Converting True Dragons

[Shade]

Well, I've made a grey dragon right here and I believe that the Dragonlance Campaign Setting has a grey dragon template, which is considered a degenerating template, if you're craving to use a grey dragon soon in your game.

Hold that thought, the original might be cooler than my homebrewed version.

Yeah, the one in the same issue as the rainbow is a DL dragon. I was actually thinking of the gray dragon in a different issue, but on a second look, it appears to be a unique dragon.

 

[Shade]

OK, so 2d8/age category breath weapon progression and untyped energy damage for the line seem the popular choices.

Help fill in the blanks...
Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—color spray (juvenile or older), rainbow pattern (old or older), ? (adult or older); 1/day—? (ancient or older), ? (great wyrm).

For energy resistance, do we want to give it out in increments of 5 at the same age categories as the DR, or mix it up a bit?

 

[Mortis]

For energy resistance, do we want to give it out in increments of 5 at the same age categories as the DR, or mix it up a bit?

I favour the first approach. But, maybe, consider immunity to the listed energies at the great wyrm age category?

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.

Maybe add a line that the bone can also be used in the (IIRC) Epic rings of universal resistance/immunity.

Regards
Mortis

 

[RavinRay]

I agree with Mortis on the +5 energy resistance, but add that sonic vulnerability as well as a fair trade-off. I don't know of any monster (aside from crystalline creatures affected by shatter spells and the like) that specifically has sonic vulnerability. Maybe it should be vulnerable not only to sonic effects that do hp damage, but also to other effects that use sound. A penalty to saving throws for those sonic effects, perhaps?

 

[Shade]

So...

Resistance to acid, cold, electricity, and fire 5 at young adult, increasing by 5 at every 2 age categories thereafter, becoming immunity at great wyrm?

And this?

Vulnerability to Sonic (Ex): A rainbow dragon takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from sonic effects, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure. Additionally, a rainbow dragon suffers a -2 penalty vs. spells or effects with the sonic descriptor that do not deal hit point damage.

 

[RavinRay]

That's great! Looking at some sonic effects at d20srd.org, some deal deafness (naturally), while others like sound burst stun targets. A crafty mage knows what spells to use against a rainbow dragon.

 

[Shade]

Indeed! Achilles' heels are always fun.

I've updated in Homebrews. We still need the following:

• SLAs for adult, ancient, and great wyrm age categories
• A third class skill

 

[GrayLinnorm]

How about prismatic spray and sunburst?

There are several spells in Spell Compendium that might work (I'm thinking of prismatic ray in particular), but I don't know if you want to use non-core material.

 

[Shade]

Those could work. We were trying to avoid too much similarity with the prismatic dragon, but its breath weapon is the prismatic spray, so giving it to the rainbow as a SLA should be dissimilar enough.

Sunburst is given to old prismatic dragons 3/day. If we give it to rainbow at ancient or great wyrm 1/day, that is probably toned down enough, eh?

 

[Shade]

I wrote up some flavor text. Let me know what you think.

For the third class skill, how about Spellcraft?