Converting True Dragons

[freyar]

Let's just ditch hardness to keep the DR reasonable.

Agreed, then.

Do we need to revisit the SLAs? In particular, I think we might need to describe allies and summon earth elemental (both pretty easy):

Allies (Sp): This functions as the spell charm monster, except that it only works on rock-based creatures or creatures with the earth subtype (Will DC 10+ 1/2 HD +Cha bonus). The stone dragon may use this ability 3 times per day (?).

Summon earth elemental (Sp): This functions as a summon monster VI spell, except that the stone dragon may only summon earth elementals. The stone dragon may use this ability once per day (?).

Do we need a CL progression?

 

[Shade]

Updated.

I'm not sure we need spellcasting/caster level. It has a boatload of SLAs, so it's almost like a planar dragon. Thoughts?

Class skills: Appraise, Hide, Survival?

 

[RavinRay]

Summon earth elemental (Sp): This functions as a summon monster VI spell, except that the stone dragon may only summon earth elementals. The stone dragon may use this ability once per day (?).

Should it be able to summon a tougher elemental as it ages, like the brown dragon, and how a concordant dragon can summon a tougher rilmani as it ages?

Class Skills: Appraise, Hide, Survival?

Sounds good. Appraise because it ought to be an expert with gems, Hide and Survival because it is a loner and apathetic.

 

[freyar]

Should it be able to summon a tougher elemental as it ages, like the brown dragon, and how a concordant dragon can summon a tougher rilmani as it ages?

I like that idea. What about this?

Summon earth elemental (Sp): This functions as a summon monster spell, except that the stone dragon may only summon earth elementals. The stone dragon may use this ability once per day and may summon elementals up to a size specified for its age category.

Then make its ability Summon earth elemental (Medium) at Old, (Large) at Very Old, (Huge), (Greater), (Elder).

Sounds good. Appraise because it ought to be an expert with gems, Hide and Survival because it is a loner and apathetic.

Agreed.

 

[Shade]

Here's what the brown dragon has...

Summon Huge Air Elemental (Sp): Once per day, an old brown dragon can cast summon nature's ally VII to summon one Huge air elemental, 1d3 Large air elementals, or 1d4+1 air elementals of smaller size.

Summon Greater Air Elemental (Sp): Once per day, an ancient brown dragon can cast summon nature's ally VIII to summon one greater air elemental, 1d3 Huge air elementals, or 1d4+1 air elementals of smaller size.


Since the stone dragon's ability lines up the same (beginning at old), we could simply mimic the brown and replace air with earth, eh? (And drop it to summon VI and VII, as those summon Huge and greater in 3.5).

 

[freyar]

Sounds good. Easier is better.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

What's left?

 

[freyar]

We have to remove the ? from Ex? on Spit Stones. Also, the tactics section needs filling in.

Do we want to do something with resistances and immunities along these lines? We have placeholders in the SQ lines, but not descriptions.

Stone dragons save vs. fire and acid at - 1, and take + 1 hp damage per die of damage done on
these attacks. Stone dragons save vs. cold at + 1, with damage being - 1 per die. Earth-based spells that normally have no saving throw do only half damage or have half the effect against a stone dragon; for example, animated rocks and conjured earth elementals only do half damage when they hit, and earthquake has a 1 in 16 chance of killing a stone dragon. Earthbased spells that do allow a saving throw do half or no damage to stone dragons, depending on the dragon's saving throw. Flesh to stone and mud to rock (and their
reverses) have no effect on stone dragons.

 

[Shade]

Thanks, I removed the question mark and added tactics.

Upthread, we agreed on vulnerability to fire and acid.

We had two ideas tossed around for the cold:

1.) A scaling resistance to cold
2.) Save bonuses to cold attacks (scaling)?

For the earth effects, we agreed on something akin to evasion, but only applied to earth effects.

How's this?

Earth Mettle (Ex): If a stone dragon makes a successful save against spells or effects with the earth descriptor, or against attacks from creatures with the Earth subtype, and that attack normally deals half damage on a successful save, the dragon instead takes no damage.

 

[RavinRay]

I like Earth Mettle.

Save bonus for cold more for me.