%
TREASURE TYPE: H, S, T, U
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 claws and 1 bite
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-B/1-8/3-30
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Major breath weapon, exceptional damage from bite, night blinding, spell use
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Sun dazzle, low armor class, high intelligence, detect invisible/hidden beings, saving- throw bonus with age
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: L (50' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
CHANCE OF:
Speaking: 100%
Magic Use: 100%
Sleeping: 20%
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 10 HD: IX/6,750 + 14 per hit point; 11-12 HD: IX/8,050 per hit point

This dragon could have an age progression that looks like the gold or the brown dragon from Monsters of Faerun, since it looks like the mightiest of its kind.

The rainbow dragon is one of the most powerful of all evil-dragons. It is also the most beautiful, its hide displaying an everchanging display of iridescent hues of all colors. When the dragon is in bright desert light, this dazzling play of colors gleams so brightly that it is painful to the eyes, causing any attackers to attack at -2 to hit, or -4 in addition to penalties for fighting in the light if the attackers (like orcs or drow) are not accustomed to direct sunlight.

How about an ability like this:
Reflecting Scales (Ex): A rainbow dragon's scales are shiny enought to reflect light around it. Any creature within 5 feet + 10 feet per age category of the dragon must make a Reflex at their turn of be dazzled until your next turn; a successful save negates the dazzle condition. Creatures sensitive to light are blinded instead of dazzled, and a successful save makes them dazzled. Furthermore, they take a -4 penalty to the save.

The rainbow dragon usually fights with a claw/claw/bite routine. Five times per day, it can use its breath weapon of pure energy, which looks like a rainbow-hued blast of light. This weapon does damage equal to the dragon's hit points, but affects only one target per attack. The breath weapon is a 5'-wide beam of energy that extends for 100'. So bright is this light that if the dragon attacks at night, everyone within 100' of the beam must save vs.
spells or be blinded for 1-4 rounds.

Breath Weapon (Su): A rainbow dragon has one type of breath weapon, a ray of focused rainbow-hued light. Unlike other breath weapons, this ability requires a ranged touch attack, and the range is equal to a line area according to the age category, with no range increment. Furthermore, only one target can be affected by the breath weapon.

The target takes 2d6 points of damage per age category. Creatures sensitive to light take double damage instead. Regarless of weaknesses, a Reflex save halves the damage.

In addition to-this, all rainbow dragons are capable of spell use. Very young and young stages of growth allow the rainbow dragon to acquire one first-level spell at each stage; at subadult and young-adult stages each, it may acquire a second-level spell. A third-level spell is gained at both the adult and old stages, and a fourth-level spell at both the very old and ancient stages. All rainbow dragons can speak and enjoy negotiating for ever-larger tributes and payoffs from cities that wish to keep such dragons from attacking them.

The spells will have to go according to the age categories, the gold or the brown as I suggest.

Rainbow dragons aggressively patrol their territories (especially in daytime) and prefer to attack when the sun is out so as to take advantage of their light-enhancing defenses. Rainbow dragons prefer brightly lit desert and plains regions, making their lairs in old ruins or caverns.

Not a problem here.

The blood of these beasts can be used as ingredients in scroll ink for the spells color spray, prismatic sphere, prismatic spray, and prismatic wall. A bit of bone from a rainbow dragon is said to tip the best wands of conjuration. Attacks based on elemental sources (earth, air, fire, and water) affect the rainbow dragon normally. Electrical attacks are taken with a - 1 hp/HD penalty to damage, which is helpful if the rainbow dragon fights a blue dragon for the same territory.

Immunity to light-based spells and effects and resistance to electicity look good.

How about it ?

 

[RavinRay]

The rainbow dragon seems to me, flavor-wise, the ultimate chromatic dragon as it comes in all colors. It reminds me of the homebrew spectral dragon (again, at the Vaults of Pandius), a multi-headed dragon similar to an aspect of Tiamat. It's also reminiscent of the polychromatic dragon (mentioned by JiCi here).

Should the breath weapon deal regular hp damage only (aside from blindness), and is it feasible to model it after color spray?

Spellcasting with 1st level at very young age means that if it follows standard progression rules it will be a 21st caster at great wyrm.

Since its blood can be used for scrolls of color spray, prismatic sphere, prismatic spray, and prismatic wall, should they be its spell-like abilities (which might make it too similar to the prismatic dragon then)?

