Converting True Dragons

[Shade]

Shall we work on the psionics?

 

[freyar]

Sounds good. Manifester level like amethyst? Probably kineticist, maybe egoist?

 

[RavinRay]

Amethyst/crystal manifesting progression (1-17).

The breath weapon has a strong psychokinesis flavor; OTOH the way it transduces seismic energy into hit points reeks of psychometabolism. I'm slightly inclined towards the former.

 

[freyar]

Maybe we should go with kineticist but give expanded knowledge for psychometabolism as a bonus feat? Or something?

 

[RavinRay]

Well, this is a non-standard gem dragon with two breath weapons (though the 3e amethyst dragon has a second breath weapon of sorts with that explosive crystalline lozenge), no 2e SLA's to convert into 3e PLA's, and an unusual metabolism so giving it limited access to a second discipline doesn't seem out of place. One way to do so aside from bonus feats is to give it something similar to the erudite's ability to add discipline (psychometabolism only) powers to its repertoire. The mechanics need not be identical to the erudite's ability as worded in Dragon #319 and Complete Psionic. It's available on the April 2006 Preview page of WotC's D&D website:

ADDING POWERS TO AN ERUDITE'S REPERTOIRE​

In addition to learning new powers for gaining a level like other psionic classes, erudites can add new powers to their repertoires through several other methods. Powers Gained at a New Level: Erudites and other psionic characters perform a certain amount of personal meditation between adventures in an attempt to unlock latent mental abilities. Each time a psionic character attains a new level, he learns additional powers according to his class schedule.

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An erudite learns two powers of his choice to add to his repertoire in this fashion. These represent powers unlocked through study, practice, and the accumulation of psionic lore. The two free powers must be of levels the erudite can manifest, and they cannot be from a select discipline list.

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Exception: If a character with erudite levels gains at least as many levels in another psionic class as he has in his erudite class, he permanently loses the ability to add additional powers (above and beyond the two gained at each new erudite level) to his repertoire of powers known.

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Learning Discipline Powers: An erudite can learn discipline powers only by directly learning a power from another's repertoire, learning it from a power stone, or taking the Expanded Knowledge feat (EPH 46). In any case, an erudite can learn a discipline-only power only if it is up to 1 level lower than the highest level power he can manifest.

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No matter what the power's source, the character must first make mental contact (a process similar to addressing a power stone, requiring a Psicraft check against a DC of 15 + the highest-level power contained in the stone or the repertoire). He can make mental contact only with a willing psionic character or creature (unconscious creatures are considered willing, but not psionic characters under the effects of other immobilizing conditions). Mental contact requires 1 round of physical contact. Once mental contact is achieved, the erudite becomes aware of all the powers stored in the power stone or all the powers known by the target up to the highest level of power the erudite knows himself (if the powers' host fails a Will save [DC 13 + erudite's Int bonus]).

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Next, the erudite must make a Psicraft check (DC 15 + power's level) for each power he is trying to learn to see if he understands that power. If the selected power is not on his class list or on any of the select discipline lists, he automatically fails this check.

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If the check fails, the erudite cannot understand, manifest, or learn the power. He cannot attempt to manifest or learn it again, even if he studies it from another source, until he gains another rank in Psicraft. If the power was being learned from a power stone, it does not vanish from the stone.​

If the check succeeds, the erudite understands the selected power. He can attempt to manifest the power normally on his next turn, as described in Expanded Psionics Handbook, or he can attempt to permanently commit the power to his own repertoire.

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Committing the Power to Repertoire: Once an erudite understands a new power through the procedure of contact described above, he can learn it, permanently adding it to his repertoire.

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Physical Requirements: The erudite doesn't need to keep the power stone or other psionic source nearby while he fixes the candidate power in his repertoire. However, should he manifest any other power during the time requirement, he loses focus on the power to be added, forgoing the chance to learn that power until he gains at least one more rank in Psicraft.

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Time: The process requires 8 hours, regardless of the power's level. During those 8 hours, the erudite must remain in meditation.

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XP Cost: To permanently learn a new power that is not one of the powers he learns automatically when gaining a level, he must expend 20 experience points per erudite level, which are deducted from the character at the end of the meditation. At that time, the erudite permanently knows the power and it is in his repertoire just like any other power he knows. An erudite cannot expend so much XP that he would lose a level. If he doesn't have enough XP to spend on learning a power, he can't learn it until he gains more XP.​

An erudite does not have to pay the costs in time or XP for the powers he gains for free at each new level. He adds them to his repertoire as part of his ongoing meditation.​

 

[freyar]

Yeah, not sure I like that mechanic for a natively psionic dragon. Maybe gets 1 bonus power from psychometabolism for every 2 or three psychokinesis powers it gets or something?

 

[Shade]

That could work.

Thoughts for the psi-like abilities?

 

[freyar]

You know, I guess my suggestion is like giving it Expanded Knowledge a lot as a bonus feat...

Common Powers
Psychokinesis—Sciences: Molecular rearrangement, telekinesis. Devotions: Control flames, control wind, inertial barrier, molecular agitation, molecular manipulation.
Psychometabolism—Sciences: Energy containment, metamorphosis. Devotions: Cell adjustment, chemical stimulation, lend health, suspend animation.

Are there a few things on that list that survived to 3.5 that we could pick as PLAs?

 

[Shade]

Molecular rearrangement - ?
telekinesis = telekinetic force
Control flames = same
control wind = control air
inertial barrier=same
molecular agitation = matter agitation
molecular manipulation = matter manipulation

Energy containment = Energy Adaptation
metamorphosis = same
Cell adjustment = body adjustment
chemical stimulation = dissolving touch
lend health = empathic transfer
suspend animation = suspend life

 

[RavinRay]

The way its 2E stats were written it seems that list would correspond to "typical powers known" instead of psi-like abilities. But yeah we can pick some to convert into PLA's. I'm veering away from telekinetic force and body adjustment because the amethyst dragon has those already.

Here's a possible list:

adult: control flames (1st level)
old: body adjustment or dissolving touch (2nd level)
ancient: inertial barrier (4th level) or suspend life (6th level)
great wyrm: matter manipulation (8th level)