Should it have a fixed resistance to electricity value, or should the dragon just substract 1 hp per hd damage?

 

[Mortis]

Should the breath weapon deal regular hp damage only (aside from blindness)?

Well the original did hit point damage -

The rainbow dragon usually fights with a claw/claw/bite routine. Five times per day, it can use its breath weapon of pure energy, which looks like a rainbow-hued blast of light. This weapon does damage equal to the dragon's hit points, but affects only one target per attack. The breath weapon is a 5'-wide beam of energy that extends for 100'. So bright is this light that if the dragon attacks at night, everyone within 100' of the beam must save vs. spells or be blinded for 1-4 rounds.

My emphasis - the blindness only applies at night.

and is it feasible to model it after color spray?

I suggest modelling the breath weapon on Prismatic Spray. Although how it would vary depending on age category would be interesting.

Hmmm... is it a typo ? because it says that this dragon is Neutral Evil in its stat block, and it says that it is the most powerful of all evil-dragons.

I don't see the problem here Neutral EVil is afterall Evil! - unless I'm missing something.
Regards
Mortis

 

[JiCi]

I don't see the problem here Neutral EVil is afterall Evil! - unless I'm missing something.

D'OH *facepalm*

I should learn to actually read stuff before posting. I read something like: "The rainbow dragon is one of the most powerful of all nonevil-dragons".

Woops...

 

[JiCi]

My emphasis - the blindness only applies at night.

Hmmm... I'm not too sure about this one. Its scales can already blind targets. We could limit it the attended target of the breath weapon though.

I suggest modelling the breath weapon on Prismatic Spray. Although how it would vary depending on age category would be interesting.

Prismatic Spray doesn't a viable option, especially for a non-epic dragon. In the prismatic dragon's case, its high DC made it a real challenge, but than again it doesn't guaranty a good amount of damage, especially since the effect depends on one of the saves, not just Reflex. I took the idea from Races of the Dragon: a half-prismatic dragon gains a special breath weapon that mimics searing light (ranged touch attack, extra damage to undead, etc.).

 

[Mortis]

I should learn to actually read stuff before posting. I read something like: "The rainbow dragon is one of the most powerful of all nonevil-dragons".

That would make a difference.

Regards
Mortis

 

[Mortis]

Hmmm... I'm not too sure about this one. Its scales can already blind targets. We could limit it the attended target of the breath weapon though.

The scales blind opponents in bright light (such as sunlight), the breath weapon does the same in the dark.

Prismatic Spray doesn't (seem) a viable option, especially for a non-epic dragon. In the prismatic dragon's case, its high DC made it a real challenge, but than again it doesn't guaranty a good amount of damage, especially since the effect depends on one of the saves, not just Reflex. I took the idea from Races of the Dragon: a half-prismatic dragon gains a special breath weapon that mimics searing light (ranged touch attack, extra damage to undead, etc.).

You could start with a 3 colour ray and add a colour per 2 age categories and at the Wyrm stage give it the chance of 2 rays hitting an opponent. I think a breath weapon that gives a (small) chance of plane shifting (etc) an opponent is worth a look. For the rays that deal hp damage, the amount of damage could be based on the age category.

Regards
Mortis

 

[GrayLinnorm]

Since we're done with the pink dragon, when is it going to be posted?

 

[Shade]

Heh. It looks like you guys voted, and the rainbow won.

For the breath weapon, I'd like to avoid a prismatic spray style weapon. I'd prefer if this guy didn't end up as the "prismatic dragon lite". I'm not opposed to adding a second breath weapon, though. Maybe we could have it do all five energy types in equal amounts (like the rainbow blast spell from Spell Compendium)?

Color spray and rainbow pattern seem like no-brainers for SLAs.

As far as its power level goes, its HD place it between the white and black...hardly "one of the most powerful evil dragons". I'm alright with leaning more heavily towards that statement, though, and giving it a bit of a boost, maybe on par with the red, but not exceeding it. Otherwise, we're moving closer to epic territory again.

I do like the idea of it being a bit of an "ultimate chromatic dragon" as suggested, and focusing on all colors at once. If nothing else, it could be "the most versatile chromatic dragon". Since it is neutral evil, it could also act as a mediator between the various species on Tiamat's behalf.